California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a pair of bills Sept. 9 that will tighten restrictions on medical exemptions to school-mandated vaccines, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Senate Bill 276 passed the state legislature Sept. 4 in a 28-11 vote. Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 714 Sept. 9 as a companion bill, which contains several changes requested by Mr. Newsom.
The new laws will allow state health officials to investigate physicians who approve five or more medical exemptions annually, along with schools with less than a 95 percent vaccination rate.
The bill's supporters say it will help protect Californians' health and crack down on physicians writing excessive medical exemptions. However, opponents say the law will threaten patient-provider relationships and dissuade physicians from writing legitimate medical exemptions.
To view the Los Angeles Times' full report, click here.