AMERICANS Act
This bill prohibits the Department of Defense from imposing new COVID-19 vaccine mandates without explicit congressional approval. It directly affects military members discharged or facing adverse actions (like separation or rank reduction) solely due to refusing the vaccine. Key provisions require the DoD to adjust discharges to "honorable," reinstate members to their prior rank, expunge adverse records related to vaccination status, and provide back pay for lost benefits. The bill also mandates equal retention and promotion opportunities for unvaccinated service members and creates exemption processes for specific cases like natural immunity or religious objections. These changes apply regardless of whether members previously sought vaccine accommodations.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2023
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Jan 24, 2023
Last action Jan 24, 2023
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Jan 24, 2023
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
upper
Jan 24, 2023
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 20 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Ted Cruz
RRepublican
Co
Cindy Hyde-Smith
RRepublican
Co
Cynthia M. Lummis
RRepublican
Co
James E. Risch
RRepublican
Co
James Lankford
RRepublican
Co
John Hoeven
RRepublican
Co
Josh Hawley
RRepublican
Co
Kevin Cramer
RRepublican
Co
Lindsey Graham
RRepublican
Co
Marco Rubio
RRepublican
Co
Markwayne Mullin
RRepublican
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about S 29
Scope: US
Hi! I can help you understand S 29. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline