CALL TO ACTION: TWO bills that impact Immunization vote at (send 1 click email)
Posted 16 days ago
CALL TO ACTION
Please STOP send an email right now (if you haven't today)!
The Senate agreed to lay over HB 2776 one day. This means it will be on 3rd reading with right to amend tomorrow, Thursday April 10th.
The Senate is now in recess until 6pm tonight and HB 2402 (still on amendment phase) should be up for discussion shortly after they gavel back in.
Please continue calling and emailing all Senators as directed below. The message remains the same – please request that Senators vote NO on the strike and insert amendments for HB 2402 and HB 2776.
There are two bills before the WV Senate that, if passed, will impact school immunization requirements:
- HB 2402. Yesterday afternoon the Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources amended HB 2402, a bill related to access of medical records. The original intent of HB 2402 was to provide access to the medical records of children taken into the custody of the state, and did not include any mention of immunization. The amendment that passed in the Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources yesterday, however, added the following statement: “(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no person or entity may require a parent or guardian to furnish medical records relating to immunization status of a minor or person enrolled or enrolling in school.” In short, by preventing the requirement to furnish immunization records as proof that a child has met the school immunization requirements, it would render the school immunization requirements ineffective. This bill will be on second reading (amendment phase) on the Senate floor today, Wednesday April 9th.
- HB 2776. As an additional update from Monday, HB 2776, which was originally intended to require reporting of Alpha Gal syndrome and was amended to include nonmedical exemptions to childcare and school immunization requirements, was on second reading in the Senate yesterday, April 8th. Last night, the Senate advanced the bill to 3rd reading with the right to amend. The amendment phase and final vote for HB 2776 will take place in the Senate floor session today.
CALL TO ACTION: Please call and email all members of the Senate and ask them to vote No on the strike and insert amendments for HB 2402 and HB 2776.
The following is a sample message that can be used for phone calls:
“My name is __________(If applicable… I am a constituent of yours or As a resident of _____ county or As a parent of children in the WV school system/in a local childcare facility …) and I am calling to request that you VOTE NO on the strike and insert amendments for HB 2402 and HB 2776. If passed, these bills will weaken our strong school immunization policy requirements and put children at risk for unnecessary disease.
The following is sample text that can be used in an email:
Subject: Vote NO on House Bills 2402 and 2776 as amended. (Be sure to state this in your subject line in case they do not open the email.)
“Dear Honorable Senator (insert legislator’s last name),
(If applicable… As a constituent of yours or As a parent of ____children in public/private school/childcare facility …) I am emailing to request that you NO on the strike and insert amendments for HB 2402 and HB 2776.
If passed as amended, HB 2402 will render the school immunization requirements ineffective as parents and caregivers would not be required to submit records proving that their child has met the requirements.
If passed as amended, HB 2776 will allow for nonmedical exemptions to childcare and school immunization requirements and lead to decreased immunization rates in our schools and communities.
We ask all West Virginia Senators to oppose the strike and insert amendments for HB 2402 and HB 2776 to preserve West Virginia’s nation-leading immunization policy, which has resulted in high immunization rates and protected our children and communities from unnecessary disease.
We are currently witnessing widespread measles outbreaks, including in all of our neighboring states. We can see in Texas just how dangerous these diseases can be, and we do not wish this for our state. House Bills 2402 and 2776, as amended, will reduce immunization rates across our state and put children, families, and communities at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases.
We ask that you continue to protect the health and safety of our children by voting NO on the strike and insert amendments for HB 2402 AND HB 2776.
Sincerely,
Your Name
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Subject: Vote NO on House Bills 2402 and 2776 as amended. (Be sure to state this in your subject line in case they do not open the email.)
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