Your action is needed to stop a predatorial bill in the District of Columbia that would not only permit children 11 years old and older to consent to vaccines on their own without parental knowledge or consent, but also requires insurance companies, vaccine providers and schools to conceal the fact that the child has been vaccinated from the parent.
B23-0171 was passed 12:1 at the Oct. 20 first reading, and it was announced that it will have a second reading and final vote by the DC Council at their legislative meeting scheduled on Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. Council Member Trayon White Sr. was the only council member to vote against the bill because it violates parental rights. The discussion of the bill starts at 5:36 in the archived video.
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) first alerted our members to this bill when it was scheduled for a hearing originally in June of 2019. After no activity for over a year, the bill was just passed by a voice vote in a virtual meeting of the Health Committee on Oct. 7, after it was amended to make it even worse. In the archived video, the amendments are discussed at the 8:44 mark and the sponsor’s comments begin at 9:48 time mark.
The chair of the health committee who passed the bill, Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7), was quoted in the Washington Post saying “the hope of an imminent coronavirus vaccine gave the bill new urgency.”
If the bill passes second reading, it goes to the mayor who has up to 10 days to sign the bill, let it go into effect without a signature, or veto it. If the mayor vetoes the bill, the council can override the veto by a two-thirds vote.
The final step before becoming law is the bill must be sent to the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S.Senate for a period of 30 days before becoming effective as law. During this period of congressional review, the congress may enact into law a joint resolution disapproving the council’s act. If, during the review period, the president approves the joint resolution, the council’s act is prevented from becoming law. If, however, upon the expiration of the congressional review period, no joint resolution disapproving the council’s act has been approved by the president, the bill finally becomes a law and is assigned a law number.
Read more: DC Law Would Give Vaccine Decisions to Kids 11 or Older Without Parents’ Knowledge or Consent
