Wednesday January 13 at 9:30 a.m. senate bill 74 will have a hearing in the Pensions and Labor committee. WE NEED YOU TO COME TESTIFY at the Indiana Statehouse 200 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
Here is a synopsis of the bill: Workplace immunization prohibition. Prohibits an employer from requiring, as a condition of employment, an employee or prospective employee to receive any immunization if the immunization is medically contraindicated for the employee or receiving the immunization is against the employee’s religious beliefs or conscience. Allows for a civil action against an employer for a violation.
A map of the area around the Indiana State House is included here. The red line indicates the public entrance off Capitol Ave. There is metered parking on the streets around the State House. The closest parking garage is marked with a blue dot and is across the street from the public entrance.
To enter the building, there will be a security check that involves putting your belongings in the xray machine, like at the airport, and walking through a metal detector.
Where do you go once inside the statehouse? There is an information desk and the security staff can point you in the right direction to find it. The hearing starts at 9:30. The public will be testifying in Room 404, and the room will open no sooner than 30 minutes before the meeting. Plan to leave enough time that you will be outside Room 404 at 9:00 a.m. That may mean you arrive in the downtown area by 8:30 or sooner to find parking, go through security, and find Room 404.
Here is a link to find to the safety protocol at the State House for Covid guidelines.
You can fill out an appearance to testify form online starting at 7:00 a.m. on the day of the hearing. Follow this link to click the blue box that says Appearance Form.
Paper appearance forms will also be available for completion outside of Room 404 thirty minutes before the hearing starts.
What do you say during testimony?
Several people have asked this question. First of all, testimony is timed and usually no more than 3 minutes. If a large number of people show up, it may be shorter than 3 minutes. After you complete the appearance form, you will wait until your name is called to go speak at the podium. The usual order of testimony is for Supporters of the bill to speak first and Opposition to speak after, but this is not always the case.
- Share your personal story and why you are compelled to support this bill. 1-3 minutes is a short amount of time, so be direct about how this will impact your life if your job fires you for declining an employer mandated vaccine.
- This bill does not take away rights from employers. Employers can require vaccines, but they must allow for exemptions. This bill ensures that workers have rights to bodily autonomy. Current Indiana codes already ensure exemptions for a variety of groups including health facility workers. This will solidify those protections for the rest of Indiana workers. We need recourse for civil action in the law, because some health facilities have not been following the current Code to allow for employee exemptions.
- There is no current evidence that the new Covid-19 vaccines prevent transmission. They appear to lessen the symptoms but not stop spreading the virus to others. Dr. Fauci has stated that people who have been vaccinated for Covid-19 will need to continue with the same restrictions of social distancing and wearing masks.
These are a few of the main points, but there are numerous reasons that SB 74 is necessary. Having the basic human right to bodily autonomy without being discriminated against by being unemployable is a big one. Vaccines are liability free, and anyone who takes them is responsible for injury that may occurr.
Speak from the heart, speak with strength, speak with truth, and speak up for your rights even if your voice shakes.
For those who simply cannot make it to the State House to testify (and even those who can), here is the contact information for the Legislators on the Pensions and Labor Committee. The Committee members will be the ones that take a vote on the bill. Once it passes in Committee, it gets moved to the full 50 members of the Senate.
Senator John Crane:
Legislative Assistant: Morgan Torres
Phone: 317-232-9984
Email: s24@iga.in.gov
Senator Phil Boots:
Email:
Legislative Assistant: Sarah Potter
Phone: 317-234-9054
Email:
Senator Linda Rogers Email: Senator.Rogers@iga.in.gov
Legislative aide: Cassie Anderson
Phone: 317-234-9443
Email: Cassie.Anderson@iga.in.gov
Senator Greg Walker Phone: 317-232-9984 Email Senator.Greg.Walker@iga.in.gov
Legislative Assistant: Morgan Torres Email: Morgan.Torres@iga.in.gov
Senator Chip Perfect: Legislative Assistant: Michael Conway
Phone: 317-232-9489
Email: Michael.Conway@iga.in.gov
Senator Blake Doriot
Email:
Legislative Assistant: Ryan Ritchie
Phone: 317-232-9808
Email:
Senator Karen Tallian:Legislative Assistant: Tyler Hempfling Phone: 317-232-9404 | 800-382-9467 Email: s4@iga.in.gov
Senatory Fady Qaddoura:Legislative Assistant: Tyler Hempfling Phone: 317-232-9404 | 800-382-9467 Email: s30@iga.in.gov
Senator David Niezgodski:Legislative Assistant: Shaneé Francher-Donald Phone: 317-232-9491 | 800-382-9467 Email: s10@iga.in.gov