Public Comments for 01/26/2023 Unknown Committee/Subcommittee
HB1831 - Long-term services and supports screening; authorization to share assessments.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB1900 - Behavioral health and developmental services; provisional licenses issued to providers.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB1904 - Emergency Department Care Management Grant Program and Fund; established and created, report.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB1906 - Auxiliary grants; independent community living.
VALA opposes HB1906 expanding the AG program in its present form and funding levels to include another setting. Virginia's Auxiliary Grant (AG) program is not adequately funded or supported for the current eligible settings of assisted living facilities and supportive housing. The AG program needs to be fixed for the current settings before expanding it. Also, independent community living settings are not regulated, and there is confusion on which settings this would specifically pertain to. As per the 2018 report to the VA General Assembly on the Regulation of Independent Living Communities, "within the senior housing market, there is ambiguity surrounding the term 'independent living.' Consultants found the term used inconsistently to define everything from age 55 and-older senior apartments to assisted living facilities. This can lead to confusion among consumers looking for a community to meet their individual requirements." The fiscal impact on the bill may not provide a specific impact number on VDSS, but it would be substantial. VDSS has had difficulties in meeting inspection deadlines and timeframes for assisted living facilities leaving some ALFs operating past their license expirations waiting on inspections. Adding another setting for them to regulate as would be required by HB1906 per the language in 51.5-160.1 would further delay the crucial inspections process and could jeopardize health, safety, and continued operations. ALFs operating past their licensure date waiting on inspectors could be detrimental to their continued operations due to funding, insurance, and managerial oversight requirements. VDSS is already short staffed, and HB 1906 would further impact the availability of staff for licensure operations. Thank you for considering these concerns. Again, VALA opposes HB1906 expanding the AG program in its present form and funding levels to include another setting.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB1917 - Public pools; Board of Health to adopt regulations.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
The City of Portsmouth supports this bill. It would provide consistent regulations across the Commonwealth. However, it our understanding that the Health Department already inspects the pools for compliance.
Working in the pool industry in both retail and distribution, also having used public pools, I feel HB1917 should be a definite yes.
As a long time industry professional I am writing in support of this bill. My company, AAA Pool Services, manages and operates almost 50 seasonal pools across all localities in the Tidewater area. We have to deal with multiple sets of codes and standards, and then pools in Suffolk have no codes or standards other than VHD code, which does not apply to these pools. I encourage a YES vote on HB1917 to begin to standardize public pool requirements for both ease of business and swimmer safety. James Durkee Vice President AAA Pool Services
I live in Alexandria and am concerned about the health and safety of our public swimming pools. I've heard that showering before entering a pool means germs are less likely to be in the water. My friends and family don't want to get sick when we're at the pool! And keeping the pool environment and equipment up to date is important. An inspection of a facility would make sure we're safe from harm due to lack of maintenance, or issues with handrails, electrical elements, fencing, diving boards or signs, for example. Please help us enjoy our pools.
Attached is a letter of support for the HB1917 Bill. As a pool builder, service provider and retail company in VA for 45 years we feel it is important for all commercial properties to meet minimum requirements for water quality and proper pool operation.
As a citizen of Virginia in excess of nearly 20 years, husband, a father of 4, grandfather of 11, thus far, and a swimming pool professional for these past 50 years I wish to express my full support of VA HB 1917. My aquatics career began in neighboring Maryland, at my local community pool. There I learned how to swim from certified Water Safety Instructors, was provided supervision during the summer months, after passing the pool test, by the licensed guard staff. It was my haven, my safe place to go. I later learned how regulated it was by the Health Department. In 73, I became a part of that staff and by the end of the summer was a lifeguard myself. Over the next four years I became a Water Safety Instructor, Swim Coach, Licensed Pool Operator, SCUBA Diver and eventually received 2 degrees in Recreation. My career spans Public Pool Management, Service, Renovation, Construction and now Design. At one point I held a management position for the largest Commercial Pool Builder in the mid-Atlantic, traveling 6 states and D.C.. It was there that I discovered the great disparity in state and local regulations on Swimming Pool, Spa, Waterpark and Splashground health and safety. Part of my job description was to determine what regulations and codes were in place that we needed to conform to in providing for our clients. Sadly to say, VA had and still does have the least health and safety regulations within this region and perhaps the country. What the Health Department does have, with reference to current regulations, is extremely outdated, circa 1962 and has very poor enforcement. Fortunately, the VA Building Dept, since 2014, now uses the ICC code, which replaced a mostly non existent design and construction code for swimming pools. This likely as part of the result of deaths and near drownings from poor design, construction, renovation and service practices that led to Federal Standards such as the VGB ACT of 2008. While working or vacationing in Virginia back then, I would be appalled at the unhealthy and unsafe conditions I would find at commercial aquatic venues in those jurisdictions without Health Department oversight. Certainly, a RED FLAG, was raised whenever my children wanted to swim in a manmade vessel. Today, I assist Design Professionals, with the mechanical, Building and Health Code compliance and amenity needs of existing and new aquatic facilities, in VA. Frequently, I am asked about conformance to Health Department regulations and find Developers, General Contractors, Designers and Consultants all shocked and in disbelief that most of VA does not have Health Department regulations like other states and jurisdictions. What regulations the Health Department does have are restricted to "Tourist Establishments". Unfortunately, for VA citizens including my grandchildren, VA has until this opportunity, found it more important to protect "tourists" than the citizens of the Commonwealth. Like vehicle safety, aquatic safety must be regulated for the good of the public. Profits would otherwise circumvent the need for seat belts and air bags, or proper filtration and sanitation. Can you imagine what might be served and what cleanliness conditions might be present, if restaurants were not regulated and inspected regularly by a qualified Health Department with adequate regulations. Public health and safety would be compromised. So is currently true in most of Virginia with their swimming pools.
Re: Consideration of House Bill 1917 – Public Pools; Board of Health to Adopt Regulations. We are writing to let you know that we, as the Central Virginia of PHTA, support the bill directing the Virginia Department of Health to promulgate regulations governing swimming pools and spas for public use. Our chapter covers most of the state of Virginia, from Virginia Beach to Jonesville, in the west, and north to Charlottesville. Our members have spent years upholding the standards on safety, operations, and maintenance of pools and spas. We believe strongly that HB 1917 will considerably increase the safety and welfare of public pools in Virginia and protect Virginia residents who use them. The Virginia Department of Health currently only has authority to enforce regulations for pools and spas at campgrounds, summer camps, and hotels. Additionally, only 20 local jurisdictions in Virginia have a code that regulates the operations, maintenance, and safety of public pools. Our members have an incredible relationship with the Virginia Department of Health, working with them on regulating the pools and spas they can enforce. As a chapter, we stand behind PHTA National Offices, in providing recommendations related to regulations to be adopted. We want to ensure that the residents of Virginia have safe public pools and spas to enjoy. On behalf of our many members, we respectfully request that you consider moving this important legislation out of your committee. Sincerely, Vicki Hudson Chapter President Centralva.apsp@gmail.com
Dear Chairman Walker: This bill, directing the Virginia Department of Health to promulgate regulations governing swimming pools and spas for public use is supported by the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA). PHTA’s headquarters are established in Virginia and many of its employees are Virginians. Currently, the Virginia Department of Health only has authority to govern and promulgate regulations for pools and spas at campgrounds, summer camps, and hotels. Additionally, only 20 local jurisdictions in Virginia have a code that regulates the operations, maintenance, and safety of public pools. HB 1917 will begin the process to drastically increase the safety and welfare of public pools in Virginia and further protect Virginia residents. PHTA, its Virginia members, and other industry stakeholders have a tremendous relationship with the Virginia Department of Health and provide recommendations related to regulations required to be adopted. Additionally, this relationship has created an environment for industry leaders and the Virginia Department of Health to discuss current and best practices and opportunity for future collaboration. On behalf of the many Virginia pool and spa professionals represented by PHTA, as well as those in neighboring states that do business in Virginia, we respectfully request that you consider moving this important legislation out of your committee. Sincerely, Jason Davidson PHTA, Director of Government Relations jdavidson@phta.org About Us The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance was formed in 2019, combining the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP) and the National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF). With the mission to “Celebrate the Water,” PHTA facilitates the expansion of swimming, water safety and related research and outreach activities aimed at introducing more people to swimming, making swimming environments safer and keeping pools open to serve communities. APSP, now the PHTA, is the world’s oldest and largest association representing swimming pool, hot tub, and spa manufacturers, distributors, manufacturers’ agents, designers, builders, installers, suppliers, retailers, and service professionals. Dedicated to the growth and development of its members’ businesses and to promoting the enjoyment and safety of pools and spas, PHTA offers a range of services, from professional development to advancing key legislation and regulation at the federal and local levels, to consumer outreach and public safety. PHTA is the only industry organization recognized by the American National Standards Institute to develop and promote national standards for pools, hot tubs, and spas. For more information, visit PHTA.org.
HB1925 - Anesthesiologist assistants; establishes criteria for licensure.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB2033 - Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact; Va. to become a signatory to Compact.
On behalf of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, I write to support HB 2033, which adopts the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC). The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 223,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Over 4,800 ASHA members reside in Virginia. ASHA members often have difficulty obtaining multiple state licenses to practice due to administrative burdens. These burdens hinder their ability to provide quality services and restrict consumer access in underserved and rural communities. I am pleased to support HB 2033, which will address these issues by: • Increasing access to care for clients, patients, and/or students; and • facilitating continuity of care when clients, patients, and/or students relocate or travel to another state, specifically with members of the military and their spouses. ASHA recognizes there are questions regarding the fiscal note and would assert that this Compact is no different than any other compact that Virginia has joined, including nursing, physical therapy, EMS, psychology and occupational therapy. The Compact Commission will have the ability to levy and collect an annual assessment from each member state to cover the cost of operations. The amount will be formulated by the Commission and will be binding upon all member states. At the present time, the amount, if any, that will be imposed upon each state’s budget is unknown. If Virginia passes this legislation, they will be among the group of delegates that make that determination. Currently, the Nursing Compact and the Psychology Compact are the only compacts that levy an annual assessment. The Nursing Compact assesses $6,000 and the Psychology Compact assesses states on a sliding scale. The ASLP-IC Commission views these numbers as guardrails for what this Commission may implement. Virginia is also a member of a number of national compacts that assess the state an annual fee. The ASLP-IC member states have indicated that they will seek grants from the Health Resources & Services Administration, the Department of Defense, and other relevant funders to help avoid a state assessment. Additionally, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, and the American Academy of Audiology have committed to financial support. The Compact also allows states to charge a fee for the privilege to practice and its renewal to offset and any costs. These numbers don’t include the fiscal benefit that can be realized by the Commonwealth for the recruitment and retention of qualified providers. Passage of this bill would allow Virginia to enjoy the same benefits of the 23 other ASLP-IC member states, including the neighboring states of Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. The United States Department of Defense State Liaison Office joins ASHA in supporting HB 2033. If you or your staff have any questions, please contact Susan Adams, ASHA’s director of state legislative and regulatory affairs, at sadams@asha.org.
My name is Christopher Arnold. I am the Mid-Atlantic Regional Liaison for the United States Department Defense-State Liaison Office. Joining the 23 states who have enacted the compact before you today over the last 24 months will improve access to care and allow military personnel and spouses to more easily maintain their certifications when relocating. Federal law requires the military departments to produce annual strategic basing scorecards considering factors such as membership in licensing compacts and the quality of healthcare near bases. Future basing decisions made with a consistent framework will ensure optimal conditions for service members and their families. Common misinformation about compacts is that they either lower or raise the standards for the occupation, when in fact, compact states have the option to issue both “compact license” and also a “State-only license”. As 45 states have joined hundreds of DOD's compacts, including five here in the great commonwealth of Virginia, academic research and real world experience have proven reservations initially expressed by some groups, such as lost revenue to the state board or public safety concerns, have not materialized. DoD pivoted in its approach toward licensure after 2017 to consider occupational license compacts our optimal end state. Compacts establish common understanding of competency and its measurement within the occupation, and provide seamless reciprocity for military spouses in an occupation. House bill 2033, the Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Interstate Compact addresses these issues affecting our service members and their families and facilitates interstate practice of audiology and speech language pathology with the goal of improving public access to services, while preserving the regulatory authority of states to protect public health and safety through the current system of state licensure. Portable employment opportunities support military spouse career development. The language of the compact allows an active duty servicemember, or their spouse, to designate a home state where the individual has a current license in good standing. This state then serves as the individual’s home state for as long as the servicemember is on active duty, while adhering to the laws, rules and scope of practice in Virginia. This is particularly important insofar as outside of the interstate compact, there is no state specific law Virginia can pass to help Old Dominion state residents who are stationed in other states and are involuntarily relocated to other states obtain a license. There are no fees to the service member or spouse other than for their home state license, and these are reimbursed by the military services pursuant to federal law. We appreciate the opportunity to support the policies supporting military spouses outlined in the House Bill 2033 and are especially grateful to Delegate Sewell for her leadership and sponsorship in carrying this initiative forward and thankful to the committee for your thoughtful consideration and all your prior support of our service members and their families. As always as liaison to the Mid-Atlantic region, I stand ready to answer whatever questions you may have.
I have been a Virginia licensed speech-language pathologist since 2004 when my husband was stationed in Quantico, Virginia. I have worked in Virginia schools, private practice, and out-patient rehab. When my husband was stationed outside Virginia, I maintained my Virginia license, but could not work out of the state unless I applied and paid for a different state license. In Florida, it took over 6 months for me to obtain a license. In North Carolina, I was only able to find work on a military station because I did not have a license in North Carolina. The time and cost of obtaining and maintaining licenses for every state that we moved was cost prohibitive and a barrier to work. Now that my husband has retired from active duty, we remain in Virginia for our children to graduate high school and attend one of Virginia’s many accredited state colleges. I hope to advocate for speech-language pathology and audiology services for Virginians. The https://aslpcompact.com/compact-map/ includes states that allow for a speech-language pathologist or audiologist to practice without obtaining and maintaining another state license. This is important because we have military spouses in Prince William County. We have a shortage of speech therapy service providers. Virginians with hearing loss need access to quality audiology services. With the interstate compact, expansion of services to residents in rural areas closer to West Virginia and North Carolina and Maryland have access to more service providers and options for telehealth. Audiologists and SLPs are trained to identify, assess, treat, and manage speech, language, feeding/swallowing, cognitive, hearing, and balance disorders. It is critical that the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact be successfully operationalized and expanded, that licensure and certification requirements be preserved, and that the ability to practice to the fullest extent of one’s education and training be supported. Please support the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact.
On behalf of military families and the Department of Defense, I am writing to provide comment regarding the policy changes proposed in Virginia House Bill 2033, the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC), which addresses licensing issues affecting our service members and their families. I would like to thank you for considering this issue in the 2023 legislative session. My name is Christopher Arnold. I am the Mid-Atlantic Regional Liaison for the United States Department of Defense-State Liaison Office, operating under the direction of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Our mission is to be a resource to state policymakers as they work to address quality of life issues of military families. The ASLP-IC enhances opportunities of portable careers for military spouses by providing consistent rules which allow licensed members to work in other states through “privilege to practice policies”, or more easily transfer their license to a new state. Frequent moves and cumbersome licensing and certification requirements limit career options for military spouses. Enacting the ASLP-IC will serve to relieve one of the many stressors of a military move by allowing service members and military spouses to more easily maintain their profession when relocating. We appreciate the opportunity to support the policies outlined in the ASLP-IC introduced this session. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.
On behalf of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, I write to support HB 2033, which adopts the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC). The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 223,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Over 4,800 ASHA members reside in Virginia. ASHA members often have difficulty obtaining multiple state licenses to practice due to administrative burdens. These burdens hinder their ability to provide quality services and restrict consumer access in underserved and rural communities. I am pleased to support HB 2033, which will address these issues by: • Increasing access to care for clients, patients, and/or students; and • facilitating continuity of care when clients, patients, and/or students relocate or travel to another state, specifically with members of the military and their spouses. Passage of this bill would allow Virginia to enjoy the same benefits of the 23 other ASLP-IC member states, including the neighboring states of Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. The United States Department of Defense State Liaison Office joins ASHA in supporting HB 2033. If you or your staff have any questions, please contact Susan Adams, ASHA’s director of state legislative and regulatory affairs, at sadams@asha.org.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
I support this bill.
I strongly support this bill.
I support this bill
I am writing in support of the compact for universal licensure for Audiology and Speech Pathology. As a Speech Pathologist for over 26 years, a military spouse, it has been challenging applying and receiving my license in a timely fashion; thus, impacting work and financial well being. Each state requires different administrative items making it time consuming and an administrative burden. Following Covid, the ability to offer telehealth across state lines for a short period of time due to the governors allowing this reciprocity, allowed patients to be seen more freely. One instance, a military family going back to their family due to spouse being deployed and the child being able to continue to be seen through telehealth and maintaining continuity of care. Imagine this to be an event always available if universal license was approved. I urge this compact to pass and for single license across state lines for speech pathologists and audiologists.
To Whom It May Concern: I am a speech-language pathologist in full support of this bill, as I currently hold both a separate VA license and MD license. I recently moved from VA to MD, and am currently residing in an area where I could easily provide services to patients in need in DC, MD, and VA. I have considered keeping both state licensures due to my location, however the additional cost without a compact licensure option is a greater financial burden on me and my practice. I would greatly benefit from the passing of this bill, and I think it would be a great step towards progress to a more universal compact licensure and regulations state by state. Thank you in advance for your consideration!
I support this bill.
I have been a Virginia licensed speech-language pathologist since 2004 when my husband was stationed in Quantico, Virginia. I have worked in Virginia schools, private practice, and out-patient rehab. When my husband was stationed outside Virginia, I maintained my Virginia license, but could not work out of the state unless I applied and paid for a different state license. In Florida, it took over 6 months for me to obtain a license. In North Carolina, I was only able to find work on a military station because I did not have a license in North Carolina. The time and cost of obtaining and maintaining licenses for every state that we moved was cost prohibitive and a barrier to work. Now that my husband has retired from active duty, we remain in Virginia for our children to graduate high school and attend one of Virginia’s many accredited state colleges. I hope to advocate for speech-language pathology and audiology services for Virginians. The https://aslpcompact.com/compact-map/ includes 15 states that allow for a speech-language pathologist or audiologist to practice without obtaining and maintaining another state license. This is important because we have military spouses in Prince William County. We have a shortage of speech therapy service providers. Virginians with hearing loss need access to quality audiology services. With the interstate compact, expansion of services to residents in rural areas closer to West Virginia and North Carolina and Maryland have access to more service providers and options for telehealth. Audiologists and SLPs are trained to identify, assess, treat, and manage speech, language, feeding/swallowing, cognitive, hearing, and balance disorders. It is critical that the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact be successfully operationalized and expanded, that licensure and certification requirements be preserved, and that the ability to practice to the fullest extent of one’s education and training be supported. Please consider supporting the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact. Thank you for taking the time to read my comments in support of this bill to support the people I love and the profession I adore. I work with children who do not communicate with verbal language. I work with patients who will need care for their entire lives. My patients deserve access to care throughout their lifetime. This bill would ensure access to more providers and get Virginia on board with the surrounding states.
I support this bill.
I support this bill
As a SLP that is licensed in VA, please consider allowing SLPs that are licensed in other states to be allotted a reciprocal license in our state. I work in the public school in VA and it has been so hard for us to obtain staff due to licensing issues and an overall SLP shortage and it’s taking a toll on all of the current SLPs in the state. Not having to worry about applying for an additional license would soften the burden for many SLPs and open up more potential people to work in our state and help with the shortage. Kids are really in need of our services following the pandemic and this would make it one less thing for SLPs to have to obtain. Thank you for your consideration. Please reach out should you have additional questions or concerns.
I support this bill as an SLP in Manassas City
As a military spouse the interstate compact would change the way I am able to function as a working member of society and how I am able to help provide for my family. I have had to apply for licenses in 4 different states and have been not able to work for several months after each post due to waiting for new licensure. Each time, I am also required to pay a large sum of money for licensure that will likely only be used for a short time. Please consider passing this bill to allow spouses more freedom in the workplace.
Attached please find the opinion of the United States Department of Defense in written testimony supporting the policies reflected in House Bill 2033, the Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Interstate Compact. Congress has required the Department to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Council of State Governments to develop licensing compacts and alleviate the barriers military families face to interstate mobility.
On behalf of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, I write to support HB 2033, which adopts the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC). The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 223,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Over 4,800 ASHA members reside in Virginia.1 ASHA members often have difficulty obtaining multiple state licenses to practice due to administrative burdens. These burdens hinder their ability to provide quality services and restrict consumer access in underserved and rural communities. I am pleased to support HB 2033, which will address these issues by: • Increasing access to care for clients, patients, and/or students; and • facilitating continuity of care when clients, patients, and/or students relocate or travel to another state, specifically with members of the military and their spouses. Passage of this bill would allow Virginia to enjoy the same benefits of the 23 other ASLP-IC member states, including the neighboring states of Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. The United States Department of Defense State Liaison Office joins ASHA in supporting HB 2033.
On behalf of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, I write to support HB 2033, which adopts the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC). The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 223,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Over 4,800 ASHA members reside in Virginia. ASHA members often have difficulty obtaining multiple state licenses to practice due to administrative burdens. These burdens hinder their ability to provide quality services and restrict consumer access in underserved and rural communities. I am pleased to support HB 2033, which will address these issues by: • Increasing access to care for clients, patients, and/or students; and • facilitating continuity of care when clients, patients, and/or students relocate or travel to another state, specifically with members of the military and their spouses. Passage of this bill would allow Virginia to enjoy the same benefits of the 23 other ASLP-IC member states, including the neighboring states of Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. The United States Department of Defense State Liaison Office joins ASHA in supporting HB 2033.
HB2057 - Public benefits; eligibility of certain aliens.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
After 7 am meeting, then this one. HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
HB2073 - Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and Commission; created.
Chairman Walker: My name is Robert Sullivan. I live at 17341 Great Falls Circle, Moseley, Virginia. I am writing in support of Virginia House Bill 2073 "Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and Commission; created". My wife, Lori Sullivan, is suffering from Stage IV soft tissue sarcoma that has spread to her lungs and is inoperable. Sarcoma is a rare form of cancer that accounts for 1% of all cancers in the United States. Her form - malignant ossifying fibromyxoid tumor - accounts for about 1% of these. Hers is a very rare case. The cancer cannot be cured and we can only hope to delay its progress. She is receiving chemotherapy treatment at the Cancer Massey Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond. VCU/Massey is a fine hospital and we are content with the treatment there. But because there is so little known about my wife's cancer we have twice traveled to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, for additional evaluation and diagnosis. MD Anderson is considered to be the finest cancer center in the United States and has specialists familiar with Lori's particular type. Lori’s diagnosis was confirmed only after she was evaluated at MD Anderson. This was almost a year after being misdiagnosed locally . The latest course of treatment she is receiving at VCU has been under the direction of the specialists at MD Anderson. Although we have twice been to MD Anderson it is 1300 miles away from our home in Virginia. During chemotherapy it is normal to have further testing done and consultations with the treating specialists. For us this means traveling back and forth to Texas. It is a burden and expense we would prefer not to have. On top of the anxiety we're experiencing because of the illness, traveling such a long distance is getting even more difficult because of the toxic effects of her chemotherapy. Being able to confer with the MD Anderson doctors without having to travel there would be a great benefit to Lori. She has established a doctor-patient relationship in person already. Using telemedicine for these follow-up visits seems like a common sense approach given the circumstances. The doctors at VCU are personally quite understanding and are supportive of us conferring with the MD Anderson specialists via video conference. The Commonwealth of Virginia, however, prohibits this. I believe HB 2073 will eliminate one obstacle to my wife's treatment. I have been told that objections to this bill are that it has a large fiscal impact and that it is opposed by the Medical Society. As for the fiscal impact I cannot speak. I can say, however, that failure to pass this bill has a large fiscal impact on me and my wife. I believe a lot of Virginia residents would benefit from passage of this Bill. Regarding the Medical Society, I believe that there is strong public sentiment to remove barriers to access in many industries and that these barriers can often take the form of well-meaning restrictions. Rather than protect the public I believe these restrictions often serve only the self-interest of established centers of power. We inhibit innovation, fail to take advantage of technological changes, hide with the comfort of the status quo, at the risk of our development and that of future generations. The free enterprise system is the most productive supplier of human needs and economic justice.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB2084 - Sickle cell disease; annual review of medication and treatment, report.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB2158 - DMAS; Department shall evaluate its ability to comply with certain federal regulations.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB2160 - In-person visitation; policies and procedures at certain facilities.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
My husband and I were barred from visiting our 44 year old son who was being treated in a hospital in Roanoke Virginia October/November 2021. He died after 3 weeks in ICU. He was admitted with symptoms of what was then called "COVID 19". We were not allowed to visit our son in person. We were able to see him and speak to him (he was unconscious and on a ventilator) via FaceTime. On his final day, when he was only being kept alive with drugs and machines, we were allowed in the room with him. His teen-aged children (ages 14 & 16) were only allowed to be with their father if we agreed to "comfort care" which meant agreeing to turn off the machines on the final day. They never got to be with their father before his actual death. I could tell when we entered his room on that final day he had passed away already. The safety requirements on this "COVID floor" must have been minimal as none of the staff wore PPE except for masks. We were also required to wear masks. What was the danger to ANYONE if we visited our son when he still had life in his body? It certainly wasn't danger of an infection. Had that been the case every doctor and nurse in the unit would have been covered top to bottom with PPE.
After 7 am meeting, then this one. HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
HB2210 - Children; comprehensive health care coverage program.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
So many hardworking families cannot afford healthcare for themselves and for their children. ALL people deserve access to health care. As beloved children of God, we are to take care of one another, especially the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40).
I'm a part of the Crozet/Charlottesville community in Virginia. I'm also currently a student at William & Mary. As a person who believes that every human being should be surrounded in a community that loves and supports them, healthcare is one that I believe is not an exception. Please do not punish poor children for being poor. Please do not give them the anxiety of not being able to afford going to the hospital for being sick. Children deserve to grow up only focusing on being healthy and happy. Virginia should be a place of joy not a place where parents can't take their children to the hospital because they can't afford it. Without medical bills, parents can focus on providing more for their children like their education. Please say YES to this bill, don't deny a child the right to be healthy and cared for.
ACT supports HB2210 because we believe healthcare is a human right, and not a privilege that should only be accessible to a select few. Unfortunately, our current reality is that Black and Brown families (including immigrant families) are at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to receiving meaningful access to such vital resources. At the bare minimum, members of the most vulnerable groups (i.e. low-income women and children) should be provided access to quality healthcare services. Unless something is done soon, we will continue to find ourselves in an ongoing healthcare crisis where vulnerable groups find themselves disproportionately disadvantaged. COVID-19 has ravaged our communities and along with the obvious health concerns, has caused housing instability and income insecurity. As a result, families now find themselves with limited options and having to make hard-hitting decisions. With bills like HB2210, we now have an opportunity to lessen the negative impacts of the pandemic and make sure that vulnerable groups are able to avoid the additional burden of accruing substantial medical bills. State lawmakers should take action this legislative session and invest $19.3 million over the next two fiscal years to ensure 13,000 children don’t have to spend another year without adequate medical care. HB 2210 offers an opportunity to address children’s health coverage disparities and prove that Virginia invests in EVERY child’s future.
On behalf of the members of the Virginia Coalition of Immigrant Rights (VACIR), I write to share our support for HB2210. VACIR is a multi-racial and multi-ethnic coalition of organizations to win dignity, power, and quality of life for all immigrant and refugee communities. This bill would improve health outcomes for immigrant children and allow more families to spend their hard-earned money on things like rent, food, and other essentials.
Health care is for all children is critical for the Commonwealth. Children without access to basic health care, without access to good preventive care, cannot learn well. Their illnesses affect the entire school and community. Due to frequent illness they may be unable to keep up with their peers, or to meet their achievement goals. Access to basic health care for all children builds strong healthy communities for Virginia.
Greetings Health Committee members, I'm Beatriz Amberman, Chair of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations. I write in support of HB 2210, on behalf of my organization. I ask respectfully that you vote in favor of investing n a healthier Virginia and addressing the need of approximately 88,000 children that don't have health coverage in Virginia. This is a smart decision that assures a healthier next generation of Virginians and fulfills the ideals of "One Nation under God". Regardless of religious affiliation, every spiritual community tells us to care for our children, which are the future of the nation. In economical terms, this will save us money that is usually spent by the use of Hospital Emergency Room visits. Please vote in favor of HB2210. Thank you.
Good Afternoon, My name is Alanna Baker and I am a Licensed Clinical Social worker working at UVA Medical Center. I draw on my experience from working within the hospital setting to speak today on HB 2210, the Comprehensive Children’s health care coverage program. However, I am not here on behalf of my employer but with National Association of Social Workers (NASW for short), Virginia Chapter; to encourage those on the committee to vote yes on this bill. According to the Commonwealth Institute, there are estimated to be at least 9,000 low income undocumented children in Virginia who are without insurance and another 4,000 who are underinsured. Every day, within the hospital setting our care teams see children experiencing acute medical conditions where the caregivers for these children have had to put off medical care due to the high costs of care and lack of insurance. In the course of that patient encounter, the social workers are often asked to assist the families to get connected to resources which typically have long waiting lists for “charity services”, lack of funding, no providers for services, or in many cases just do not exist for those without insurance. I also want to be transparent even our larger healthcare facilities in the state that can offer financial assistance for services but barriers exist there too for access to care in many cases. For example, that financial assistance only will provide coverage for services within that hospital’s family of services. It limits the providers to who are available and within the scheduling capabilities they have, which can mean long waits to get an appointment to see a provider. Also, a patient/family have to be in the service area or willing/able to travel to the service area for care which can be a financial burden for those already struggling to make ends meet. It is well documented that preventative care and access to care lowers health care costs by preventing and treating diseased before they require emergency care. The creation of a Comprehensive Children’s Healthcare Coverage plan which will remove the barrier of immigration status, we can ensure all the children in the Commonwealth have access to medical, dental, mental health, and preventative services when they need it. Something that all children should have. Thank you for your time.
I support HB 2210 to provide comprehensive, affordable health care to all children in Virginia. I believe adequate health care is essential, to allow children to develop their full potential.
The Lung Association believes that every child in Virginia should have access to affordable and comprehensive health coverage. House Bill 2210 would get us closer to that reality by creating a health coverage program available to all children in Virginia, regardless of immigration status. This policy change would offer a new and affordable health coverage option to almost 1 in 10 (10.2%) uninsured children in Virginia. Federal law prohibits children with an undocumented immigration status from accessing health coverage through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. Virginia should join 12 other states and the District of Columbia who currently uses or plans to use state-only funds to cover income-eligible children in Medicaid/CHIP who are otherwise ineligible due to immigration status. This program would mirror Virginia Medicaid/FAMIS enrollment, eligibility processes, and income eligibility levels and benefits would include behavioral health, dental, and preventative care services. The Lung Association strongly supports this bill as a way of increasing access to healthcare for all Virginians. Please vote yes on HB 2210 to make sure that 13,000 children, don’t have to spend yet another year without adequate healthcare coverage.
HB2211 - Graduates of foreign nursing education programs; licensure requirements.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
I am nurse from Iraq and am trying to get certified to practice here and contribute with my skills and experience in the healthcare field but I have not been able to do so. I am looking forward to an opportunity to do so through the HB2211 introduced by Delegate Kathy Tran because I want to help saw lives.
HB2222 - Surgical technologists and surgical assistants; practice prior to certification of licensure.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB2239 - Health care providers; Dept. of Health Professions to provide information to public.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB2248 - Substance use disorder; providers of treatment, use of methadone or opioid replacements.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB2276 - COVID; immunization of children.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
Concerned committee members, I am addressing bills HB2276 and HB2280 of which both I am in favor of. I feel it’s wrong to not include parents as that is detrimental to the relationship between parent and child . All parents should be able to make decisions on any medical procedure that affects their child. Government is there to protect that right not replace it.
The mission of the Virginia Chapter of Children’s Health Defense is to restore and protect the health of children by eliminating exposures to environmental toxins, holding responsible parties accountable, and establishing safeguards to prevent future harm to children’s health. We are writing to ask for your support for HB 2276 that we and our more than 15,000 supporters strongly support. HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19: As a science-based organization, we support the numerous medical professionals around the world that are now in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. In addition, we believe informed consent is the basis of medical ethics and that parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. Lastly, because available COVID-19 vaccines fail to prevent viral transmission there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. For these reasons, mandates for COVID-19 vaccines are scientifically, ethically and logically indefensible. HB 2276 specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b immunization vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation with the vast majority (93%) opposing. Please recognize the overwhelming opposition to including the COVID-19 vaccines as a requirement for school attendance by supporting HB 2276. Children's Health Defense Virginia Chapter
Please see attached letter from Children's Health Defense Virginia Chapter. Thank you.
Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for mandating these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. There have been many stories concerning the adverse affect/ even deaths caused by this vaccine therefore it should not be mandated upon our children. Parents should not be required to immunize their children with COVID-19 vaccines. Thank you for voting for this bill, Respectfully, M. Macomber
After 7 am meeting, then this one. HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
The following are important reasons for why this bill should be passed: Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and well being of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. Sincerely, John Macomber
I support the 2276 and 2280 bills. Please, protect the children and parents rights. This is good for the parents and children. Thanks!
To the House Committee and current delegates, I am writing to support Delegate LaRock and to reiterare that parents should not be required to vaccine their children against Covid 19 for any reason, but in particular, when it comes to attending school. It is beyond conceivable that this could even be an issue, as we've known from the start that children are more susceptible to have complications from the flu than from Covid 19. It is also now common knowledge that the vaccine has proven pathetic. in its efficacy, as one can still get, give and replicate the virus that is Covid 19. This decision should always rest with the parents informed consent regarding the welfare of their children, and will hopefully continue to draw attention to the misuse of vaccine schedules in their entirety (i.e taking the 12-17 vaccines required in my day, to the numbers of upwards 72 currently, as well as lumping vaccines together without knowing the potential repercussions). Thank you for your time and we are all counting on you to do right by America's children. Sincerely, Holly Rhode
I am in favor of both of these bills. Please allow parents to be in control of their children's medical procedures and please do not mandate the ineffective and dangerous gene therapy shot to attend schools. It would be disasterous and you would see people leave the public school system in droves. Thank you for your time and support.
It is unethical to require children or anyone for that matter to forcefully receive a medication without proper long term studies of safety, efficacy or reproductive issues. Receiving such a medication should be at the discretion of the parents and should not be mandatory to attend school or athletic activities. I believe the information coming out now verifies that these drugs did not undergo proper long term studies and have unknown side effects. Moreover, children are a group least at risk for severe COVID problems. Forcing this drug on children is unethical!
Please vote in support of these bills on Jan 26th that will ensure parental rights in medical situations. Thank you for voting in such a way that reflects those that have voted you in in our state.
As Virginians, my family and I have decided to stand for medical freedom, and we are exercising our authority. Virginian parents have the legal right and responsibility based on Virginia code and the Constitution to made decisions regarding the health and welfare of their children. We are opposed to changing the code to allow for any COVID-19 mandates. We are entitled to informed consent based on medical ethics. Since COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent transmission of any disease they are useless and should not be required for school attendance. A precedent for not requiring it is found in the law for the Haemophilus Influenae Type b vaccine. Virginia house bill HB1090 confirmed legislative approval for parental authority over their children's vaccine schedule. Also, ninety-three percent of more than fifteen thousand Virginian parents spoke out against mandated shots in 2021 when the VDH proposed making the COVID shot a requirement for school attendance. All over the globe, medical professionals agree that science does not support COVID mandates now or in the future. Please vote yes to HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against covid-19 which will protect medical freedom in our state.
Experimental treatments cannot and must not be mandatory for attending anything. Even more so in regards to treatments with double digit percentage of people suffering terrible side effects and death. Virginia should not subject its children to such risk. It's sad that we need a bill for that, but we do. So please support this bill and all legislation in the same spirit.
The government should never have the right to mandate that anyone take a vaccination. In a country that espouses freedom, one must question whether freedom truly exists in our great nation, when, with the stroke of a pen, legislators can take away this freedom. Well before COVID-19 vaccinations were released, the CDC website indicated that children have a 99.997% chance of successfully healing from the virus. With such a high rate of successfully overcoming this virus, it is alarming to entertain the notion that a vaccine should be mandated for this. It's already established that the COVID-19 vaccination does not prevent transmission and, in many instances, the vaccination actually produces the virus, which blatantly defeats the purpose of having this vaccination. As a parent, I should have the right to make decisions that I deem best for my child. The ability to make a thoughtful and educated decision is dependent on informed consent. Before any vaccine is administered, parents should receive information on all of the possible side effects, so they can make an informed decision regarding whether or not to vaccinate their child. During the Pfizer trial, there were over 1,200 side effects noted and this information has been withheld from the public. We're hearing more and more of children experiencing myocarditis and pericarditis after receiving these injections and, no, there is no such thing as minor heart inflammation. To continually push a vaccine that has so many side effects, some of which are deadly, means there is a flagrant disregard in our society for life, especially the lives of our children. We must do better! We must be better! If you listen to any commercial about a pharmaceutical drug, you'll hear the excessive list of side effects. Recently, I heard a commercial about a drug to help with a skin rash. The side effects were death and a decreased immunity to Tuberculosis and some other diseases. Does this really make sense??? To believe that a vaccination is the cure-all to a virus or illness, when we rarely, if ever, have a medical drug that's produced without a side effect, is outlandish and ignorantly naive. Every body is different, which means not all bodies will react in the same manner to a medical drug or vaccination. The decisions that you make today will carry great ripple effects for our society. You will be remembered for your decision to either stand up for freedom and empowerment or to squash it. Choose freedom. Choose empowerment. Choose love. Love is freeing, uplifting, and empowering. It never feels the need to take away from - only to expand, heal, uplift, and renew. Please vote to allow parents the continued right to make vaccination decisions for their child.
HB2279 - Certificate of public need program; regulations, charity care.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
HB2280 - Surgical & medical trtmt. of certain minors; parental consent, admission to mental health facility.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
Concerned committee members, I am addressing bills HB2276 and HB2280 of which both I am in favor of. I feel it’s wrong to not include parents as that is detrimental to the relationship between parent and child . All parents should be able to make decisions on any medical procedure that affects their child. Government is there to protect that right not replace it.
The mission of the Virginia Chapter of Children’s Health Defense is to restore and protect the health of children by eliminating exposures to environmental toxins, holding responsible parties accountable, and establishing safeguards to prevent future harm to children’s health. We are writing to ask for your support for HB 2280 that we and our more than 15,000 supporters strongly support. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors: Another bill we strongly support is HB 2280, which requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. Several municipalities around the country (Philadelphia , San Francisco , Kings County, WA, and Washington D.C. ) have either attempted to or have already passed orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge or consent. In Washington, D.C, the City Council adopted a particularly dangerous bill that not only would have allowed children as young as 11 to consent to vaccination but also would have allowed schools to hide from parents that their child had undergone a medical procedure. Fortunately, due to a successful lawsuit filed by our parent organization, this law was overturned . These are dangerous usurpations of parental rights by legislatures and public health authorities. Most states don’t allow children to consent to use tanning salons or get tattoos below the age of consent. To bypass parents and allow underage children to decide what gets injected into them is inconsistent with state laws, medical ethics, common sense, and optimal medical care of children. Please support HB 2280 to send a clear message that such dangerous legislative trends will not be supported in Virginia. Children's Health Defense Virginia Chapter
Please see attached letter from Children's Health Defense Virginia Chapter. Thank you.
This bill requires written informed consent from the parent or guardian of any minor prior to any non-emergency surgical or medical treatment, mental health treatment, or immunization of a minor. If this minor were your child, would this be too much to ask? Parents should be responsible for making medical decisions for their minor children. Please vote for this bill. Thank You. M. Macomber
I support the 2276 and 2280 bills. Please, protect the children and parents rights. This is good for the parents and children. Thanks!
To the House Committee and all Delegates, please support bill 2280 allowing informed consent to rest solely in the hands of the parents of children in question. It is beyond unfathomable that we have arrived at a point within our supposedly free society, wherein medical ethics would even consider removing this right from families knowing what is best for the health and well being of their own children. That is, in fact, a society devoid of all ethics if our health is no longer our own. The facts stand that Covid 19 is less an issue for children than influenza, and that one can still get, give and replicate this virus despite having received this vaccine,; thereby rendering this supposed vaccine one that demands further study and scrutiny for one and all. Thank you for your time and for reevaluating and supporting a parent's natural role in the welfare of their own children. Sincerely, Holly Rhode
I am in favor of both of these bills. Please allow parents to be in control of their children's medical procedures and please do not mandate the ineffective and dangerous gene therapy shot to attend schools. It would be disasterous and you would see people leave the public school system in droves. Thank you for your time and support.
Please support HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors! As Virginians, my husband and I determine what medical procedures our children will receive. You need to amend current law for clarification purposes to say that we, the parents, are in control over medical interventions for our children such as the COVID-19 shot. Some cities are pushing for children as young as eleven years of age to decide to the injection without their parents' consent. Minors have no business making potentially life-altering decisions concerning vaccines since the shots can and do cause injury and death. We urge you to protect our Virginia youth, and vote for HB 2280. Thank you for your consideration.
Please vote in support of these bills on Jan 26th that will ensure parental rights in medical situations. Thank you for voting in such a way that reflects those that have voted you in in our state.
The government should never have the right to mandate that anyone take a vaccination. In a country that espouses freedom, one must question whether freedom truly exists in our great nation, when, with the stroke of a pen, legislators can take away this freedom. Well before COVID-19 vaccinations were released, the CDC website indicated that children have a 99.997% chance of successfully healing from the virus. With such a high rate of successfully overcoming this virus, it is alarming to entertain the notion that a vaccine should be mandated for this. It's already established that the COVID-19 vaccination does not prevent transmission and, in many instances, the vaccination actually produces the virus, which blatantly defeats the purpose of having this vaccination. As a parent, I should have the right to make decisions that I deem best for my child. The ability to make a thoughtful and educated decision is dependent on informed consent. Before any vaccine is administered, parents should receive information on all of the possible side effects, so they can make an informed decision regarding whether or not to vaccinate their child. During the Pfizer trial, there were over 1,200 side effects noted and this information has been withheld from the public. We're hearing more and more of children experiencing myocarditis and pericarditis after receiving these injections and, no, there is no such thing as minor heart inflammation. To continually push a vaccine that has so many side effects, some of which are deadly, means there is a flagrant disregard in our society for life, especially the lives of our children. We must do better! We must be better! If you listen to any commercial about a pharmaceutical drug, you'll hear the excessive list of side effects. Recently, I heard a commercial about a drug to help with a skin rash. The side effects were death and a decreased immunity to Tuberculosis and some other diseases. Does this really make sense??? To believe that a vaccination is the cure-all to a virus or illness, when we rarely, if ever, have a medical drug that's produced without a side effect, is outlandish and ignorantly naive. Every body is different, which means not all bodies will react in the same manner to a medical drug or vaccination. The decisions that you make today will carry great ripple effects for our society. You will be remembered for your decision to either stand up for freedom and empowerment or to squash it. Choose freedom. Choose empowerment. Choose love. Love is freeing, uplifting, and empowering. It never feels the need to take away from - only to expand, heal, uplift, and renew. Please vote to allow parents the continued right to make vaccination decisions for their child.
Parental consent should be required for all medical procedures and treatments of minors, including immunizations. Support bill HB2280.
When HB 2280 comes before you this week, I hope you will consider submitting a substitute bill that allows for mental health commitments when in the best interest of minors even without their consent, without removing their rights to seek medical care privately. While there are many situations in which 14 year olds should not be considered adults, being able to access medical, mental, and sexual health services are situations where we need to trust our kids to reach out for help. The current legislation that allows a minor 14 or over to seek health care and own their medical records is a grace that grants children who are afraid of informing their parents an option to receive necessary care. There are more children growing up with physically and mentally abusive parents than we’d like to believe who will not seek certain health services for fear of their parents finding out. As a parent, I want my child to be healthy, and I would rather they received care without my knowledge than that they allowed their mental and physical health to degrade out of fear or embarrassment. This bill will target children who don’t have other safe alternatives. Thank you.
HB2287 - Certified registered nurse anesthetists; practice.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
Please support HB2287 and Vote YES. This will allow greater access to necessary medical treatment by certified registered nurse anesthetists.
HB2293 - Emergency Services and Disaster Law; emergency orders and regulations, limitations, civil penalty.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
After 7 am meeting, then this one. HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
Protecting Fundamental Rights in Virginia THE PROBLEM: The Infringement of Fundamental Rights in 2020 and 2021 From the Orders of Governor Northam and Commissioner Oliver Was Not Acceptable And Threaten the Future • For months on end in 2020 and 2021, two individuals --Governor Northam and Health Commissioner Oliver -- signed orders creating a vast regulatory scheme with constantly shifting standards, to subject millions of Virginians and tens of thousands of Virginia businesses to harmful and burdensome regulations, carrying the threat of criminal penalty. • These mandates shut down businesses the Governor or Commissioner deemed non-essential and infringed on multiple fundamental rights including their freedom of assembly, freedom of association, and free exercise of religion and purported to penalize churches and businesses that would not also infringe on these individual rights. PRINCIPLED REFORM: Virginia Needs Standards to Protect Against the Haphazard Incursion on the Rights of Virginians Among useful guardrail HB 2293: • Addresses both of the emergency authorities used in 2020 and 2021 —the Title 44 authority for the Governor and the Title 32 authority for the Health Commissioner • Establishes clear standards and requirements before the infringement of fundamental rights and substantial regulation of churches and business requiring 1) such rules or orders to be necessary and compelling, 2) to find that there are no reasonable alternatives and 3) to require rules or orders to be narrowly tailored. • Reduces the threats of criminal penalties for citizen actions so that the Governor and Health Commissioner cannot threaten citizens with a year in jail. • Limits the time for the operation of emergency rules or orders to make sure the legislature acts on such issues. • Provides for judicial review and the right of citizen review
HB2337 - Sports facilities; automated external defibrillator required.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
The attached letter voices support and urges the Committee to pass HB 2337.
I believe the passing of this bill is very important. I am a military wife who works as an OT in the outpatient setting and see OTs, PTs and SLPs moving all the time. Having to go to the process of licensure is long and tedious, delays care to patients as you await licensure and is an extra financial burden. Many military wives even choose not to work due to increases prices and decreased pay as it is, so this extra hurdle impacts the ability for people to get a new job. Across the board, licensed professionals are in shortage in many clinics that I work in and know of. This bill will help to keep therapists in jobs they love and give the flexibility to move without unnecessary paperwork and payments for licensure in new states. Thank you for your time!
HB2489 - Responsible Fatherhood Initiative; fatherhood needs assessment, etc.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
After 7 am meeting, then this one. HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
HB1689 - Patient visitation; request visitation from clergy members during declared public health emergency.
HB 2276 Immunization; immunization of children against COVID-19 Informed consent is the basis of medical ethics. Parents should make decisions regarding the health and wellbeing of their children. COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission so there is no justification for requiring these vaccines as a requirement for school attendance. This bill specifies that parents shall not be required to immunize their children against COVID-19 in the same manner current Virginia law allows them to determine whether to give them the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine. In 2020, when the legislature considered and passed HB 1090, which dealt with the manner in which future childhood vaccines would be considered, legislators and their experts confirmed the legislature’s support for keeping parents in charge of their child’s vaccination schedule. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Health proposed a regulation requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. More than 15,000 Virginians commented on the regulation, with overwhelming opposition (93%) to mandating the shot. Medical professionals around the world are in agreement that there is no scientific rationale for continuing any COVID-19 mandates in 2023 and beyond. HB 2280 Parental consent to surgical and medical treatment of certain minors This bill requires parents and guardians to consent to medical interventions concerning their children, including vaccination. It is important to amend current law to make it clear that parents are in control and make medical decisions for their children. Several cities have attempted to pass orders and laws that allow children as young as 11 years of age to consent to vaccination without parental knowledge! Please do not let this happen in Virginia. Please support this bill to send a clear message that in Virginia, parents are in control and they decide what medical interventions their children receive.
After 7 am meeting, then this one. HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
HB 1689 - Please move to report. No one should die without benefit of spiritual help. *HB 1864 - No person should be required to input into their bodies something they don't want there, just to keep their job. We're not North Korea. *HB 1889 - Data shows that they are not at great risk of disease. HB 2057 - Why should people who have worked and paid thousands of dollars for decades, by denied Social Security because those who violated the law came here? Why shouldn't we put infrastructure and improve schools for African American communities FIRST BEFORE any others? Why do they deserve any thing before our veterans? Please PBI this bill. HB 2160 - In honor of those who lost family/friends & weren't allowed to see them at the end, please move to report. HB 2276 - The data is clear: children are not at risk of death from COVID. HB 2293 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/comparingdifferentinternationalmeasuresofexcessmortality/2022-12-20 Sweden and Norway were essentially tied for the lowest “[p]roportional all-cause excess-mortality scores” (which “measure[] the percentage change in the number of deaths compared to the expected number of deaths (based on the five-year average [from 2015 to 2019])” among the listed European countries, looking at data from Jan. 2020 to June 2022: Their excess mortality was up 2.7%, compared to, say, 5.2% for Denmark, 7.1% for Finland, and 11.8% for the Netherlands. They had the lowest all causes death rate since COVID arrived and didn't do these long, lengthy lockdowns. Sweden had lower rate avg. excess death percentages: https://reason.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ERGExcessMortality.xlsx https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/covid-19-update-still-lots-of-idle-hospital-capacity/ noted on 4/25/2000 Roanoke Valley had 80 cases, 6 hospitalizations and 0 deaths compared to Arlington with 764 cases, 137 hospitalizations, 29 deaths. Elective surgery was banned in both, although the whole of Roanoke Valley had 0 deaths. HB2489 - Please move to report so that men can be given the support to become strong fathers.
In May 2020, I was admitted to the ER for kidney stones. Due to the pandemic, my husband was not allowed to be with me. During the ER stay, I was given an overdose of Fentanyl and was revived with NARCAN. The following day, I was transferred to a hospital for surgery to remove the stones as they were blocking my kidney and another was lodged in my urethra. I am a Roman Catholic. I was slated to undergo surgery with full anesthesia to remove the stones. As such, I am entitled under Canon Law to receive the Anointing of the Sick. The Anointing of the Sick is not intended solely for those "at the brink" of death or with "one foot in the grave," but is instead a Healing Sacrament, intended to not just prepare the Faithful for death but to petition God for Healing if that is His Will. I asked the hospital to contact a local priest to attend to my spiritual needs. The "chaplain" (a woman named Deb) informed me that "no priest will come for you." She stated that since I was not actively dying as a priest would not come due to COVID-19. I asked if this was hospital policy. She said yes and that even if it wasn't, "no priest will come for you." (not true). I argued with her for nearly an hour, in severe pain (taking morphine), and finally, she agreed that if I could find a priest they would allow me to go to the lobby. I did have a priest. He did come. He had to wait in the lobby while I was disconnected from machines, wrapped in blankets, and wheeled into the lobby, still in severe pain. He performed the Anointing and the Sacrament was completed. It was a risk to wheel me into a lobby instead of allowing Father to come to me. It was later discovered that I had the beginning of sepsis and was, in fact, in mortal danger. Had the "chaplain" had her way, I could have died having been denied my final Sacrament. In attempting to contact a Priest, my husband had received feedback from one Pastor that "the hospital would not let them in." It was only a Priest that I had a years-long working relationship with that was willing to take the risk of the hospital denying him entry. I am available for further elaboration and comment if desired.
To deny people access to their faith leaders during the last moments of their life is cruel and inhumane treatment. Faith leaders are perfectly capable of taking the same precautions as the medical staff caring for the patient and medical facilities and the state health department should not be allowed to interfere in the free exercise of religion. For people of faith having their rabbi, shamen, priest, or pastor be able to visit them is as important, if not more so, than the care they are receiving from medical staff. The moment a doctor or nurse is allowed in the room with the patient then there is no justification for interfering in the religious practices of the sick and dying by banning faith leaders from the room and the code of law in VA should make this clear so that there is no question on this should another health pandemic or other health emergency come to VA. Please bring this bill to a vote in committee and then to the full House of Delegates so that it can become law and make it clear how in thesensituations, the rights of the people in VA will be protected and respected.
This bill needs to be brought up for a vote before both the House and the Senate. It was absolutely outrageous how people's most basic religious rights were completely destroyed during the Covid madness imposed upon Virginia. This can NEVER happen again. And legislators need to go on the record regarding this issue--which means a roll-call vote. Make it happen.