We are edging closer towards the end of the first month of the 2017 legislative session, and we have been busy because your state legislators have been busy. Many new bills have been filed since our last national email update.  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, HI, IA, IN, KS, KY, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, and VA.

(Article by National Vaccine Information Center)

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states are priority opposition alert state as they now have bills to restrict or eliminate vaccine exemptions: AR(withdrawn), CT, IA, MN, NY, OK, PA, TX.

The following states are priority support alert states as they now have bills to add or expand vaccine exemptions: HI, IA, MS, NY, NJ, 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, KS, MT, NY, TX.

There are dozens of other 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 list of the bills filed that we are tracking as of 1/25/17 (note you must be registered and logged in to see the specific information about the bills in your state):

State – Bill Number – 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• AR – HB 1043 – OPPOSE – Withdrawn by the sponsor on 1/11/2017 – Eliminates religious and philosophical belief exemptions to vaccination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 1268 – OPPOSE – Introduced 1/24/2017 – Requires parents to have their natural born children vaccinated in order to be a foster parent
• CT – HB 6971 – OPPOSE – Introduced and 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 – Introduced and 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 – 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
• 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
• HI – HB 676 – OPPOSE – First reading on 1/23/2017 – Allows pharmacists to administer HPV Vaccine to children
• HI – HB 779 – SUPPORT – First reading on 1/23/2017 – Establishes a philosophical belief exemption to vaccination, allows for in house quarantine
• 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
• IA – HF 7 – SUPPORT – Introduced and referred to the House Human Resources Committee 1/17/2017 – Adds a personal conviction exemption to vaccination
• IN – SB 51 – OPPOSE – Passed the Committee on Health and Provider Services on 1/23 – Adds new vaccines that pharmacists can administer to children without consent in an emergency
• IN – HB 1069 – OPPOSE – Referred to the House Committee on Public Health, Committee report: amend do pass on 1/23/17 – Mandates meningitis vaccines for college students
• 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 – Introduced on 1/20/17; referred to House Committee on Health & Human Services – Requires all vaccines administered to be reported to the vaccine registry/tracking system
• KS – HB 2030 – OPPOSE – Scheduled for hearing on 1/23/17 and final action on 1/26/2017 – Allows pharmacists to administer any vaccine to children 6 years or older
• 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
• KY – HB 147 – OPPOSE – Introduced on 1/5/2017 – Vaccine mandates for college students
• 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 – Referred to Senate Health and Pensions Committee on 1/10/17, Hearing scheduled on 1/18/17 – Mandates flu vaccines for employees and volunteers of health services facilities
• MO – HB 332 – WATCH – Introduced 1/4/2017 – Restricts the use of vaccines containing foreign human DNA
• MO – HB 331 – WATCH – Introduced 1/4/2017 – Restricts use of vaccines containing metal preservatives
• MS – HB 1068 – SUPPORT – Introduced on 1/16/2017 and referred to the Public Health and Human Services Committee – Eliminates the requirement that hospitals administer hepatitis b vaccine to newborns
• MS – SB 2636 – SUPPORT – Introduced 01/16/17 and referred to the Senate Education and Public Health and Welfare Committees – Provides for religious and philosophical belief exemptions to vaccination
• MS – HB 88 – SUPPORT – Introduced 1/3/2017 and referred to House Public Health and Human Services Committee – Establishes the right of adults to determine whether to receive any vaccine, provides protections
• 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
• MT – HB 177 – OPPOSE – Passed the House Committee on Human Services as amended on 1/23/17 – Adds pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to the list of vaccines pharmacists can administer
• 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 – A2647 – OPPOSE – Introduced and sent to the Health and Human Services Committee – Mandates HPV Vaccines for students in grades six through 12
• 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 – 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 – 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 – S2955 – OPPOSE – Introduced and referred to the Senate Education Committee 1/18/17 – Requires school districts to report vaccine exemptions to the health dept. every year
• NY – S52, A1810 – OPPOSE – Introduced and referred to the Senate and Assembly Health Committee – Eliminates the 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 -A1230 – OPPOSE – Introduced on 1/11/17 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Health – Mandate flu vaccine for children attending daycare
• 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 – 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 – S163 – SUPPORT – Introduced 1/4/2017 and referred to Senate Health Committee – Strengthens and expands existing medical exemptions to vaccination
• 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 – 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 725 – OPPOSE – Scheduled for first reading on 2/6/17 – Requires schools districts to report exemptions, gives Health and Ed Dept. rule making authority
• OK – HB 1386/SB 808 – SUPPORT – Scheduled for first reading on 2/6/2017 – Enacts the Parental Rights Vaccine Act
• OK – SB 632 – OPPOSE – First reading scheduled for 2/6/2017 – Requires students in state care to be vaccinated with no exemptions
• OK – SB 177 – SUPPORT – First reading scheduled for 2/6/2017 – Requires notification of exemptions 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 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 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
• 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
• PA – SB 696 new draft pending – OPPOSE – Co-Sponsorship Memo issued 1/9/2017 – Eliminate 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
• 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 431 – WATCH – Introduced 1/6/2017 – Allows advanced practice registered nurses to sign medical exemptions
• TX – SB 54 – OPPOSE – Introduced on 11/14/16; 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 126 – OPPOSE – Introduced on 11/14/2016 – Restricts conscientious/religious exemptions, requires completion of education module and adds fee
• 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 120 – OPPOSE – Introduced on 11/14/2016 – Removes conscientious and religious belief exemption language, replaces with non-medical
• 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 – Referred to House Committee on Health, Welfare & Institutions, assigned to subcommittee 1 on 1/16/17 – Mandates meningitis vaccine for students before entering sixth grade
• VA – SB 1519 – OPPOSE – Introduced and referred to the Senate Education Committee 1/19/17 – 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

National Vaccine Information Center
http://NVIC.org and http://NVICAdvocacy.org
https://nvicadvocacy.org/members/Members/ContactUs.aspx

Read more at Vaccines.news.