Arizona governor vetoes 2 bills focused on vaccine exemptions for students

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Tuesday vetoed a pair of bills focused on vaccine exemptions for students.

House Bill 2063 would have required schools to include information about vaccine exemptions in any communications with parents regarding immunization requirements. Similarly, HB 2058 would have required colleges and universities to allow students 18 and older to opt out of required immunizations for reasons of personal beliefs or health risks.

The bills, which passed on party-line votes, were both sponsored by Rep. Lisa Fink (R-Glendale). Fink said the goal of the bills was to support personal freedoms and to promote transparency.

“What the issue is, is that current communications from schools often emphasize immunization requirements but really fail, or put under the radar, to inform parents about legally established exemptions,” Fink said during a February committee hearing on the bills.

Both bills were opposed by the Arizona Public Health Association.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 9% of Arizona kindergarteners have exemptions for one or more vaccines — the fifth-highest exemption rate among U.S. states.

In her veto letters, Hobbs called the bills unnecessary. Information on vaccine exemptions for parents of school children is widely available, and universities and community colleges already have vaccine exemption policies in place, she said.