SB 866 passes the Assembly Judiciary Committee
with 6 Ayes and 4 Noes

It could be voted on by the full Assembly
as early as Monday June 6, 2000

Email and Call your Assembly Member TODAY
asking them to Oppose or Abstain on SB 866!

SB 866 was heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, June 1, 2022. It could be voted on by the Assembly on Monday and could be on the Governor's desk by Tuesday next week.  If you do nothing else today, email and call your Assembly Member and ask them to oppose or abstain from SB 866 (details below).

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 (EUA or fully 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)

Thanks to Crystal, Max, Mila, and Aaron for testifying in opposition at the Assembly Judiciary Hearing!  If you missed the hearing you can watch it here: https://www.assembly.ca.gov/media/assembly-judiciary-committee-20220601/video. Special thanks to California Health Advocacy Coalition and Educate.Advocate for working so hard with A Voice for Choice Advocacy on witness selection and prep for the hearing. 

While there were great people testifying in opposition and many gave public comment in person and on the phone, the majority of the Assembly Judiciary committee members voted for SB866 to pass through (6 Ayes and 4 Noes). Please feel free to reach out and thank Asms Maienschein (D), Cunningham (R), Davies (R), and Kiley (R), who voted no.

Take Action TODAY!

A note about asking legislators to abstain: Our goal is to defeat this bill.  That is, to ensure there are not enough "Aye" votes.  If a legislator votes "Noe" or does not record a vote (aka abstains), their effect is the same.  The vaccine issue is a polarizing 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.  So an abstention is just as helpful to stopping the bill from passing, as a "Noe" vote.

1) Before June 6, 2022: Email the your Assembly Member: Go to: https://secure.everyaction.com/kYVtzmn21EWeTu-dJBB3ww2  A Voice for Choice Advocacy has made it easy for you to email your Assembly Member to ask them to Oppose or Abstain from SB 866.  For legislators to read your email (and not assume it as a mass marketing campaign), it is important that your letter is personalized to your situation, so be sure to outline why you feel the should oppose SB 866 and related it to yourself and your family.  A Voice for Choice Advocacy sent a detailed letter to the Assembly Judiciary Committee outlining our numerous concerns with the bill, and our requested amendments.  You can read our letter here and use points from it, but please don't copy it word for word: https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AVFCA-SB866-Letter-of-Oppose-unless-Amended-Wiener-Pan-Asm-Judiciary.pdf

2) Before June 1, 2022: Call your Assembly Member's local district and Capitol office (https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/), and be sure to let them know you are a constituent and ask them to vote NO or to ABSTAIN on SB 866.  Be professional and rational when you call - Remember you are trying to get them to vote with you, so you want to build that relationship, not burn it.

Sample Script: "I am a constituent of Assembly Member XXXX.  I am calling to ask the Assembly member to vote no or abstain on SB 866, which would allow minors to consent to vaccinations including the COVID vaccine.  It is too broad and has not been amended to include guardrails to protect minors.  It will result in unintended consequences." 
If you wish to give more details, you can speak to the following issues:

- 12 year olds just do not have the mental capacity to make these types of decisions rationally.
- Ensure EUA vaccines are not included
- Ensure special needs students are excluded
- Ensure children are not compelled to get the vaccine with monetary or other rewards

3) Forward this email to anyone who believes in parental rights.  Share this email on social media: https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/action-alert-sb-866-assembly-floor/

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