Two New bills Introduced Prior To Lawmaker’s Special Session

This week lawmakers will meet in a specialially called session to deal with Covid related issues. Late last week in a precursor to this session, a Tennessee lawmaker has filed 2 new bills that will be debated. The bills were filed by representative Scott Cepickey whose district is in southern Middle Tennessee. The first deals with employees having recourse against their employer for a vaccine mandate. The bill would categorize side effects from COVID-19 vaccines as injuries eligible for workers’ compensation. The bill would apply to private employers, including higher education institutions….Under the bill, workers must report their side effects to employers within 30 days from the symptoms to qualify for compensation. A bill passed late last year had shielded employers from liability when employees suffer “loss, damage, injury, or death” due to COVID-19 at their workplace…this bill would keep those protections in place, but instead make employers liable for any ill effects from the vaccine they mandated their employees take.

The second bill Cepickey has introduced would make school board elections a partisan affair…meaning that anyone running for school board would have to declare political party affiliation.