Lauren Wilson

We’re on day 55 of the 90-day session. This week we’re talking about health care funding, childcare initiatives and vaccine bills.This is The Session, a look at the policy and politics inside the Montana statehouse.

This year, lawmakers have introduced proposals to expand vaccine exemptions in schools and change criteria in the workplace and the legal system.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday gave the final approval for kids 12 to 15 years old to receive a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot. The move comes as a record number of children in the U.S. are hospitalized for COVID.

Although covid vaccines have been available to children as young as 5 for more than a month, they’re not being offered in some rural Montana counties, and parents don’t know where to find them in others.

Kids 5-11 can now get vaccinated against COVID-19. Dr.Lauren Wilson, a Missoula pediatrician, answers questions about why kids should be vaccinated, possible side effects, the effectiveness of the vaccine and more.

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decline across the country, the pandemic in Montana has continued to get worse. The average number of hospitalizations grew by nearly 40% over the past month. Health care workers are trying to keep up, and some are pushing the state to do more to help.

Montana lawmakers are considering two bills aimed at changing how transgender youth participate in sports and receive medical treatment.House Bill 112…