Senate Bill 959 Summary

• Grants health care institutions, health care payors, and medical practitioners the right to refuse participation in health care services that violate their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs based on "conscience."

• Prohibits discrimination against medical practitioners and health care institutions for exercising conscience rights, including termination, demotion, denial of privileges, or other adverse employment actions.

• Exempts health care institutions and payors from liability for refusing to participate in or pay for health care services on conscience grounds, except those owned or operated by the state or political subdivisions.

• Protects whistleblowers and free speech rights by prohibiting retaliation against medical practitioners who report violations of this act or disclose information about potential violations of law, standards of care, or patient safety concerns.

• Requires professional licensing boards to provide medical practitioners with copies of complaints within 14 calendar days and imposes $500 per week penalties for noncompliance; also prohibits boards from disciplining practitioners for First Amendment-protected speech absent direct physical harm to a patient from that speech.

• Becomes effective November 1, 2025.