Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is reviving a bill that would expand vaccine exemptions for school-age children as part of a special session scheduled on redistricting.
DeSantis on Wednesday issued a proclamation that postponed the session by a week and adding the vaccine issue, which failed to make it through any House subcommittee during the regular legislative session.
The session was set to begin Monday, but DeSantis reset lawmakers’ return to Tallahassee to April 28, with the session lasting until May 1.
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DeSantis backed the vaccine proposal (SB 1756), that sought to expand exemptions for students to enter public K-12 schools and create a new “conscience” category for parents to opt out of immunizations.
The measure also would have required health care practitioners who administer vaccines to offer parents an alternative vaccine schedule and to provide parents with information about the benefits and risks of vaccines at the time of vaccination.
The bill also allowed pharmacists to provide ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug often prescribed for animals, over the counter to adults without a prescription. However, this part of the bill was not mentioned in the proclamation.
DeSantis' proclamation also asks lawmakers to another bill that failed to win House support aimed at protecting consumers’ interactions with artificial intelligence.
On the last day of the regular session on March 13, DeSantis held a press conference in Jacksonville and criticized the House for not considering the bills.
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"It seems to me you're fumbling right on the goal line here," DeSantis said about the vaccine exemption measure. "Punch it in for the touchdown and get it done. I know a lot of people in Florida really want to see these protections written into law."
He then told the crowd: “It’s not going to be the last word on it.”
Parents' rights advocates heavily supported the measure, but pediatricians and health care practitioners deemed it irresponsible, warning of the dangers the bill could cause.
The bill still stopped short of what DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo originally asked legislators to file for the 2026 session: repealing all vaccine mandates in the state.
In his memo, Senate President Ben Albritton stated senators will file identical versions of the bills during the special session.
