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Vermont panel reviews bill letting state set temporary vaccine recommendations, preserves access and limited liability for providers
Summary
Senate Health & Welfare reviewed H.545, which would let the Vermont Department of Health issue a six-year, state-level "recommended immunization" schedule, preserve vaccine purchasing and insurer coverage, and provide limited civil protections for providers; witnesses emphasized the bill is not a mandate and urged preserving access amid reported vaccine-confidence declines.
Montpelier — The Senate Health & Welfare committee on Friday considered H.545, legislation to authorize the Vermont Department of Health to issue a temporary, state-level "recommended immunization" schedule intended to preserve vaccine access and purchasing arrangements if federal recommendations change.
Supporters and health officials said the bill does not impose new vaccine mandates on individuals or schools but instead gives the commissioner of health authority to set Vermont's recommended immunization schedule for six years and to continue the state's vaccine purchasing and distribution mechanisms.
"This bill is not a vaccine mandate," Rick Hillbrand, introduced for the record as commissioner of health, told the committee. He said the measure aims to preserve three elements he described as essential: science-based reviews and recommendations, the ability to purchase vaccines at low cost, and liability protections for providers who follow state…
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