Senator calls Mandatory Vaccination SB 277 an “Unwarranted Insertion of Government” – Brown makes it a law

Staff Reports

Sacramento – Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff (R-San Dimas) called on Governor Jerry Brown to veto mandatory childhood vaccination legislation headed for the Governor’s desk after passing off the Senate Floor on Mon., June 29.  In a veto request letter sent to the Governor, Senator Huff called SB 277 an “unwarranted insertion of government into an area that has rightly been the domain of parents.”

“The sweeping nature of SB 277 is all the more problematic when one considers the actual magnitude of the recent measles outbreak that spawned the bill,” wrote Senator Huff in his veto request to the Governor. “In a state of nearly 39 million people, only 131 measles cases are likely linked to this outbreak. This can hardly be considered a breakdown of ‘herd immunity.’”

Senator Huff also argued that the need for SB 277 was premature; noting that previous legislation introduced by the author (AB 2109 in 2012) actually led to a decrease to the use of personal belief exemption (PBE) requests. The prudent course, Senator Huff stated, is to monitor the effectiveness of AB 2109 over several years to see if PBE usage continues to decline.

“If this downward trend does not continue, then and only then, should an extreme measure like SB 277 be considered,” Senator Huff wrote in his veto request letter to the Governor. “A strong case can be made that our current policy works. Now is not the time for this measure (SB 277).”

Despite the efforts of Senator Huff and others, Gov. Brown signed this legislation into law on Tues., June 30. This bill eliminates vaccination exemptions based on religious or personal beliefs and will require all children entering kindergarten to be vaccinated unless a doctor certifies that a child has a medical condition preventing it.  The legislation is reportedly prompted (in part) by an outbreak of measles traced to the Disneyland Resort late last year, and ultimately spread to more than 130 people in California, as well as other states.