TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Joint Government Operations Committee Meets to Consider Vaccine Issues

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jul 22, 2021

The Tennessee legislature’s Joint Government Operations Committee met yesterday to discuss the recent firing of the state’s chief immunization officer and efforts to vaccinate children against COVID-19. At the center of the discussion was a statement drafted by committee co-chairs Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, and Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, that prior to her firing, Dr. Michelle “Shelley” Fiscus had confirmed it is not the policy of the state or county health departments to vaccinate children without parental consent. Fiscus also had detailed steps to stop marketing vaccinations to minors, according to the statement. The co-chairs also urged health departments and schools not to “bully,” “cajole” or “coerce” individuals to be vaccinated, and suggested that failing to disclose potential risks of vaccines could violate federal law. Democrats on the committee objected to the statement, Tennessee Lookout reports.

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