Senate committee advances HB 2776 after lengthy debate over vaccine exemptions and alpha-gal reporting

The West Virginia Senate committee voted to report House Bill 2776 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass as amended, following extended debate over changes to school immunization law and a provision adding alpha-gal syndrome to a reportable-diseases list. The committee advanced the bill by voice vote after adopting one amendment and rejecting another.

Counsel told the committee that the bill would “require the secretary of the department of health to propose legislative rules to include alpha gal syndrome on the list of diseases that shall be required to be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” and that the committee amendment revises mandatory vaccination requirements for public, private and parochial schools and state-regulated child care centers, replacing references to the commissioner with the state health officer.

The committee amendment also revises the medical exemption process,…