School Immunization Requirements

The bill requires the department of public health and environment (department) to:

• Develop a standardized form and submission process to claim a medical exemption to an immunization; and
• Develop a standardized form and submission process to claim a religious or personal belief exemption to an immunization.

The department is:

• Required to develop educational materials regarding immunizations to distribute to health care providers and facilities;
• Required to present immunization exemption information during its annual SMART Act hearing; and
• Required to use the existing immunization tracking system.

The state board of health is:

• Required to promulgate rules adopting the medical exemption recommendations from the advisory committee on immunization practices of the centers for disease control and prevention in the federal department of health and human services, or any successor entity (ACIP);
• Required to promulgate rules adopting the the hepatitis A, rotavirus, and meningococcal immunizations; and
• Allowed to promulgate rules establishing the timing by which schools, parents, legal guardians, and students must demonstrate compliance with immunization requirements.

Concerning the immunization tracking system, the bill:

• Requires a licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse to inform a parent or legal guardian who is claiming a medical exemption that he or she may choose to exclude the student's immunization information from the immunization tracking system before the student's immunization data is sent to the immunization tracking system;
• Requires the department or local or county, district, or municipal public health agency to inform a parent, legal guardian, or student who is claiming a religious or personal belief exemption that he or she may choose to exclude the student's immunization information from the immunization tracking system before the student's immunization data is sent to the immunization tracking system; and
• Requires a practitioner who is a licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse to submit immunization and medical exemption data to the immunization tracking system. However, the practitioner is not subject to a regulatory sanction for noncompliance.
  (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)