John Locher / AP
In this April 26, 2021, photo, a nursing student administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center at UNLV.
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021 | 8:27 p.m.
A proposal to continue requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for Nevada’s college students was thwarted Tuesday night after a 12-member commission of state lawmakers voted 6-6 on party lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans against.
The Nevada Legislative Commission was considering two regulations, one that would continue the vaccine mandate for all community and state college students, as well as for certain state employees and contractors, such as prison guards. Both regulations did not pass.
The State Board of Health had previously voted during an emergency meeting on Aug. 20 to require Nevada State of Higher Education (NSHE) students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but the emergency order expired last week at the end of the fall semester.
“Mandating vaccines is not new,” said Joseph Reynolds, chief general counsel for NSHE, during the commission meeting. “It has already been the law that has already been on the books and has already occurred. They are necessary in order to keep the current vaccine process in place so that we can start our spring semester safely with fully vaccinated students in the classroom.”
Chancellor Melody Rose issued a memo after the ruling instructing institutions to lift all registration holds based on a student not meeting the previous vaccine requirement. The vaccine mandate for university employees isn’t impacted by the vote, and all students and staff are still required to wear face masks.
In a news release, Gov. Steve Sisolak’s office said the state will continue “supporting NSHE institutions as they prepare for a safe spring semester.”
Getting vaccinated is the most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and it has shown to be effective against variants, said Ihsan Azzam, the chief medical officer of the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. If they do get COVID-19, people who are vaccinated are more likely to recover from illness more quickly and are much less likely to require hospitalization, he said.
“The vaccine, while it’s not perfect, is extremely effective in preventing severe cases,” he said. “We want to prevent our health care system from getting overwhelmed. We don’t want the hospitals to be crowded with cases.”
Republican Sen. Joseph Hardy of Boulder City said that while he supports vaccines and encourages everyone to get one, he was concerned about enforcing a mandate when the pandemic continues to change, as there will be more variants and more vaccines coming in the future.
“I believe in vaccines,” Hardy said. “I don’t think we should mandate something that is changing. This is a permanent regulation, and it’s a changing world and a changing environment. I don’t think a permanent regulation is the right thing to do.”
Republican Sen. James Settelmeyer of Northern Nevada pointed out the contradiction in forcing prison guards to get vaccinated, but not the prisoners themselves. He also expressed concern that a physicians’ order to exempt a patient from getting vaccinated could be overridden by the human resources department.
“I find that very troubling,” he said. “I will be opposing this legislation today.”
Democratic Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro of Las Vegas is adamantly in favor of requiring the vaccine, saying she has been required to be vaccinated against a variety of illnesses to attend public school, law school and even to work as a waitress. She said the idea the regulation would be stripping rights of students is false, as there are alternative paths for people who do not want to get vaccinated, such as attending school online.
“It’s unfathomable that we are arguing over whether or not a vaccine policy is something we should support or not support,” she said. “This is something we ask people to do each and every day. Yet it is the first time this is a source of debate.”
“To me, it is irresponsible for us not to approve this,” Cannizzaro continued. “To do anything less than approve these regulations today, I think, is simply pandering to a political message that is not what we are here to do and what we should owe to the people of the state of Nevada.”
There’s still a chance a vaccine requirement will be required for college students.
Though the Legislative Commission did not approve the regulation, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health will proceed with the promulgation process with plans to again present the regulations if approved by the Board of Health, the Nevada Health Response said in a Tuesday statement.
