AMERICANS Act

House Bill

H.R. 511

119th Congress

AMERICANS Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 16, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Julia Brownley

Representative

Democratic

CA-26

Cosponsors

29

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Armed Forces and National Security

Summary

This bill prohibits DOD from issuing new COVID-19 vaccine mandates without congressional authorization and provides remedies for service members discharged under the rescinded 2021 mandate. All vaccine-related discharges must be categorized as honorable. DOD must retain unvaccinated members with equal opportunities and cannot consider vaccination status except for deployment to countries requiring it. Bonus repayments must be reimbursed.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

SponsorJulia Brownley (D-CA)

Introduced1/16/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

AMERICANS Act

This bill prohibits DOD from issuing new COVID-19 vaccine mandates without congressional authorization and provides remedies for service members discharged under the rescinded 2021 mandate. All vaccine-related discharges must be categorized as honorable. DOD m

Community Breakdown

Pass

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Fail

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This bill prohibits DOD from issuing new COVID-19 vaccine mandates without congressional authorization and provides remedies for service members discharged under the rescinded 2021 mandate. All vaccine-related discharges must be categorized as honorable. DOD must retain unvaccinated members with equal opportunities and cannot consider vaccination status except for deployment to countries requiring it. Bonus repayments must be reimbursed.

Bill Number: 511
Sponsor: Julia Brownley (D-CA)
Introduced: 1/16/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Policy Area: Armed Forces and National Security

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: AMERICANS Act
Bill Number: 511
Sponsor: Julia Brownley (D-CA)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced: 1/16/2025
Summary: This bill prohibits DOD from issuing new COVID-19 vaccine mandates without congressional authorization and provides remedies for service members discharged under the rescinded 2021 mandate. All vaccine-related discharges must be categorized as honorable. DOD must retain unvaccinated members with equ

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill prohibits DOD from issuing new COVID-19 vaccine mandates without congressional authorization and provides remedies for service members discharged under the rescinded 2021 mandate. All vaccine-related discharges must be categorized as honorable. DOD must retain unvaccinated members with equal opportunities and cannot consider vaccination status except for deployment to countries requiring it. Bonus repayments must be reimbursed.

Last updated: 1/4/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Allowing Military Exemptions, Recognizing Individual Concerns About New Shots Act of 2025 or the AMERICANS ActThis bill prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from issuing any COVID-19 vaccine mandate as a replacement for the rescinded vaccine mandate of August 24, 2021, unless the mandate is expressly authorized by Congress. The bill also provides that DOD must establish an application process for remedies for members of the Armed Forces who were discharged or subject to adverse action under the rescinded mandate.Any administrative discharge of a member on the sole basis of a failure to receive a COVID-19 vaccine must be categorized as an honorable discharge, and DOD is prohibited from taking any adverse action against such a member for that reason.DOD must try to retain unvaccinated members and provide such members with professional development, promotion and leadership opportunities, and consideration equal to that of their peers.Additionally, DOD may only consider the COVID-19 vaccination status of members in making certain decisions (e.g., deployments in countries where it is the law) and must establish a process to provide exemptions to certain members for such decisions.Members who were separated from the Armed Forces for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine are not required to repay any bonuses and must be reimbursed if they repaid any portion of a bonus prior to this bill's enactment.This bill applies to all members of the Armed Forces, regardless of whether they sought an accommodation to any DOD COVID-19 vaccination policy.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Prohibits new DOD COVID-19 vaccine mandates without Congress
Requires honorable discharge for vaccine refusals
Mandates equal opportunities for unvaccinated members
Limits consideration of vaccination status
Requires reimbursement of repaid bonuses

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This legislation addresses grievances of service members who faced consequences for refusing COVID-19 vaccination. It provides comprehensive remedies including discharge upgrades and bonus reimbursement. The congressional authorization requirement for future mandates shifts vaccine policy decisions to the legislature. Critics argue it undermines military readiness and command authority over medical requirements.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Armed Forces and National Security

Related Subjects

Administrative remedies

Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Immunology and vaccination

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Military personnel and dependents

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

511, 119th Congress (2025). "AMERICANS Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-511

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