In A Flash

Louisiana House advances bill to prohibit COVID-19 vaccine requirement for schools

By: Piper Hutchinson - May 12, 2023 6:00 am

The Louisiana House of Representatives gave final passage to a bill that would prohibit schools from requiring students to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for attendance. (Adobe Stock)

The Louisiana House of Representatives gave final passage to a bill that would prohibit schools from requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a requirement for attendance.

House Bill 182, sponsored by Rep. Kathy Edmonston, R-Gonzales, would apply to both public and private schools from the K-12 to university level.

No public K-12 schools are requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of attendance. LSU-Shreveport is the only public university still requiring the shot.

Edmonston shared COVID-19 misinformation during her presentation of the bill, falsely claiming COVID-19 is not a vaccine-preventible disease and that there are no Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccine doses available in Louisiana.

The proposal was passed on a party-line 63-28 vote and picked up 15 co-authors. The bill will next be heard in a Senate committee.

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Piper Hutchinson

Piper Hutchinson is a reporter for the Louisiana Illuminator. She has covered the Legislature and state government extensively for the LSU Manship News Service and The Reveille, where she was named editor in chief for summer 2022.