HB152, Rep. Trevor Lee’s (R) push to loosen Utah public-school vaccine requirements, hit a wall Friday: a 6–6 tie in the House Health and Human Services Committee. A tie means the bill fails for now, though it can be reconsidered during the remaining 32 days of the 2026 session—all while Utah is battling a significant measles outbreak.
⏰ Tick Tock
13 days - Signature deadline for ballot initiative seeking to repeal Prop. 4 (2/15/2026)
32 days - The final day of the 2026 Utah Legislature (3/6/2026)
35 days - First day congressional candidates can file to run for the 2026 election. (3/9/2026)
43 days - Neighborhood caucus night. (3/17/2026)
68 days - Utah Forward Party nominating convention (4/11/2026)
82 days - Utah State Republican and Democratic State Party nominating conventions (4/25/2026)
141 days - Utah's 2026 primary election (6/23/2026)
274 days - 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026)
1,009 days - 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028)
Currently, parents seeking medical, religious, or personal exemptions must complete a brief 15–30-minute online education module before accessing the exemption form. The module explains vaccine-preventable diseases and what happens to unvaccinated kids during outbreaks.
HB152 would scrap that requirement.
“Multiple parents reached out to me; they believe this is cumbersome and not something they want to do,” Lee told the committee. “They’ve done their research and don’t want this to get in the way of what they want for their child’s health.”
One required immunization is the MMR vaccine, which, after two doses, is highly effective at preventing measles. Utah is currently in the midst of a significant measles outbreak, with more than 230 cases.
During public comment, pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Brenton warned that diseases once rare are resurging—and that removing the education step would make it worse.
“I’ve been in practice for 25 years. There are diseases I never saw that are back in Utah,” she said. “Community immunity is decreasing. This is not the time to decrease information for families.”
Chris Esseltine of the Utah Medical Association said he didn’t dispute parental rights but argued lawmakers also have an obligation to protect public health.
“It’s the Legislature's duty to look out for the public interest,” he said. “Watching a short module is a small thing to promote the safety of other children in the schools.”
Tate Colton, a University of Utah medical student, said it should be somewhat cumbersome to send unvaccinated children to public schools.
“We’ve forgotten the terrible effects of these diseases,” he said, arguing that a 15-minute video is far less burdensome than a preventable illness.
Most supporters who testified weren’t medical experts but right-wing activists like Gayle Ruzicka of the Utah Eagle Forum and parents alleging vaccine injuries. Neil Schultz cited anti-vaccine activist Dr. Paul Thomas.
“In his book Vax Facts, he studied 10,500 children and found that unvaccinated children were far healthier,” Schultz said.
Thomas had his Oregon medical license temporarily suspended over patient-safety concerns after publishing that study, which has been widely criticized for flawed methods.
The final vote was 6–6. Three Republicans—Reps. Cheryl Acton, Steve Eliason, and Ray Ward–joined Democrats in voting no. Two Republicans, Reps. Tyler Clancy and Katie Hall were absent.