Legislation Details:

UPDATE: 2/26/2024 - S.151 is scheduled for hearing in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on 2/28/2024 at 8:45 AM and 2/29/2024 at 8:00 AM in Room 17 &  ZOOM. The AGENDA is here. The meeting livestream can be viewed here. Click here for information on testifying at the hearing in person or remotely, by ZOOM, or phone. Please email handouts to the committee assistant, Kiki Carasi-Schwartz at [email protected], at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting time. The assistant is able to hep with other questions you might have. With few exceptions, any documents sent to a committee assistant are open to the public and may be posted to the committee’s web page. 

UPDATE: 5/9/2023 - S.151 failed to be scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare before the session adjourned on 5/9/2023. Bills can carryover from even to odd years in Vermont. 

S.151 was introduced and referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare on 4/27/2023. This bill is sponsored by Senator Virginia "Ginny" Lyons, Chair of the committee. 

S.151 makes several changes to health care contracts and payments, but the section that causes NVIC to oppose the bill is the change that would allow children 12 and older to consent to preventive services for sexually transmitted infections by adding the following new section of law:

§ 1107. CONSENT TO PREVENTATIVE SERVICES BY MINORS

(a) A minor 12 years of age or older may consent to medical care by a licensed physician related to the prevention of a sexually transmitted infection.

(b) Consent under this section shall not be subject to disaffirmance due to minority of the individual consenting. The consent of the parent or legal guardian of a minor consenting under this section shall not be necessary to authorize care as described in this subsection.

Preventive services are not defined in the bill, but they would include vaccination. Current vaccines for sexually transmitted infections in this age group include, HPV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis A. This new law would also apply to any future vaccines licensed for sexually transmitted infections. 

The only time a parent would be notified is if the minor child requires immediate hospitalization for treatment of the sexually transmitted infection.

It is important that this bill is opposed and voted down or minimally the offensive minor consent language in section § 1107. CONSENT TO PREVENTATIVE SERVICES BY MINORS is removed from the bill.

NVIC OPPOSES S.151 because minors should not be able to consent to vaccines without written parental consent. NVIC does not take a position on the sections of the bill that do not relate to vaccines.