9/25/12 Update
FINAL PUSH: Request CA Legislators Who Opposed AB2109 During Session
to ask Governor Brown for his VETO
Also Attend Veto Rally Friday from 12-2 pm in Sacramento, State Capitol West Steps
Dear California NVIC Advocacy Team Members,
AB2109, the bill that would restrict the personal belief exemption to mandated vaccines making it impossible for a child to attend school unless their parent obtains a medical visit and signature on the vaccine exemption form, was passed by the legislature on August 27th, 2012.
Governor Brown holds the bill now, and if he does nothing with it, or signs it on or before September 30th, the bill becomes law. However, if he Vetoes the bill, the vaccine exemption could be saved.
AB2109 received opposition from both political parties. Many legislators stepped up and offered oral arguments against the bill at various steps throughout the legislative process. Some legislators are now contacting Governor Brown and urging his Veto on AB2109.
We need for all of the legislators who took a stand against AB2109 to contact Governor Brown immediately to request he veto AB2109.
If your Senator or Assemblyman ever voted “NO” on AB2109, we are counting on you to make a QUICK ONE MINUTE PHONE CALL to your legislator’s office to thank them for their opposition and ask them to contact Governor Brown to ask him to VETO AB2109!
This needs to be done right away! We need Governor Brown to Veto AB2109 on or before September 30th otherwise AB2109 becomes law.
Here is what you can do to help:
1) Look on this list of Senators and Assembly Members. Did either of your legislators vote NO on AB2109 during the legislative process?
California State Senators who voted no on AB 2109: Anderson, Berryhill, Cannella, De León, DeSaulnier, Dutton, Emmerson, Fuller, Gaines, Huff, La Malfa, Runner, Strickland, Walters, Wyland.
California Assembly Members who voted no on AB 2109: Achadjian, Beth Gaines, Bill Berryhill, Conway, Cook, Donnelly, Garrick, Gatto, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Harkey, Huber, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Logue, Mansoor , Miller, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Silva, Smyth, Valadao, Wagner.
Don’t know who your legislators are? Legislative Lookup and Contact Information can be obtained by clicking on http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html and entering your zip code to lookup who your legsislators are or you can log into the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, select your California State Team Page, and clickon your legislators names automatically displayed on the right side.
2) If you have a Senator or Assembly Member on the lists above who voted “NO” on AB2109 at any time during the legislative process, call them or fax them and thank them for their NO Vote on AB2109 and ask them to PLEASE contact Governor Brown to ask him to VETO AB2109.
Assembly Member Tim Donnelly has written an excellent open request to the Governor to Veto AB2109. You can read it here: http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/59/?p=article&sid=427&id=253064
3) Keep calling and faxing Governor Brown himself to VETO AB2109.
http://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php
Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 558-3160
4) If you can make time to attend and support the AB2109 VETO Rally this Friday, September 28th from 12 pm – 2pm on the west steps of the Capitol, please go! Your NVIC California State Directors Dawn Winkler and Michelle Gutierrez will be there, along with comedian/actor Rob Schneider, Assembly member Tim Donnelly, and others!
Here is a personal request from NVIC CA State Director Dawn Winkler: “If you can make it, bring signs!!! Be creative! They were great last time. We need every single person possible to attend, this is the final stand. Media will undoubtedly be there and this should be quite the event. Should the bill be signed before then, the event will be a protest. Should the bill be vetoed before then, the event will be a HUGE CELEBRATION! The Governor often waits until the very last couple of days when it comes to controversial bills, so there is a chance he will have done nothing with the bill by then. This is a chance to really make some noise. No matter what, anyone who can come should try to be there! Updates and details regarding the rally can be found on the Californians Against AB2109 Facebook page.”
5) If you need to contact NVIC California State Directors Dawn Winkler or Michelle Gutierrez about the rally or if you want to share information about your call to your legislators, they can be reached at [email protected].
Sincerely,
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) works diligently to prepare and disseminate our legislative advocacy action alerts and supporting materials. We request that organizations and members of the public forward our alerts in their original form to assure consistent and accurate messaging and effective action. Please acknowledge NVIC as originators of this work when forwarding to members of the public and like-minded organizations. To receive alerts immediately, register at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, a website dedicated to this sole purpose and provided as a free public service by NVIC.
8/24/2012 UPDATE
California Senate Approves AB2109 22 to 14
Amended Bill to Restrict Vaccine Exemptions To Be Decided in Assembly Possibly Today
ACTION: Contact ASSEMBLY Members NOW to OPPOSE AB2109
Tell Assembly Members to VOTE NO ON CONCURRANCE of AB2109
Dr. Pan’s School Nurse Amendment DOES NOT FIX THIS!
Less than 1 out of 4 Schools have Nurses
Parents will lose their exemption if nobody will sign the form!
Dear California NVIC Advocacy Team Members,
The amended version of AB2109, was passed by the Senate and is back over to the Assembly side for a vote on whether the Assembly agrees with the Senate changes. Don’t be fooled by Dr. Pan’s senate amendment to add school nurses to the short restricted list of providers allowed to sign off on the exemption form. Parent’s shouldn’t have to get permission from anyone for these decisions, let alone a provider who already philosophically disagrees with them. This is bullying and harassment.
Making things even worse, Dr. Pan and his supporters have been misleading legislators to try and shove this bill through. For example, he keeps referring to a supposedly rarely used complaint hotline set up in Washington state to complain about providers who won’t sign the exemption there. The health department in Washington tells NVIC that they have never heard of it and doesn’t think it even exists! In addition, Pan and his supporters are telling legislators the Washington bill requiring a provider signature has lowered the number of personal belief exemptions there. What Pan IS NOT TELLING legislators is that WA also has a religious exemption that DOES NOT require a provider signature. If you were a parent in WA, which exemption would you pick? California has NO RELIGIOUS exemption.
This FINAL VOTE on AB2109 in the California Assembly could happen today. Please get involved.
Even if you have already contacted your assembly member before, we need your calls and faxes AGAIN now asking that they vote NO on concurrence of AB2109.
Assembly Member Information can be obtained by clicking on http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html and entering your zip code to lookup who your assembly member is and their contact information. If you already know who your assembly member is, you can look them up at http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers. Or you can just log into the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, select your California State Team Page, and click on your assembly member’s name displayed on the right side.
Ask Your Assembly Member to Vote NO on AB2109 because
· Even though Dr. Pan keeps insisting this bill doesn’t remove the exemption, it effectually does for many because there is no language in AB2109 compelling a provider to sign the form and most won’t based on their current behavior of already denying care to families using vaccine exemptions.
· Dr. Pan’s recent amendment adding school nurses DOES NOT fix the access problem that concerned parents and the Senate Health Committee. There are approximately 10,000 public schools in California and there are only 2,474 school nurses. School nurses don’t have time to have lengthy conversations about vaccines. Three out of four schools don’t have a school nurse. Also, what about day care, private schools, pre-school, and home schools? In committee, Dr. Pan opposed including pharmacists who give vaccines - there are over 300,000 in California - because this is not about vaccine education, it is about how to remove access to the exemption by only including who is more likely to refuse to sign the form.
· Dr. Pan has misled the legislature by giving false information about Washington State’s new exemption law. In testimony he has claimed a hotline set up to take complaints about a provider required signature has not received many calls. That is because that hotline does not exist according the Washington Department of Health. In a personal email note to NVIC dated June 28th, 2012, the Washington Department of Health Immunization Department stated, “I’m not aware of an 1-800 number to call in to report providers not willing to sign an exemption. As far as I know there is no number to do this.” Also, Washington has a religious exemption that DOES NOT require a doctor signature, and many parents are now using that instead. You can download and print a highlighted copy of the form here so you can fax it to your assembly member. California Law DOES NOT have a religious exemption at all and this bill makes the only option for an exemption is one that requires a doctor’s signature.
Let us know what you learn from your calls and faxes by sending a quick email to myself Dawn Richardson and our California State directors Dawn Winkler and Michelle Gutierrez by writing to [email protected].
Also, please register for the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.orgto receive future updates on this bill.
Sincerely,
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) works diligently to prepare and disseminate our legislative advocacy action alerts and supporting materials. We request that organizations and members of the public forward our alerts in their original form to assure consistent and accurate messaging and effective action. Please acknowledge NVIC as originators of this work when forwarding to members of the public and like-minded organizations. To receive alerts immediately, register at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, a website dedicated to this sole purpose and provided as a free public service by NVIC.
8/20/2012 UPDATE
California Bill to Restrict Vaccine Exemptions Scheduled for 3rd Reading Today
Final SENATE VOTE could be TODAY!!!
ACTION: Contact Senators NOW to OPPOSE AB2109
Dear California NVIC Advocacy Team Members,
AB2109, the bill that would restrict the philosophical exemption to mandated vaccines making it impossible for a child to attend school unless their parent obtains a medical visit and signature on the vaccine exemption form, has been scheduled for a third reading for over a week and has been placed on the calendar again for today.
Session starts at 12:00 pm today and AB2109 can come up any time!
Even if you have already contacted your senator before, we need your calls and faxes AGAIN now!
1) Call or Fax your Senator NOW and ask that they vote NO on AB2109
Senator Contact Information can be obtained by clicking on http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html and entering your zip code to lookup who your senator is and then finding their contact information on http://senate.ca.gov/senators or you canlog into the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, select your California State Team Page, and clickon your senator’s name displayed on the right side.
Ask Your Senator to Vote NO on AB2109 because
a) You don’t have a healthcare provider who will sign this form so therefore your child will be excluded from school and California truancy laws dictate that you as the parent could be subjected to fines and jail time http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ai/tr/.
b) You have strong educatedconvictions on why you alter the vaccine schedule (explain your reasons making sure to include vaccine reaction histories if you have them) and that a 5-10 minute legally forced office visit with a provider who makes their income from giving vaccines isn’t going to change that. This is harassment.
4) Let us know what you learn from your calls and faxes
Please send a quick email to myself Dawn Richardson and our California State directors Dawn Winkler and Michelle Gutierrez by writing to [email protected].
California State Director Dawn Winkler relayed on Friday, “Thank you ALL for the AMAZING job you are doing. The buzz at the Capitol is getting louder by the day. There is hope.....”
Sincerely,
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) works diligently to prepare and disseminate our legislative advocacy action alerts and supporting materials. We request that organizations and members of the public forward our alerts in their original form to assure consistent and accurate messaging and effective action. Please acknowledge NVIC as originators of this work when forwarding to members of the public and like-minded organizations. To receive alerts immediately, register at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, a website dedicated to this sole purpose and provided as a free public service by NVIC.
8/9/2012 UPDATE
California Bill to Restrict Vaccine Exemptions Passes Senate 2nd Reading
Final SENATE VOTE could be TODAY!!!
ACTION: Contact Senators NOW to OPPOSE AB2109
Dear California NVIC Advocacy Team Members,
Yesterday we informed you that AB2109, the bill that would restrict the philosophical exemption to mandated vaccines making it impossible for a child to attend school unless their parent obtains a medical visit and signature on the vaccine exemption form, would be voted on in the Senate and we asked you to call your Senator.
The final vote is about to take place yet and we need your calls and faxes now! AB2109 has been ordered for a third and final reading TODAY so it is imperative that you stop and take a few minutes to make some calls and faxes. If you already called yesterday, please look at our new request in item number 3 below from your California State Director Dawn Winkler to contact 2 Senators who have the power to help.
1) Call your Senator NOW and ask that they vote NO on AB2109
Senator Contact Information can be obtained by clicking on http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html and entering your zip code to lookup who your senator is and then finding their contact information on http://senate.ca.gov/senators or you canlog into the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, select your California State Team Page, and clickon your senator’s name displayed on the right side.
Ask Your Senator to Vote NO on AB2109 because
a) You don’t have a healthcare provider who will sign this form so therefore your child will be excluded from school and California truancy laws dictate that you as the parent could be subjected to fines and jail time http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ai/tr/.
b) You have strong convictions on why you alter the vaccine schedule (explain your reasons making sure to include vaccine reaction histories if you have them) and that a 5-10 minute office visit with a provider you are being forced by law to go to who you wouldn’t choose otherwise isn’t going to change that. This is harassment.
3) NEW: Fax and Call Senators Hernandez and Rubio to ask them to Bring AB2109 back to the Health Committee because Issues Still Exist
At the end of the Senate Health committee hearing on June 27th, Senator Ed Hernandez reserved the right to "call the bill back to committee" if amendments were not made to satisfy Senator Rubio's provider access concerns. Families testifying stressed that they do not have providers willing to sign the exemption form. None of those amendments have been made. Senator Hernandez needs to stand by his word and call AB2109 back to the Senate Health Committee for a HEARING.
Fax Senator Ed Hernandez at 916-445-0485 AND 916-324-0384
(sample from Dawn Winkler at: http://nvicadvocacy.org/members/Portals/0/NVIC/HernandezFax.doc )
Ask him to stand by his word and CALL AB2109 BACK TO COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS THE REAL ISSUES ABOUT HOW THIS BILL WILL KEEP KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL and because none of Senator Rubio's concerns have been addressed. There were no amendments during the appropriations hearing. Tell him adding school nurses as signors DOES NOT FIX THIS BILL (not that they have been added but that is the ONLY amendment discussed that is possibly coming)
Email Senate Health staffer Melanie Moreno and tell her to pass it on to Senator Hernandez at [email protected] and if you would like to call her, her number is 916-651-4111.
Senator Hernandez’s office number is 916-651-4024.
Fax Senator Michael Rubio at 916-327-5989
(sample from Dawn Winkler at:
http://nvicadvocacy.org/members/Portals/0/NVIC/RubioFax.doc )
Ask him to hold Senator Hernandez to CALLING AB2109 BACK TO COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS THE REAL ISSUES WITH AB2109.
Tell him the access issues brought up in the hearing have not been addressed and that adding school nurses as signors DOES NOT SOLVE ACCESS PROBLEMS OR FIX THE BILL. If you have a personal story to share here about any aspect of this bill, vaccine injury, doctor harassment, or that your school does not have a nurse or you know they won't sign, this is the person to share it with and the time to do it.
Email his staffer Martin Radosevich at [email protected] and ask that he pass it on to Senator Hernandez. Martin's phone number is 916-651-4443.
Senator Rubio's office number is 916-651-4016
5) Let us know what you learn from your calls and faxes
Please send a quick email to myself Dawn Richardson and our California State directors Dawn Winkler and Michelle Gutierrez by writing to [email protected].
We don’t know what time today this will come up, so please make your calls and faxes right away.
Sincerely,
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) works diligently to prepare and disseminate our legislative advocacy action alerts and supporting materials. We request that organizations and members of the public forward our alerts in their original form to assure consistent and accurate messaging and effective action. Please acknowledge NVIC as originators of this work when forwarding to members of the public and like-minded organizations. To receive alerts immediately, register at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, a website dedicated to this sole purpose and provided as a free public service by NVIC.
8/8/2012 Update
California Bill to Restrict Vaccine Exemptions Passes Committees and Goes to Full Senate
AB2109 Scheduled for SENATE VOTE TODAY!!!
ACTION: Contact Senators NOW to OPPOSE AB2109
Dear California NVIC Advocacy Team Members,
1) Call your Senator NOW and ask that they vote NO on AB2109
Senator Contact Information can be obtained by logging into the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, selecting your California State Team Page, and clicking on your senator’s name displayed on the right side. Also, all Senate contact information is available at http://senate.ca.gov/senators/.
Ask Your Senator to Vote NO on AB2109 because
a) You don’t have a healthcare provider who will sign this form so therefore your child will be excluded from school and California truancy laws dictate that you as the parent could be subjected to fines and jail time http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ai/tr/.
b) You have strong convictions on why you alter the vaccine schedule (explain your reasons making sure to include vaccine reaction histories if you have them) and that a 5-10 minute office visit with a provider you are being forced by law to go to who you wouldn’t choose otherwise isn’t going to change that. This is harassment.
3) Stay Connected to us
Please register for the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org if you haven’t already so you will be added to our California state email list and receive updates. A on how they can help fight this bill.
Join our Facebook Group Californians Against AB2109 at http://www.facebook.com/groups/393039350720224/
4) Let us know what you learn from your call
Please send a quick email to myself and our California State directors by writing to [email protected].
We currently don’t know what time today this will come up, so please call your senator right away.
Sincerely,
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) works diligently to prepare and disseminate our legislative advocacy action alerts and supporting materials. We request that organizations and members of the public forward our alerts in their original form to assure consistent and accurate messaging and effective action. Please acknowledge NVIC as originators of this work when forwarding to members of the public and like-minded organizations. To receive alerts immediately, register at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, a website dedicated to this sole purpose and provided as a free public service by NVIC.
6/25/2012 UPDATE
Contact California Senators NOW to Oppose AB2109
A hearing on AB2109 is scheduled in the Senate Health Committee for June 27th at 1:30 P.M. in the John L. Burton Hearing Room (4203) at the California State Capitol, 1301 10th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Please be there if you can.
1. Call and write members of the Senate Health Committee and tell them to VOTE NO on AB2109. Please see the contact information in the table below.
2. Plan on attending the hearing on June 27th. Please contact your California NVIC State Directors Dawn Winkler and Michelle Gutierrez at [email protected] if you are able to attend the hearing. You can also call Dawn Winkler at 530-283-1018. You can either give oral testimony, submit written testimony, and/or just register in opposition to the bill. We need a strong constituency of Californians opposing this bill to be in attendance! If you would like to provide written information to the committee, have 12 copies available for members and staff. Please see more information below from Dawn Winkler if you are attending.
3. BRING your video and still cameras to the capitol and film and take pictures! Great advice from Vermont’s NVIC State Director Jennifer Stella, who recently helped lead the fight against an attack on the philosophical exemption in Vermont, is to record everything in the legislative process. Legislators need to know the families in California are watching and keeping track of what they say and do to affect their rights! If you are able to video record the hearing or take pictures of the hearing room and people inside testifying, please email our research assistant and Colorado State Director, Cindy Loveland at [email protected] and she will share with you instructions after the hearing for helping us archive and save the video and pictures.
4. Send this to as many friends and family in California that you can and ask them to please register for the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org so they can get added to this state email list and receive updates on how they can continue to help fight this bill.
POINTS TO BE MADE TO THE SENATORS:
The most important point to make with Senators is to let them know that if parents are unable to comply with the requirement in AB2109 to have a health care practitioner meet with them and sign their exemption form, their child cannot go to school!!! This can lead to truancy charges and a lapse in the child’s education.
Listed below are some of the many valid reasons why families who use the personal belief exemption may not be able to comply with this burdensome and expensive proposed mandate.
· The parent cannot find a physician who will accept appointments with unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children in their practice. Parents are being kicked out of medical practices all over California for not fully vaccinating.
· The healthcare practitioner refuses to sign the form because nothing in the bill requires them to.
· It is against the parent’s religion to go to the type of healthcare practitioner required to sign the form.
· The parent cannot afford the work time off or money for a visit to the healthcare practitioner to get the form signed, especially if they have multiple children.
· The parent selectively vaccinates and utilizes an RN, a school nurse or a pharmacist who can all administer vaccines in CA, but cannot sign the form.
· The parent only utilizes alternative medicine.
· The parent only has access to a health department or school clinic that only has an RN or School Nurse on staff, who is not allowed to sign.
· The parent currently is in the Healthy Families program and may have difficulty finding a medical provider after the Healthy Families Program is rolled over to Medi-Cal.
· The parent knows a child (their own child, a relative, a neighbor, a friend's child, a child in their community) who has been harmed, disabled, made chronically ill, or killed by their state mandated vaccines, and as a result, the parent does not to have their child fully vaccinated.
SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Senator
|
Capitol Phone and Fax Number
|
District Phone and Fax Number
|
Contact Form or Email
|
Ed Hernandez (D) – Chair
|
Phone: (916) 651-4024
Fax: (916) 445-0485
|
West Covina
Phone: (626) 430-2499
Fax: (626) 430-2494
|
|
Tom Harman (R) – Vice Chair
|
Phone: (916) 651-4035
Fax: (916) 445-9263
|
Costa Mesa
Phone: (714) 957-4555
Fax: (714) 957-4560
|
|
Elaine Alquist (D)
|
Phone: (916)651-4013
Fax: (916)324-0283
|
Gilroy
Phone: (408)847-6101
Fax: (408)847-6096
|
|
Joel Anderson (R)
|
Phone: (916) 651-4036
Fax: (916) 447-9008
|
Temecula Phone: 951-676-1020
Fax: (951) 676-1030
El Cajon Phone: (619) 596-3136
Fax: (619) 596-3140
|
|
Sam Blakeslee (R)
|
Phone: (916) 651-4015
Fax: (916) 445-8081
|
San Luis Obispo Phone: (916) 651-4015
Fax: (916) 445-8081
|
|
Kevin de Leon (D)
|
Phone: (916) 651-4022
Fax: (916) 327-8817
|
Los Angeles
Phone: (213) 612-9566
Fax: (213) 612-9591
|
|
Mark DeSaulnier (D)
|
Phone: (916) 651-4007
Fax: (916) 445-2527
|
Walnut Creek Phone: (925) 942-6082
Fax: (925) 942-6087
|
|
Michael Rubio (D)
|
Phone: (916) 651-4016
Fax: (916) 327-5989
|
Fresno Phone: (559) 264-3070
Fax: (559) 445-6506
Bakersfield
Phone: (661) 395-2620
Fax: (661) 395-2622
|
|
Lois Wolk (D) Senate Sponsor for AB2109
|
Phone: (916) 651-4005
Fax: (916)323-2304
|
Vacaville
Phone: (707)454-3808
Fax: (707) 454-3811
Stockton
Phone:
(209)948-7930
Fax: (209) 948-7993
|
|
HEARING NOTES FROM CALIFORNIA NVIC STATE DIRECTOR DAWN WINKLER:
Please, if at all possible, plan to attend the hearing in the Senate Health committee on this Wednesday, June 27th at 1:30 at the State Capitol in room 4203. It is best to arrive around noon to find parking and get to the hearing room. Please let me know if you are coming at [email protected]. There is still much to be figured out with respect to people testifying. Everyone should get a couple of minutes, but there will be a few who get more and we need to determine who those will be. We'll have stickers and wearing black seemed to look nice and work well last time. Make a sign if you like, but it will have to go in the trash before you go into the building. We'll meet outside at the main steps again at noon. By all means, bring your children if you can.
Above is the contact list again for the committee. More faxes and phone calls certainly would not hurt.
I am told by the chair, Hernandez, that more testimony will be allowed and that people won't be cut off if they stay within reason. I can't guarantee anything, but in my experience, the Senate side seems to accomodate more testimony from more people. So prepare about 2 minutes. I do not know how long this hearing will go on or when our bill will be up so you need to be prepared to go with the flow and be ready for the long haul. Bring snacks and drinks.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible and if you can't be there, please keep the faxes and calls rolling in to the committe up until 1:30 on Wednesday.
Thank you so much to everyone for your help and support through these last 4 months! I have no idea what Wednesday's outcome will be, but we MUST try our best to save parental rights and medical freedom in California. We do have some hope as there have been some recent developments which may or may not go anywhere, but it is hope nonetheless.
Hope to see many of you there!!!
In Health and Liberty,
Dawn Winkler
CA State Co-Director
National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC)
www.nvicadvocacy.org
Executive Director
Health Advocacy in the Public Interest (HAPI)
[email protected]
530-283-1018
970-209-3919
Sincerely,
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) works diligently to prepare and disseminate our legislative advocacy action alerts and supporting materials. We request that organizations and members of the public forward our alerts in their original form to assure consistent and accurate messaging and effective action. Please acknowledge NVIC as originators of this work when forwarding to members of the public and like-minded organizations. To receive alerts immediately, register at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, a website dedicated to this sole purpose and provided as a free public service by NVIC.
5/3/2012 UPDATE
URGENT CALIFORNIA ACTION ALERT:
CALL YOUR ASSEMBLY PERSON NOW TO OPPOSE AB2109
Bill Requiring Medical Visit for Vaccine Exemptions Scheduled for Assembly Vote TODAY May 3rd
Dear California NVIC Advocacy Team Members,
PLEASE STOP EVERYTHING AND PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL YOUR ASSEMBLY MEMBER TO ASK THEM TO VOTE NO ON AB2109! (directions below)
AB2109 was passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee with a “B” roll call on May 2nd which means the vote went straight down party lines with 12 l Democrats voting yes and 5 Republicans voting no. NVIC submitted financial arguments in opposition and California State NVIC Director Dawn Winkler testified at the hearing against the bill. We disagree that the fiscal analysis done by the committee staff accurately portrays the cost burden of this unnecessary bill.
Video of the hearing in Assembly Appropriations and Assembly Health Committee are both available to watch on-line. Look for Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 2nd and Assembly Health Committee on April 17. Click on the video link. http://www.calchannel.com/2012-archive/
ACTION NEEDED:
1. Contact your state assembly member and tell them to VOTE NO when AB2109 comes up for a vote on the assembly floor. If you log in to the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org your legislators are displayed on the right side. You can click on their names to open up their contact information. Additional information for all members is available at http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers.
2. Send this to as many friends and family in California that you can and ask them to please register for the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org so they can get added to this state email list and receive updates on how they can help fight this bill. If the bill is passed by the full assembly, it will then go to the senate.
SAMPLE PHONE PLAN:
· Call the office number for you state assembly member, introduce yourself and ask to talk to someone about AB 2109 which is being voted on today.
· Let the appropriate person know you are opposed to AB 2109 because it requires you to have to pay for an extra medical office visit you don’t want or need, it requires additional bureaucratic paperwork, and as a parent if this passes, you have no guarantee you will be able to find a provider who will take these appointments or sign the form. (If you’ve ever been harassed by a doctor before or denied care, this is a great place to talk about this). If you have a vaccine injured child, tell them the vaccine vulnerable or vaccine injured should not have to go back to the same doctor who caused the injury to your child in order to be “counseled” and get permission to exercise your right to a personal belief exemption.
· Let the legislative office know that this bill wastes your time and money because you are already well educated on vaccine risks and benefits (explain the steps you have taken to educate yourself above and beyond any handout could provide).
· Let them know about your personal story, what got you involved in this issue and why an unrestricted personal belief exemption is important to your family especially if anyone in your family has had a vaccine reaction.
PLEASE SHARE FEEDBACK
If you gather any interesting information or can determine your member’s position on the bill, please let us know at [email protected] .
Sincerely,
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) works diligently to prepare and disseminate our legislative advocacy action alerts and supporting materials. We request that organizations and members of the public forward our alerts in their original form to assure consistent and accurate messaging and effective action. Please acknowledge NVIC as originators of this work when forwarding to members of the public and like-minded organizations. To receive alerts immediately, register at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, a website dedicated to this sole purpose and provided as a free public service by NVIC.
California Pediatrician Legislator Pushing Bill to Make Parents
Pay For a Dr. Appointment to TRY to Obtain a Personal Belief Exemption
Contact California Legislators NOW to Oppose AB2109
Dear California NVIC Advocacy Team Members,
Your rights to make informed independent vaccination choices for your family are under attack by forced vaccination proponents in California who want to profit from restricting your independent access to a personal belief exemption to mandatory vaccination. We need your timely help to contact California legislators to oppose Assembly Bill 2109.
AB2109, introduced by Assembly Member Richard Pan, who himself is a pediatrician, would impose these additional costly and time consuming burdens on parents wanting to use a personal belief exemption to:
1) pay for an expensive appointment at a medical doctor’s office to be given vaccine risk and benefit information that is already available online for free; and
2) jump through the bureaucratic hoops of obtaining yet additional new forms provided by the Department of Public Health which state that the health care practitioner has provided risk and benefit information to the parent; and
3) find a health care provider actually willing to take the appointment and then sign the new forms within 6th months of starting school for the exemption to be valid.
This raises many questions legislators need to answer including:
· How will the state pay for all these extra required office visits for families on public assistance and for the kids of state employees who have their health coverage provided by the state?
· What happens to a parent who can’t find a provider willing to make these types of appointments and then sign the form?
· What will stop doctors from using this law to deny access to philosophical exemptions? It is already hard enough for families to find providers who are willing to just treat children in their practice at all when they deviate from the required vaccination schedule.
In the meantime, we need you to take the following actions to help oppose this bill:
1) Contact members of the Assembly Committee on Health and ask them to oppose AB 2109 (suggested phone call outline below).
Assembly Member
|
Phone and Fax
|
Link to Contact Form
|
William Monning (D) - Chair
|
Tel: (916) 319-2027
Fax: (916) 319-2127
|
|
Dan Logue (R) - Vice Chair
|
(P) 916-319-2003
(F) 916-319-2103
|
|
Tom Ammiano (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2013
Fax: (916) 319-2113
|
|
Toni Atkins (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2076
Fax: (916) 319-2176
|
|
Susan Bonilla (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2011
Fax: (916) 319-2111
|
|
Mike Eng (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2049
Fax: (916) 319-2149
|
|
Martin Garrick (R)
|
(P) 916-319-2074
(F) 916-319-2174
|
|
Richard .S Gordon (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2021
Fax: (916) 319-2121
|
|
Mary Hayashi (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2018
Fax: (916) 319-2118
|
|
Roger Hernandez (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2057
Fax: (916) 319-2157
|
|
Bonnie Lowenthal (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2054
Fax: (916) 319-2154
|
|
Allan R. Mansoor (R)
|
(P) (916) 319-2068
(F) (916) 319-2168
|
|
Holly J. Mitchell (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2047
Fax: (916) 319-2147
|
|
Brian Nestande (R)
|
(P) 916-319-2064
(F) 916-319-2164
|
|
Richard Pan (D) – sponsor
|
Tel: (916) 452-0505
Fax: (916) 452-5525
|
|
V. Manuel Perez (D)
|
Tel: (916) 319-2080
Fax: (916) 319-2180
|
|
Jim Silva (R)
|
(P) 916-319-2067
(F) 916-319-2167
|
|
Cameron Smyth (R)
|
(P) 916-319-2038
(F) 916-319-2138
|
|
Das Williams
|
Tel: (916) 319-2035
Fax: (916) 319-2135
|
|
Emails are listed as [email protected] , however most assembly members prefer to be contacted via the online contact form linked in the table above.
2) Contact your state senator and state assembly member and ask them to oppose AB2109. If you log in to the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org and view this alert on the California state page, we will automatically lookup who your legislators are and display them to the right of this alert. You can click on their names to open up their contact information. This free confidential service requires your registration and login in order for us to be able to calculate who you legislators are.
3) Let us know if you can help with the hearings by contacting NVIC CA State Directors, Dawn Winkler or Michelle Gutierrez, at [email protected] or call Dawn Winkler at (530) 283-1018 if you
a) are willing to attend the committee hearings and/or testify against the bill; or
b) have a family member who has suffered an adverse reaction to a pertussis containing vaccine and are willing to provide written or oral testimony against the bill while describing that reaction; or
c) you have been thrown out of your doctor’s office for delaying or declining a vaccine and are willing to share your story with legislators; or
d) you are a health care provider who is willing to provide testimony against the bill.
4) Send this to as many friends and family in California that you can and ask them to please register for the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org so they can get added to this state email list and receive updates how they can help fight this bill during this session.
TO LIKE AND SHARE THIS ALERT ON FACEBOOK, click on “like” or “send” by the Facebook tag at the top of this page.
Sample Phone Plan:
· Call the office number and introduce yourself and ask to talk to someone about AB 2109. If this is your assembly member’s office, let them know you are a constituent and what town/city you are from.
· Let the appropriate person know you are opposed to AB 2109 because it requires you to have to pay for an extra medical office visit you don’t want or need, it requires additional bureaucratic paperwork, and as a parent if this passes, you have no guarantee you will be able to find a provider who will take these appointments or sign the form. (If you’ve ever been harassed by a doctor before or denied care, this is a great place to talk about this).
· Let the legislative office know that this bill wastes your time and money because you are already well educated on vaccine risks and benefits (explain the steps you have taken to educate yourself above and beyond any handout could provide).
· Let them know about your personal story what got you involved in this issue and why an unrestricted personal belief exemption is important to your family especially if anyone in your family has had a vaccine reaction.
Additional Talking Points Against AB 2109 to be used in your written letters/email:
· Forcing parents into a paid contractual relationship with a health care provider they wouldn’t otherwise utilize for their children’s health care is not only a violation of basic parental rights, it creates distrust and resentment towards public health programs run by the state.
· Especially in California, many families utilize health care providers not reliant on pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines, and only practitioners part of the pharmaceutical paradigm or medicine are allowed to provide the information and sign the form under this bill.
· AB 2109 discriminates against families utilizing complementary and alternative medicine by forcing them into paying money to a medical practitioner they wouldn’t otherwise use who is already philosophically opposed to the parent’s personal and religious convictions regarding vaccination.
· Parents who utilize vaccine exemptions are typically more educated regarding the risks and benefits of vaccination than both the parents who choose vaccination and aren’t required by this bill to receive this information and the health care providers who would be required to sign the exemption in order for it to be valid.
· Many doctors’ offices throw families out of their practice for delaying or declining a vaccine. There is nothing in this bill to prevent a doctor’s office from refusing to take these appointments to begin with or for refusing to sign the form once a family pays for a visit. These real obstacles will restrict or deny access to the personal beliefs exemption for some families currently using it.
· The state is not in the financial position to pay for all these extra required office visits within 6 months of school starting for families on public assistance and for the kids of state employees who have their health coverage provided by the state and who want to delay or a decline one or more vaccines.
· The information required by this bill is already available to parents online for free and coercive measures like this bill do nothing but create and further distrust and resentment towards public health programs run by the state.
· There is NO current crisis that would indicate that CA needs to make it more difficult to obtain exemptions from vaccination.
o "The rise in pertussis doesn’t seem to be related to parents’ refusing to have their children vaccinated for fear of potential side effects. In California, pertussis rates are about the same in counties with high childhood vaccination rates and low ones. And the C.D.C. reports that pertussis immunization rates have been stable or increasing since 1992."(http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/vaccination-is-steady-but-pertussis-is-surging/ )
o The pertussis vaccine has been found to wane after only 3 years, leaving a much larger population of fully vaccinated children susceptible to pertusssis than unvaccinated children. KPBS and the Watchdog Institute performed a joint investigation into the recent increasing pertussis rates in California and found the majority of cases of pertussis were occurring in fully vaccinated populations of children in the 8-12 year old age group. They went on to show that the vaccine wanes after only 3 years. (http://www.kpbs.org/news/2011/sep/20/whooping-cough-vaccine-wanes-after-three-years/)
· Bill supporters claim that vaccines are safe. The reality is there is real risk. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was established by Congress in 1986 to protect vaccine manufacturers and doctors from liability for vaccine injuries and death. As of Jan. 3, 2012, there have been 14,073 claims filed for vaccine injury and 1077 death claims. The total dollar amount of vaccine injury and death awards granted and paid to families of vaccine victims by our government is $2,366,649,931.96. (http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/statisticsreports.html#Claims)
· Just for pertussis containing vaccines alone administered in the state of California, 11,516 reports of Vaccine Adverse Events have been filed with the federal government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System where 77% of the reports of adverse events are for children 6 and under. There have been 5,775 disorders of the nervous system reported and 172 deaths. 96% of the deaths reported were in children three and under. (http://www.medalerts.org/)
Sincerely,
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) works diligently to prepare and disseminate our legislative advocacy action alerts and supporting materials. We request that organizations and members of the public forward our alerts in their original form to assure consistent and accurate messaging and effective action. Please acknowledge NVIC as originators of this work when forwarding to members of the public and like-minded organizations. To receive alerts immediately, register at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, a website dedicated to this sole purpose and provided as a free public service by NVIC.