Minnesota senators propose Vaccine Council as measles cases rise, federal board gutted

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota senators are pushing for a state Vaccine Council to offer alternative vaccine recommendations.

Minnesota senators propose a Vaccine Council

What we know:

The proposed Minnesota Vaccine Council aims to provide parents with alternative vaccine recommendations to those from the federal government. 

Sen. Matt Klein, (DFL-Mendota Heights), is leading the initiative along with three other senators in the medical field. The council would consist of 16 medical experts and has the support of major health care systems like Allina, Fairview, and Children's Minnesota.

Sen. Klein is a medical doctor and he has expressed concerns about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s current federal advisory board, which Klein claims has been compromised by conspiracy theorists. He believes the state council would ensure access to reliable scientific information.

The backstory:

Last year, nearly 2,300 American children contracted measles and three died, with this year already seeing a significant increase. 

In Minnesota, only 86.5% of kindergartners were vaccinated, one of the lowest rates in the nation. 

The senators' proposal comes in response to these alarming statistics and aims to address the gap in reliable vaccine information.

The bill's progress and reactions

"The National Vaccine Advisory Board has been gutted. It's been replaced by Trump cronies who are conspiracy theorists. And so people don't have good advice anymore about vaccines," said Sen. Matt Klein.

The bill proposing the Vaccine Council was scheduled for a hearing Thursday, but time constraints delayed it. Several Republican lawmakers have expressed the need to learn more about the proposal before making any comments.

What we don't know:

It remains unclear when the bill will be rescheduled for a hearing or how it will be received by the broader legislative body.