Help Protect Medical Privacy In California!

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California legislators are advancing a bad bill that would amend current law governing the California Immunization Registry (CAIR).

This terrible bill is moving fast and will be heard in committee, Thursday, August 11^th.  Now is the time to put pressure on!

A.B. 1797 would require health care providers and other agencies to disclose all immunization information to a state database, would add the patient’s race or ethnicity to the list of information being disclosed, and authorize schools, childcare facilities, family childcare homes, and county human services agencies to use the specified immunization information, in the event of a public health emergency, to perform immunization status assessments of pupils, adults, and clients.

Help us say NO to the expansion of tracking of individuals’ private and personal vaccination information today!

TAKE ACTION

1. Contact members of the Senate Appropriations Committee TODAY by both phone and email (especially if your Senator is on the committee) and ask them to OPPOSE A.B. 1797.

              Senator Anthony J. Portantino (Chair): 916-651-4025

Senator Patricia C. Bates (Vice Chair): 916-651-4036

Senator Steven Bradford: 916-651-4035

Senator Brian W. Jones: 916-651-4038

Senator Sydney Kamlager: 916-651-4030

Senator John Laird: 916-651-4017

Senator Bob Wieckowski: 916-651-4410

Emails (copy and paste into the “to” field of your email program)

senator.portantino@senate.ca.gov, senator.bates@senate.ca.gov, senator.bradford@senate.ca.gov, senator.jones@senate.ca.gov, senator.kamlager@senate.ca.gov, senator.laird@senate.ca.gov, senator.wieckowski@senate.ca.gov

• Contact your state Senate Members and ask them to OPPOSE A.B. 1797.  You can look up who represents you at: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov

Calls are more effective than emails, and only take a few minutes.

Sample script:

“Hi, my name is ____ and I am a constituent.  I am calling to ask Senate Member ____ to OPPOSE A.B. 1797, which would expand vaccine tracking.  This unnecessary bill claims to make enhancements to the California Immunization Registry, but what it really does is create significant privacy issues, which circumvent federal privacy laws for doctors and schools.  For example, current laws do not allow schools to verify students’ COVID-19 vaccination status, yet this legislation would add the vaccine to the registry for all to see.

The stated intention of this bill is to keep schools safe and open by tracking COVID-19 vaccination status, yet there is no state requirement for students to be vaccinated for COVID-19.  

Schools and other entities would have access to all vaccine records, rather than just those of their students/patients or the particular vaccines required for school.

We must protect the medical privacy of Californians.  Currently, the only option for patients is to refuse to allow their personal medical information to be shared.  Any state vaccine information system should be strictly an opt in system.  No private medical information should be shared without the express written permission of the patient or parent/guardian of the patient.

I urge Senator _____ to oppose A.B. 1797, which would expand vaccine tracking.”

Talking Points:

Keep your call or email short!  Pick the 2 or 3 talking points that are most important to you, and be sure to explain why this issue matters to you personally.

1. The CAIR2 database should be an opt-in system, not an opt-out system.  All personal medical information should only be stored and shared with the express written permission of the patient or parent/guardian.

• The risk of violating patient privacy is significant.  Take for example the fact that in 2018, the California Department of Developmental Services notified 582,174 patients that their protected health information had potentially been compromised.  The California Constitution gives each citizen the “inalienable right” to pursue and obtain “privacy.”

• Supporters of vaccine tracking systems claim they are a way to protect patients by guaranteeing patients don’t receive multiple doses of the same vaccinations by different providers.  According to CDC’s own statements, though, it’s clear that a key purpose of these registries is to create pressure on people who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.  CDC openly stated that vaccine registries are a tool to identify areas of “undervaccination” so they can be “addressed” and brought into “compliance.” https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6133a2.htm

• Using Immunization Information Systems in general costs states millions of dollars.  The money spent on expanding California’s vaccine tracking system should be spent on measures that better address public health.

Read the bill here: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1797

News article about A.B. 1797:

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/education/story/2022-02-04/san-diego-leaders-educators-unveil-new-legislation-to-update-vaccination-registry

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