
Vaccinations Rise Before New Vaccine Mandate Hits
Vaccination rates seem to be rising in California on their own–long before the state’s controversial new mandatory vaccination law takes effect in July 2016.

Vaccination rates seem to be rising in California on their own–long before the state’s controversial new mandatory vaccination law takes effect in July 2016.

A group of California’s top Democratic lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill targeting 2016 presidential candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) after Trump made controversial comments about illegal immigrants from Mexico, and Cruz defended him.

California legislators passed the highly controversial SB 277 by a vote of 24-14 on Monday, despite massive opposition efforts launched against the school-based vaccine mandate that brought thousands to the state capitol and caused protests around California.

On Thursday, the California State Assembly passed the SB 277, which mandates child vaccinations as a condition of private and public school enrollment, by a vote of 46-30. Democrats and Republicans were divided within their own parties over the bill, which ultimately passed with bipartisan support. Due to amendments, however, the bill was immediately ordered back to the State Senate, where it previously passed.

SACRAMENTO — As a sea of red-clad protestors looked on, California’s fiercely debated vaccine mandate bill, SB 277, passed through the State Assembly Committee on Health on an essentially party-line vote of 12-6 on Tuesday, with one Democrat abstaining.

California lawmakers championing mandatory vaccines for children to protect the general population have weathered serious criticism from anti-vaccinations advocates, with at least one lawmaker receiving death threats.

California is one of 20 states that currently allow vaccine exemptions based on a person’s religious beliefs or other reasons of conscience. This Wednesday, Senate Bill 277 (SB 277) begins an uphill journey through California’s legislature in an attempt to remove all vaccine exemptions, except for medical ones.

California Governor Jerry Brown signaled an openness to the announcement of a bill co-sponsored by two state senators that would eliminate vaccine exemptions based on “personal” and religious belief on Wednesday.

California State Senators Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) and Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) announced on Wednesday that they will be introducing a bill to end the ability of parents in the Golden State to exempt their children from school vaccinations based on personal beliefs and religion.