On Oct. 13, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson allowed a new law addressing mandated COVID-19 vaccines for employees to go into effect without his signature. SB 739’s primary sponsor, Sen. Kim Hammer, made it clear that the bill was a response to President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 action plan and the Biden administration’s forthcoming emergency temporary standard requiring employers with more than 100 workers to mandate vaccinations or test workers for the virus weekly.
Hammer acknowledged in the Arkansas Senate debate that the bill might be found unconstitutional, but he thought it was important to pass the bill to let Arkansans know where they stand.
