AB 659, the (now) College HPV Vaccine Mandate Bill
will not be heard in the Assembly Health Committee next week

But it still needs your Activism! 

Bill Update:  As we shared earlier this week, AB 659 has been amended to include:

1) A requirement that all 6th graders and their parents receive a notice stating that it is public policy to get vaccinated with the HPV vaccine and that all students should have received the vaccine by 8th grade.

2)  The addition of a HPV vaccine requirement for enrollment at a California State University, the University of California and at any Community College if those entities pass a resolution to require it.  Only a medical exemption would be allowed.

The Assembly Education Committee was supposed to hear the bill next Wednesday, March 28th, which would have been extremely rushed, given that significant amendments were made a week before the hearing.  With this hearing date in mind,  A Voice for Choice Advocacy went full steam ahead, requesting meetings with all Assembly Health Committee members, to update them on our concerns with these new clauses, as well as contacting key members of the UC, CSU and California Community Colleges communities to alert them to the new bill language.   Note: More than 30% of enrollees to these colleges/universities would not be vaccinated for HPV, so if this bill passes it would have a huge impact on already tenuous public state higher education institution enrollment rates.  Other organizations AVFCA works closely with that also have an ongoing presence in the Capitol (California Health Coalition Advocacy and Educate.Advocate) did the same.  If you have any connection to California's public state higher education institutions, please reach out and ask their decisionmakers to upload a letter to the Legislative Advocacy portal opposing AB 659 (https://calegislation.lc.ca.gov/Advocates/).

Due to the rushed nature and pressure from all sides the Assembly Health Committee has postponed the hearing for AB 659, and it will now not be heard until April.  The legislators are on vacation the week of April 3, and so the earliest it could not be heard is Wednesday, April 11.  It has to be voted on on either April 11, 18 or 25 in order for it to pass out of the Assembly this year.  If and when this bill is heard on one of those dates, please plan to come to join us in Sacramento to give your public comment, as there will be only in person (no telephonic) public comment allowed.

A Voice for Choice Advocacy will be updating our resources and educational materials to reflect these amendments and our concerns this weekend and will share them with you early next week.  In the mean time, be sure to sign up for your Assembly Member and Senator's newsletters, and join them at their next district event to share your concerns with this bill.  Many have events in the next few weeks.  This is the best place to have personal interactions with your legislators.

Over the past 8 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