Title: Defending Freedom of Conscience for Cadets and Midshipmen Act of 2022
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Defending Freedom of Conscience for Cadets and Midshipmen Act of 2022
This bill provides that a cadet or midshipman at a federal service academy (e.g., the U.S. Naval Academy) may not be required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as a condition for graduation and may not be dismissed from the academy as a result of refusing to be vaccinated.
Cadets and midshipmen who are prohibited from fulfilling their service agreement due to their refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccination may not be subjected to repayment provisions (e.g., bonus repayment) or specified debt repayment collections.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4304 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4304

To prohibit unfair treatment of cadets and midshipmen who refuse to get 
             the COVID-19 vaccine, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 25, 2022

Mr. Rubio (for himself, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Risch, Mr. Braun, 
  Mr. Johnson, Mr. Cramer, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. 
  Daines, Mr. Hoeven, and Mr. Wicker) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit unfair treatment of cadets and midshipmen who refuse to get 
             the COVID-19 vaccine, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Defending Freedom of Conscience for 
Cadets and Midshipmen Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Covered individual.--The term ``covered individual'' 
        means a cadet or midshipman at a Federal service academy.
            (2) Federal service academy.--The term ``Federal service 
        academy'' means the following:
                    (A) The United States Military Academy, West Point, 
                New York.
                    (B) The United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, 
                Maryland.
                    (C) The United States Air Force Academy, Colorado 
                Springs, Colorado.
                    (D) The United States Coast Guard Academy, New 
                London, Connecticut.
                    (E) The United States Merchant Marine Academy, 
                Kings Point, New York.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON VACCINE REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION FROM FEDERAL 
              SERVICE ACADEMIES.

    A covered individual may not be required to be vaccinated for 
COVID-19 as a condition for graduation from a Federal service academy 
nor dismissed from a Federal service academy as a result of refusing to 
be so vaccinated.

SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON ENFORCEMENT OF REPAYMENT PROVISIONS FOR REFUSAL 
              TO RECEIVE VACCINE.

    A covered individual who is prohibited from fulfilling his or her 
service agreement due to that individual's decision not to be 
vaccinated for COVID-19 may not be subjected to the repayment 
provisions of section 303a(e) or 373 of title 37, United States Code, 
or to debt repayment collections provided for under chapter 176 of 
title 28, United States Code, pursuant to section 7448, 8459, or 9448 
of title 10, United States Code, section 1925 of title 14, United 
States Code, or section 51306 of title 46, United States Code, as the 
case may be.
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