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UPDATE: 6/14/2024 - H 7881 died, it was held for further study in the House Health and Human Services Committee on 4/9/2024 and the 2024 session ended on 6/14/2024.
UPDATE: 4/9/2024 - H 7881 was recommended to be held for further study in the House Health and Human Services Committee on 4/9/2024.
UPDATE: 4/5/2024 - H 7881 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday, 4/9/2024 at the rise of the House in the House Lounge. View the Hearing Agenda HERE. The livestream video details are listed at the bottom of the hearing agenda. Continue to contact the House Health and Human Services Committee Members until a vote is taken. Sometimes a vote is not taken on the day of the hearing.
Written Testimony can be submitted via email at [email protected]. View information on written and in-person testimony HERE.
H 7881 was introduced in the House and referred to the House Health and Human Services Committee on 3/4/2024. This bill is sponsored by Representative Charlene Lima.
H 7881 requires that blood donors disclose if they received a COVID-19 vaccine and requires that the blood is conspicuously labeled. It also establishes that citizens in a "nonemergency situation" have the right to request non-COVID-19 vaccinated blood.
H 7881 amends Title 23 of the general "Health and Safety" law to create a new section, 23-4.15-1, to do the following related to the disclosure of mRNA vaccinations for blood donation and labeling, summarized as follows:
(a) Requires any person or entity that is licensed to collect human blood donations for human transfusion to require blood donors to disclose whether the donor has ever received a COVID-19 vaccine or an mRNA vaccine in the donor's lifetime.
(b) Requires that blood originating from a donor who has received a COVID-19 vaccine or an mRNA vaccine must be conspicuously marked or labeled.
(c) Establishes that a person receiving a blood transfusion has the right to request blood based on whether or not the blood originated from a person who has received a COVID-19 vaccine or an mRNA vaccine and allows them to refuse vaccinated blood so long as there is a choice is available, and the person providing the health care services determines it is a "nonemergency situation."
(d) Requires the Department of Health to publish all rules made to implement this chapter.
NVIC SUPPORTS H 7881 because it protects the individual's right to informed consent when receiving a blood transfusion. The required labeling of blood products that contain COVID-19 and other mRNA vaccine components allows consumers of those blood products to have informed consent when deciding whether or not to receive a blood product. There is insufficient scientific evidence on the effects of mRNA in the body, so informed consent is vital. NVIC supports informed consent. An improvement to this bill would be to create a penalty for violation of the labeling requirement.
If passed, H 7881 will become effective upon passage.
http://status.rilin.state.ri.us/ - For status and history of H 7881, click on the link and enter "7881" in the bill search text box.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText24/HouseText24/H7881.pdf - text for H 7881
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