SB 251-POSTSEC. STUDENT MENINGITIS IMMUNIZATION    CHAIR FRED DYSON announced SB 251 to be up for consideration. 1:34:43 PM SENATOR CON BUNDE, sponsor of SB 251, explained that the bill that passed last year relating to postsecondary schools and meningitis was too broad because it included postsecondary schools without dormitories. The new requirement is burdensome to schools and an invasion of student privacy for little purpose. SB 251 would exempt postsecondary educational institutions without dormitory facilities from the requirement of information distribution about meningitis. The sponsor of the previous bill agreed that this adjustment is appropriate. 1:37:24 PM SENATOR KIM ELTON questioned why the phrase "intends to reside" is used rather than "will reside." SENATOR BUNDE answered that it was the drafter's language. SENATOR ELTON said he would follow up with the drafter. SENATOR OLSON asked how many institutions this would apply to. JANE ALBERTS, Staff to Senator Con Bunde, said that data was difficult to find. CHAIR DYSON opened public testimony. 1:39:38 PM SCOTT THORSON, CEO, Network Business Systems, testified in support of SB 251. He said the current situation doesn't work for distance learning for a number of reasons for the following reasons. Students have to sign documents that appear to invade their privacy. Second, it increases the cost of education. Third the regulations require the state to keep records, but it is not clear how this benefits the state. Fourth, the current requirements don't do anything to reduce the potential of meningitis. Fifth, the original wording pertained to postsecondary institutions with dormitories, but there are 136 postsecondary institutions without dormitories that will be affected. 1:44:46 PM JAY BUTLER, Acting Chief, Epidemiology Section, Division of Public Health, Department of Health & Social Services (DHSS), supported SB 251. He said that various epidemiological studies suggest that the overall risk of meningococcal meningitis is relatively low, but risk is ten to twenty-five times higher among dorm residents. He added that the provisions in SB 251 also bring the law into line with recommendations from the Center for Disease Control's advisory committee on immunization practices and the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. SENATOR OLSON asked about the frequency of allergic reactions to immunizations. MR. BUTLER replied that they are quite uncommon. SENATOR OLSON asked whether there have been any other negative reactions or side affects associated with the vaccinations. MR. BUTLER replied that a small number of the recipients of the conjugate vaccine developed Guillian-Barre syndrome. He added that this occurred after upward of one million doses of the vaccine had been administered and follow-up on the incidents does not suggest a relationship between the vaccine and those events. SENATOR OLSON asked if any of the affected people died as a result of the syndrome. MR. BUTLER replied that all of them survived. SENATOR OLSON asked how much the conjugate vaccine and the regular vaccine cost. MR. BUTLER replied that for the public sector, the cost of the conjugate vaccine is about $60 and the cost of the regular vaccine is somewhat less. 1:49:23 PM SENATOR WILKEN moved to report SB 251 and attached fiscal notes from committee with individual recommendations. There being no objection, it was so ordered.