Written Testimony Rejecting HB 5044 and SB 450 - Vaccine Czar Twin-Bills

Mar 8
6 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Dear Connecticut Legislators,

Executive Summary: I urge you to Reject HB 5044 and SB 450. These bills are a blatant assault on our freedoms—HB 5044 hands unchecked power to bureaucrats to impose endless vaccine mandates on kids, adults, schools, and jobs. SB 450 guts religious exemptions, trampling First Amendment rights. Courts nationwide are striking down similar overreaches, and studies expose vaccine risks like myocarditis and waning efficacy. Do not let Connecticut families become guinea pigs for authoritarian control—choose liberty over mandates.

My name is Jason Guidone, a proud resident of Hebron and candidate for State Senate in District 19. As someone running to represent the hardworking families from Marlborough to Norwich, I am deeply committed to protecting our personal freedoms, supporting small businesses, and ensuring government serves the people—not the other way around. That's why I'm speaking out against two proposed bills: HB 5044 and SB 450. These bills represent a dangerous power grab that threatens the liberties we hold dear in our communities, and I urge you to reject them outright. If elected, I will fight tirelessly against such overreach to keep our district strong and independent.

HB 5044, "An Act Establishing Connecticut Vaccine Standards,” is about centralizing control over vaccine policies in the hands of unelected bureaucrats. This bill would shift authority from the legislature—where We, the People have a voice—to the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health. Manisha Juthani, merely appointed by a governor, could add new vaccines to the schedule bypassing the General Assembly legislative process. These two bills seek to expand immunization standards not just to kids in schools, but to colleges, insurers, pharmacists, and even the general adult population. This is not about

public health; it is about bypassing democratic processes and paving the way for endless mandates.

Vaccine policies are often driven by profit motives rather than sound science. A study published in the

Journal of Law and the Biosciences highlights the profit motive. Society prefers preventatives over repeat-

purchase treatments.[1]

We have seen how emergency powers during COVID were abused to impose restrictions that divided families and crushed small businesses. HB 5044 opens the door to more of that, extending requirements into everyday life without real oversight. What happens when they decide to add experimental shots or boosters that have not been fully vetted? Or when they tie compliance to access to education or jobs? This bill erodes our medical freedom and hands more power to the executive branch, which is simply overreach. Connecticut families deserve better—we need transparency, not top-down dictates.Look at what has happened in other states where similar overreaches have been challenged and defeated. In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton successfully sued the Biden administration over its

unlawful vaccine mandate for federal contractors, leading to its withdrawal nationwide.[2] A federal appeals court also sided with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, ruling that the federal government's attempt to punish the Texas National Guard for noncompliance with a vaccine mandate was unconstitutional.[3] Additionally, a federal judge struck down a Biden policy mandating COVID-19 vaccines for Head Start program staff and volunteers.[4] These victories show that courts are willing to push back against federal mandates that infringe on rights, and Connecticut should learn from them rather than repeating the same

mistakes.

Moreover, the risks associated with these vaccines cannot be ignored. Peer-reviewed studies have documented adverse effects like myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination, particularly in young males. A study in JAMA found that the risk of myocarditis was increased across multiple age and sex strata, highest after the second dose in adolescent males.[5] Another review in The Lancet noted that myocarditis after mRNA vaccines is real, with incidence highest in male adolescents and young adults.[6] Globally, public health statistics reveal concerns; for instance, a study in Nature estimated 14.83 million

excess deaths worldwide from 2020-2021, far exceeding reported COVID deaths, raising questions about pandemic responses including vaccination campaigns.[7] In some analyses, excess mortality persisted even with high vaccination rates, suggesting mandates deliver unacceptable risks.[8]

Recent reports highlight growing concerns across Connecticut about these bills. House Republican leaders have criticized Democrats for capping public testimony on HB 5044 and SB 450 at midnight during the upcoming March 11 hearing, arguing it silences families and limits input on issues affecting our children's health and our rights.[9] Additionally, news outlets have noted that language from HB 5044 has been folded into SB 450, combining efforts to expand mandates while eroding religious protections—moves that many see as rushed and undemocratic.[10] As CT Insider reported, if passed, these changes

would broaden the Department of Public Health's authority over immunizations for all ages, based on select recommendations, raising alarms about transparency and local control in our communities.[11] In District 19, where families value strong community ties, personal choice, and protecting our kids' futures, these developments demand we stand together for balanced policies that respect individual rights and proven science, not unchecked mandates.

SB 450, "An Act Concerning the Standard of Care for Immunization,” is insidious. It is designed to strip away religious protections. The bill would codify language stating that vaccine standards cannot be considered a violation of religious beliefs, effectively preempting any claims under religious liberty laws. This is not “clarification;” it is an end-run around our First Amendment rights. In a state that is already facing lawsuits over past vaccine policies, this bill tries to rewrite the rules mid-game to favor the government.

I demand legislators protect our core freedoms, including religious liberty, from government intrusion. Many have argued that forced medical interventions violate bodily autonomy and informed consent. Together, these bills form a one-two punch: HB 5044 expands the mandates, and SB 450 removes the last barriers to enforcing them. If passed, they could reshape vaccine policy in ways that reach every corner of our lives—schools, workplaces, even emergency responses—without public input or religious exemptions.

This is not just theory—courts across the country are actively addressing these issues. In New York, the Supreme Court recently ordered a federal appeals court to reconsider its upholding of a law eliminating religious exemptions for school vaccinations, in light of the 2025 ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which affirmed parents' free exercise rights to challenge school policies conflicting with their religious beliefs.[12]

In Miller v. McDonald, Amish families argue that forcing vaccinations violates their faith, and the Supreme Court's remand signals potential protection for religious exemptions.[13]

Similarly, in West Virginia, oral arguments were held in January 2026 in Krystle Perry v. Stacy Marteney before the Fourth Circuit, challenging the denial of a religious exemption to school vaccine mandates.[14]

And right here in Connecticut, a challenge to the 2021 repeal of the school vaccine religious exemption survived dismissal in February 2026, with the state Supreme Court previously upholding parts of the case allowing it to proceed on religious freedom grounds.[15]

Existing Supreme Court rulings further underscore the importance of religious protections. In the 2025 Massachusetts case Care and Protection of Isabelle, the state's highest court ruled that vaccinating a child in custody over parental religious objections violated the state constitution's free exercise protections.[16]

The 2023 Groff v. DeJoy decision strengthened Title VII requirements for employers to accommodate religious beliefs unless it causes undue hardship.[17]

And in 2022, the Seventh Circuit revived lawsuits from healthcare workers denied religious exemptions to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, emphasizing that such requests must be taken seriously even if they include non-religious elements.[18]

These precedents make clear that religious liberties cannot be casually dismissed in the name of public health policy.

Public health statistics also question the blanket efficacy claims. Studies show COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against transmission wanes, with one NEJM study finding vaccination reduced transmission of Delta less than Alpha, effects decreasing over time.[19]

Globally, a BMJ Public Health study noted sustained excess all-cause mortality post-COVID in Western countries, even after vaccination efforts.[8]

RFK Jr. has cited studies like a 2017 Guinea-Bissau study showing higher mortality in DTP-vaccinated girls, questioning routine schedules.[20]

These findings demand scrutiny before expanding mandates.

As a candidate for State Senate, I am committed to standing up for District 19 against these kinds of threats. Reject HB 5044 and SB 450. Stand up for medical freedom, religious rights, and the democratic process. Our state should be a beacon of liberty, not a testing ground for authoritarian policies. I will be watching closely and encouraging my fellow citizens to do the same—join me in this fight for our future.

Sincerely,

Jason Guidone

Hebron Resident and Candidate for State Senate, District 19

References:

[1] https://academic.oup.com/jlb/article/8/2/lsab027/6352998

[2] https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/paxton-sues-biden-administration-over-illegal-

vaccine-mandates

[3] https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/texas-victorious-case-challenging-bidens-

illegal-vaccine-mandate-texas-national-guard-members

[4] https://libertyjusticecenter.org/newsroom/federal-judge-strikes-down-biden-administrations-head-

start-vaccine-mask-mandate-fox-news

[5] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2788346