Bill Summary
The "Protecting Our Children from the CDC Act" is a proposed amendment to the Public Health Service Act aimed at regulating the inclusion of COVID-19 vaccines in the child and adolescent immunization schedule. The key provisions of this legislation require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publicly post all clinical data regarding the safety and efficacy of any COVID-19 vaccine on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website before such a vaccine can be added to the immunization schedule for children and adolescents. This data must be de-identified to protect individual privacy.
Additionally, any COVID-19 vaccine currently on the immunization schedule at the time of the enactment of this act would be removed. The Secretary is mandated to take necessary actions to enforce this removal, although the Secretary retains the authority to later reinstate the vaccine to the schedule, provided that the requirements of the new legislation are met.
Overall, the legislation emphasizes transparency and public access to safety and efficacy data before any COVID-19 vaccination can be administered to younger populations.
Possible Impacts
The proposed legislation outlined in the bill could affect people in several significant ways:
1. **Impact on Immunization Access for Children**: If the legislation prohibits the inclusion of COVID-19 vaccines on the child and adolescent immunization schedule until all clinical data is publicly posted, it could delay or limit access to these vaccines for children. Parents who wish to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 may find it challenging to do so if the vaccines are not officially recognized on the immunization schedule, potentially leaving children vulnerable to the virus.
2. **Public Trust and Vaccine Hesitancy**: By requiring the posting of all clinical data relating to the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines before they can be included in the immunization schedule, the legislation could either bolster public trust in vaccines—if the data supports their safety and effectiveness—or exacerbate vaccine hesitancy. If the data reveals concerns about safety or efficacy, it could lead to increased public skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines in general.
3. **Administrative and Regulatory Burdens**: The requirement for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to post comprehensive clinical data could impose additional administrative and regulatory burdens on the Department of Health and Human Services and associated agencies. This may lead to delays in the vaccination process, as agencies would need to ensure that all data is collected, reviewed, and made available before any vaccine can be considered for inclusion on the immunization schedule. Such delays could hinder public health efforts to control COVID-19, especially in pediatric populations.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 87 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 87
To amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of
Health and Human Services from placing any vaccine for COVID-19 on the
child and adolescent immunization schedule unless the Secretary has
posted on the public website of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention all clinical data in the possession of the Department of
Health and Human Services relating to the safety and efficacy of such
vaccine, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 2025
Mr. Biggs of Arizona introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of
Health and Human Services from placing any vaccine for COVID-19 on the
child and adolescent immunization schedule unless the Secretary has
posted on the public website of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention all clinical data in the possession of the Department of
Health and Human Services relating to the safety and efficacy of such
vaccine, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Our Children from the CDC
Act''.
SEC. 2. POSTING OF ALL CLINICAL DATA FOR COVID-19 VACCINES BEFORE
PLACEMENT ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT SCHEDULE.
Part C of subtitle 2 of title XXI of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 300aa-25 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 2129. POSTING OF ALL CLINICAL DATA FOR COVID-19 VACCINES BEFORE
PLACEMENT ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT SCHEDULE.
``(a) No Inclusion of COVID Vaccines.--The Secretary, and any
official, agency, or office of the Department of Health and Human
Services (including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices), shall not include
any vaccine for COVID-19 on the child and adolescent immunization
schedule unless the Secretary has posted on the public website of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all clinical data in the
possession of the Department of Health and Human Services (including
the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices) relating to the
safety and efficacy (including any adverse effects) of such vaccine.
All such data posted under this subsection shall be deidentified to
protect all individually identifiable health information, and
information with respect to the agency and sponsor personnel of the
data involved.
``(b) Vaccines Already on Schedule as of Enactment.--
``(1) Removal.--Any vaccine for COVID-19 that is included
on the child and adolescent immunization schedule as of the
date of enactment of this section is hereby deemed to be
removed from such schedule.
``(2) Administrative action.--The Secretary shall take such
actions as may be necessary to effectuate the removal of a
vaccine from the child and adolescent immunization schedule by
operation of paragraph (1).
``(3) Rule of construction.--The removal of a vaccine from
the child and adolescent immunization schedule by operation of
paragraph (1) shall not be construed to affect the authority of
the Secretary (or other officials, agencies, or offices) to
place such vaccine back on such schedule so long as such
placement is in accordance with subsection (a) and other
applicable provisions of law.
``(c) Definition.--In this section, the term `child and adolescent
immunization schedule' means the child and adolescent immunization
schedule of the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (or any
successor schedule).''.
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