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HB 5629

AN ACT PERMITTING A RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION TO SCHOOL VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Mark Anderson and 2 co-sponsors

Permits a religious exemption to school vaccination requirements, affecting students and families, schools, and public health by expanding unvaccinated rates.

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Public Health
#immunization #religion #schools
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Bill Summary · HB 5629

Bill Summary — HB 5629

Title: AN ACT PERMITTING A RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION TO SCHOOL VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS
Classification/Subject: bill — Immunization, Religion, Schools
Companion bill: SB 2255

Purpose / Intent

HB 5629 would establish a statutory religious exemption to existing school immunization requirements. The stated intent (per the bill title) is to allow students to be exempted from required vaccinations on religious grounds, thereby modifying how school-entry immunization rules are applied.

Key provisions (what is known)

  • The bill’s central provision is to permit a religious exemption to school vaccination requirements.
  • The legislative record indicates the bill was amended via at least one committee substitute during consideration; however, the bill text itself was not provided in the materials supplied here, so specific procedural mechanics (e.g., affidavit or notarization requirements, renewal or age limits, whether the exemption covers public, private, and parochial schools or childcare settings, or any documentation schools must retain) cannot be confirmed from the available record.

Who would be affected

  • Students and families: Parents/guardians seeking to avoid statutory vaccination requirements for their children on religious grounds.
  • Schools and school districts: Entities responsible for verifying immunization status and applying attendance/exclusion rules.
  • Public health agencies and providers: Organizations that track immunization coverage and respond to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
  • Potentially private/faith-based schools and childcare programs, depending on statutory scope (not specified).

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Public health: Allowing religious exemptions tends to increase the pool of unvaccinated students, which can lower herd immunity in certain communities and raise the risk of localized outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
  • School operations: Schools may face increased administrative tasks to track exemptions, inform families, and implement exclusion policies during outbreaks.
  • Legal and civil rights considerations: The bill changes the balance between public-health mandates and religious liberty protections; it may affect litigation and policy disputes over school-entry requirements.
  • Data/monitoring: If the bill does not require reporting of exemption claims, public-health officials may have less visibility into exemption rates.

Legislative timeline and current status

  • Filed: March 14, 2025 (referral activity also shows referral to Joint Committee on Public Health on Jan 21, 2025).
  • Committee process: Multiple committee hearings, subcommittee activity, and at least one committee substitute; reported favorably as substituted and forwarded to Local & Consent calendars. Public hearings were conducted (April–May 2025).
  • Floor action: Passed the House and Senate in mid-late May 2025 (final Senate passage and enrollment reported 2025-05-28).
  • Executive action: Sent to the Governor 2025-05-30; signed by the Governor 2025-06-20.
  • Effective date: September 1, 2025.

Notes and limitations

  • The summary is based on the bill title and legislative history provided. The full bill text was not included, so procedural details and exact statutory changes (required forms, deadlines, scope of exemption, recordkeeping, outbreak exception language, etc.) could not be excerpted. For implementation details and precise legal language, consult the enrolled bill text or statutory updates effective 9/1/2025.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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