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Iowa labor commissioner says state won't enforce vaccine mandate for businesses

Roberts' announcement came as the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether the Biden administration has the authority to impose that mandate.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa will not enforce the federal vaccine-or-testing requirement for large employers, according to Labor Commissioner Rod Roberts.

Roberts' announcement came as the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether the Biden administration has the authority to impose that mandate.

“Iowa doesn’t have a standard requiring the Covid-19 vaccine or testing," Roberts said. "But after closely reviewing the federal OSHA Vaccine Mandate, Iowa has determined it will not adopt the federal standard. Iowa has concluded that it is not necessary because Iowa’s existing standards are at least as effective as the federal standard change.”

Gov. Kim Reynolds released a statement in support of Roberts' decision.

"The Biden Administration continues to ignore the constitutional rights afforded to all Americans, which our country was built on," Reynolds said. "Instead, they’d rather dictate health care decisions and eliminate personal choice, causing our businesses and employees to suffer and exacerbating our workforce shortage.”

Meanwhile, COVID cases have been climbing nationwide and in Iowa, with the state reporting its highest number of hospitalizations since December 2020 on Friday.

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