Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Senate OKs Mandatory Vaccine Bill
Gov. Jerry Brown must now decide whether to sign into law a bill that would require mandatory vaccinations for nearly all California schoolchildren. The measure, spawned by an outbreak of measles at Disneyland that ultimately infected more than 150 people, cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday in the state Senate. Brown has not said publicly whether he would sign it. (Mason, 6/29)
The controversial bill that would give California one of the country's strictest vaccination laws headed on Monday to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk, with supporters urging him to sign it and opponents promising to stand vigil around the clock to convince him to veto it. (Seipel and Calefati, 6/29)
The California Senate on Monday passed a much-debated bill to restrict vaccine exemptions, putting one of the country鈥檚 strongest state-level efforts to clamp down on unvaccinated students in the hands of Gov. Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 277, spurred by a measles outbreak that began last year at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., allows for medical exemptions but doesn鈥檛 permit parents to cite personal beliefs to avoid vaccines for children attending school. (Porter, 6/29)
After months of packed committee hearings and lengthy floor debates, California鈥檚 controversial mandatory vaccinations proposal now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown for consideration. In a 24-14 concurrence vote, the state Senate on Monday accepted Assembly amendments to Senate Bill 277, which would eliminate California鈥檚 personal and religious belief exemptions for vaccinating schoolchildren, and sent the measure to Brown鈥檚 desk. (Koseff, 6/29)
If California's strict school vaccine bill becomes law, experts believe it could help prevent another outbreak like the one that occurred at Disneyland. The bill was introduced after a measles outbreak traced to the theme park in December infected over 100 people in the U.S. and Mexico. It would likely be successful in increasing immunization rates and stopping the spread of disease, pediatric doctors said Monday after the Senate sent the legislation to the governor. (6/20)