Kansas 2023-2024 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB314

Introduced
3/15/23  
Refer
3/16/23  
Report Pass
3/23/23  
Engrossed
4/3/23  
Refer
4/3/23  

Caption

Prohibiting the secretary of health and environment from requiring COVID-19 vaccination for children attending a child care facility or school.

Impact

If enacted, SB 314 would significantly modify existing state laws regarding vaccination requirements for children. Specifically, the bill will amend K.S.A. 65-508 and K.S.A. 72-6262, which govern immunizations for school enrollment. It stipulates that children enrolled or enrolling in schools, including those at child care facilities, would not be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This change could encourage increasing numbers of children attending schools and childcare settings without vaccination, adjusting the landscape of public health in Kansas and possibly influencing other states to reconsider similar mandates.

Summary

Senate Bill 314 seeks to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Environment from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for children attending child care facilities or schools. This legislative move responds to ongoing debates regarding vaccine mandates, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill aims to protect parental rights by allowing parents or guardians to determine their children's vaccination status without state requirements that could compel them to vaccinate against their preferences. The legislation reflects a larger national conversation about health freedoms and governmental authority during public health crises.

Contention

The introduction of SB 314 has sparked debate among stakeholders regarding the implications of non-vaccination on public health. Proponents argue that the bill respects individual liberties and parental rights, opposing state overreach in personal health decisions. Conversely, opponents express concerns about potential risks to community health. They fear that reducing vaccination rates could undermine herd immunity, increasing the likelihood of COVID-19 outbreaks in schools and childcare settings. This divide often reflects broader ideological conflicts over public health policy, individual rights, and state responsibilities.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS HB2007

Prohibiting the secretary of health and environment from requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for care at a child care facility or attendance at a school.

KS HB2285

Requiring the secretary of health and environment to study drug overdose death cases and providing for the confidentiality of related records, restricting the authority of the secretary of health and environment and local health officers to control the spread of infectious or contagious diseases, repealing the authority of the secretary to quarantine individuals and impose penalties for violations thereof and prohibiting the secretary of health and environment from requiring COVID-19 vaccination for children attending a child care facility or school.

KS HB2383

Requiring the Kansas children's cabinet and the department of health and environment to implement a pilot program to offer health services, telehealth consultations and medication reimbursements to child care providers, while prohibiting stricter local regulations, allowing local registration of providers, increasing state funding for the child and adult care food program and providing free training and education materials to providers.

KS SB207

Requiring the Kansas children's cabinet and the department of health and environment to implement a pilot program to offer health services, telehealth consultations and medication reimbursements to child care providers, while prohibiting stricter local regulations, allowing local registration of providers, increasing state funding for the child and adult care food program and providing free training and education materials to providers.

KS HB2390

House Substitute for HB 2390 by Committee on Public Health and Welfare - Requiring the secretary of health and environment to study drug overdose death cases and providing for the confidentiality of acquired and related records, restricting the authority of the secretary of health and environment and local health officers to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious or contagious diseases and repealing the authority of the secretary to quarantine individuals and impose associated penalties.

KS HB2785

Transferring certain child care programs to the Kansas office of early childhood and separating licensing duties between the secretary for health and environment and the executive director of early childhood.

KS SB501

Transferring certain child care programs to the Kansas office of early childhood and separating licensing duties between the secretary for health and environment and the executive director of early childhood.

KS SB132

Establishing certain license fees and training requirements, creating a process for day care facility licensees to apply for temporary waiver of certain statutory requirements and authorizing the secretary to develop and operate pilot programs to increase child care facility availability or capacity, transferring certain child care programs to the Kansas office of early childhood and separating licensing duties between the secretary for health and environment and the executive director of early childhood.

KS SB315

Requiring child care facilities, elementary, secondary and postsecondary educational institutions and employers to grant exemptions from vaccine requirements without inquiring into the sincerity of the request and repealing the meningitis vaccine requirement to live in student housing.

KS SB96

House Substitute for House Substitute for SB 96 by Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development - Establishing child care licensing requirements relating to license capacity and staff-to-child ratios, eliminating certain license fees and training requirements, creating a process for day care facility licensees to apply for temporary waiver of certain statutory requirements and authorizing the secretary to develop and operate pilot programs to increase child care facility availability or capacity, transferring certain child care programs to the Kansas office of early childhood and separating licensing duties between the secretary for health and environment and the executive director of early childhood.

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