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Committee rejects bill that would label blood by COVID‑19 mRNA vaccination status; blood providers warn of impossible compliance and supply risk
Summary
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee rejected House Bill 131, which would have required donors to disclose COVID‑19 mRNA vaccination status and allowed patients in nonemergency settings to request blood labeled by that disclosure.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted down House Bill 131 after lengthy testimony from hospitals, blood centers, clinicians and patients’ advocates about whether blood should be labeled by donors’ COVID‑19 mRNA vaccination status.
Representative Bruce, sponsor of HB 131, said the bill would add a donor question about mRNA vaccination and allow nonemergency patients to request blood labeled according to the donor’s self‑reported vaccination status. Bruce described the proposal as an ‘‘informed‑consent’’ measure and said it would not challenge vaccine safety but would give recipients a choice.
Multiple witnesses from the blood‑collection sector opposed the bill. Tony Lawson, vice president of the Idaho Hospital Association, urged the committee to hold the bill, saying Idaho hospitals already face periodic blood…
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