Rep. Lanoue Votes Against Overreaching Vaccine Legislation

On Tuesday, H.B. No. 5044, “An Act Establishing Connecticut Vaccine Standards,” was taken up in the House and deserves serious scrutiny. While it is being framed as a technical update, its passage would have enormous, long‑term consequences for medical freedom, religious liberty, and the balance of power in our state.

The bill allows Connecticut to move outside established CDC guidelines, not because of new science or clear public health necessity, but because current federal positions from the CDC, HHS, and Secretary Kennedy no longer align with the legislature’s ideological agenda. This represents a troubling shift from evidence‑based standards toward politically driven mandates. The legislature is effectively flexing its power to block Connecticut residents from moving forward with their lawsuit challenging the repeal of the religious exemption, which is grounded in the Connecticut Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). By carving school and childcare vaccine statutes, where the religious exemption was removed out of RFRA protections, the bill deliberately undermines religious rights and attempts to cut off ongoing legal challenges.

Also, the bill empowers the Department of Public Health (DPH) to create an elective adult vaccine schedule that will not be subject to the legislature’s Regulations Review process. This is a significant change in oversight. Once an unelected agency can unilaterally establish such a schedule, the door is opened to future expansions. My fear is that this is the bear’s nose in the cave. Today it might be labeled as elective, but tomorrow it could evolve into de facto or even formal mandates for groups like schoolteachers and school staff.

Most concerning, the bill gives the DPH Commissioner unilateral authority to add any vaccine to the schedule without checks and balances. Concentrating this much power in the hands of a single official invites abuse and erodes public trust. As Lord Acton warned-"absolute power corrupts absolutely."  When one person can decide on their own which vaccines to add, the potential for political pressure, corporate influence, or simple error grows dramatically.

I voted NO because it reshapes Connecticut’s vaccine policy in ways that further weaken religious protections, sidestep regulatory oversight, concentrate power in a single office, and prioritize ideology over transparent, accountable, and rights‑respecting the overall public health policy.