SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Monday, California lawmakers introduced two bills to fight COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
The bills were introduced by Sen. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) and Asm. Evan Low (D- Campbell) as part of an effort by Democrats to push stronger vaccination laws in California.
"The spread of misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 and vaccinations is a huge issue and continues to jeopardize the public’s health," Low said in a statement.
Lawmakers say this legislation would provide new transparency and accountability to protect public health.
"Licensed physicians possess a high degree of public trust and therefore have a powerful platform in society whether they recognize it or not," Low said. "The spreading of inaccurate COVID-19 information contradicts that responsibility, threatens to further erode public trust in the medical profession, and puts all patients at risk."
AB-2098:
- According to Assembly member Low, "this bill declares the dissemination or promotion of misinformation and disinformation of COVID-19 to the public as unprofessional conduct."
- AB2098 would require the California Medical Board to take action against medical professionals who peddle misinformation.
SB-1018:
- SB-1018 would require social media sites that collect personal information to disclose how their algorithms push information. These social media sites, such as Facebook, must share their data with researchers.
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