PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota Republican state senator who was stripped of her committee assignments said Thursday that her legislative punishment followed an exchange she had with a legislative aide about vaccinations.
Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller, a Republican, told reporters that she had spoken to a member of the Legislature’s research staff this week about her views on vaccinations. The senator, who is part of a right-wing group of Statehouse Republicans, has pushed proposals that would do away with vaccination requirements in schools.
Childhood vaccines have long been celebrated as public health success stories, but vaccination rates among kindergarteners have dropped nationwide in recent years.
Republican Sen. Lee Schoenbeck, who presides over the Senate and made the decision to remove Frye-Mueller from two committee assignments Wednesday, has repeatedly declined to comment on the move.
The Senate Republican leader, Sen. Casey Crabtree, said Thursday the episode involved a personnel issue and more information would be released in the future.
