Action Alert: Please Ask the Senate Finance Committee Members to OPPOSE SB628, Which Seeks to Require School-based Health Centers to Join the Federal Vaccines for Children Program
Text of SB628: School-Based Health Centers – Services, Infrastructure, and Funding
Requiring the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide coverage for sports physicals performed by school-based health centers; requiring the Secretary of Health to include certain infrastructure needs in guidelines on the expansion of school-based health centers; and requiring the Maryland Department of Health, on or before January 1, 2024, to develop a certain school-based health center funding allocation formula and a certain budget proposal.
why icm OPPOSES SB628
- It is inappropriate to require school healthcare centers to build infrastructure to implement the CDC Vaccines for Children program when children must receive vaccines in a setting where each child's primary care provider or other qualified healthcare provider can assess the child's medical history accompanied by and in cooperation with the child's parent or guardian.
- It is dangerous and inappropriate to implement a one-size-fits-all mass vaccination infrastructure which attempts to circumvent the process of parental informed consent. Administering vaccines, like any healthcare intervention which is invasive, irreversible, and known to cause adverse reactions in some at-risk patients, is not an appropriate healthcare service to administer en masse in school healthcare settings without parents or guardians present. Children can receive free healthcare services, including free vaccines, through existing healthcare infrastructure where parents and guardians are present.
- The CDC ACIP Committee has recommended adding Covid-19 vaccines to the routine immunization schedule for children 18 and under declaring that "benefits outweigh risks," despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. CDC federal programs promoting mass administration of vaccines to children without sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy must not be linked with or required by public schools funded by state tax dollars.
There are three ways to submit testimony: written, in-person, and virtual. You can find instructions on how to proceed with giving testimony on SB628 here.
Please note: You must register to give testimony for SB628 between 8 AM and 3 PM on Monday, February 27th.
Who to contact about SB628
There will be a hearing for SB628 before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, February 28th at 1 PM.
URGENT: We’re asking all members to contact bill sponsor Senator Clarence Lam, and to call and email the members of the Senate Finance committee to let them know, in your own words, why you oppose SB628!
Please contact the following bill sponsor to express your opposition:
410-841-3653| 301-858-3653
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3653
e-mail: Clarence.Lam@senate.state.md.us
Please copy and paste the following email addresses of the Senate Finance Committee members into the BCC section of your email in opposition to SB628:
melony.griffith@senate.state.md.us , katherine.klausmeier@senate.state.md.us , pamela.beidle@senate.state.md.us , arthur.ellis@senate.state.md.us , dawn.gile@senate.state.md.us , antonio.hayes@senate.state.md.us , steve.hershey@senate.state.md.us , Ben.Kramer@senate.state.md.us , johnny.mautz@senate.state.md.us , justin.ready@senate.state.md.us
Please call the offices of the Senate Finance Committee members in opposition to SB628:
Phone 410-841-3127 | 301-858-3127
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3127
Phone 410-841-3620 | 301-858-3620
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3620
Phone 410-841-3593 | 301-858-3593
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3593
Phone 410-841-3616 | 301-858-3616
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3616
Phone 410-841-3568 | 301-858-3568
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3568
Phone 410-841-3656 | 301-858-3656
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3656
Phone 410-841-3639 | 301-858-3639
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3639
Phone 410-841-3151 | 301-858-3151
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3151
Phone 410-841-3590 | 301-858-3590
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3590
Phone 410-841-3683 | 301-858-3683
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3683
Please note: Rules for submitting written and oral testimony for SB628 can be viewed here. You must register to give testimony for SB628 between 8 AM and 3 PM on Monday, February 27th.
Please spread the word! Let’s flood the offices of the SB628 sponsor, and the Senate Finance committee members, with polite, respectful, forceful emails and phone calls. They need to hear our voices!
Please consider joining ICM’s free Telegram group where you’ll find like minds instead of arguments, as well as helpful resources for navigating vaccine data, mandates, exemptions and more.