STUDENT IMMUNIZATION STATUS - H.B. 5291 (H-1)-H.B. 5293:COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 5291 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
House Bill 5292 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
House Bill 5293 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Paul DeWeese (H.B. 5291)
Representative Gerald Law (H.B. 5292)
Representative Jason Allen (H.B. 5293)
House Committee: Health Policy
Senate Committee: Education
Date Completed: 4-5-00
CONTENT
House Bills 5291 (H-1), 5292 (H-1), and 5293 (H-1) would amend the State School Aid Act, the Public Health Code, and the Revised School Code, respectively, to require the immunization status of students entering the sixth grade to be included in the immunization status reports for new students currently provided by school districts and intermediate school districts. The bills are tie-barred to each other.
A more detailed description of the bills follows.
House Bill 5291 (H-1)
The State School Aid Act requires each school district or intermediate school district (ISD) to report by November 1 of each fiscal year to the local health department in which it is located the immunization status of each pupil in grades kindergarten through 12 who enrolled in the district or ISD for the first time, between January 1 and September 30 of the immediately preceding fiscal year. The bill would require that beginning in 2002-2003, a school district or ISD also report the immunization status of each pupil who was enrolled in sixth grade for the first time between January 1 and September 30 of the immediately preceding fiscal year.
In addition, each district or ISD is required to report by February 1 of each fiscal year, to the local health department the immunization status of each pupil in kindergarten through grade 12 who enrolled in the district or ISD for the first time between January 1 of the immediately preceding fiscal year and December 31 of the current fiscal year. The bill would require that beginning in 2002-2003, a district or ISD also report the immunization status of each pupil who was enrolled in sixth grade for the first time between January 1 of the immediately preceding fiscal year and December 31 of the current fiscal year.
Currently, the Department of Community Health (DCH) is required by March 31 of each fiscal year to notify the Department of Education by district or ISD of the percentage of entering pupils who do not have a completed, waived, or provisional immunization record in accordance with the Revised School Code. The bill would add that beginning in 2002-2003, the DCH also would have to report the percentage of pupils who enrolled in sixth grade for the first time and did not have a completed, waived, or provisional immunization record.
House Bill 5292 (H-1)
Currently, the Public Health Code requires a parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis applying to have a child registered for the first time in a school in the State to present to school officials, at the time of registration or no later than the first day of school, a certificate of immunization or statement of exemption. The bill also would require, beginning 2002-2003, a parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis of a child entering the sixth grade to present to school officials, at the time of registration or by the first day of school, a certificate of immunization or statement of exemption.
House Bill 5293 (H-1)
The Revised School Code requires a child enrolling in a pubic or nonpublic school for the first time to submit one of the following: a statement signed by a physician that the child has been tested for and immunized or protected against diseases specified by the Director of the Department of Community Health; a statement signed by a parent or guardian to the effect that the child has not been immunized because of religious convictions or other objection to immunization; or, a statement signed by a physician that certified that the child is in the process of complying with all immunization requirements. Under the bill, this requirement also would apply, beginning in the 2002-2003 school year, to a child enrolling in sixth grade for the first time.
The administrator of each school currently is required by November 1 of each year to provide the DCH Director with the immunization status of each pupil in kindergarten through grade 12 who enrolled for the first time between the immediately preceding January 1 and the immediately preceding September 30. In addition, by February 1 of each school year, the administrator of a school must provide an update to the report due the previous November 1 to show the immunization status of each pupil in kindergarten through grade 12 who enrolled in school for the first time during the calendar year ending the immediately preceding December 31. The bill would require that beginning in the 2002-2003 school year, a school administrator also report, as required above, on the immunization status of each pupil enrolled in sixth grade in the school for the first time.
The Code also requires the parent or guardian of each enrolling child to submit a statement signed by a district, county, or city health department director stating that the child has been administered the DCH preschool vision screening test, or signed by a licensed medical or osteopathic physician or a licensed optometrist stating that the child's eyes have been examined during the preschool years after age three and before initial entrance. The bill would refer in this provision to a child enrolling in kindergarten for the first time.
MCL 388.1767 (H.B. 5291) - Legislative Analyst: L. Arasim
333.9208 (H.B. 5292)
380.1177 (H.B. 5293)
FISCAL IMPACT
The bills could have a small fiscal impact on the budget for the Department of Community Health. Though the Department already has in place a system for administering the information collection and data record-keeping of student immunization records, the Department could incur a slight additional cost associated with collecting data from all pupils enrolling in the district or ISD for the first time.
Local school districts also could incur a small cost associated with collecting immunization data and forwarding the data to the DCH. The costs to the State and local districts, though minimal, would be indeterminate.
- Fiscal Analyst: J. CarrascoS9900\s5291sa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.