Lamont Signs Bill Establishing State Vaccine Standards

by Donald Eng CTNewsJunkie

HARTFORD, CT — One of the more controversial proposals the General Assembly proposed this session quietly became law Monday, as Gov. Ned Lamont signed House Bill 5044, An Act Establishing Connecticut Vaccine Standards.

Among other things, the bill requires the public health commissioner to establish immunization standards for adults in addition to children, requires the Connecticut Vaccine Program to give all vaccines under the Department of Public Health standards of care, rather than only those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and expressly provides that the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) does not apply to immunization requirements for public and private schools, including higher education institutions and child care centers and group and family day care homes.

Senate Democrats in a statement last week said the legislation clarifies what the legislature intended in removing the non-medical exemption from vaccination in 2021, ensuring there are no such exemptions in schools, childcare and college. 

FILE PHOTO — Sen. Saud Anwar speaks during a Public Health Committee meeting Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Hartford. Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey is at right. Credit: Mia Palazzo / CTNewsJunkie

“With about 495,000 schoolchildren currently attending Connecticut schools, the legislation preserves the existing status quo and keeps children safe from preventable illnesses,” Senate Democrats wrote. “Connecticut currently has a best-in-the-nation vaccination rate of 98.2%. Just .02% of Connecticut students have non-medical exemptions compared to 3.4% nationally.”

The bill passed both branches of the General Assembly last week, on an 89-60 vote in the House and 22-12 in the Senate.

HB 5044 generated considerable controversy, in particular during its committee hearing in March, when the Public Health Committee voted to schedule the end of public comment on the bill for just after midnight on March 11. That meant that many of the 550 people who signed up to speak on the bill – the vast majority in opposition – would likely have been unable to do so due to time constraints, although they would have been able to submit written testimony.

Sen Stephen Harding speaks to the media following a vote to end a Public Health Committee hearing shortly after midnight on March 11, 2026. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie

Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, at the time urged those in attendance to remember  the procedural vote to limit testimony to about 14 hours in November.

“No elected official that cast a vote today to silence your voices deserves to be reelected ever again,” Harding said. “November can’t come soon enough.”

After the Senate approved HB 5044 last week, Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, Senate chair of the Public Health Committee, said the bill would not force anyone to get a vaccine.“We’re not forcing anything here. We’re expanding options to make sure the public can access the care they desire,” he said.” It’s a meaningful step forward to support public health in Connecticut.”