West Virginia Senate debates vaccine-requirements bill; rejects amendments on religious exemptions, reporting and polio carve-out

The West Virginia Senate on Feb. 17 debated a committee substitute for Senate Bill 460, a measure addressing vaccine requirements for schools and state-regulated child-care centers, rejected four amendments and ordered the bill to be engrossed for third reading.

The bill, described on the chamber floor as a second reading of a governor-introduced committee substitute, would apply state immunization rules to public, private and parochial schools and to state-regulated child-care centers; senators debated whether private or religious institutions should retain independent authority to set vaccination policies.

Senator from Brooke, explaining an amendment that would have allowed schools operated by churches or religious entities to continue setting their own vaccine rules, said, “My amendment ... simply states that schools that are operated by a religious entity or a church here in the state of West Virginia will be able to continue to, offer a vaccine requirement that is in accordance with law as it stands now, if doing so is in accordance with…