Governor Gives Thumbs Up To Immunization Bill

Gov. Jay Inslee says he supports a bill that would remove philosophical opposition as an acceptable reason for parents to not vaccinate their school-age children.
Inslee says that the bill introduced in the House this week is an important strategy to improve vaccination rates in Washington state.
Currently, Washington state allows school vaccination exemptions for medical, personal or religious beliefs.
Late Wednesday, Rep. June Robinson, a Democrat from Everett, introduced House Bill 2009, which removes the personal or philosophical belief allowance for an exemption.
The move comes following a measles outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people across the U.S., including in Washington state, and in Mexico. No deaths have been reported.
National immunization data from 2013 shows 71 percent of Washington children between ages 19-35 months have received all of their shots on time.