SB 276 and S B714 will protect ‘community immunity’ by preventing physicians from selling fraudulent vaccine exemptions from school-required vaccinations.

SACRAMENTO – Vaccinate California and thousands of families from across the state today applauded Governor Gavin Newsom for signing Senate Bills 276 and 714 which would protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases. The landmark legislation will require health officials to approve requests for medical exemptions to school-required vaccinations and grant officials the authority to revoke medical exemptions if they are found to be fraudulent or inconsistent with state guidelines.

“Senate Bill 276 will help protect children in our schools who cannot be vaccinated – such as newborns, children with serious allergies, or children with weakened or failing immune systems, such as children living with cancer – and the small percentage of children for whom immunizations do not work, and as a result, all our communities will be stronger,” said Vaccinate California Executive Director and Cofounder Leah Russin. “We applaud Governor Newsom for signing SB 276 and SB 714 and we are grateful to Dr. Pan and Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez for their leadership in helping to ensure that medical exemptions can be reviewed and, where appropriate, invalidated. This bill is a testament to the thousands of parents across the state who made their voices heard – who wrote letters, made calls, enlisted their friends, showed up at town halls, and testified at hearings – all so that our children would be safe from vaccine-preventable disease in schools, and so that science and public health could prevail over fear and misinformation.”

Quotes from Vaccinate California parent members:

“The passing of this bill means that immune compromised members of our community will finally have better protection in schools like the Waldorf charter my children attended.” — Hannah Henry, mother of four from Napa, co-founder of Vaccinate California.

“I’m so grateful this legislation will be implemented quickly, so that it can protect children like my daughter, who had a heart transplant and will be on immune-suppressing therapy for the rest of her life. She is very vulnerable to diseases like measles, and this legislation will dramatically reduce the chance she is ever exposed.” — Jenni Balck, mother of a 10-year-old heart transplant recipient, member of Vaccinate California, Orange County.

“I have a newborn as well as three older children, and I’m thrilled that this legislation means that parents like me can worry a little less about vaccine preventable diseases like measles.” — Kayla Colburn, mother of four children, nurse, lactation consultant, and member of Vaccinate California, Redding.

“As a mother and a pediatrician, I am so grateful the legislature has stepped up again to address the issue of unjustified exemptions to school vaccine requirements. I am very confident that implementation of this legislation will ensure that exemptions receive appropriate scrutiny so that those who need them will get them, and that all children will be safer in school.” — Dr. Lisa Meneses, mother of three, pediatrician in West Sacramento, and member of Vaccinate California.

“This bill means that infants like mine will be far less likely to be exposed to preventable diseases like measles at daycare and the doctor’s office. It cannot be implemented soon enough for me.” — Sheila Warren, lawyer and mother of three, member of Vaccinate California, San Francisco.

“As a father of two, and someone who will take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of my life, I am so proud that my state has passed SB276. This legislation ensures that transplant patients like me can volunteer at our children’s schools and worry less about being exposed to deadly diseases like measles.” –— Michael Levinson, liver transplant recipient and father of two, Menlo Park, CA.

“I am so grateful to our California legislature for the passage of SB 276. As a pediatric oncology nurse for the last 33 years I know first-hand how important it is to ensure that we protect the most medically vulnerable among us from vaccine preventable infectious diseases. Children with cancer whose immune systems are damaged by chemotherapy want to be able to move about their communities without fear of exposure. Their parents are breathing a sigh of relief with the passage of this crucial legislation.” — Wendy Bloom, pediatric oncology nurse, mother and grandmother and member of Vaccinate California, Berkeley CA.

“In high school, I had to undergo chemotherapy which meant I lost my immunity to most diseases. When I returned to school, I was very vulnerable and wasn’t well enough to be vaccinated until recently. This legislation will protect students like me from exposure to diseases during a transitional period when we are trying to return to a normal life. Knowing that everyone else, who can be, is vaccinated will be huge relief.” — Mela Seyoum, college student from the Bay Area

Senate Bill 276 is cosponsored by Vaccinate California, California Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

About Vaccinate California

Vaccinate California is a grassroots coalition of thousands of pro-vaccination parents, educators, health professionals and other advocates working to raise vaccination rates in California and protect children and communities. For more information about Vaccinate California, please visit, www.vaccinatecalifornia.org, Twitter, and/or Facebook.