(The Center Square) – Just a few years after COVID-19 vaccine mandates led to thousands of Washington workers who were unwilling to get the shots being fired from their jobs – or forced to resign – Washington lawmakers are again debating a bill dealing with vaccines and other public health requirements during communicable disease outbreaks.
Over the weekend, the House of Representatives passed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1531 which aims to establish a rule that any public health response to diseases must be based on “the best available science.”
According to a House bill report, “It is declared the policy of the state that public health responses to address communicable diseases be guided by the best available science on the safety and efficacy of evidence-based measures to control the spread of such diseases, including immunizations and vaccines. State and local officials must, within available resources, implement and promote evidence-based, appropriate measures to control the spread of communicable diseases, including immunizations and vaccines.
“The state and its political subdivisions may not enact statutes, ordinances, rules, or policies that prohibit the implementation and promotion of such measures. Any such statute, ordinance, rule, or policy is declared null and void.”
Rep. Dan Bronoske, D-Lakewood, is the bill’s prime sponsor.
“Currently there are local health officials who are being effectively prohibited from going out and doing public health work,” he explained during a Monday interview with The Center Square. “My biggest concern is that there will be a prohibition on education and providing the best information for people in the community regarding vaccines.”
Bronoske stressed the bill is not about mandating vaccines.
During debate that lasted hours on the House floor Saturday, Republicans offered several amendments, including one from Rep. David Stuebe, R-Washougal, to allow public health officials to share information about adverse side effects of new vaccines and treatments.
“We learned a lot from COVID,” Stuebe said.” Instead of the community feeling like they’re being mandated again to take vaccines, this changes the verbiage a little bit to let them know that they’re going to receive information on this and that there won’t be any hidden adverse events.”
Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, resisted the amendment, which ultimately was not adopted.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Pollet said. “That’s the heart of what public health is about. This amendment turns that principle on its head, unfortunately… I urge a ‘no’ vote so we keep the focus on prevention and that includes safe and efficacious immunizations.”
Bronoske said he listened intently to the passionate comments from Republicans who didn’t support the bill and is sensitive to the fact many people suffered during the pandemic and may still be traumatized.
“This isn’t me trying to poke someone in the eye,” he said. “Job losses and the entire experience, it’s going to take us a generation to heal from all of that, so this isn’t me poking the bear. I’m trying to just provide clarity to local health officers to go do what they need to do.”
Bronoske mentioned public health officials in the Tri-Cities, whom he described as being “kneecapped” from doing their work.
“They came out with a resolution a week or so ago that touched on MRNA vaccines,” he explained. “It said public health officials cannot talk to people about those until certain criteria had been met.”
He was referring to a resolution passed in February by Franklin County leaders that according to The Spokesman-Review, would “pressure the health department to stop providing, funding and promoting other vaccinations. That’s because the language of the resolution targets any mRNA and ‘gene therapy’ vaccines, as well as more traditional virus-based vaccines. They also want these types of treatments removed from child vaccine recommendations.”
Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, who also chairs the Washington Republican party, told The Center Square that the bill is not about science.
“This is an insult to science. This is an insult to truth,” he said. “This is a bureaucratic power grab pretending to be some defense of evidence-based science. This is the weaponization of science, and it’s really disgusting.”
The bill passed on a 58-35 party-line vote.
Walsh suggested his constituents will not comply if the bill passes the full Legislature and is signed into law by the governor.
“The people in my district are leaders in this state in showing that peaceful non-compliance is the right duty of every free citizen, and we will continue to do that if this harebrained proposal actually becomes law,” he said.
