Communicable disease: immunization exemption states that children will not be allowed to attend private or public elementary or secondary school, child care centers, day nursery, nursery schools, family day care homes, or developmental centers without proof that parents have been counseled, and children vaccinated. This bill would require that on or after January 1, 2014 that any parent/guardian choosing not to vaccinate their children provide a written documentation from their health care practitioner that the parent/guardian has been counseled on the benefits of vaccinating and the risks of not vaccinating children and sign a form stating that they assume all responsibility and care for risks of choosing not to vaccinate their child. (California Legislation, 2012).

             Senator Wolk and assembly member Fuentes first introduced this bill. It was approved by Governor Jerry Brown of California and filed by the secretary of state on September 30, 2012. This bill is an amendment to Section 120365 of the Health and Safety Code, which prohibited admission to the above schools/day care centers without being fully vaccinated for specified diseases. Under this current law, parents may exempt their children if vaccinations are against religious beliefs. This caused an uproar in California and many parents were filing the form to exempt the children from vaccinations for "personal beliefs " when instead parents just felt like it was their right to chose whether to vaccinate or not to vaccinate their children. .

             Therefore, AB 2109 was established, as way to buffer whether parents were exempting children because of true religious reasons or because they wanted to establish their parental right when they may not truly understand the risks they are taking by choosing not to vaccinate. Under this new bill it would require a parent or guardian seeking a personal belief exemption for their child to obtain a document signed by themselves and a licensed health care practitioner.