Governor John Bel Edwards says at the end of the day, it is ultimately his decision whether or not the Louisiana Department of Health can add the COVID-19 vaccine to a list of state-required vaccinations for students K-12.
The proposed policy by the LDH and supported by the governor, received fierce pushback from concerned parents which Governor Edwards tells WWL’s Tommy Tucker, is rooted in false information.
“Of course we are listening to whatever concerns there are, but…quite frankly Tommy, so much of it is grounded in demonstrably false misinformation and disinformation,” said Edwards. “And not to say that you don’t have people out there with sincere concerns…but most of what we hear is based on things that are patently false.”
On Monday, the Louisiana House Health and Welfare Committee heard testimony from concerned parents and from Attorney General Jeff Landry who calls the policy government overreach.
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“We cannot allow an executive branch to bypass the constitutional responsibilities of this legislature by allowing them to create policy in law, using executive fiat,” said Landry.
The committee decided to block LDH’s proposal to add the COVID vaccine to a list of required vaccinations for students. There is an option in the proposed policy that would allow parents to opt-out of the vaccine requirement.
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Governor Edwards disagrees with the committee’s decision and says in the end, he decides if the policy moves forward.
“At the end of the day, I will decide whether to promulgate the rule under the current laws. And then, at some point in the future…if they chose to…the legislature can weigh-in again,” said Edwards.
The proposed change would not go into effect until August 2022.