The Kansas State Senate on Thursday voted to allow healthcare providers to prescribe and dispense drugs such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for off-label treatment for COVID-19.

The Off-Label Drug Bill (HB2280) passed by a vote of 21-16. It applies to any U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs that are not controlled substances.

The Kansas bill also would require childcare centers and public schools to grant parents' requests for religious exemptions from vaccination for their children, "without inquiring into the sincerity of such religious beliefs."

The bill now heads to the House but is six votes short of the supermajority needed to override a veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, The Kansas City Star reported.

"I fully believe that this passage of this bill through the Senate will gain national attention and help be a very important part of getting the care to the people who need it," Sen. Mark Steffen (R-Hutchinson) told the Topeka Capital-Journal.