30 States with Vaccine Bills Needing Your Action in Feb 2017

30 STATES WITH VACCINE BILLS NEEDING YOUR ACTION - FEBRUARY 7, 2017

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Dear NVIC Advocacy Team Members,

We have only finished the first full month of the 2017 legislative session, and already we are tracking 103 vaccine related bills across 30 states on the NVIC Advocacy Portal. To put the sheer volume of bills in perspective, we tracked a total of 106 bills in the entire legislative session last year.  If you live in one of the following states, there are already vaccine bills filed that can affect your rights (states listed in red are new since our last update): AR, AZ, CT, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VA, and WA.

The following states are priority opposition alert state as they now have bills to restrict or eliminate vaccine exemptions: AR(withdrawn), CT, IA, MN, NY, OK, PA, and TX.

The following states are priority support alert states as they now have bills to add or expand vaccine exemptions: HI, IA, MS (died), NJ, NY, OK, RI, TX.

If you are in any of the following states, beware that there are bills filed to expand vaccine tracking or eliminate OPT-IN Consent for vaccine tracking and that these need to be opposed: CT, ID, KS, MA, MT, NY, and TX.

RECENT WINS IN VA CAN HELP AZ, IN, KS, KY, ME, NY, OK, OR and TX DEFEAT BAD BILLS

Congratulations to the families in Virginia for recently stopping 3 bad bills! Virginia NVIC State Director Kathi Williams expresses her gratitude for everyone who came together to educate legislators.

Both HB 1533 and SB 1519 would have mandated meningitis vaccines.  Fortunately an education of legislators by NVIC and Virginia families from around the state helped contribute to failure of the meningitis vaccine mandate bills to move forward.  Currently, the following states have bad bills to mandate meningitis vaccines: IN, KS, KY, ME, and OR.  Two things that may help residents of those states to fight these meningitis vaccine mandate bills are 1) NVIC Handout on Meningococcal Disease and the Vaccine 2) The NVIC Advocacy Team Action Alert against (Found on http://NVICAdvocacy.org on the Virginia State Team Page under Expired Alerts).

The other bad bill defeated in Virginia, SB 1028, would have required vaccine exemption rates to be posted publicly by each school.  NVIC issued an emergency email action alert. This bill was so offensive to NVIC President and Co-Founder Barbara Loe Fisher that she talked to the bill author herself, and the bill author withdrew the bill voluntarily.

We opposed this bill and others like it that have come before it because they have nothing to do with health.  These bills are part of a documented political strategy used by forced vaccination supporters to instigate a hostile community environment against those using exemptions to lead to the removal of vaccine exemptions.

From Milbank Quarterly “Power and persuasion in the vaccine debates: an analysis of political efforts and outcomes in the United States, 1998-2012”, September 9, 2014.

“Immunization supporters thus could do more to highlight the sympathetic figures on their side, such as immune-compromised children who rely on herd immunity, or unvaccinated people who contracted vaccine-preventable diseases and regret not being vaccinated…”

For example, a bill could require that schools and day care centers publicly post or distribute to parents the percentage of students with vaccine exemptions or the percentage of staff who have received a flu shot or whooping cough booster, as news coverage of disease outbreaks has raised public awareness about the unvaccinated. Although these numbers already have been collected, their public release would generate the news coverage and scrutiny that have proved helpful in the West Coast’s legislative changes.”

Families in the states of AZ, NY, OK need to work hard to defeat the following bills which authorize the public release of vaccine exemption rates or numbers by individual schools:

AZ: SB 1509, NY: S2955 and A3912, OK: SB177.  Families in Texas need to be on the lookout for a similar bill to be filed as referenced in recent vaccine proponent newsletters.

Even though bills like these do not authorize the public release of individually identifiable information, the numbers of children utilizing exemptions in many schools are so small that this group of bills puts the exposure of their identity at risk. This would be considered a FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) violation.  

From the US Department of Education’s Privacy Technical Assistance Center’s FAQ on Disclosure Avoidance:

“Some risk of disclosure does remain, however, in circumstances where one or more students possess a unique or uncommon characteristic (or a combination of characteristics) that would allow them to be identified in the data table (this commonly occurs with small ethnic subgroup populations), or where some easily observable characteristic corresponds to an unrelated category in the data table…

…Under FERPA, educational agencies and institutions reporting or releasing data derived from education records are responsible for protecting PII (personally identifiable information) in the reports from disclosure. The U.S. Department of Education also states, in reporting achievement results under section 1111(h) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), to “not use disaggregated data for one or more subgroups… to report achievement results… if the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student”

Vaccination status and school vaccine exemptions are part of a child’s CONFIDENTIAL medical record and PRIVATE SCHOOL information. Bills like these, as shown by the use of this data in California, lead to the elimination of the personal belief exemption and direct the focus of parents on those with vaccine exemptions and instigates witch hunts into the identity of the small number of students with exemptions. Children and families utilizing vaccine exemptions that have had their vaccine exemption status revealed have experienced bullying, harassment and threats in this environment.

NVIC has consistently opposed public release of school exemption numbers since these types of bills first appeared in CO and VT in 2014.  We opposed and helped defeat OR SB 895A and TX HB 2474 in 2015.  We opposed AZ HB 2527 and MI SB 259 and MI SB 260 in 2016 and fortunately these bills were defeated as well. We will continue to ask our members to oppose these types of bills.

BILLS THAT NEED YOUR ACTION IN 30 STATES

There are literally over 100 bills filed that need your support or opposition! PLEASE LOG IN TO http://NVICAdvocacy.org for more detailed information including links to the bills themselves.  Please understand that we are analyzing bills and updating the NVIC Advocacy Portal multiple times a day and this information changes daily so log in often.  Use this resource to find out what is going on in your state and what you can do to help.

Please forward this email to friends and family.

Here is a breakdown of the types of bills filed that we are tracking as of 2/7/17. Please note NVIC is opposed to the types of bills highlighted in red text and we support the types of bills in green text.

EXEMPTIONS AND INFORMED CONSENT

Restricting Vaccine Exemptions

CT, IA, MN, NY, OK, TX

Eliminating Vaccine Exemptions

AR, NY, OK, PA

Required School Exemption Disclosure

AZ, NY, OK, VA

Expand Vaccine Exemptions

HI, IA, ID, MS, NJ, NY, OK, RI, TN, TX

Protecting Vaccine Delay and Refusal from Child Abuse Claims

OR

Add to Who Can Sign Medical Exemptions

TX

Prohibit Docs from Throwing Exempting Patients out 

TX

Forced Detention and Treatment on Suspicion of Vaccine Preventable Disease

NY

Expand Vaccine Informed Consent

OR, TX

Granting Minor Children Consent Authority for Certain Vaccines Without Parents

NY, TX

Granting School Nurses Vaccine Consent Authority for Homeless Children

WA

MANDATES

Adds New Vaccine Mandates

CT, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MO, MT, NJ, NY, OR, VA

Restricting Vaccine Mandates

MS, NH, NJ

Prevents Vaccine Mandates for Adults

MS

Requires Children of Foster Parents to be Vaccinated with no exemptions

AZ

 VACCINE TRACKING AND REPORTING

Eliminates OPT-IN Consent for Vaccine Tracking

MT, TX

Expands Vaccine Tracking

CT, ID, KS, MA, MT, NY, TX

Alters Vaccine Board Positions

ME

Requires Public Schools to Conduct Health Visits to Private School Students

IA

VACCINES

Prohibits Certain Ingredients in Vaccines

MO

Requires Vaccine Promotion/Marketing

GA, IL, NE, TN, TX

Permits Pharmacists Administer More Vaccines

HI, IN, KS, KY, MT, NY, SD

INDIVIDUAL BILLS WE ARE TRACKING AS OF 2/7/17 (note you must be registered and logged in to see the specific information about the bills in your state)

State

Bill

Position

Status

Title

AR

HB 1043

OPPOSE

Withdrawn by the sponsor on 1/11/2017

Eliminates religious and philosophical belief exemptions to vaccination

AZ

SB 1509

OPPOSE

Referred to the Senate Committees on Education and Rules on 2/1/2017

Requires public and charter schools to post vaccination rates on their website

AZ

SB 1268

OPPOSE

Referred to Senate Committees Rules and HHS

Requires parents to have their natural born children vaccinated in order to be a foster parent

CT

HB 6971

OPPOSE

Referred to the Joint Committee on Health 1/26/2017

Requires state mandated education in order to use a religious belief exemption to vaccination

CT

HB 6700

OPPOSE

Referred to the Joint Committee on Public Health 1/24/2017

Mandates annual flu vaccines for child care providers

CT

HB 6485

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/23/2017 and referred to the Joint Committee on Public Health

Expand the current vaccine registry/tracking system to include all children up to age 18

CT

SB 439

OPPOSE

Introduced and referred to the Joint Committee on Health 1/19/17

Expands the vaccine registry/tracking system to include up to age 18, require reports

CT

HB 6016

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/19/17 and referred to the Joint Committee on Public Health

Provides local health directors with real-time access to the immunization registry/tracking system

GA

HB 198

OPPOSE

Introduced on 2/01/2017 and referred to the House Education Committee

Requires school districts to provide information about flu vaccines

HI

HB 676

OPPOSE

Referred to House Committee on Rules on 1/25 hearing scheduled for 2/7/2017

Allows pharmacists to administer HPV Vaccine to children

HI

HB 779

SUPPORT

Referred to House Committees on Health and Judiciary on 1/25/17

Establishes a philosophical belief exemption to vaccination, allows for in house quarantine

IA

SF 138

OPPOSE

Referred to Senate Education Subcommittee 1/27/2017

Requires school districts to conduct health and safety visits for children under private instruction

IA

HF 7

SUPPORT

Introduced and referred to the House Human Resources Committee 1/17/2017

Adds a personal conviction exemption to vaccination

IA

SF 116

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/24/17 and referred to the Senate Human Resources Committee

Requires the signature of a religious leader for a religious belief exemption to vaccination

ID

SB 1050

SUPPORT

Introduced on 2/7/2017

Clarifies parents can submit their own statement of exemption for religious or other grounds

ID

HB 91

OPPOSE

Introduced and referred to the House Health and Welfare Committee 2/2/2017

Expands the Idaho Immunization Information System/vaccine tracking system

IL

SB 741

OPPOSE

Introduced and referred to assignments on 1/30/2017

Mandatory flu vaccines for health care personnel

IL

HB 679

WATCH

Introduced 1/25/2017 and referred to the rules committee

Requires the health dept. to develop an informational flyer on meningococcal disease

IN

HB 1069

OPPOSE

Passed full House on 1/31/2017

Mandates meningitis vaccines for college students

IN

SB 51

OPPOSE

Passed full Senate on 1/30/17, to be considered in the House next

Adds new vaccines that pharmacists can administer to children without consent in an emergency

IN

SB 339

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/9/2017 and referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services

Mandates meningitis vaccine for college students

IN

SB 133

OPPOSE

Referred to Committee on Health & Provider Services, first reading on 1/4

Vaccine mandates for hospital workers

KS

HB 2121

OPPOSE

Passed the House Committee on Health & Human Services 2/3/17

Requires all vaccines administered to be reported to the vaccine registry/tracking system

KS

HB 2030

OPPOSE

Passed the House Committee on Health and Human Services on1/31/17

Allows pharmacists to administer any vaccine to children 6 years or older

KS

HB 2205

OPPOSE

Introduced and referred to the House Health and Human Services Committee 1/30/2017

Mandates Meningitis Vaccines

KY

HB 147

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/5/2017

Vaccine mandates for college students

KY

SB 101

WATCH

Introduced on 1/5/17, referred to Senate Health & Welfare Committee on 1/7/17

Expands current law allowing pharmacist to administer vaccines to children to include 9 to 17 years

MA

SD 1509

OPPOSE

Filed on 1/20/2017

Expands the current vaccine registry/tracking system to include vision screening

ME

LD 456/HP 323

WATCH

Introduced and Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development 2/7/2017

Allows pharmacists to administer all ACIP recommended vaccines to children 11 and older

ME

LD 272/HP 205

OPPOSE

LD 272 was referred to the House Committee on Health & Human Services on 1/31

Mandates Meningitis Vaccine for 11 to 20 year olds

ME

LD 161/HP 119

WATCH

Introduced and referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services 1/19/17

Removes the Secretary of State from the Maine Vaccine Board

MN

HF 96/SF 143

OPPOSE

Introduced and referred to House Health & Human Services Reform & Senate Health and Human Services

Changes conscientious belief exemption to personal belief exemption, requires physician statement

MO

SB 117

OPPOSE

Hearing held in Senate Health and Pensions Committee on 1/18/17

Mandates flu vaccines for employees and volunteers of health services facilities

MO

HB 331

WATCH

Introduced 1/4/2017

Restricts use of vaccines containing metal preservatives

MO

HB 332

WATCH

Introduced 1/4/2017

Restricts the use of vaccines containing foreign human DNA

MS

HB 1456

SUPPORT

Died in Committee on 1/31/2017

Expands and protects medical exemptions to vaccination in MS

MS

HB 1439

SUPPORT

Died in Committee on 1/31/2017

Establishes a conscientious belief exemption to vaccination

MS

HB 88

SUPPORT

Died in Committee on 1/31/2017

Establishes the right of adults to determine whether to receive any vaccine, provides protections

MS

HB 1068

SUPPORT

Died in Committee on 1/31/2017

Eliminates the requirement that hospitals administer hepatitis b vaccine to newborns

MS

SB 2636/HB 1457

SUPPORT

HB 14 57 died in Committee on 1/31/2017

Provides for religious and philosophical belief exemptions to vaccination

MT

HB 177

OPPOSE

Transmitted to Senate on 1/26/17

Adds pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to the list of vaccines pharmacists can administer

MT

HB 293

OPPOSE

Referred to the House Human Services Committee, hearing scheduled on 2/1/2017

Changes vaccine registry/tracking system from opt-in to opt-out

NE

LB267

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/11/17, Referred to Health and Human Services Committee on 1/13/17

Requires nursing facilities to offer employees and residents flu vaccines unless contraindicated

NH

HB 362

SUPPORT

Referred to the House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs Committee, Hearing on 1/24/17

Prohibits school vaccine requirements for diseases noncommunicable in schools including hepatitis b

NH

HB 361

SUPPORT

Referred to the House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs Committee, Hearing on 1/24/17

Removes the authority of the health dept. commissioner to adopt rules on child vaccines

NJ

A169

WATCH

Introduced on 1/27/2016 and referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee, not moving

Makes changes to exemptions to vaccination

NJ

A2647

OPPOSE

Introduced and sent to the Health and Human Services Committee

Mandates HPV Vaccines for students in grades six through 12

NJ

A520

SUPPORT

Introduced 1/27/2016 and referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee

Exempts children under 6 from hepatitis b vaccine requirement if the mother tests negative

NY

S2955/A3912

OPPOSE

Introduced and referred to the House and Senate Education Committees

Requires school district reporting of vaccine exemptions by school to Education Department for public

NY

A2469

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/20/2017 and referred to the Assembly Health Committee

Allows health care practitioners to administer HPV/Hep B Vaccines to minors without parental consent

NY

S3941/A3899

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/30/17 and referred to Health Committees

Adds lead blood testing data to the vaccine registry/tracking system

NY

S3546

OPPOSE

Introduced and referred to the Senate Health Committee on 1/24/2017

Requires a physician signature for a religious belief exemption to vaccination

NY

A680

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/9/2017 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Health

Detention of individuals and groups posing a public health threat

NY

S52, A1810

OPPOSE

Introduced and referred to the Senate and Assembly Health Committee

Eliminates the religious belief exemption to vaccination

NY

A439

OPPOSE

Introduced 1/9/2017 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Health

Expands forced detainment and treatment to include vaccine preventable diseases

NY

A1230

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/11/17 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Health

Mandate flu vaccine for children attending daycare

NY

A933

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/9/2017 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Health

Mandate HPV Vaccine

NY

A738

OPPOSE

Introduced 1/9/2017 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Health

Mandate vaccines for employees working in children's camps

NY

S1043

WATCH

Introduced on 1/6/2017 and referred to the Senate Higher Education Committee

Allows pharmacy interns to administer vaccines

NY

S601

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/4/2017 and referred to Senate Health Committee

Requires a mandatory protocol be established for all children's religious belief exemptions

NY

S163

SUPPORT

Introduced 1/4/2017 and referred to Senate Health Committee

Strengthens and expands existing medical exemptions to vaccination

NY

S570

OPPOSE

Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee on 1/4/2017

Allows pharmacist to administer flu vaccines to children 9 years and older

NY

S132

OPPOSE

Prefiled and referred to Senate Health 1/4/2017

Mandates HPV Vaccine

NY

S44

OPPOSE

Prefiled and referred to the Senate Health Committee 1/4/2017

Makes changes to existing law concerning reporting of adult vaccines

OK

SB 831

SUPPORT

Second reading on 2/7/2017 and referred to Senate Committee on Health & Human Services

Requires parental notification of exemptions by school boards, amends current quarantine law

OK

SB 632

OPPOSE

Second reading on 2/7/2017 and referred to Senate Committee on Education

Requires students in state care to be vaccinated with no exemptions

OK

HB 1386/SB 808

SUPPORT

SB 808: Second reading on 2/7/2017 and referred to Senate Committee on Health and Human Services

Enacts the Parental Rights Vaccine Act

OK

SB 725

OPPOSE

Second reading on 2/7/2017 and referred to Senate Committee on Education

Requires schools districts to report exemptions, gives Health and Ed Dept. rule making authority

OK

SB 177

SUPPORT

Second reading on 2/7/2017 and referred to Senate Committee on Education

Requires notification of available exemptions to vaccination be given to parents by school boards

OK

SB 83

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/4/2017, first reading 2/6/2017

Eliminates conscientious and religious belief exemptions to vaccination

OR

SB 687

SUPPORT

Referred to the Senate Committees on Human Services and Health Care on 2/6/2017

Clarifies in state law that not vaccinating or delaying vaccination is not child abuse

OR

SB 274

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/9/17; Referred to Senate Committee on Education on 1/17/17

New mandates for colleges concerning vaccines

OR

SB 580

SUPPORT

Introduced on 1/9/17; Referred to Senate Committee on Health Care on 1/17/17

Require vaccine providers to inform parents of vaccines required for school and of exemptions

OR

SB 579

SUPPORT

Introduced on 1/9/17; Referred to Senate Committee on Health Care on 1/17/17

New informed consent requirements for health care providers administering vaccines to children

PA

SB 217

OPPOSE

Introduced on 1/26/2017 and referred to the Senate Education Committee

Eliminates exemptions for strong moral and ethical convictions

RI

SB 47

SUPPORT

Introduced on 1/18/2017

Adds a personal belief exemption to vaccination

SD

HB 1043

OPPOSE

Tabled in Committee on Health and Human Services, died

Allows Pharmacists to administer vaccines, sets up new board to adopt rules pertaining to vaccines

TN

HB 272

SUPPORT

Introduced and assigned to Education Administration & Planning Subcommittee, 2/3/17

Concerning a statement of religious exemption for meningococcal vaccine for college students

TN

HB 388

OPPOSE

Filed for introduction on 2/2/2017

Requires schools to provide information on flu and flu vaccines every school year

TX

SB 431

WATCH

Introduced and referred to Senate Committee on Health & Human Services on 1/6/2017

Allows advanced practice registered nurses to sign medical exemptions

TX

HB 1124

SUPPORT

Filed on 1/18/2017

Requires the health dept. to make exemption affidavits available on their website and in schools

TX

HB 1070

SUPPORT

Introduced on 1/17/17

Prohibits health care providers from refusing to treat patients who refuse vaccination

TX

HB 1029

SUPPORT

Introduced on 1/13/2017

Adds additional informed consent requirements for health care providers administering vaccines

TX

SB 54

OPPOSE

Referred to Senate Committee on Health & Human Services on 1/24/17

REMOVES current protection in law for consent before any information is put into the registry

TX

HB 243

OPPOSE

Introduced on 11/14/2016

REMOVES current protection in law for consent before any information is put into the registry

TX

HB 241

OPPOSE

Introduced on 11/14/2016

RESTRICTS conscientious/religious exemptions, requires health care practitioner counselling

TX

HB 120

OPPOSE

Introduced on 11/14/2016

Removes conscientious and religious belief exemption language, replaces with non-medical

TX

HB 97

OPPOSE

Introduced on 11/14/2016

ELIMINATES parental consent by allowing child consent to HPV vaccine as cancer prevention treatment

TX

HB 126

OPPOSE

Introduced on 11/14/2016

Restricts conscientious/religious exemptions, requires completion of education module and adds fee

TX

HB 107

OPPOSE

Introduced on 11/14/2016

REQUIRES the health dept. to produce an annual report on HPV Vaccine statistics for every TX county

VA

HB 1533

OPPOSE

Subcommittee Failed to recommend reporting 1/24/2017.

Mandates meningitis vaccine for students before entering sixth grade

VA

SB 1519

OPPOSE

Senate: Stricken at request of patron in Education and Health (13-Y 0-N) 1/26/2017

Mandates meningitis vaccine for students before entering sixth grade

VA

SB 1028

OPPOSE

Stricken at request of patron in Education and Health on 1/19/2017

Require posting of immunization rates by schools

WA

HB 1641

OPPOSE

Scheduled for executive session in the House Judiciary Committee on 2/9/2017

Allows school nurses and counselors to consent to vaccination for homeless youth