Overview
- SB 1756 would add a conscience-based exemption to school immunization requirements while keeping statutory vaccine mandates in place.
- The measure requires providers to give state-approved risk and benefit information and obtain signed acknowledgments before vaccinating minors, a step not required for parents who decline shots.
- The bill limits public-health powers by prohibiting state health officers from ordering vaccines during emergencies and lets parents request spaced-out vaccine schedules.
- Pharmacists could dispense ivermectin to adults without a prescription as a behind-the-counter drug, with new liability protections for physicians and pharmacists tied to its use.
- The House companion (HB 917) awaits hearings as Republican Sen. Gayle Harrell votes no and Sens. Colleen Burton and Ralph Massullo seek revisions, with recent Northeast Florida measles cases and medical groups intensifying concerns.