A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-271.2 and 32.1-46 of the Code of Virginia, relating to immunization requirements for children; hepatitis B vaccine.
HB983 would change Virginia’s school and child-care immunization laws by removing the hepatitis B vaccine from the list of required childhood immunizations. The bill amends both the school admission statute and the broader child immunization statute so that children would no longer be required to receive HepB to attend public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school, child care centers, nursery schools, family day care homes, or developmental centers. It also directs the State Board of Health to revise its school immunization regulations to eliminate any hepatitis B requirement.
The bill keeps the rest of Virginia’s immunization framework largely intact. Students would still need proof of required vaccines, could still be conditionally enrolled while completing a schedule, and would still be subject to religious and medical exemptions. The bill also preserves existing rules for reporting immunization status, school recordkeeping, and local health department involvement, while continuing to allow the Board of Health to update regulations to match evidence-based vaccine recommendations, subject to notice and public comment requirements.
HB983 appears to be a targeted vaccine-policy change rather than a broad overhaul of school health law. Its practical effect would be to reduce one mandatory childhood vaccine requirement for school and child-care entry, which could affect parents, schools, pediatric providers, and local health departments that administer or verify immunizations. The bill also references reimbursement mechanisms for vaccines provided through public coverage programs such as Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare, and CHAMPUS/TRICARE, but those provisions remain unchanged aside from the removal of HepB from the required list.
Because the bill was left in the House Committee on Health and Human Services and there were no recorded votes or committee transcripts, there is no formal legislative record here showing support or opposition. Based on the text alone, the bill is likely to be viewed positively by opponents of mandatory hepatitis B vaccination and by those favoring parental choice, while public health advocates may view it as weakening school immunization standards. The main point of contention is the removal of a long-standing vaccine requirement, especially given that the bill leaves all other school-entry immunization mandates in place.
HB983 would amend §§ 22.1-271.2 and 32.1-46 of the Code of Virginia and require the State Board of Health to remove hepatitis B from the school-child immunization regulations. The bill would change the legal immunization requirements for admission to schools and child-care settings, but would not alter the existing exemption structure, conditional enrollment rules, school reporting obligations, or the authority of the Board of Health to maintain and update other vaccine requirements.
There is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided materials, so the bill’s sentiment must be inferred from its text and status. The measure appears to reflect a pro-parental-choice or anti-mandate position on hepatitis B vaccination, while likely drawing concern from public health stakeholders who support maintaining the current school immunization schedule. Its referral and subsequent being left in committee suggest it did not advance and may not have had sufficient support to move forward.
The central point of contention is whether hepatitis B should remain a mandatory school-entry vaccine. Supporters would likely argue that removing HepB respects parental discretion and narrows state vaccine mandates, while opponents would likely argue that it weakens disease prevention and school public-health protections. The bill does not change the rest of the immunization regime, so the dispute is focused specifically on HepB rather than on exemptions, school exclusion rules, or the broader vaccine schedule.