House and Senate negotiators have reached agreement on
a compromise bill dealing with the state’s mandatory childhood immunization
law, but there are a number of people on
both sides of the debate who aren’t pleased with the compromise.
A House-Senate conference committee is trying to bridge a strong difference of opinion between the two
chambers on what is one of the most emotional issues of the session: Exemptions to the state’s mandatory childhood immunization law.
After several hours of debate, the House last
night rejected an effort to eliminate the philosophical exemption to the
state’s mandatory childhood immunization law. The vote on the amendment was 93 to 36.
The
House Health Care committee has voted not to follow the lead of the Senate and eliminate the
philosophical exemption to Vermont’s mandatory childhood immunization law. Instead, the panel has adopted a plan to provide
more education to parents about the benefits of immunization.
Closing
an exemption to the state’s childhood immunization law has become one
of the most controversial bills of the session. Now a new compromise to the legislation is being criticized by both supporters
and opponents of the bill.
The Vermont Senate has given
preliminary approval to a bill that would end the philosophical
exemption that allows families to skip childhood immunizations for their children.
One
of the most controversial bills of the 2012 session will soon be on the Senate
floor for a vote. The
legislation would make it more difficult for parents to have their children
exempted from the state’s mandatory immunization law.
Supporters of a bill that aims to raise childhood vaccine rates are concerned that Vermont’s rate of
unvaccinated kids is growing, causing a public health concern. But
opponents of the bill say parents, not the state, should decide whether
to vaccinate a child.