SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Key California lawmakers agreed to scale back a bill to tighten rules for school vaccine exemptions after Gov. Gavin Newsom raised last-minute concerns, but the deal is likely to be met with fierce opposition from protesters who had hoped the governor's apprehension signaled trouble for Senate Bill 276.
The agreement between state Sen. Richard Pan, a Democrat, and Newsom calls for the governor to sign Senate Bill 276, which has already passed the Legislature, and for revisions to be placed in SB 714, which would still need approval by the Assembly and Senate by Sept. 13.
The changes include Newsom's proposal to grandfather in all existing medical exemptions before Jan. 1, with critics worried this would create a potential rush for new vaccine exemptions.
Although Newsom's amendment is seen as a significant weakening of SB 276, the deal contains a key caveat: New medical exemptions would be required when a child enters kindergarten, seventh grade or changes schools. By adding that provision, permanent medical exemptions would no longer be valid throughout a child's K-12 education. Temporary medical exemptions that currently allow a doctor to use his or her discretion as to the length of time they remain valid would be limited to one year under the deal reached Friday.
The deal would also invalidate any medical exemption written by a doctor who is "subject to disciplinary action" after the bill becomes effective Jan. 1. It also removes a provision called for in SB 276 that would have required doctors to certify that medical exemptions are accurate, under penalty of perjury.
The deal caps a chaotic week for SB 276, which only grew more intense after Newsom unexpectedly withdrew his pledge to sign the bill and instead floated a comprehensive overhaul of the legislation that his office called "technical _ but important."
"These amendments clarify legal and administrative processes in SB 276 in order to ensure medical providers, parents, school administrators and public health officials know the rules of the road once it takes effect," Newsom's spokesman Nathan Click said. "The governor will sign SB 276 once the companion legislation has passed both houses."
The bill comes amid the worst measles outbreak in more than 20 years, with more than 1,200 people diagnosed with the disease this year.
California already has some of the nation's tightest childhood immunization laws, requiring vaccinations to attend public or private schools, as well as day care. A doctor can excuse a child, either temporarily or permanently, from some or all vaccinations if there is a medical reason.
But the bill's supporters have alleged that some doctors are profiting off unnecessary exemptions, prompting lawmakers to introduce SB 276 to create state oversight of the process. Hundreds of parents have protested the bill since it was introduced this year, arguing that it would interfere with the doctor-patient relationship and that the restrictions will make doctors hesitant to write new medical exemptions.
