Maine Governor Janet Mills has signed a bill that eliminates religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions. Rep. Ryan Tipping sponsored the bill, titled, LD 798, and it will include both public schools and daycares.
“As we hear more reports of measles and other preventable diseases in Maine and across the country, it has become clear that we must act to ensure the health of our communities,” Tipping said via wgme.com. “I am grateful to my colleagues for working so hard on this bill and to Governor Mills for supporting this measure to protect our kids. I look forward to seeing this implemented and keeping our schools and daycares safe.”
The new bill does not affect medical vaccine exemptions.
Children currently enrolled in school but lacking vaccines will have until 2021 to get caught up.
LD 798 protests erupted immediately as parents and activists groups gathered at government buildings throughout the state.
Despite objections from numerous families, the Senate votes to end the philosophical and religious exemptions for vaccines. If Gov. Mills signs this bill into law, families will have to either get their children vaccinated, pull them out of school, or move out of Maine. @WGME pic.twitter.com/aFnY5rK2Ab
— Brad Rogers WGME (@BradWGME) May 23, 2019
Maine is now the 4th U.S. state to remove both religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions.