BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 792 Page 1 SENATE THIRD READING SB 792 (Mendoza) As Amended September 4, 2015 Majority vote SENATE VOTE: 34-3 -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |----------------+-----+-----------------------+---------------------| |Health |17-1 |Bonta, Maienschein, |Waldron | | | |Bonilla, Burke, Chiu, | | | | |Gomez, Gonzalez, Roger | | | | |Hernández, Lackey, | | | | |McCarty, Nazarian, | | | | |Patterson, | | | | |Ridley-Thomas, | | | | |Rodriguez, Steinorth, | | | | |Thurmond, Wood | | | | | | | |----------------+-----+-----------------------+---------------------| |Human Services |6-1 |Chu, Calderon, Lopez, |Mayes | | | |Maienschein, Mark | | | | |Stone, Thurmond | | | | | | | |----------------+-----+-----------------------+---------------------| |Appropriations |16-1 |Gomez, Bigelow, Bloom, |Jones | SB 792 Page 2 | | |Bonta, Calderon, | | | | |Chang, Gordon, Eggman, | | | | |Gallagher, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Eduardo Garcia, | | | | |Holden, Quirk, Rendon, | | | | |Wagner, Weber, Wood | | | | | | | | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Requires day care workers or volunteers to be vaccinated for specified infectious diseases as a condition of participation. Specifically, this bill: 1)Prohibits, after September 1, 2016, a day care center or a family day care home from employing any person, or allowing any person to volunteer, who has not been immunized against measles, pertussis, and influenza (flu). 2)Specifies circumstances under which a person would be exempt from the immunization requirement based on medical safety, current immunity, or, for flu vaccine, timing of hire or employee declination. 3)Permits a person to be employed or volunteer conditionally for 30 days after submitting a written statement attesting that they have been immunized as required, but need additional time to obtain and provide their records. 4)Requires any person hired or volunteering as a teacher in a day care center to present evidence of a current tuberculosis clearance, as specified. SB 792 Page 3 FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, costs to Department of Social Services, which licenses child care facilities, are expected to be minor and absorbable. COMMENTS: According to the author, children in day care settings have close, intimate contact with each other and with the staff who work there. Many of these children are too young to be fully immunized against potentially serious communicable diseases. Children who are too young to be vaccinated rely on those around them to be immunized to prevent the spread of disease. The author states that this bill will protect children in day care by requiring those who care for them to maintain immunity. Public health experts agree that vaccines represent one of the greatest achievements of science and medicine in the battle against disease. Vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common around the world, including polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis, rubella, mumps, tetanus, and Hib meningitis. Vaccines helped to eradicate smallpox, one of the most devastating diseases in history. Over the years, vaccines have prevented countless cases of infectious diseases and saved literally millions of lives. Some diseases, such as the flu, cause only a relative inconvenience to healthy adults. However, this same disease can require hospitalization and be potentially fatal for infants or individuals with suppressed immune systems. Importantly, many vaccines require multiple doses before a child is protected against the disease, and children in day care settings are often too young to complete the recommended series of vaccinations. SB 792 Page 4 1)Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can be spread by coughing. People with pertussis have severe coughing attacks that can last for months. Infants too young for vaccination are at greatest risk for life-threatening cases of pertussis. Pertussis vaccinations are given starting at two months of age, but multiple doses are required before the child is considered fully immunized. According to the California Department of Public Health, during a major pertussis outbreak in 2010, there were 9,000 cases of pertussis resulting in 10 infant deaths. In 2014, there were 11,114 reported cases of whooping cough with three infant deaths. As of June 1, 2015 there have been 2,552 new cases of pertussis in California this year. Sixty-two infants younger than four months of age have been hospitalized and one death was reported in an infant that contracted pertussis at three weeks of age. 2)Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, and is considered the most deadly of all childhood rash/fever illnesses. It is recommended that children receive their first measles vaccination at 12 to 15 months; to be most effective, a second dose is recommended at four to six years. Measles is particularly dangerous for babies and young children. From 2001-13, 28% of children younger than five years old who had measles had to be treated in the hospital. For some children, measles can lead to pneumonia, lifelong brain damage, deafness, or death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States declared that measles was eliminated from this country in 2000; however, measles is one of the first diseases to reappear when vaccination coverage rates fall. In 2014, there were over 600 cases reported to the CDC, the highest in many years. Between 2000 and 2007, the average number of cases was 63 per year, less than half the number of the December 2014 outbreak in California, which is one of five outbreaks so far this year reported by the CDC. SB 792 Page 5 3)Influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone six months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. Because there are many different flu viruses, the flu vaccine is redesigned annually to protect against the flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. Last year in California, 10 children died of influenza. According to the CDC's nationwide surveillance, 142 children passed away during the 2014-15 flu season due to complications with the flu, bringing the total of pediatric deaths since 2004 to over 1,000. Herd immunity occurs when a significant proportion of the population (or the herd) has been vaccinated, and this provides protection for unprotected individuals. The larger the number of people who are vaccinated in a population, the lower the likelihood that a susceptible (unvaccinated) person will physically come into contact with the infection. It is more difficult for diseases to spread between individuals if large numbers of people are already immune, and the chain of infection is broken. The reduction of herd immunity places unvaccinated persons at risk, including those who cannot receive vaccinations for medical reasons. Those who cannot receive vaccines include those with compromised immune systems, older adults, small children and babies, all depending on the vaccine. In recent years a few other states, including Vermont, Colorado, and Illinois have considered legislation to require vaccinations for teachers or child care workers. In 2014, Texas passed a law requiring child-care facilities to develop and implement a policy concerning vaccination of employees. The Health Officers Association of California, sponsor of this bill, writes that given that child care workers have close, intimate contact with children who are unable to be fully SB 792 Page 6 immunized, it is important to ensure that these dedicated professionals are not inadvertently exposing children to potentially fatal, yet vaccine-preventable, childhood diseases. Knowledge Universe, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and other supporters state that it is important to ensure that child care professionals are not inadvertently exposing children to potentially fatal, yet vaccine-preventable, childhood diseases. The California Right to Life Committee and several other groups opposed to vaccination mandates state that this bill places an unwarranted burden on child care employees, as well as an unnecessary mandate that day care owners must enforce. Analysis Prepared by: Dharia McGrew / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097 FN: 0002104