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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/2/2010 3:49:59 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Virginia--Hearing on Vaccination Equity Bill |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Virginia--Hearing on Vaccination Equity Bill Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: With a novel disease spreading rapidly and vaccine in short supply, last fall many homeschoolers were treated like second-class citizens and shoved to the back of the line while public school children got preferential access to vaccine. Many private school students were in the same boat. Representative David Englin drafted a bill to address this problem, House Bill 270. As originally drafted, however, the bill failed to achieve its objective. On January 25, HSLDA Senior Counsel Scott Woodruff traveled to Richmond and testified against the bill because it created the illusion of a solution without the substance of the solution. After Woodruff's testimony, the subcommittee voted down the bill on a 3-3 vote. Woodruff and Englin left the hearing room and continued negotiations they had begun earlier. After considerable discussion, Woodruff suggested inserting language requiring the department to plan vaccine administration "without preference" as to how a student was educated. Englin agreed to Woodruff's proposed language and HSLDA put its support toward passage of the bill. On February 1, the bill was resubmitted to subcommittee, and it passed unanimously. The House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill (along with others) on Thursday, February 4, at 8:30 a.m. in House Room D in the General Assembly Building in Richmond. ACTION REQUESTED If it is important to you that vaccine be distributed fairly when there is not enough for everyone, or if your student was rejected while public school students were being vaccinated, I invite you to come to the hearing Thursday morning and testify. BACKGROUND The unanimous vote in the subcommittee is probably a good sign that the bill will be received favorably in the full committee. However, we cannot be certain, and if you would like to come and testify, your contribution would be welcome. Many parents choose to opt out of vaccinations. As amended, the bill protects all the options that parents currently have. When there is enough vaccine for everyone, people who want vaccinations can get them. However, when vaccine is an extremely limited supply, it is simply not possible for everyone to receive a vaccination when they want it. House Bill 270, as amended, is a common sense approach to the problem that requires vaccine to be distributed without preference to how a child complies with compulsory attendance law when vaccine is in limited supply. Thank you for standing with us for freedom. Scott A. Woodruff, Esq., HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How long are you in for? Some families are facing what seems like a lifelong commitment to homeschooling, with children at both ends of the spectrum -- some graduating and some just reaching school age. If you're going to be "in" for a while, consider a lifetime membership with HSLDA. It's a good deal for families with more than 10 years of homeschooling ahead. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1936 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
