Dear NVIC Advocacy Team Members, Unless someone has been hiding under a rock, it is almost impossible to not notice the war taking place in America in state legislatures against the families who are making selective and informed vaccination choices.  From taking away the ability to get an education to legally forcing more vaccines under new schemes of computerized vaccine tracking and expanded police and emergency powers, this is just the beginning. Most states still have time in their legislative schedules to file more bills. The irrational fear based frenzy has spun out of control. Your right to control what is injected into your child’s body or your own may be hanging in the balance. ELIMINATING AND RESTRICTING VACCINE EXEMPTIONS Hearings to remove philosophical/conscientious exemptions to vaccine mandates have already taken place in Washington and Oregon.  California, Maine, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Vermont all have bills already filed or press announcements of bills about to be filed to remove philosophical/conscientious exemptions.  Maine, Minnesota and Texas have bills to substantially restrict philosophical/conscientious exemptions. Religious exemptions are also under attack. Maryland, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont have bills filed or announced to eliminate religious exemptions, and Illinois, New Mexico and Texas have bills filed or announced to unconstitutionally restrict religious exemptions. EXPANDED VACCINE MANDATES Fifteen states have bills filed to expand vaccine mandates. These include Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.  What is so disturbing about the Vermont bill is the vaccine mandates are for school employees, and there are no philosophical or religious exemptions allowed. This is the first state to go after teachers, school administrators and school staff. It is very concerning that New York and Texas have bills filed to allow some minor children to consent to their own vaccines behind their parents’ backs without their parents’ knowledge or consent. California already has this language in statute. This is in violation with federal law that requires parents to get Vaccine Information Statements so they can make an informed decision. POLICE AND EMERGENCY POWERS Two states, Arizona and Texas, have bills that affect police and emergency powers. The Texas bill gives the police the power to forcibly detain people only suspected of having been exposed to an infectious disease and eliminates the protective requirement for a warrant.  A law enforcement officer would only have to express a belief of an exposure or infection to forcibly detain someone. EXPAND AND FORCE INTRUSIVE VACCINE TRACKING Seven states, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, and Vermont all have bills filed to require or expand vaccine status tracking in most cases without knowledge or consent to be used as mandatory vaccine enforcement systems. PUBLICALLY PUBLISH EXEMPTION AND VACCINATION RATES Four states, Arizona, Maryland, Missouri, and Texas have bills filed to publically release vaccination and exemption rates by areas as small as individual schools to create an even more divisive, discriminatory and prejudicial environment towards children with vaccine exemptions.  WHAT CAN YOU DO? Assess what you are up against in your state. Log into the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org and look below to see a snapshot of what bills are currently filed in your state. People are very frustrated with the misinformation and irrational fear that have been producing these proposed legislative changes, and they have been expressing feeling overwhelmed and uncertain what to do to help.  First, contact your legislators and their staff, and then ask your friends and family to do the same. Immediately contact your state legislators and connect to them from your heart about why these bills can hurt your family. Do not wimp out and just send an email if there is any way possible you can meet with them in person or talk on the phone to them. Make them look into your eyes or hear your voice when you sincerely tell them about vaccine reactions and health concerns for your family, how you and your children have been treated by doctors and your school over this issue, why you delay or decline vaccines, and why they may want to preserve this right for themselves and their own family in the future. If you follow a non-pharmaceutically based model of health care, tell them why. Educate them. You have to connect to them on a personal level so they can get this.  Find out what other bills they have sponsored so you can find common ground about things you both care and agree about to break the ice. We are fighting a very powerful pharma/medical forced vaccination lobby, but they don’t have these personal connections that constituents have.  Please register for the NVIC Advocacy Portal if you haven’t already and make it a habit to log in frequently to stay updated and learn what you can do to help with each bill in your state.  Registration is required so we can help connect you with your legislators. Do not let these decisions be made for you by those whose power, positions or profit are dependent on forced vaccination.  LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION ACTION NEEDED NOW 1)  Register/Login to the NVIC Advocacy Portal at http://NVICAdvocacy.org. 2)  Lookup your state legislators and their contact information. Click on “Check What is Happening in Your State” on the home page or “My State” on the STATE TEAMS Tab.  Your personal state legislators (House, Senate, Governor and Lieutenant Governor) are listed on the right side of the page. Click on them one at a time to display their contact information. 3)  Choose how you would like to deliver your message. The suggested modes of communication below are listed in the order of being more likely to be more impactful on educating your legislator. a) Make an appointment for a direct personal visit; b) Make an appointment to talk directly in a personal phone call; c) Make an appointment to talk in person to a legislative aide; d) Call and talk to a legislative aide to relay a message; or e) Send an email through web contact forms or legislative email address. 4)  Suggested talking points for state legislators:   Introduce yourself and identify yourself as a constituent.  (If this is a meeting or a phone call, ask them if they agree with the statement that nobody should be forced to submit to any medical procedure, including vaccination, which carries the risk of injury or death.)   Share that you are very concerned about some of the divisive one-sided conversations and bills being filed right now regarding vaccination exemption rights (or bills filed in your state).   Explain why it is important to your family to be able to delay or decline vaccination.  This is where you could share your vaccine reaction, harassment, or vaccine failure story to personalize your communication. Explain that there are some very important reasons why legally protecting the right to informed consent to vaccination without penalty by the state should be a priority and these crucial points have been left out of the conversation by forced vaccination proponents. ·       Vaccines are pharmaceutical products that cause injury and death for some.  The United States Government has paid out more than $3 billion dollars to vaccine victims. Many more people have adverse reactions. Nobody can predict who will be harmed from vaccines. ·       Vaccines manufacturers and the doctors who administer vaccines are completely shielded from liability for vaccine injuries and deaths. ·       Vaccines fail sometimes where even fully vaccinated people become infected.  Nobody can predict who will or will not respond to vaccines. ·       Children today receive 69 doses of vaccines for 16 different viral and bacterial illnesses which more than doubles the government childhood schedule of 34 doses of 11 different vaccines in the year 2000.  A vaccine exemption is filed regardless of whether the exemption is filed for one dose or all doses. 35 doses and 5 more unique vaccines have been added to the schedule in the last 15 years. Those supporting forced vaccination are being dishonest by not acknowledging the exploding vaccine schedule while sounding alarms over small increases in overall non-medical exemptions. ·       There are hundreds of new vaccines in development including some of the following in clinical trials: HIV, herpes, E. coli, dengue fever, avian influenza, smallpox, tuberculosis, typhoid, norovirus, cholera, smoking cessation, syphilis, and gonorrhea. If vaccine manufactures and others who profit from forced vaccination convince legislators take away our right to delay or decline a vaccine now, what will our future look like? ·       In the past 5 years, drug makers have paid the U.S. Government $19.2 billion in criminal and civil FRAUD penalties. Skepticism of the pharmaceutical industry is well deserved, and it doesn’t imply a skepticism of science. ·       Physicians, in the American Medical Association Code of Ethics, affirm philosophical and religious exemptions for themselves. See Opinion 9.133 Routine Universal Immunization of Physicians.  Parents should have that same right. 5)  Refer to NVIC’s “Reforming Vaccine Policy and Law” guide for answers to questions your legislators may have.  The fully referenced version can be found on our site posted at: http://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/state-vaccine-requirements/Reforming-Vaccine-Policy---Law-Guide.aspx. You can include this link in your letters as well. 6) Refer to “Measles in Disneyland: Third MMR Shot and Vaccine Exemption Ban?”  by NVIC’s President Barbara Loe Fisher for some illuminating insight into facts that need to be exposed about the California measles outbreak and other vaccine failures. http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/January-2015/measles-in-disneyland-third-mmr-shot-and-vaccine.aspx 7)  Please forward this email to family and friends and ask them to share their concerns with their legislators as well. You can post the link to this alert on social media: http://www.nvicadvocacy.org/members/National/ActionAlertDetails.aspx?itemid=649&Page=True   State Bill Number Date Posted Position Status Title AZ HB 2466 2/17/2015 OPPOSE Introduced and assigned to the Education Committee Requires schools to post immunization rates of pupils enrolled at the school AZ SB 1398 2/4/2015 OPPOSE Introduced and assigned to rules committee Removes law that allows parents who do not vaccinate their children to be foster parents AZ SB 1311 2/3/2015 SUPPORT Referred to Rules and Health and Human Services Committee Makes changes to current law concerning public health emergencies CA SB 277 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/20/2015 Eliminates the personal belief exemption in California CO SB 077 2/18/2015 SUPPORT Passed the full senate, assigned to House Public Health Care & Human Services Committee Establishes the Parent's Bill of Rights CT HB 5448 2/13/2015 OPPOSE Reserved for subject matter public hearing Requires health care providers be vaccinated for flu FL HB 411/SB 332 2/21/2015 WATCH Passed sub committee, in Senate Appropriations Changes to existing pneumococcal vaccine requirements for nursing home residents HI HB 458 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Amended, passed health committee and 2nd reading Requires schools to annually provide information on HPV, DTaP, flu and meningococcal vaccines HI HB 253 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Scheduled for a hearing in the Committee on Consumer Protection and 2/23/2015 Allows pharmacists to administer any vaccine to minors 14 and older without parental consent IL SB 1410 2/22/2015 OPPOSE Filed Severely Restricts Religious Exemption to Vaccine Mandates IL HJ26, HR 144 2/10/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/9/2015 Resolution to encourage higher rates of vaccinations IL SB 751 2/4/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/3/2105 and referred to assignments Provides liability protections to dentists who administer vaccines IN HB 1359 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Passed the House Public Health Committee 2/19/2015, amended Sets goal of 80% vaccination rate for HPV, moves vaccine law from education code to health code IN SB 461 2/17/2015 OPPOSE Passed the full senate, referred to the house 2/16/15 Adds Hepatitis A Vaccine mandate, removes parent ability to provide history of chickenpox MD SB 597 2/13/2015 OPPOSE Scheduled for a hearing 2/25/15 Changes current law that allows people who work in resident institutions to refuse flu shots MD SB 598 2/13/2015 OPPOSE Hearing scheduled for 2/25/15 in Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee Requires all vaccines administered be reported to the tracking system, ImmuNet MD HB 687 2/13/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/12/15 and referred to Health and Government Committee Eliminates the religious belief exemption to vaccination in Maryland ME LD 471/HP 310 2/21/2015 OPPOSE To be filed on 2/24/2015 Requires doctor certification for parents using a personal belief exemptions for school/child care ME LD 473/HP 312 2/21/2015 OPPOSE To be filed on 2/24/2015 Mandates new vaccines for TDaP and Meningitis ME TBA 2/14/2015 OPPOSE In process Eliminate personal belief exemptions MN SF 380/HF 393 2/3/2015 OPPOSE Introduced and referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Housing Committee Eliminates conscientious belief exemption, replaces with a PBE that requires a physician statement MO HB 976 2/18/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/17/2015 Requires day care centers and preschools inform parents if a child attending has an exemption MO SB 329 2/14/2015 OPPOSE Referred to Senate Veterans' Affairs and Health Committee on 2/12/15 Mandates flu vaccination for all employees working in facilities that provide medical care MO HB 846 2/10/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/5/2015, read 2nd time 2/9/2015 Requires parents receive a letter from the principal if there is a nonvaccinated child in attendance MO HB 670 1/27/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 1/26/2015 Requires schools provide information on HPV Vaccines in any course in sexual education MS HB 130 2/14/2015 SUPPORT Died on the calendar 2/12/15 Allows conscientious belief exemptions to vaccination for school students in MS MT HB 73 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Tabled by the House Human Services Committee 2/20/2015 Allows disclosure of a patient's immunization record without the patient's authorization MT HB 524 2/21/2015 WATCH Hearing held on 2/20/2015 Requires health dept. to provide a report to the legislature with recommended vaccine additions MT HB 158 2/17/2015 WATCH Passed the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee 2/16/15 Adds new mandates to vaccines required for school, adds a personal belief exemption NE LB 18 2/13/2015 OPPOSE Motion to bracket until June 5, 2015 approved on 2/12/2015 Adds meningitis vaccine requirement for students entering 7th grade and 16 year old students NE LB 650 2/10/2015 OPPOSE Scheduled for a hearing 2/25/2015 Encourages all hospitals to offer TDaP vaccines to maternity patients or parents of new babies NH SB 108 2/14/2015 OPPOSE In the Senate Health and Human Services Committee New mandates for tracking flu vaccination status of health care workers NH SB 130 2/14/2015 OPPOSE In Senate Health and Human Services Committee Expands the vaccine tracking system in NH NH HB 383 2/14/2015 SUPPORT In House, Health, Human Services Committee Adds privacy protections to the vaccine tracking system NJ S1147/A1931 2/14/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 1/30/2014 Restricts religious exemptions to vaccination in NJ NJ A3890/S2754 2/10/2015 OPPOSE A3890 voted out of Assembly Health Committee with amendments, S2754 filed 2/6 Requires Continuing Care Facilities to provide flu vaccine info. to older residents NJ A1534 1/25/2015 SUPPORT Introduced on 1/16/2014 and referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee, not moving Provides for a conscientious exemption to vaccination NJ A2570 1/25/2015 SUPPORT Introduced on 2/10/14 and referred to Health and Senior Services, not moving at this time Eliminates use of vaccines containing mercury over three years NJ A351 1/25/2015 WATCH Introduced on 1/16/2014 and referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee, not moving Makes changes to exemptions to vaccination NM HB 522 2/23/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/20/2015 Restricts the current religious belief exemption in NM NM SB 362 2/17/2015 OPPOSE Substitute bill submitted by Senate Public Affairs Committee Removes ability to opt out of the vaccine tracking system, adds new sections to public health laws NM SB 121 2/9/2015 OPPOSE Currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee Establishes the Vaccine Purchasing Act NV SB 117 2/6/2015 OPPOSE Introduced and referred to Senate Health and Human Services Committee Mandates HPV and Meningitis Vaccines for public and private school students NY A 943 2/11/2015 SUPPORT Introduced on 1/8/2015 and referred to Assembly and Senate Health Committees Provides for philosophical exemptions to required vaccination for school students NY S 2712/A 1528 2/1/2015 OPPOSE Introduced and referred to Senate and Assembly Health Committee HPV Vaccines for minors without parental consent or knowledge NY A 791 1/12/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 1/7/2015 and referred to Assembly Health Committee Adds meningitis vaccine requirement for 6th and 11th grade students NY A 0224 1/12/2015 SUPPORT Filed on Jan. 7, 2015 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Labor Prohibits mandatory flu vaccination as a condition of employment NY S 509/ A 1822 1/12/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 1/7/2015, 1/13/2015 and referred to Senate and Assembly Health Committee Adds HPV Vaccine mandate for school children entering 6th grade in New York OR SB 442 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Hearing held in the Senate Committee on Health Care, 2/18/2015, still in committee Eliminate non medical exemptions to vaccination OR SB 673 2/21/2015 WATCH Introduced and referred to Senate Health Care Committee 2/20/2105 Allows dentists to administer vaccines OR SB 505 2/9/2015 OPPOSE Introduced and referred to Senate Health Committee Requires all hospitals in OR to offer flu vaccines to patients 65 and older PA TBA 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Announced, not filed as of 2/14/2015 Eliminates the personal belief exemption in PA PA SB 407 2/5/2015 OPPOSE Introduced and referred to Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee Comply with ACIP recommendations for flu vaccine for children, using schools to give flu vaccines SC H 3204/ SB 278 1/25/2015 OPPOSE Referred to Committee on Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs 12/18/14 Allows Dept. of Health to offer HPV Vaccine to students enrolling in 7th grade SD HB 1059 2/19/2015 OPPOSE Passed committee, waiting to be heard by full senate Requires immunization records be shared by health care providers, government agencies and schools TN HB 458/SB 513 2/10/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/10/2015 Mandates all college students living in on-campus housing be vaccinated for meningococcal disease TX HB 1674 2/20/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/19/2015 Requires physician counseling for conscientious and religious belief exemption TX SB 547 2/19/2015 OPPOSE Referred to Senate Health and Human Services on 2/18/15 Requires posting of exemption numbers on the Internet by schools and the Dept. of Health TX HB 1593 2/19/2015 OPPOSE Filed on 2/18/2015 Requires all public schools provide parents the number of students enrolled not fully vaccinated TX SB 29/ HB 465 2/14/2015 OPPOSE SB 29 referred to Health and Human Services Committee, HB 465 referred to Public Health Committee Makes inclusion into vaccine tracking system automatic & REMOVES current opt-in consent requirement TX HB 212 2/14/2015 OPPOSE Referred to Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee Allows minors 14 and older in the Texas Juvenile Justice System to consent to vaccination TX SB 538 2/12/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on Feb. 10, 2015 Expands police powers to detain individuals suspected of exposure to communicable diseases TX HB 1185 2/6/2015 WATCH Filed 2/5/2015 Adds advance practice nurses to those who can sign a medical exemption in TX TX TBA 2/6/2015 OPPOSE Media references filing next week Eliminates Religious and Conscientious Exemptions to Vaccination TX SB 298 1/29/2015 OPPOSE Referred to Senate Education Committee Adds new meningitis vaccine mandate for public school students VA SB 1083/HB 2194 2/13/2015 OPPOSE House HWI Subcommittee #3 recommends laying the bill on the table Adds new mandate for meningococcal conjugate vaccine for 6th and 12th grade students VT H 266 2/23/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/20/2015 Requires all school students, teachers, administrators, and staff members to be fully vaccinated VT S9 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Favorable reports from Judiciary and Appropriations Committees S9 "Child Protection Bill" VT H98 / S53 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Hearing held in House Human Services, 2/18/15 Allows access to vaccination records by school administrators, allows sharing for research VT H212 2/14/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/13/2015 and referred to the House Committee on Health Care Eliminates both the religious and philosophical belief exemptions in VT VT S87 2/13/2015 OPPOSE Introduced on 2/11/15 and referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare Eliminates the philosophical belief exemption WA HB 2009 2/21/2015 OPPOSE Passed the House Health Care and Wellness Committee 2/18/2015 Eliminates personal belief exemptions WA SB 5143 2/6/2015 OPPOSE Passed Senate Committee on Health Care Education for expecting parents regarding recommended vaccines WV SB 286/HB 2556 2/19/2015 OPPOSE SB 286 substituted with a new version 2/13/15, referred to House Health and Resources Committee Mandates Hepatitis B, Chickenpox and Meningitis Vaccines, medical exemptions by the state only