Committee of the Whole Hearing on School Vaccination Bill B24-423 October 27, 2021 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing of the Committee of the Whole on Bill 24-423, the Coronavirus Immunization of School Students and Early Childhood Workers Amendment Act of 2021. The hearing will be on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom videoconference.

 The purpose of Bill 24-423 is to require all eligible students of District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), public charter, independent, private, and parochial schools to be vaccinated against the COVID19 virus by December 15, 2021, and every school year thereafter. Additionally, the bill mandates that employees of licensed child development facilities in the District of Columbia are to be vaccinated annually against the COVID-19 virus. The vaccination mandate shall be waived if the individual is exempt on religious or medical grounds. Further, beginning December 15, 2021, the bill directs all private physicians who administer the COVID-19 vaccine to submit an immunization certification to public health authorities and for those authorities to transmit electronically the immunization certificate to the student’s local education agency (LEA). Beginning with School Year 2022-2023, the electronic certification requirement shall apply to all immunizations.

Those who wish to testify must register at http://www.ChairmanMendelson.com/testify by the close of business on Monday, October 25, 2021. Testimony is limited to three minutes. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation or require sign language interpretation must inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, although alternatives may be offered. Requests received in less than five business days may not be fulfilled. If you have additional questions, please contact Christina Setlow, Deputy Committee Director at (202) 724-4865.