HB 152 -This bill amends provisions regarding a vaccination exemption form for required immunizations in the public education system -Vaccine requirements and Exemptions

Added February 06, 2026 at 1:55pm by Owen Crossman
Title: Letter to an elected official--Vaccine requirements and Exemptions

LONG TITLE

General Description

This bill amends provisions regarding a vaccination exemption form for required immunizations in the public education system.

Highlighted Provisions

This bill repeals a requirement to complete an online education module to access a vaccination exemption form. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to provide an online vaccination exemption form and to ensure the transmission of a completed online vaccination exemption form to the relevant school or LEA. The bill also makes technical changes.

Money Appropriated in this Bill

None.

Other Special Clauses

This bill provides a special effective date.

Utah Code Sections Affected

This bill amends Sections 53G-9-301 and 53G-9-304 of the Utah Code, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapter 464, and Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 328.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:

Section 1. Section 53G-9-301 is amended to read:

53G-9-301. Definitions.

As used in this part, "Department" means the Department of Health and Human Services created in Section 26B-1-201. "Health official" means an individual designated by a local health department from within the local health department to consult and counsel parents and licensed health care providers, in accordance with Subsection 53G-9-304(2)(a). "Health official designee" means a licensed health care provider designated by a local health department, in accordance with Subsection 53G-9-304(2)(b), to consult with parents, licensed health care professionals, and school officials.

"Immunization" or "immunize" means a process through which an individual develops an immunity to a disease, through vaccination or natural exposure to the disease. "Immunization record" means a record relating to a student that includes information regarding each required vaccination that the student has received, including the date each vaccine was administered, verified by a licensed health care provider, an authorized representative of a local health department, an authorized representative of the department, a registered nurse, or a pharmacist; information regarding each disease against which the student has been immunized by previously contracting the disease; and an exemption form identifying each required vaccination from which the student is exempt, including all required supporting documentation described in Section 53G-9-303.

"Legally responsible individual" means a student’s parent, the student’s legal guardian, an adult brother or sister of a student who has no legal guardian, or the student if the student is an adult or is a minor who may consent to treatment under Section 26B-4-321. "Licensed health care provider" means a health care provider who is licensed under Title 58, Occupations and Professions, as a medical doctor, an osteopathic doctor, a physician assistant, or an advanced practice registered nurse. "Local health department" means the same as that term is defined in Section 26A-1-102.

"Required vaccines" means vaccines required by department rule described in Section 53G-9-305. "School" means any public or private elementary or secondary school through grade 12, preschool, child care program as defined in Section 26B-2-401, nursery school, or kindergarten. The term "school" does not include a home school, home-based microschool, or micro-education entity. "Student" means an individual who attends a school. "Vaccinating" or "vaccination" means the administration of a vaccine. "Vaccination exemption form" means an online form, described in Section 53G-9-304, that documents and verifies that a student is exempt from the requirement to receive one or more required vaccines. "Vaccine" means the substance licensed for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration that is injected into or otherwise administered to an individual to immunize the individual against a communicable disease.

Section 2. Section 53G-9-304 is amended to read:

53G-9-304. Vaccination exemption form.

The department shall develop an online vaccination exemption form that includes only identifying information regarding the student to whom an exemption applies and the legally responsible individual who claims the exemption for the student and signs the vaccination exemption form, an indication regarding the vaccines to which the exemption relates, a statement that the claimed exemption is for a medical reason or a personal or religious belief, and an explanation of the requirements, in the event of an outbreak of a disease for which a required vaccine exists, for a student who has not received the required vaccine and is not otherwise immune from the disease. The department shall provide the vaccination exemption form to local health departments in an online format and ensure the transmission of a completed online vaccination exemption form to the relevant school or LEA.

Each local health department shall designate one or more individuals from within the local health department as a health official to consult, regarding the requirements of this part, with parents upon request, school principals and administrators, and licensed health care providers. A local health department may designate a licensed health care provider as a health official designee to provide these services.

To receive a vaccination exemption form described in this section, a legally responsible individual shall complete the online education module described in Section 26B-7-118, permitting the individual to complete any requirements online and download and print the vaccine exemption form immediately upon completion of the requirements. A legally responsible individual may decline to take the online education module and obtain a vaccination exemption form from a local health department if the individual requests and receives an in-person consultation at a local health department from a health official or a health official designee and pays any fees established.

Neither the department nor any other person may charge a fee for the exemption form offered through the online education module. A local health department may establish a fee of up to $25 to cover the costs of providing an in-person consultation.

Section 3. Effective Date.

DMU Timestamp: February 05, 2026 21:30