SB 866 passed the Senate Floor Vote
But only Just!

SB 866 Minors: vaccine consent (Wiener) – 12 Year Old Minor Consent to Vaccination Without Parental Consent: Allows a minor 12 years of age or older to consent to a vaccine that is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and meets the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACIP) without the consent of the parent or guardian of the minor.  (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB866)

SB 866 passed the Senate Floor Vote with 21 Ayes, 7 Noes and 12 No Vote Recorded (aka Abstentions).  While SB 866 will move forward to the Assembly, this is a win for our movement as it only passed by the bare minimum - it needed 21 votes and that is what it got.  There were some heartfelt speeches given on the Senate floor, as well as some really terrible ones!  You can watch them in full here:

https://youtu.be/EsyKi0Gkgrk

A note about legislators who abstain: Our goal is to defeat these bills.  That is to ensure there are not enough "Aye" votes.  If a legislator votes "Noe" or does not record a vote, their effect is the same.  The vaccine issue is a polorizing one and legislators, especially Democrat legislators, don't want to vote against legislation that would put them on one side or another on this issue.  Therefore, a no recorded vote is one we should thank them for, as they did not vote for the bill.  Critisizing them or telling them they should have done more and voted "Noe" does not help build relationships with them, which is another key goal.  So, if your Senator voted "Noe" or did not record a vote, please call their office and thank them.

Next Steps: SB 866 heads over to the Assembly next to go through the same process as it did in the Senate, but this won't start for a few weeks, as the legislature has to vote on the remaining thousands of bills and has to .  A Voice for Choice Advocacy will have Action Alerts for you as it progresses, but now is the time to set up meetings with your Assembly Member if you have not already.

Over the past 7 years, A Voice for Choice Advocacy has established itself as the leading legislative organization lobbying in the California Capitol for your health rights.  While A Voice for Choice Advocacy's lobbying activity in the Capitol is important, your positive constituent relationships with your CA State Senator and Assembly Member and their staff are critical to assisting with A Voice for Choice Advocacy's efforts in the Capitol.  

If you found this information helpful and appreciate the work A Voice for Choice Advocacy is doing, please support us by making a donation today.

Together we can make change happen!

C

Christina Hildebrand
President/Founder
A Voice for Choice Advocacy, Inc.
[email protected]
www.AVoiceForChoiceAdvocacy.org