FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3rd, 2026
PERK Partners With Senators and Secures First Ever Formal Informational Hearing in California On Medical Exemptions Framework
Sacramento, CA — On November 3rd, 2026, the Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids (PERK) and PERK Advocacy (PERK’s sister organization) publicly announce it has secured the formal Informational Hearing after sponsoring groundbreaking bi-partisan authored legislation earlier this year. The victory securing a hearing follows the bipartisan bill SB1377 authored by Senator Jones, Co-Authored by Senator Cortese and Senator Allen, sponsored by PERK. The hearing is the first ever to review medical exemptions in the state of California.
The Senate Health Committee formally alerted the Senators on November 2, 2026, regarding the time, location, and title for the hearing. The Senators alerted PERK of the collaborative victory.
This historic commitment from the Senator Health Committee follows a year of leadership of Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, R-San Diego, joined by Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, and Sen. Benjamin Allen, D-Santa Monica, in sending a bipartisan request to Senate Health Committee Chair, Senator Akilah Weber Pierson requesting an informational hearing this fall on California's process for issuing, reviewing and overseeing medical exemptions from school vaccination requirements.
Senator Jones stated, "California must ensure that its exemption framework protects the integrity of our public health system without leaving behind the children who genuinely need medical accommodations," Jones said. "We look forward to working with Dr. Weber Pierson and committee staff to get this right."
For more than a decade, California’s SB277, SB276, and SB714 have restricted medical exemptions, punished doctors, and forced families to choose between their faith, medical needs, and their child’s education. The hope is to address unnecessary barriers.
Earlier this year, Jones, Cortese and Allen worked with the nonprofit Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids (PERK) and other stakeholders, leading a push – introducing Senate Bill 1377 – to ease restrictions on doctors providing medically necessary vaccine exemptions to vulnerable children.
Senator Cortese commented, “An informational hearing on California’s medical exemption process is an important opportunity to take a closer look at whether our current system is working for the children and families who need it most. We must ensure that legitimate medical exemptions are not buried under unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles or that physicians are discouraged from exercising sound medical judgment out of fear of professional repercussions. This conversation should not be about creating unnecessary barriers or forcing families to choose between their child’s medical needs and their education. It should be about finding a responsible path forward that puts children first, respects the doctor-patient relationship, and ensures that children with legitimate medical needs are not left behind.”
PERK Co-Founder and President Amy Bohn stated, “We anticipate that the bi-partisan legislative effort this year alongside the recent victory of successfully securing a formal Informational Hearing will have lasting impacts not only in California but nationwide. The partnership in working with our Senators has profoundly changed the trajectory on this issue. Families should not have to choose between keeping their kids safe and healthy, and having access to education. This informational hearing will shed light on the very real problem families are facing in California and it’s the next step toward giving families back their medical rights.”
Throughout this year, the senators have coordinated with the nonprofit PERK in requesting that the committee convene a hearing to examine the appropriate balance between physician discretion and state oversight, including how California can identify and address fraudulent or improper exemptions without creating unnecessary barriers for physicians and the medically vulnerable children who depend on their judgment.
These concerns were central to the discussion surrounding SB 1377 during the committee's April 15 hearing, at which Jones, Cortese and Bohn all testified to the need for immediate action. On April 20th, 2026, a Coalition letter sent to the Health Committee Chair reiterated the need to “Restore fairness, protect physician judgment, remove the chilling effect upon doctors, defend children’s access to education and medical care, and provide better accessibility to those who rely on medical exemptions. There is a greater conversation that we desire to have which will demonstrate the unintended consequences we are seeing in people’s everyday lives.”
Families and physicians have raised the issue of California’s laws creating unnecessary barriers for physicians and medically vulnerable children.
Dr. Joel Warsh, MD, MSc, a pediatrician in California stated, “California has one of the strictest childhood vaccine exemption systems in the country. While most states allow religious or personal-belief exemptions, California offers neither, and even medical exemptions face significant state oversight. As a pediatrician, I find it deeply troubling that families with legitimate medical concerns increasingly struggle to find physicians willing to evaluate them, and that doctors fear investigation or disciplinary action for exercising their medical judgment.”
Dr. Warsh continues, “A medical exemption should be a medical decision, not a political one. Parents should ultimately have the right to make informed medical decisions for their children, in consultation with the physicians who actually know their child and understand their medical history, not have those decisions dictated by a public health official who has never met them. When government oversight creates fear among physicians, undermines parental choice, and interferes with the doctor-patient relationship, something needs to change. That should concern every parent, regardless of where they stand on vaccines.”
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 10am. It will be held at the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 327, San Diego, CA, 92101.
The hearing title is, “Medical Exemptions for Immunization Requirements: What Do the Data Say?”
About PERK
The Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids (PERK) is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to defending medical freedom, bodily autonomy, religious rights, parental rights, and every child’s constitutional right to an education. With tens of thousands of members statewide, PERK leads one of the largest grassroots movements in California.
Get Involved:
· We ask all parents, organizations, and supporters to attend the hearing and give a public comment, followed by joining the Health Freedom Rising rally right after the hearing.
Media Contact:
PERK – Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids
3401 Grande Vista Dr., #723, Newbury Park, CA 91319
Email: info@perk-group.com | www.perk-group.com
Meta, Google, and TikTok appealed. PERK followed, filing a new amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit urging the Court to uphold California’s SB 976 child protections.