HELENA — A bill that would allow exceptions for vaccine requirements sparked impassioned debate on the Senate floor before advancing on a narrow vote Wednesday.
Senate Bill 474 would require schools, daycares and other organizations that require vaccinations to accept religious and medical exceptions.
Sen. Cora Neumann, D-Bozeman, opposed the bill. Similar exemptions already exist, which she said would be unsafely expanded under the bill.
“This amended bill, as-is, would create the most permissive exemption policy in the country, and likely drops us below herd immunity for many communicable diseases,” Neumann said.
One of the bill’s carriers, Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, argued the bill would simply offer more control to parents.
“ We're not going to have a new flood of people seeking exemptions,” Emrich said. “It's just allowing people one more option.”
Sen. Susan Webber, D-Browning, introduced an amendment to exclude Tribal Nations from the bill. She said Tribal law requires vaccination for all students. Sen. Barry Usher, R-Yellowstone County, opposed the amendment.
“ If they're taking our money then they should listen to our laws,” Usher said. “They should not be able to pick and choose when they're sovereign and when they're not if they're taking our funding.”
The amendment failed 28-22. The bill advanced 29-21 and faces one more vote to clear the Senate before a key mid-session deadline for general policy bills.
Clayton Murphy is a reporter with the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Broadcasters Association, the Montana Newspaper Association and the Greater Montana Foundation. Murphy can be reached at clayton.murphy@umconnect.umt.edu.
