Vaccination-boosting bill passes Oregon House

The highly controversial bill to eliminate loopholes in the state’s vaccination law passed the Oregon House on Monday and is on its way to the Senate.

Gov. Kate Brown has already said she plans to sign House Bill 3063.

The 35-25 vote fell largely along party lines, with two Republicans -- including Bend Rep. Cheri Helt, who introduced the bill -- voting in favor of its passage. Four Democratic representatives voted against it.

The bill would allow parents to opt out of vaccinating their children only for documented medical reasons. Currently, most parents who refuse to vaccinate their children use religious and philosophical exemptions.

Children could still be unvaccinated only if they attend online or home school. The bill includes day care and Headstart programs, among other school-related activities.

House Bill 3063 has brought intense, emotional debate to every step of its progress. Opponents have packed public hearings to claim the bill strips parents of their right to make decisions about their children. Most of their argument is based on a debunked theory that vaccines cause autism or other medical problems.

Few people have long-term or dangerous responses to vaccines and the majority of the medical health community says vaccines are safe and effective.

Spectators -- nearly all opponents -- loudly cheered and heckled occasionally during Monday’s floor hearing. They were censured once by House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland.

Most of the opposition voiced Monday hinged on the idea that parents will be forced to choose between sending their children to school and refusing vaccines. Some argued that Oregon’s record-setting low vaccination rates are fine and others said, if there is a problem, the way to fix it is not through the legislature.

"The Oregon Health Authority and the public health departments have done such a poor job convincing the residents of Oregon on the value of vaccines that they need the power of the government to come in and mandate it,” said Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer.

Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego, said that public health campaigns have indeed not worked well in Oregon. She and others attributed this to a particularly strong belief in debunked theories that vaccines are harmful and that only relying to education won’t work. Salinas pointed to a prior attempt to boost vaccination rates as an example of that failure. In 2015, the Oregon Legislature voted to require parents to either meet with a doctor or watch a video online before opting out of vaccinating their child. Exemption rates only increased.

The Portland area just came out of a measles outbreak that sickened more than 80 people between Oregon and Washington. Hospital systems, public health agencies and medical groups have backed the bill, pointing to the people who contracted measles as proof that it’s needed.

The vast majority of people who got measles were unvaccinated children, most under 10 years old.

Some lawmakers criticized the urgency attached to the bill because it declares an emergency. But supporters pushed back.

“Our role in public health is to address problems before they become a crisis,” Salinas said.