New Jersey is likely to change a religious exemption with the help of which nearly 9,000 students have avoided vaccinations in the 2013-14 school year.

On Monday, a state Senate committee has approved the tightening of the rules that according to Sen. Joseph Vitale are used as an excuse by the parents.

At present, parents need to submit a letter saying that the vaccines lead to the violation of their religion.

According to the bill (S1147), the notarized letter by a parent must explain "the nature of the person's religious tenet or practice that is implicated by the vaccination and how the administration of the vaccine would violate, contradict or otherwise be inconsistent with that tenet or practice".

They will also need to submit a letter from a doctor that they have received counseling about the risks and benefits of vaccinations.

The bill for the new rules was introduced in January as the result of a measles outbreak that swept across the nation, including two confirmed cases in New Jersey.

The state legislators are looking forward to stop the trend before it grows, as more and more New Jersey parents are using religious exemptions in order to keep their children from being vaccinated.

The lawmakers want the parents to submit a statement swearing that inoculations will violate their religious beliefs.

It would also take the state back to the status quo before a 2008 rule change made it easier to avoid vaccinations on the religious grounds.

The opponents of S-1147 have argued that the new rules are unconstitutional, as they restrict the religious freedom of the people, who don’t want their kids to be vaccinated.

Keeping in mind the heated debate, a state Senate panel has voted today to make it harder for school children to skip vaccinations because of religious beliefs.