Lawmakers in Arkansas advanced legislation on Sept. 29 that would allow workers to opt out of their employer’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement if they can prove that they have natural antibodies against the CCP virus or if they’re tested for the virus weekly. Arkansas’s House and Senate Public Health committees endorsed identical versions of the legislation, according to lawmakers. The measure also requires the state to pay unemployment benefits to workers who are terminated from their jobs over the vaccine mandate. “This is what we felt we could get through to give employees some protection,” state Sen. Kim Hammer said, The Associated Press reported. It’s not clear if Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who has broken with the GOP-led legislature in 2021 over several key issues, will sign the legislation if it’s ultimately approved by state lawmakers. Hutchinson’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Previously, Hutchinson had criticized …