This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Utah Senate approved a divisive vaccine education bill on Wednesday, but not in the same form that cleared the House by a single vote last week.
As proposed by its sponsor, Holladay Democratic Rep. Carol Moss, the bill would require parents to complete a 20-minute online course before obtaining a vaccine exemption for public school students.
Opposition led to several changes. Moss successfully lobbied her House colleagues to reverse a vote on an amendment that would have eliminated a required visit to a parent's local health department. But after clearing the House, the bill was substituted in the Senate to again make visiting the health department optional for parents who complete the online course.
The new bill would also prohibit health departments from charging a fee, as some do, to process vaccine exemptions.
"I think parents should be given the benefit of the doubt in terms of the research they put into immunizing their kids," said Highland Republican Sen. Alvin Jackson. "I think this just makes it easier for parents."
Cottonwood Heights Republican Sen. Brian Shiozawa, the bill's Senate sponsor, acknowledged that some parents are concerned about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
But he added that it is rare for a vaccine to produce a negative effect in a child, particularly when weighed against the benefit of "herd immunity," or the point at which ubiquitous immunizations halts the spread of preventable disease.
"I think the risks are clearly outweighed by the benefits of this," he said.
The bill was further amended to remove language from state code that imposes financial sanctions on schools that enroll students with incomplete vaccinations.
Spanish Fork Republican Sen. Deidre Henderson sponsored that amendment, and said Moss's bill provides an opportunity to reexamine existing laws related to vaccines.
She said those laws are currently too strict, and wield a heavy hammer against families who object to vaccinations.
"I think the work Representative Moss did on this bill is not lost," Henderson said of the Senate changes.
The bill was approved in a 22-1 vote. Due to the amendments, it will require additional consideration by the House prior to final passage.
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