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UPDATE: 3/28/2024 - H 597 was ENACTED. It was signed by Governor Brad Little on 3/28/2024. Chapter 225, Effective date 7/1/2024.
UPDATE: 3/27/2024 - H 597 was transmitted to Governor Brad Little for signature on 3/27/2024.
UPDATE: 3/25/2024 - H 597 passed the Senate 3rd Reading by a vote of 28 Ayes and 7 Nyas on 3/25/2024.
UPDATE: 3/18/2024 - H 597 was reported with Do Pass recommendation in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on 3/18/2024.
UPDATE: 3/5/2024 - H 597 was referred to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on 3/5/2024.
UPDATE: 3/4/2024 - H 597 passed the House 3rd Reading by a vote of 55 Ayes, 14 Nays, on 3/4/2024.
UPDATE: 2/29/2024 - H 597 was reported with Do Pass recommendation in the House Health and Welfare Committee on 2/29/2024.
UPDATE: 2/20/2024 - H 597 was referred to the House Health and Welfare Committee on 2/20/2024.
H 597 was introduced in the House on 2/19/2024. This bill is sponsored by the House Health and Welfare Committee.
H 597 expands vaccine exemptions on religious or other grounds to include students who are 18 years or older and attending any public, private, parochial, postsecondary, trade, college or any other institute of primary or higher learning. This legislation is intended to address two issues: (1) Currently there is a 12th grade immunization requirement for which there is no exemption if student turns 18 during their senior year. This requirement can be found in IDAPA 16.02.15.100.06.c. (2) It prevents colleges and universities in the state of Idaho from infringing on the privacy rights of students by requiring vaccination status or the disclosure of confidential medical information as conditions of enrollment or attendance. The exemptions currently described in Health and Safety code under the immunizations section, §39-4802, and under Basic Day Care License code §39-1118, and under the administrative code for immunization Requirements for School Children code, IDAPA 16.02.15.110, apply only to minor children and requires a parent or legal guardian's signature. The above referenced information can be found in the Statement of Purpose document for H 597.
H 597 amends Health and Safety code under the vaccination section, §39-4802, to establish new law as summarized:
(4) Any student 18 years of age who submits a signed statement of objection to vaccination for "on religious or other grounds", to any public or private school, including high school and and parochial, postsecondary, trade school, college, university or any other institute of higher learning, shall be exempt from any or all vaccination requirements.
Upon passage, H 597 shall go into effect on and after July 1, 2024.
NVIC SUPPORTS H 597 because all individuals deserve the right to make their own vaccination choices without fear of loss of access to education. NVIC supports an individual's right to make their own fully informed decisions based on vaccination. By expanding vaccine exemptions to students 18 and over, it guarantees that previous minors who were exempt from vaccination in grade school can continue their education without pressure or coercion to become vaccinated. This expands the educational choices of high school graduates significantly. Vaccines are pharmaceutical products that carry a risk of injury and death and should not be a condition for school attendance. An improvement on this bill would be to prohibit all vaccine mandates and allow individuals to make their own fully informed decisions on vaccination in school, higher education, and in the workplace.
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