The Louisiana House Health and Welfare Committee votes 13-2 to block a proposed Louisiana Department of Health policy that would add the COVID vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for students. The policy would apply to kids 16 and older and would take effect next November if it were to be implemented.
The vote came after marathon testimony from opponents of the policy including anti-vaccine activist Bobby Kennedy Jr. (nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of RKF), Attorney General Jeff Landry, and a long line of state lawmakers.
The policy would only apply to those 16 and older because so far that is the only student age group where the vaccine is not under emergency use authorization.
Governor John Bel Edwards supports the policy, which allows parents to submit an exemption if they don’t want to have their kids vaccinated. The motion to block the rule now moves to the Governor, who is expected to reject it, thus allowing LDH to proceed with implementation.