OHIO to mandate vaccinations eliminating exemption for reasons of conscience

House Bill 564
This Bill was introduced on May 12, 2016 by
Representative Dan Ramos
Co-Sponsors Rep. Kent Smith, Rep. Janine R. Boyd, Rep. John Boccieri, Rep. Nickie J. Antonio
Short Title: Pupil immunization-change law

Long Title: To amend sections 3301.53, 3313.67, 3313.671, and 3328.24 and to enact section 3701.138 of the Revised Code to make changes to the law governing immunizations for pupils
The Summary:
BILL SUMMARY
 Requires reporting of immunizations for students entering kindergarten, seventh grade, and eleventh grade instead of the reporting schedule prescribed by current law.
 Retains the authority of a student's parent or guardian to decline to have the student immunized against a disease for "religious convictions" but eliminates the authority to decline for other "reasons of conscience."
 Expressly applies the immunization requirements to students who attend collegepreparatory boarding schools.
 Grants certain rights and responsibilities related to immunizations to the "caretaker parent" of a child.
 Requires the Department of Health to develop and publish on its website a form to be used when documenting a student's immunization history.
 Permits a student who has transferred from another state but who does not satisfy the immunization requirements to remain in school if certain conditions are satisfied.
 Requires each entity operating a preschool program to keep an immunization record for each child participating in the program in the same manner as a school district.
 Requires each public school to report a summary of the immunization records of all students enrolled, rather than only "initial entry" students as under current law, to the Director of Health by October 15 of each year.
Legislative Service Commission -2- H.B. 564 As Introduced
 Requires the Department of Health to publish immunization summaries on its website.
CONTENT AND OPERATION
Student immunizations
Reporting requirements
The bill changes the grade levels at which there must be a report of a student's immunization against specified diseases in order to attend public and nonpublic schools. Under the bill, subject to certain exceptions, each student entering kindergarten, seventh grade, and eleventh grade may not remain in school more than 14 days, unless the student's "caretaker parent" (see below) provides a form indicating that the student has been immunized, or is in the process of being immunized, against the specified diseases. Under current law, a student generally may not remain in school more than 14 days without annual proof of immunization (in the case of mumps, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, rubeola, and rubella) or proof upon entering kindergarten (in the case of hepatitis B and chicken pox).1
Exceptions
Currently, a student does not have to satisfy an immunization requirement if the student's parent or guardian declines to have the student immunized against a disease for "reasons of conscience, including religious convictions." The bill retains the exception for "religious convictions" but eliminates it for other "reasons of conscience."2
Current law, unchanged by the bill, also permits a student to remain in school without immunizations for rubeola, mumps, or chicken pox if the student has had the natural occurrence of the disease. In addition, current law, unchanged by the bill, permits a student to remain in school without immunization for a particular disease if the immunization is medically contraindicated.3