Governor Jerry Brown will get to formally weigh in on the vaccination debate raging in the California Capitol. The state Senate took its final vote today on a measure which eliminates the personal belief exemption for school children whose parents don’t want them to be vaccinated. The bill passed on a 24-14 vote. It now goes to Brown's desk.
Democratic Senator Richard Pan wrote the bill. He says Assembly amendments clarify the personal belief exemption will be phased out over time.
"Students with a personal belief exemption on file as of January 1, 2016 will be able it maintain it until either the enter kindergarten or seventh grade, whichever comes first," he says.
The amendments also allow doctors to consider family medical history when issuing medical exemptions.
Pan of Sacramento and Democratic Senator Ben Allen of Santa Monica introduced SB277 after an outbreak of measles at Disneyland in December infected over 100 people in the U.S. and Mexico.
If the bill becomes law, California would join Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict requirements. Brown, a Democrat, has not said if he would sign the bill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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