House Bill 88, sponsored by Republican Rep. Trevor Lee, would require all exempt state public assistance programs, like vaccines, communicable disease testing and food assistance, to verify “lawful presence” for anyone 18 and older.
Summit County Health Department Director Phil Bondurant says the programs his department offers remain open to everyone, no questions asked.
“We are here to serve people, be it residents or visitors, and make sure that people have every opportunity to live a happy, healthy lifestyle as we invest in building a healthier community for all,” Bondurant said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Feb. 9.
Those investments include the Women, Infants and Children program known as WIC, which provides nutrition support for pregnant and postpartum women and helps improve health outcomes for their children. The department also offers behavioral health services, substance abuse prevention and immunizations designed to protect the broader community.
Bondurant says limiting access to vaccines and disease testing could have wider public health consequences.
“For us, health doesn't know boundaries,” he said. “So, if there's someone here that has not had an opportunity to receive the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, but wants to protect themselves, we want that immunity in this community because it helps provide herd immunity, or that protection that we rely on to limit the amount of time that our disease investigators would have to spend in the event there was a measles exposure. For us, it's about seeing people, helping people and keeping everyone in this community healthy.”
Gina Cornia, executive director of Utahns Against Hunger, is urging constituents to contact members of the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee where the bill is being considered.
She notes similar legislation passed in Idaho last year led to a lawsuit. Beyond potential legal challenges, she argues the bill is fundamentally harmful.
“Rep. Lee is completely unapologetic and completely shameless about denying people food,” Cornia said. “That's not who we are. Denying people food on a day-to-day basis is just cruelty. When we frame racism as public policy, I think we're in deep trouble.”
Rep. Lee had not responded to KPCW’s request for comment as of Wednesday afternoon.
