**Tennessee Legislature Shelves Bill Aimed at Altering Parental Responsibilities forChild Vaccinations**
*By Brandon Dunn*
*March 5, 2025*
In a recent legislative session, Tennessee lawmakers voted to shelve a bill that sought to modify parental responsibilities concerning the vaccination of children. The proposed legislation, introduced by Republican Representative Susan Lynn of Mount Juliet and Senator Janice Bowling of Tullahoma, aimed to remove a provision from state law that encourages parents and legal guardians to vaccinate their children following guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the American Academy of Pediatrics.
**Bill’s Provisions and Rationale**
Representative Lynn argued before the House Population Health Subcommittee that the existing law is unconstitutional because it “delegates” the authority for setting childhood vaccination guidelines to a federal agency. She expressed concerns over the state’s reliance on the CDC’s expanding vaccination schedule without independent evaluation.
“We have not looked into the CDC’s ever-growing list of vaccinations, that ever-growing vaccine schedule. We have not looked into it at all. So we are simply delegating all of our rights to the CDC—giving up everything to the CDC,” Lynn stated. She further suggested that the current law could potentially criminalize parents who do not adhere strictly to these guidelines, implying that her proposed legislation would assure parents they wouldn’t face misdemeanor charges for non-compliance.
**Counterarguments and Legal Clarifications**
However, this perspective faced opposition. Legislative attorney Heather Asbell refuted the claims of unconstitutionality and clarified that the current law does not impose legal penalties on parents who fail to comply. “To my knowledge, [the law] is not unconstitutional,” Asbell noted, adding, “A parent would not be civilly liable or criminally prosecuted for not abiding by current law with the responsibility of vaccinating their child.”
Democratic Representative John Ray Clemmons of Nashville emphasized the importance of adhering to CDC guidelines, highlighting the agency’s role as the nation’s leading science-based, data-driven public health organization. He expressed concern over recent outbreaks of preventable diseases, stating, “We’re looking at children dying of measles in 2025. That’s concerning. Children with tetanus, these types of issues. These are concerning things we should be caring about if public health is a priority for us.”
**Legislative Outcome**
After deliberations, lawmakers voted to send the bill to summer study, effectively shelving the debate on the measure for the remainder of the legislative session. This decision underscores the ongoing complexities and debates surrounding public health policies and parental rights in Tennessee.
*For more detailed information, refer to the original article on US News and Business.* citeturn0search0
