AB 277 – CALIFORNIA VACCINATION BILL CLEARS ASSEMBLY: What’s next?

smf: AB 277 passed the Assembly yesterday by a vote of 46-30; it has already passed the Senate. It needs to go to conference committee of both houses to get the minor variations between the two versions ironed out. Three members of the committee are from the Senate and three are from the Assembly. If a compromise is reached, the bill is returned to both houses for a vote.  If both houses approve a bill, it then goes to the governor. The governor hasn't indicated whether he'll sign the bill, but a spokesman said via email to NPR that Brown "believes that vaccinations are profoundly important and a major public health benefit and any bill that reaches his desk will be closely considered." The governor has three choices: He can sign the bill into law, allow it to become law without his signature, or veto it. A governor's veto can be overridden by a two thirds vote in both houses.

 

Newsfeed from The Maddy Daily:

California vaccine bill clears Assembly -- The state Assembly passed a closely watched bill Thursday compelling schoolchildren to be fully vaccinated, approving the measure on a 46-30 vote that blurred party lines. The legislation, which sparked furious protests from worried parents, heads next to the Senate for a vote on amendments taken in the Assembly before it can go to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article; San Francisco Chronicle article; San Jose Mercury News article; AP article; New York Times article; ‘Q&A: What would proposed California vaccine law do?’ in LA Times; KQED report; KPCC report

Reporter sprayed with unknown chemical at anti-vaccination protest – A Sacramento radio reporter said she was sprayed in the face with an unknown chemical on Thursday as she covered the protest of a hotly contested vaccine bill in front of the state Capitol. LA Times article

Vaccine bill: Kids with existing personal belief exemptions could stay in school – for a time – SB277, the law passed by the Assembly today, contains language that would allow a certain amount of grandfathering for those who already have personal belief exemptions. KQED report

Schools consider impact of ending vaccination opt-outs – In the pockets of California where hundreds and even thousands of kindergartners are not fully vaccinated, school districts are starting to think seriously about how a proposed law requiring vaccinations – which the Legislature approved Thursday – could affect their enrollment and in turn, their funding. EdSource article