SB 866 should go to the Inactive File,
but may be voted on this week

SB 1419 will be voted on in the 
Assembly Health Committee this Tuesday

Call your Assembly Member and the Assembly Health Committee
and ask them to Oppose or Abstain on SB 866 and SB 1419!

SB 866 (Wiener), which allows 12+ year old minors to consent to all vaccines, was not voted on by the full Assembly last week.  Because it has been passed on being voted on three times by the full Assembly, it should go to the Inactive File.  Once in the Inactive File, in order for it to be brought back to the Assembly floor the bill would have to be activated by a member of the Assembly and then held for three days before being voted on.  According ot the Assembly Daily File, it has not been put on the Inactive File which means Senator Wiener has requested it to stay active, and therefore it may be voted on this Monday at 1:30PM or Thursday at 9AM.  To not pass 38 Assembly Members need to oppose or abstain during the vote.  There are 19 Republicans who are opposing, and our vote count estimates about 10 Democrat/Independent Assembly Members will also oppose/abstain.  That leaves 9 Assembly Members we need to convince to hold off the bill.  The general feeling in the Assembly is that Senator Wiener does not have the votes, but he is working the Assembly Members as much as we are.  Keep the pressure on!  Constituents have the most powerful voice, especially in an election year.  Please call your Assembly Member's district and capitol office and ask for a 15 minute meeting this week, asking them to oppose or abstain from SB 866 (details below).

SB 1419 (Becker) will be voted on in the Assembly Health Committee this Tuesday at 1:30 PM.  This bill would prohibit parents or guardians of 12+ year old minors from accessing their medical records for any treatment the minor consented to.  Please call all member of the Assembly Health Committee today and ask them to abstain or oppose SB 1419 unless it is amended (details below).

Take Action TODAY!

A note about asking legislators to 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 (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) Right Now:  Pick up your phone and call your Assembly Member's local district and Capitol office (https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/), and ask for a 15 minute meeting today or tomorrow, either via video conference or in person.  Be sure to let them know you are a constituent.  Ask for it to be with the legislator, and if that is not possible then with a staffer. If they do not have time this week, then let them know you would like to meet with them at a later dates, but ask them to vote NO or ABSTAIN on SB 866.  Be professional and rational when you call or have the meeting.  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.  Would it be possible to meet with Assembly Member XXXX today or tomorrow to discuss my concerns?” 
In the meeting or over the phone, 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

A Voice for Choice Advocacy sent a detailed letter to all Assembly Health Committee Members 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/2022/06/AVFCA-SB866-Letter-of-Oppose-unless-Amended-Wiener-Pan-Asm.pdf

2) Before 1PM Tuesday June 14: Call all the Assembly Health Committee Members and ask them to vote NO or ABSTAIN on SB 1419, unless amended.  

Jim Wood (916) 319-2002
Dr. Joaquin Arambula (916) 319-2031
Wendy Carrillo (916) 319-2051
Brian Maienschein (916) 319-2077 
Chad Mayes (916) 319-2042
Kevin Mc Carty (916) 319-2007
Adrin Nazarian (916) 319-2046
Luz Rivas (916) 319-2039
Freddie Rodriguez (916) 319-2052
Miguel Santiago (916) 319-2053

Sample Script: "I am calling to ask the Assembly member to vote no or abstain on SB 1419 as there should not be a blanket ban on parents or guardians having access to their child's medical records.  Please amend the bill so that parents can access high level medical records to help care for their children after treatment or full access in the case of an adverse reaction or death resulting from treatment."

If you wish to give more details, you can speak to the following issues:

- There may be times where a minor has an adverse reaction to a medication, has post treatment complications or in rare instances may die while under the physician’s care.  In these cases a parent would not be able to gain access to their children’s medical records to understand the background and help them.  They would also not be able to gain access to file a lawsuit or compensation claim, which a 12+ year old minor would be too young to do.
- Please amend the bill so parents have access to partial medical records, including treatment received, medication administered, adverse events or notable events recorded and full medical records if the child has an adverse reaction or dies, while under the healthcare provider’s care.

A Voice for Choice Advocacy sent a detailed letter to all Assembly Health Committee Members 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/2022/06/AVFCA-SB1419-Letter-of-Oppose-unless-Amended-Becker-Asm-Health.pdf

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