Vaccine safety has lead to emotional — and, on social media, not so civil — debate. The question of whether childhood vaccines are safe and tested thoroughly, along with government laws mandating vaccinations to attend schools, have lead to protests, accusations, and lawsuits. Listen to this article: All the...
How Valley Lawmakers Voted on Vaccine Exemption Bill
SB 276 is one of the most emotional bills debated in the state Legislature this year. It would create greater state oversight on how doctors grant medical exemptions from vaccines for public or private school students. Supporters, such as author Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), say the bill is needed to...
Gov. Newsom 'Inclined' to Back Amended School Vaccine Bill
Gov. Gavin Newsom says he is likely to support a bill dealing with medical exemptions of vaccines required for children to attend California schools. Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) authored SB 276, which would place government oversight on doctors who write exemptions. The proposed law would require the state health department...
Assembly Panel Advances Bill on Vaccination Exemptions
SACRAMENTO — A California Assembly committee on Thursday advanced a bill to tighten the state's rules on vaccination exemptions, but there remains disagreement about the measure among Assembly Democrats. Some members of the Assembly Health Committee say the bill will help protect children amid a surge in measles cases in the United...
Capitol Prepares for Next Round After Vaccine Bill Modified
The state Capitol is readying for thousands of opponents and supporters for the next hearing of a bill that would set new guidelines for how a doctor can grant medical exemptions for children receiving vaccines in order to attend school. The Assembly health committee is taking precautions to prevent people...
Vaccine Exemptions: Do Health Officials Want to Override MDs?
Do local health officials want the responsibility for reviewing medical exemptions for required childhood immunizations? A proposed state law has put the debate over government involvement in personal health care decisions and parental rights back in the spotlight. Fresno County Public Health Director David Pomaville has mixed feelings. “It becomes...
RFK Jr. Opposes Bill Reviewing Medical Exemptions for Vaccines
Bobby Kennedy Jr. opposes a proposed California law imposing oversight over doctors who exempt children from vaccinations to attend school. The author of the bill, state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), says SB 276 is needed to prevent fraudulent and phony exemptions. State health data shows that medical exemptions tripled (from...
Pan’s Bill Would Further Restrict Vaccine Exemptions for Schoolkids
Wanting to crack down on what he calls fraudulent doctors, a California legislator introduced a bill that would take the power to approve medical exemptions away from doctors and grant it to other health professionals. Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) introduced SB 276 at a Sacramento news conference Tuesday. Pan, a...