There are two new Alabama laws you need to know about as we head into 2022.

One law just recently went into effect about COVID-19 vaccine exemptions and the other goes into effect January 1 and it deals with employment contracts and non-disparagement agreements.

A new Alabama law that recently went into effect in early November requires employers to allow their employees to file for religious or medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

This particular law came up earlier this year when COVID-19 vaccine mandates swept the nation. The federal contractor vaccine mandate affected people here locally at companies like Austal and Airbus. Some decided to resign from their job over it.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined other states in lawsuits against federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates which are currently blocked by federal courts.

Another law new to Alabamians is the Non-Disparagement Obligations Act.

This law allows both employees and employers to add a clause to a contract or agreement that says neither of them can say anything defamatory or disparaging about the other.

It also provides guidelines for these matters in court.

[NBC 15 NEWS]