\n<\/p>\n
Number of bills to weaken vaccination rules or access<\/span><\/p>\n By<\/span> Amy Schoenfeld Walker<\/span> and Lily Boyce<\/span> <\/p>\n The reporters examined hundreds of bills related to vaccines that were introduced in statehouses this year.<\/p>\n July 28, 2026 <\/p>\n Lawmakers flooded statehouses this year with bills seeking to dismantle vaccination rules or raise questions about vaccine safety, introducing more than 200 measures in 34 states.<\/p>\n The bills challenged every part of the system that states rely on to vaccinate the public, from the pamphlets patients receive before getting a shot to the requirements schools, day care centers and employers can implement. A proposal in Wisconsin would have designated October as \u201cImmunization Injury Awareness Month.\u201d A bill in Iowa would have eliminated all vaccination requirements for elementary and secondary schools.<\/p>\n All told, at least 400 bills related to vaccines were introduced this year. Many were intended to bolster or protect the public\u2019s access to the shots. But 209 aimed to weaken vaccination rules or systems or to undermine public trust in vaccines, a New York Times analysis shows.<\/p>\n Although only a handful of these became law, leaders of the movement behind the legislative push plan to return next session with a raft of new proposals.<\/p>\n This session\u2019s bills fell into five broad categories:<\/p>\n Each rectangle represents one bill.<\/p>\n Passed two chambers<\/span><\/p>\n Passed one chamber<\/span><\/p>\n Introduced<\/span><\/p>\n Source: New York Times analysis of vaccine-related state legislation introduced since Aug. 1, 2025.<\/span> The New York Times<\/span><\/p>\n Had all the bills passed, public health experts say, they would have led to a vast reduction in vaccine confidence and uptake, and eventually would have led to more outbreaks of disease.<\/p>\n Just nine became law, but advocates for the measures say their campaign was a success because many others got closer to the finish line this year. And some policy observers agreed that the movement made gains.<\/p>\n \u201cBills that would have died in committee in previous sessions are now passing one chamber, sometimes two,\u201d said Jack McClure, who leads state policy efforts at the Association for Immunization Managers. \u201cThey may not be law yet, but legislators are taking them seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n Passed two chambers<\/span><\/p>\n Passed one chamber<\/span><\/p>\n Introduced<\/span><\/p>\n Pro-vaccine lawmakers found themselves playing defense. They proposed a slew of bills to make it easier to get vaccines or to emphasize their safety record. A dozen states passed laws to preserve childhood vaccination recommendations after federal health officials moved to limit them.<\/p>\n Lawmakers and others who believe vaccines are dangerous and should never be required were emboldened by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s efforts to oppose vaccines. The details of their latest proposals offer a window into the modern movement against vaccines, which has recently turned its focus to broader messages of health freedom and personal liberty.<\/p>\n Vaccine critics saw this year as an opportunity to upend a system that states have long relied on to vaccinate the public. They had built momentum after the coronavirus pandemic, capitalizing on anger over Covid vaccine mandates and questions about the safety of Covid vaccines.<\/p>\n 1 \/ 62<\/p>\n Passed two chambers<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits all vaccination and mask requirements by employers.<\/p>\n Passed two chambers<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits vaccination requirements for adults and children residing in foster homes beyond those required for school entry.<\/p>\n Passed two chambers<\/span> <\/p>\n Allows advanced-practice nurses and physician assistants to sign vaccination exemption forms.<\/p>\n Passed one chamber<\/span> <\/p>\n Adds a constitutional amendment to prohibit all vaccination requirements by the government.<\/p>\n Passed one chamber<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires the use of a simple form for requesting religious exemptions to vaccines.<\/p>\n Passed one chamber<\/span> <\/p>\n Removes the hepatitis B vaccination requirement for children.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Loosens the requirements for religious exemptions to school vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires vaccinations to have received full F.D.A. approval to be required.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits vaccination and personal vaccination documentation requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits medical mandates, including for vaccinations.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Expands religious vaccination exemptions to align with a \u201cperson\u2019s bona fide religious tenets,\u201d and not only the \u201creligious tenets of an established church.\u201d<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Adjusts the state\u2019s 2025 medical freedom law to prohibit all medical mandates, including school, day care and employee vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Removes all vaccination requirements for elementary and secondary schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Removes parental responsibility to provide immunization history when enrolling in private schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires all communications about vaccination requirements from a school, child-care facility or health department to include information about exemptions.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires that postsecondary medical schools offering clinical rotations identify placement options that allow exemptions to vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits vaccines from being required by employers, public services and businesses, and prohibits discrimination based on one\u2019s vaccination status.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits medical mandates, including for vaccinations.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Repeals hepatitis B vaccination requirements for schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes a simplified process for employees to obtain exemptions from employer vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Removes meningococcal vaccination requirements for schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Repeals vaccination requirements to receive Medicaid or temporary assistance.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Allows medical and religious exemptions to the meningococcal vaccine for higher education students, unless there is an outbreak declared by the Health Department.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Creates medical exemptions for school vaccine requirements and prevents schools from reporting exemptions outside the school.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits anyone from being required to accept any health-related intervention, including vaccination.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits health care facilities from requiring visitors to be vaccinated to visit patients.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits vaccine mandates and prohibits discrimination against anyone who is unvaccinated.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Creates medical exemptions for school vaccine requirements and prevents schools from reporting exemptions outside the school.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits vaccination requirements for adults residing in a foster home.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits vaccination requirements beyond current school enrollment requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Bans government vaccine mandates and passports, and requires employers with vaccine policies to accept proof of natural antibodies as an alternative.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes a simplified process for parents to obtain religious or philosophical exemptions to vaccination.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Repeals all vaccination requirements, and allows the government to release only recommendations.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits hospital staff members from requiring visitors to provide proof of vaccination, even during a state of emergency.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Authorizes religious exemptions for vaccination requirements in schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits schools from mandating vaccinations for admission, and loosens requirements for vaccination exemption.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes a \u201cTeachers\u2019 Bill of Rights\u201d that includes the right to refuse vaccination.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits all vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits any hospital or birthing facility from requiring a hepatitis B dose at birth and requires parental consent before administration.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits hospitals from requiring staff members, patients or visitors to be vaccinated.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits government agencies, employers, businesses and schools from mandating vaccines, which have some federal liability protections to ensure a stable vaccine supply.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Exempts religious child-care facilities and private schools from adhering to the state\u2019s vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits any vaccination requirements for infants under the age of 2.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits any requirements for genetic-based vaccinations, including mRNA vaccines.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Repeals the requirement for parents to complete an online education module or attend an in-person consultation to obtain a vaccination exemption for their children.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities from establishing vaccination requirements for visitors.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Removes hepatitis B vaccination requirements for schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes religious exemptions to vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Removes hepatitis B vaccination requirements for schools, and authorizes religious or personal exemptions to school and employer vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Removes and prohibits all vaccination requirements for schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits all vaccination requirements and incentives for students and staff at all colleges and universities.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits vaccination requirements in schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Allows religious and philosophical exemptions to school and child-care vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Removes vaccination record maintenance requirements for private and parochial schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes religious and philosophical exemptions to school vaccine requirements; protects providers from penalties for issuing medical exemptions; and repeals the requirement for school staff to report unvaccinated students.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Authorizes religious exemptions for employer vaccination requirements and prohibits descrimination against individuals with exemptions.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Authorizes religious exemptions for school and child-care vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Authorizes religious exemptions for vaccination requirements in secondary schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Loosens the requirements for exemptions to vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Removes hepatitis B and meningitis vaccination requirements for schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n The bill separately focuses on reporting requirements for alpha-gal syndrome, but includes an amendment to remove school vaccine requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires schools and child-care centers to create a formal process for submitting vaccination requirement exemptions.<\/p>\n Many of the bills proposed this year aimed to drastically alter longstanding rules to immunize enough people to keep diseases like measles and polio at bay. No state enacted one of these proposals, though Arizona and New Hampshire came close.<\/p>\n At least a dozen proposals would have removed some or all state requirements for children to be immunized before starting day care or school. Public health experts said that without requirements in place, some people would not vaccinate their children \u2014 not because they oppose vaccines, but because it takes time, effort and money to do so.<\/p>\n 1 \/ 40<\/p>\n Passed two chambers<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits mandated medical interventions, including vaccination requirements by employers and schools, and prohibits discrimination against workers who refuse vaccination for religious reasons.<\/p>\n Passed two chambers<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits Medicare-participating providers from refusing to treat patients based on their vaccination status, and prohibits reimbursement if they do so.<\/p>\n Passed one chamber<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits providers from refusing to treat patients based on their vaccination status.<\/p>\n Passed one chamber<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits discrimination based on vaccination status; requires that parents sign a consent form before their child is vaccinated; and requires alternative vaccine schedule options.<\/p>\n Passed one chamber<\/span> <\/p>\n Preserves school vaccination requirements but prohibits schools from excluding unvaccinated students, even if there is an outbreak or public health emergency.<\/p>\n Passed one chamber<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits vaccination requirements by employers, public services and businesses, and prohibits discrimination based on vaccination status.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits discrimination based on an individual\u2019s refusal of certain drugs, vaccines or face coverings for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs, and authorizes civil suits if the law is violated.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Enacts a \u201cMedical Freedom Bill\u201d that allows religious and personal conscience exemptions to school vaccination requirements.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits infringements on bodily autonomy, defining this right to include vaccine refusal based on religious or personal beliefs.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits discrimination or refusal of service because of a person\u2019s vaccination status.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits employee termination because of vaccination refusal and prohibits employee vaccination mandates.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Repeals school, employer and child-care vaccination requirements, and prohibits discrimination based on vaccination status.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Adds the right to refuse a vaccine to the state\u2019s Constitution.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Grants individuals the right to select a willing blood donor for transfusions and prohibits healthcare facilities from refusing directed donations based on vaccination status.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Declares parental freedom in the nurturing, education, care and custody of children as an uninfringeable fundamental right.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Shields parents who decline medical interventions or pursue alternatives for their children from charges of medical neglect or abuse and other adverse consequences.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits employment termination for refusing Covid-19 vaccination, and prohibits the requirement of Covid-19 vaccination documentation.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits discrimination against a person for refusal to receive medical treatments, including vaccination.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits providers from refusing to treat a child based on his or her vaccination status.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits state Medicaid payments to facilities that discriminate against patients for valid medical and religious exemptions.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Urges Congress to pass legislation to reinstate service members discharged for refusing Covid-19 vaccination.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes a \u201cChildren\u2019s Vaccination Bill of Rights,\u201d which requires parents to consent to their child\u2019s vaccination and removes vaccination requirements to attend state-funded schools.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Allows employees that refuse Covid-19 vaccination to be eligible for unemployment insurance.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits discrimination against those who have not received a Covid-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Urges Congress to pass legislation to reinstate service members discharged for refusing Covid-19 vaccination.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits mandatory Covid-19 vaccination; limits civil liability of employers; prohibits requiring vaccination for education, employment, travel or other activities; and enacts a \u201cvaccine bill of rights.\u201d<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Allows employees that refuse Covid-19 vaccination to be eligible for unemployment insurance.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires any person fired from a job for refusing Covid-19 vaccination to be reinstated at the same position and pay.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits vaccination requirements for schools and government entities, and prohibits discrimination by employers, ticket issuers and transportation operators based on vaccination status.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires schools to inform parents of vaccination exemption rights; prohibits schools from requiring a specific form for exemptions and from excluding students without required vaccinations.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits discrimination because of a person\u2019s vaccination status, and prohibits any requirements for vaccination under a federal emergency use authorization.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes the right to refuse any vaccine, medication, microchip, external tracker or other manufactured product, and prohibits public entities from requiring any of them for employment, services or admittance.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes a \u201cCitizen\u2019s Bill of Rights,\u201d which includes a provision prohibiting the government and businesses from forcing any citizen to undergo a medical procedure, including vaccination.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits Covid-19 vaccination requirements and discrimination against those who have not received the Covid-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes the right to refuse any vaccine; prohibits discrimination based on vaccination status; and safeguards medical professionals who oppose vaccination.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Establishes a \u201cParental Bill of Rights,\u201d which includes the right for parents not to vaccinate their children.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires written consent before vaccination and prohibits discrimination against those who are unvaccinated.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Adds a constitutional amendment stating that individuals have the right to refuse vaccination even in times of emergency.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Adds an amendment to the state\u2019s Constitution prohibiting the government from compelling any person to undergo medical treatment, including vaccination, even in a declared state of emergency.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Adds the right to refuse a vaccine to the state\u2019s bill of rights.<\/p>\n Some lawmakers tried expanding legal protections for people who forgo some or all vaccines. Several states proposed a \u201cbill of rights\u201d for those who are not vaccinated, while other proposals would have established anti-discrimination safeguards for the unvaccinated.<\/p>\n Lawmaker support for these measures was high in some states as officials prepared for their 2026 legislative sessions. Florida officials vowed to remove all vaccine mandates for children in the state. But their proposals failed to advance, and broader momentum stalled early this year after the White House pressured Mr. Kennedy to pull back on his vaccine agenda, worried that it could alienate voters in the midterms.<\/p>\n Vaccine advocates pushing against these bills said they found success reminding lawmakers that most of the public wanted to maintain childhood vaccine rules.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of our biggest calls to action is to let lawmakers know that their constituents want their schools to remain safe places to go,\u201d said Jennifer Herricks, director of advocacy at American Families for Vaccines.<\/p>\n 1 \/ 30<\/p>\n Enacted<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires autopsy reports for children who die suddenly to list any immunizations administered within 90 days of death, and for the reports to be submitted to a C.D.C. registry.<\/p>\n Enacted<\/span> <\/p>\n Creates a panel that reviews infant and maternal medical records after the sudden death of an infant and then reports any vaccine adverse events to a C.D.C. registry.<\/p>\n Enacted<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires autopsy reports for children who die suddenly to list any immunizations administered within 90 days of death, and for the reports to be submitted to a C.D.C. registry.<\/p>\n Passed two chambers<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires autopsy reports for infants who die suddenly to list all vaccines received within 90 days of death.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires any deaths that a medical examiner deems to be caused by a vaccine or vaccine side effect to be reported to the Health Department.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires investigations for children who die suddenly to consider any immunizations administered within seven days of death.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires autopsy reports for infants who die suddenly to list all vaccines received within 90 days of death.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires autopsy reports for infants who die suddenly to list all vaccines received within 90 days of death.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Urges the state\u2019s Department of Public Health to conduct a study of the relationship between sudden unexpected deaths of infants and children and the administration of vaccines.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires any product, including vaccines, that has used human fetal tissue in its research, production or testing to include explicit labeling of such use.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires all infant death certificates to include the date and type of the child\u2019s last vaccination.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Prohibits the sale of food that contains vaccine or vaccine material unless it is labeled.<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Defines food that contains a vaccine or vaccine material as a \u201cdrug.\u201d<\/p>\n Introduced<\/span> <\/p>\n Requires the state\u2019s immunization database to include reports of vaccine adverse events.<\/p>\n Bills to weaken vaccination rules or access, by category<\/h3>\n
Bills to weaken vaccination rules or access, by state<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
What the bills say<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Bills to remove or loosen vaccination requirements<\/h3>\n
Bills that would establish protections for unvaccinated people<\/h3>\n
Bills that promote claims of vaccine dangers<\/h3>\n