The proposed bill, known as the Privacy and Conscience Protection Act, amends existing laws regarding discrimination in employment to include protections related to the disclosure of medical status, specifically vaccination or immunization status for COVID-19 and its variants. It modifies 25 O.S. 2021, Section 1101, to expand the definition of discrimination to include medical privacy and establishes a new section requiring public and private employers to allow employees or contractors to refuse to disclose their vaccination status. Employers must provide a certification of disclosure exemption, which employees can complete to opt out of disclosing their vaccination status, and they must accept this certification without question.

Additionally, the bill outlines specific requirements for employers regarding the handling of vaccination status disclosures, including prohibiting discrimination against employees who refuse to disclose their status and ensuring that any policies do not penalize or segregate employees based on their vaccination status. It also establishes that violations of these provisions will be classified as misdemeanors, with enforcement jurisdiction granted to the Office of the Attorney General. The bill is set to take effect immediately upon passage, emphasizing the urgency of its implementation for public health and safety.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 25-1101