Can employers mandate vaccines? The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) says they can, but before employers do, they should consider the many legal and practical risks.
On July 26, 2021, the OLC issued an opinion (dated July 6, 2021) stating that the COVID-19 vaccinations’ Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) status under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FDCA) does not prevent public and private entities from imposing vaccine requirements. However, the OLC expressly states that the opinion does not address whether any other federal, state, or local laws or regulations might restrict the ability of an entity to mandate the vaccine or adopt any particular vaccination policy. Read our full article.