After at least three years of controversy and public protests, the state House of Representatives voted on a bill that will remove the use of the religious exemption to childhood vaccinations for children if they wish to enroll in school.

The final vote in the House came just before 3 a.m. when the measure was approved by a 90-53 margin with seven members absent.

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday he’s ready to sign the bill into law.

“We have learned over and over again over the last six months that vaccinations work, vaccinations keep me safe, keep you safe, keep my classrooms safe and prevent replications of other variants out there,” he said. “So it’s really important.”

The legislation stems from an uptick in the number of families in Connecticut who have sought a religious exemption from a host of childhood vaccinations, ultimately lowering the vaccination rate in as many as 100 schools at one point to under 95%. Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Department of Public Health reported that an unvaccinated child from Fairfield County contracted measles while traveling internationally.