The Virginia Senate voted today to kill a bill that would have repealed a mandatory HPV vaccine for girls enrolling in the sixth grade, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The repeal bill was sent back to committee, where it will stay until the 2013 legislative session.

As we reported last year, Virginia and the District are the only jurisdictions in the country that mandate the vaccine, which has remained controversial by conservatives who say it would encourage young girls to have sex and others who question whether the vaccine actually works. In D.C., concerns over the vaccine have led many parents to opt out — in April 2011, only 22 percent of sixth-grade girls had gotten the shots.

The Senate also put off for a day a controversial bill that would require women seeking an abortion to get an ultrasound. After a national outcry last week, Gov. Bob McDonnell and Virginia House Republicans removed a provision that would have required an invasive transvaginal ultrasound; now, only a standard ultrasound would be required.