SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers want stronger policies when it comes to vaccine requirements, but just what those policies will look like is still up for debate.
Democrats for months have said they want to increase the state's COVID-19 vaccination rates, especially among schoolchildren. But given the quickly changing nature of the virus and new information about how variants interact with vaccines, writing legislation is a complicated task.
A group of eight Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday announced the formation of a Vaccine Work Group with the goal of developing "cohesive and comprehensive, evidence-based policies" to stop the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases while battling misinformation. The group plans to examine data, hear from experts and determine the best approaches to promoting vaccines.
"We would like to return to our pre-pandemic lives as soon as possible, and that will require immunization for everyone," Sen. Josh Newman said in a statement.
The formation of the group comes on the heels of a record-setting surge caused by the omicron variant. According to state data, 72% of eligible Californians have received at least two shots.
Lawmakers previously floated ideas about requiring vaccines to enter businesses or outlawing the personal belief exemption for school vaccinations, but have yet to introduce a bill.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in October requiring all K-12 students to get the vaccine following Food and Drug Administration approval for their age group. Most California students will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by July 2022.
Yet districts who sought to move earlier have run into trouble. The Los Angeles Unified School District, for example, had to push back its deadlines because not enough students were getting their shots in time and alternative learning options couldn't handle the demand.
Newsom has the benefit of being able to change or rescind executive orders when he wants to. The Legislature, however, would have to pass additional bills if it wanted to adjust any vaccine policies it crafted.
In August, Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, halted planned legislation to require all employees to show proof of vaccination or take a weekly COVID-19 test. At the time, Wicks said she wanted to "allow more time to create the strongest policy possible, and provide for additional stakeholder collaboration."
Even if lawmakers come to a consensus and propose a bill, it could be months before it becomes law. In order to take immediate effect, a piece of legislation would have to be passed with a so-called urgency clause, which requires a two-thirds majority.
Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, said in December that anything the Legislature passes related to vaccine mandates probably wouldn't take effect until 2023.
The group announced Wednesday is a continued partnership among Wicks, Pan, Assemblywoman Akilah Weber, D-San Diego, Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley, Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Newman, D-Fullerton.
The work group has been reviewing potential legislation related to vaccines, including access to shots and rules for schools and workplaces.
Pan noted that potential workplace vaccination requirements are on the table, especially after the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for large workplaces.
"That's something we should definitely be looking at," Pan said. "We want to keep the pandemic under control. As the pandemic spreads and we have this omicron variant, what's shutting us down isn't a public health order, it's when too many teachers are out or workers are sick."
He said he couldn't give a timeline for when he or other members of the group might introduce new vaccine legislation, but noted that there's an ongoing need for policies as the pandemic continues and more variants emerge.
"By summer, a new one could pop up and all the people that got omicron, they could get infected again," he said. "We need to have policies in place to make sure people are protected."
Aguiar-Curry said Wednesday that the purpose of the group is to figure out how to address a wide range of issues related to vaccinations. She's focused on children, and specifically reducing the spread of the human papillomavirus, a sexually-transmitted infection that can cause cancer. Vaccines for HPV are available, but not required in California.
Aguiar-Curry said the lawmakers want to find the best path forward, which may require multiple pieces of legislation.
"We may come up with nothing. And we might came up with five bills. Who's to say?" she said.
