Meeting Public Comments

Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.

Comments Submitted:

01-22-2025

Renita Maassen

Left a 20 plus years nursing career because of the ridiculous vaccine mandates required for health care workers. This has to change. We are missing some of the best and most intelligent students that would make excellent providers because of the mandates. This bill must advance.

01-22-2025

Jennifer Leonhard

Our future nurses and doctors are facing religious and medical persecution by being forced to get the covid vaccine in order to complete their clinical for their education. This is absolutely unjust and is creating a medical field that is dominated by one political party. We cannot complain that we don't have enough people entering the medical field while forcing many qualified and passionate candidates to choose another educational and vocational pathway when they choose not to get the covid vaccine. In fact, this bill should be expanded to include all vaccines in order to preserve the religious rights of the 1st amendment. This religious discrimination should not be allowed. I have many friends who have exited the medical field over the past 5 years due to mandates that don't take into consideration the health history or religious beliefs of individuals. No medicine is one size fits all and every vaccine carries risks that should be considered, not mandated. Please support this bill to allow a robust workforce for the medical field.

01-22-2025

Colette Loots

I am writing to request the advance of the HR 35bill. We currently have a nationwide healthcare worker shortage, which has only increased from the restrictive vaccine requirements that are discouraging people from entering the healthcare field. How will our aging population in Iowa receive care if we do not have enough healthcare workers to be able to do so? Its imperative to terminate the coercion and religious discrimination that are currently taking place to require these vaccines to participate in healthcare. I would also like to request the consideration of the expansion of this legislation beyond COVID19 to the flu vaccine as well.

01-22-2025

Deb Hummel

01-22-2025

Lindsay Maher

Support HF35 and consider amending it to include other vaccines! A large majority of healthcare organizations accept religious and medical exemptions to vaccines, why is this not available to our students? As many others have echoed we have a significant healthcare worker shortage in Iowa, let alone all across America. The mandates during the pandemic have only exacerbated that issue. Schools should be doing more to help students who have medical or religious exemptions to vaccines to find clinical rotations that will allow them to graduate with their degree and enter the workforce. Multiple studies and literature reviews show requiring annual flu shots and covid shots do not stop transmission of the viruses, improve health outcomes for patients of vaccinated healthcare workers, or even reduce the load on hospitals during cold/flu season (see source below). In fact repeated annual flu/covid vaccines increases your likelihood of catching those diseases along with other respiratory infections! Please enforce exemption laws for our higher education institutions and get them to help their students navigate the clinical process. Once they graduate they will likely have multiple options of places to work that would be more than willing to accept their exemptions since less than half of the healthcare workforce population opted to take the flu or covid shot this last season. https://physiciansforinformedconsent.org/fluvaccine/

01-22-2025

Cynthia Loots

I am writing to request the advance of the HF 35 bill. We currently have a nationwide healthcare worker shortages. This increased when the vaccine requirements discouraged people from entering the healthcare field while it caused others to leave the field of healthcare. How will our aging population in Iowa receive care if we do not have enough healthcare workers to be able to do so? Its imperative to terminate the coercion and religious discrimination that are currently taking place to require these vaccines to participate in healthcare. Thank you!

01-23-2025

Oliver Bardwell [Iowans 4 Freedom]

I strongly support HF35, which ensures students with COVID19 vaccine exemptions can complete their clinical requirements. However, I must ask: why are we still allowing these vaccine mandates in Iowa in the first place?In October 2021, we brought over 30 nurses to the Capitol to meet with Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver. These nursessome of whom worked remotely in billing or schedulinglost their jobs simply for refusing the COVID19 vaccine. It was heartbreaking to hear their stories, and its no wonder Iowa faces a severe shortage of healthcare workers.These mandates are driving people away from the healthcare field, creating unnecessary barriers in a profession that is already struggling to meet demand. HF35 is a good step, but its time to consider removing these mandates altogether.

01-23-2025

Cindy Wacker

I have two college students pursuing the medical field. This has been and is still a concern of ours. It causes undo stress for a college student to wonder if some new experimental drug labelled as a vaccine will suddenly be required for them to continue in their pursuits where they are already on a path investing much time and money. For many these pursuits started in high school. Looking back there are many side effects that took time to discover. Our students shouldn't be required to take any drugs that haven't been proven over a long period of time and religious or personal reasons exemptions should always be accepted. Thank you for considering these opinions and serving our state.

01-23-2025

Tina Maser

Please advance this bill. We should not be requiring anyone to get any vaccine. This is a total personal decision and these are adults we are talking about besides being in the medical field. I am so thankful I retired from the medical setting before all of this nonsense began.

01-23-2025

Angela Wenell

I am in favor of this bill. My daughter is applying to sonography schools and this is one of her biggest obstacles. She may choose to go out of state due to the uncertainty of the clinical environment in Iowa. I would also like to see it apply to all vaccines, not just the Covid vaccine. In addition, everyone should have the freedom to decide which vaccines to take or not take, not just based on religious freedom, but medical freedom in general.

01-23-2025

Tracie Kennedy

Im in favor of this bill! We have a Healthcare shortage right now and the last thing we need are more demands on the incredible people working hard to help people when they're sick and in need. My brother died from the Moderna covid vaccine in 2021. This shot isn't safe for everyone (if safe at all) so leaving people stuck between getting that shot and leaving the program is absurd. But this isn't a discussion on vaccine safety, it's simply an about transparently allowing vaccine exemptions to be walked out respectfully and honorably for much needed Healthcare students looking to help sick people. It's about having an option rather than being forced to inject something into his/her body or leave the program altogether. Please consider passing this bill. Thank you.

01-23-2025

Robert Nazario

We Must Advance HF35 and never push force vaccine mandates on the people of Iowa Again. I have three in the medical community and they need our protection as well as students across Iowa. Please support advancing this HF35 and protect the people! We need full medical privacy and 100% medical freedom. Saying NO to any force vaccines should be enough! Exemptions for any reason what so ever!

01-23-2025

Betsy Fickel

A yes vote on this bill designed to protect those exercising their freedom of choice to not be subjected to medical experimentation as the shot (not vaccine) was not thoroughly tested with current protocols. It has created a shortage in the health care workforce.

01-23-2025

Kelley Duehr

We need to stop the religious discrimination and give back the freedom to choose what we put into our bodies! We already have a shortage of nurses! Lets support diversity and give people who have a passion to work in health care but have different religious beliefs the same chance as everyone else!!

01-23-2025

Courtney Collier

Vote yes on HF35 and please expand it to include all vaccines. We are in a healthcare worker shortage and we need to make it possible for those who choose to opt out of vaccinations for religious or medical reasons to participate in secondary schooling. Vaccines are the only medical product and procedure that the manufacturer and doctor has NO liability for. For this reason many people are hesitant to use them. We need to make it possible for people to continue their education without violating their religious beliefs or medical needs. Thank you.

01-23-2025

Liz Leonhard

As a healthcare worker I support this and would encourage expanding the reach to all vaccinations. Many healthcare facilities accept exemptions from their employees and many students go on to take jobs at their clinical location after graduation. We should be encouraging more people going into the medical field not less. I also have a child who is interested in working in the medical field but because of discrimination like this still being accepted I'm hoping she picks something else by the time she's older. Discriminatory Treatment like this doesn't just effect students who are currently trying to get into programs to enter the medical field. Us parents see this going on right now and it effects the things we teach our children and it effects the warnings we give them. There is a whole generation of children being raised by parents who were forced out of the medical field and the jobs they loved over the covid 19 vaccine and they are much less likely to want anything to do with a medical career unless things change. The shortage of healthcare workers is a well earned shortage and it won't fix itself. This bill give Iowa a chance to move in the right direction and support future healthcare workers.

01-23-2025

Mandee Shivers

I ask that you please move forward and support HF35 and consider amending it to include other vaccines! A large majority of healthcare organizations accept religious and medical exemptions to vaccines, and I wonder why it is not also available for students. As many others have already stated we have a significant healthcare worker shortage, and desperately need to do something about that. I know I have 2 children who have greatly desired to work in the medical field but changed their career paths after they watched my husband and I walk away from the medical field in 2020 due to our exemptions being denied. Please be a part of the solution for solving our healthcare crisis by removing these obstacles to keep so many out.