Texas House bill by Rep. Hull mandates affidavit for immunization exemptions

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Lacey Hull aims to standardize the process for immunization exemptions by requiring the Department of State Health Services to provide an affidavit form confirming awareness of immunization benefits and risks, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, four Democrats and 79 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 52 Democrats and two Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, three Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while eight Democrats voted against it.

Lacey Hull introduced the bill in the Texas House on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, ahead of the official start of the 89th regular legislative session on Jan. 14, 2025.

Hull graduated from the University of Houston with a BS.

Hull, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2021 to represent the state’s 138th House district, replacing previous state representative Dwayne Bohac.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to an exemption from required immunizations for school enrollment’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends the Health and Safety Code to address exemptions from required immunizations for school enrollment by mandating the Department of State Health Services to develop and make available a blank affidavit form on its website for individuals who seek immunization exemptions. The form must include a statement confirming that the individual, or their parent, understands the benefits and risks of immunizations and opting out of them. Individuals can also request the form by writing to the department without having to provide personal information. While the department may track how many times the form is accessed or requested, it cannot maintain records of personal details related to form requests. Changes to the affidavit are required within 30 days of the bill’s effective date, initiating with the 2025-26 school year; it takes effect immediately with unanimous legislative approval or on Sept. 1, 2025, otherwise.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Jeff Leach (Republican – District 67), Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson (Republican – District 23), and Rep. Trent Ashby (Republican – District 9), along with 56 other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Sunday, May 25, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.