California Governor Gavin Newsom and a doctor who is also a state lawmaker say they have come to an agreement that will water down a bill in the Legislature aimed at cracking down on fraudulent medical exemptions for vaccinations.
The measure by Democratic Senator Dr. Richard Pan shifts oversight of doctors and schools with high numbers of medical exemption requests to state public health officials, but the controversial legislation would not require the government officials to approve every vaccine exemption request.
The Democratic governor has been hesitant to give state officials the power to decide which children can skip their shots before attending school. Newsom recently told reporters that he wouldn't want bureaucrats making personal decisions like this for his family.
Under the revised bill, health officials will focus on doctors who write five or more exemptions each year and schools with a vaccination rate below 95 percent.
It still needs approval from both legislative chambers.