State bill to force parents to vaccinate schoolchildren stalls [View all]
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
SACRAMENTO — A bill to prevent parents from opting their children out of school-required vaccinations could be headed for a major rewrite after lawmakers heard impassioned testimony from hundreds of parents who threatened to take their kids out of school.
The controversial bill stalled in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday after committee Chairwoman Carol Liu, D-La Cañada Flintridge (Los Angeles County), cautioned bill author Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, that a vote Wednesday would likely kill the bill.
A one-week delay will give Pan, a pediatrician, time to amend SB277 so that he can get support from committee lawmakers, some of whom echoed the concerns raised by parents. Adding a religious exemption, which 46 other states currently allow, was urged by committee member Sen. Connie M. Leyva, D-Chino (San Bernardino County), but it was unclear whether Pan would incorporate the suggestion.
“Not having a religious exemption is problematic,” Leyva said.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bill-to-force-parents-to-vaccinate-school-6202345.php
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