State employee vaccine requirements during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2021-2023
From Ballotpedia
Between August 2021 and December 2023, this article tracked the states that implemented vaccine requirements for some or all state employees. In some cases, those requirements only applied to employees working in state healthcare facilities. As of December 2023, four states had a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for state employees, while 15 states had ended a state employee vaccine requirement. Of the four states that required state employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine at the time this page was last updated, each had a Democratic governor. Of the 31 states that did not require state employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine, 24 had a Republican governor and six had a Democratic governor.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) became the first governor to implement a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for state employees on July 26.[1] In some cases, such as in Washington and Oregon, state employees were required to get vaccinated and were not given the option of opting for regular COVID-19 testing.
Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 included how federal, state, and local governments responded, and how those responses influenced election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.
State employee vaccine requirements by state
The following map shows which states had placed vaccine requirements on state employees as of December 2023.
The following table shows the states that require state employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine or submit to regular COVID-19 testing.
| States with state employee COVID-19 vaccine-or-test requirements | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Governor party affiliation | Effective date | Policy | |
| Illinois | D | October 1, 2021 | On August 4, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) announced that state employees who work in congregate settings, such as correctional facilities and nursing homes, would be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine.[2] | |
| Kentucky | D | October 1, 2021 | On August 2, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced that state employees working in state-run healthcare facilities would be required to get a COVID-19 test or undergo COVID-19 testing twice a week.[3] | |
| Maryland | D[4] | September 1, 2021 | On August 5, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced that state employees in 48 facilities, including Department of Health and Department of Public Safety and Corrections facilities, would be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly testing. Employees who forewent a vaccine would also be required to wear face masks while indoors. Hogan said the policy would begin September 1.[5] | |
| Pennsylvania | D | September 7, 2021 | On August 10, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced that state employees in state hospitals and high-risk congregate facilities would be required to get a COVID-19 test or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.[6] | |
States where the vaccine requirement has ended
| States where the vaccine requirement has ended | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Governor party affiliation[7] | Date requirement went into effect | End date | Information |
| California | D | August 2, 2021[8] | September 16, 2022 | On September 16, 2022, the California Department of Human Resources ended the requirement that state employees get a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo regular testing.[9] |
| Colorado | D | September 20, 2021[10] | August 15, 2022 | On August 15, 2022, the state ended the requirement for state employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing.[11] |
| Connecticut | D | September 27, 2021[12] | April 2022 | Gov. Ned Lamont (D) ended the requirement that state employees undergo regular testing or get a COVID-19 vaccine. |
| Delaware | D | September 30, 2021[13] | May 11, 2023 | The requirement that state employees provide proof of vaccination or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing ended when the federal state of emergency ended on May 11, 2023. |
| Hawaii | D | August 16, 2021[14] | March 25, 2022 | On March 25, 2022, Gov. David Ige (D) announced that state and county employees would no longer be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo regular testing. |
| Massachusetts | R | October 17, 2021[15] | May 11, 2023 | Gov. Maura Healey (D) announced on March 15, 2023, that she would end the requirement that state employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine on May 11, the same date the federal emergency was set to expire.[16] |
| Minnesota | D | September 8, 2021[17] | May 2022 | Gov. Tim Walz (D) ended the requirement that state employees get a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo regular testing.[18] |
| Nevada | D[19] | August 15, 2021[20] | March 24, 2022 | The state removed the requirement that state employees get a COVID-19 vaccine or submit to regular testing.[21] |
| New Jersey | D | October 18, 2021[22] | August 15, 2022 | August 15, 2022, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) ended the requirement that state employees get a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo once-or-twice weekly COVID-19 testing.[23] |
| New Mexico | D | August 2, 2021[24] | March 31, 2023 | Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) ended the public health order. Among other things, the ending of the order meant state employees were no longer required to get a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo COVID-19 testing every two weeks.[25] |
| New York | D | September 27, 2021[26] | June 9, 2022 | New York ended its requirement that unvaccinated state workers undergo regular COVID-19 testing.[27] |
| North Carolina | D | September 1, 2021[28] | May 9, 2022 | The requirement that unvaccinated employees would need to undergoing weekly COVID-19 testing ended on May 9, 2022. |
| Oregon | D | October 18, 2021[29] | May 10, 2023 | On May 10, Oregon lifted the requirement that state employees, including teachers and healthcare workers, get a COVID-19 vaccine.[30] |
| Virginia | R | August 5, 2021 | January 15, 2022 | On January 15, 2022, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) issued Executive Directive Number Two, repealing then-Gov. Ralph Northam's (D) August 5, 2021, directive requiring state employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine or submit to weekly testing.[31][32] |
| Vermont | R | August 2021[33] | April 2022 | Gov. Phil Scott (R) announced that state employees would no longer be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination. |
| Washington | D | October 18, 2021[34] | May 11, 2023 | On May 11, 2023, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) ended the requirement that employees in executive agencies get a COVID-19 vaccine.[35] |
States that have not issued a state employee vaccine requirement
| States with no vaccine requirement for state employees | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Governor party affiliation | |||
| Alabama | R | |||
| Alaska | R | |||
| Arizona | R | |||
| Arkansas | R | |||
| Florida | R | |||
| Georgia | R | |||
| Idaho | R | |||
| Indiana | R | |||
| Iowa | R | |||
| Kansas | D | |||
| Louisiana | D | |||
| Maine | D | |||
| Michigan | D | |||
| Mississippi | R | |||
| Missouri | R | |||
| Montana | R | |||
| Nebraska | R | |||
| New Hampshire | R | |||
| North Dakota | R | |||
| Ohio | R | |||
| Oklahoma | R | |||
| Rhode Island | D | |||
| South Carolina | R | |||
| South Dakota | R | |||
| Tennessee | R | |||
| Texas | R | |||
| Utah | R | |||
| West Virginia | R | |||
| Wisconsin | D | |||
| Wyoming | R | |||
See also
- Documenting America's Path to Recovery
- COVID-19 vaccine distribution
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) travel restrictions
- Officeholders and candidates diagnosed with, dead from, or quarantined because of coronavirus
- School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19 pandemic
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, "California Implements First-in-the-Nation Measures to Encourage State Employees and Health Care Workers to Get Vaccinated," July 26, 2021
- ↑ KWQC, "Illinois Gov. Pritzker announces COVID-19 vaccination requirement for some state employees," August 5, 2021
- ↑ Kentucky.gov, "CORRECTION: Gov. Beshear Announces New Testing and Vaccine Program in State-Run Health Care Facilities," August 2, 2021
- ↑ Wes Moore (D) became governor of Maryland on January 18, 2023
- ↑ The Office of Governor Larry Hogan, "Governor Hogan Announces New Vaccination Protocols for State Employees," August 5, 2021
- ↑ Governor Tom Wolf, "Governor Wolf Announces ‘Vaccine or Test’ Requirement for Commonwealth Employees in Health Care and High-Risk Congregate Facilities," August 10, 2021
- ↑ This is the partisan affiliation of the governor involved in ending the vaccine requirement, not necessarily the current governor
- ↑ Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, "California Implements First-in-the-Nation Measures to Encourage State Employees and Health Care Workers to Get Vaccinated," July 26, 2021
- ↑ Human Resources Director, "California drops COVID-19 requirement for state employees," September 16, 2022
- ↑ Colorado Governor Jared Polis, "Governor Polis to Require Regular Testing for all Unvaccinated State Employees," July 30, 2021
- ↑ Colorado Division of Human Resources, "COVID-19 Vaccination Reporting & Employee Testing," accessed June 13, 2023
- ↑ State of Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, "Governor Lamont Announces State Employees, Childcare, and School Staff Will Be Required To Get Vaccinated for COVID-19," August 19, 2021
- ↑ Delaware.gov, "COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Updates for Long-Term Care Facilities, Health Care Facilities, and State Employees," August 12, 2021
- ↑ Governor of the State of Hawaii, "OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR NEWS RELEASE: GOVERNOR IGE SIGNS EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION ESTABLISHING VACCINATION AND TESTING POLICY FOR STATE AND COUNTY EMPLOYEES," August 5, 2021
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Baker-Polito Administration Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Executive Department Employees," August 19, 2021
- ↑ WBUR", "Healey will end the COVID vaccination mandate for state workers, state health emergency," March 15, 2023
- ↑ Star Tribune, "Gov. Tim Walz to impose new vaccine requirement for state workers," August 11, 2021
- ↑ MPR News, "State government’s vax-or-test rule quietly expires," July 20, 2022
- ↑ The vaccine requirement was implemented and ended under then-Gov. Steve Sisolak (D)
- ↑ The Nevada Independent, "Nevada to require COVID vaccines or weekly testing for state employees," July 27, 2021
- ↑ The Nevada Independent, "State ends employee COVID testing, rolls back fees for unvaccinated," March 24, 2022
- ↑ State of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, "Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Instituting Vaccination or Testing Requirement for All Preschool to Grade 12 Personnel," August 23, 2021
- ↑ New Jersey Monitor, "Governor Murphy drops testing mandate for unvaccinated teachers, state workers," August 15, 2022
- ↑ Office of the Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, "Governor to implement vaccination policy for state government employees," July 29, 2021
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Mexico’s COVID-19 public health order officially ends," March 31, 2023
- ↑ Governor Andrew Cuomo, "Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19," July 28, 2021
- ↑ lohud, "NY stops COVID testing mandate for unvaccinated state workers but not yet for teachers," June 9, 2022
- ↑ NC Governor Roy Cooper, "North Carolina to Require Vaccine Verification for State Employees, Urges Other Government Agencies and Private Employers to do the Same," July 29, 2021
- ↑ State of Oregon, "Governor Kate Brown Announces New Statewide Measures to Address Rising COVID-19 Hospitalizations," August 10, 2021
- ↑ Oregon Capital Chronicle, "Oregon lifts COVID-19 vaccine requirements, other health measures as federal emergency ends," May 10, 2023
- ↑ https://www.governor.virginia.gov/executive-actions/executive-ordersdirectives/executive-action-title-918562-en.html Governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin, "EXECUTIVE DIRECTIV NUMBER TWO (2022)," accessed February 17, 2022]
- ↑ WRIC, "Northam sets vaccine mandate for Virginia state employees, shifts school mask recommendations," August 5, 2021
- ↑ WAMC, "Vermont Governor Announces Vaccination Mandate For Some State Employees," August 11, 2021
- ↑ Medium, "Inslee announces vaccination requirement for most state employees, private health care and long-term care workers," August 9, 2021
- ↑ Washington Governor Jay Inslee, "State Employee Vaccine Requirement FAQ," accessed June 13, 2023
