Flu Bill S2984 Posted for a Senate Vote on January 9th

URGENTCall and e-mail your Senator and ask them to vote NO on this legislation.  This is the final step before it hits the Governor’s desk for his signature. 

Please call and e-mail your Senator ASAP.  Contact them today (Friday) as well as Monday.   Senators e-mail address are sen(last name)@njleg.org.  Calls are important because e-mails are often checked by staff members and messages may not get to Senators in a timely fashion.  You can find Senator contact info. at  http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp

This bill S2984, is identical to A3920.    Ask them to vote NO on A3920/S2984.  We can’t afford any more expenses in NJ.  This bill could be a hardship for some facilities that may not have the staff and space to provide this shot.  Health Care facilities can already provide this for their workers it doesn’t need to be required.

This bill will require health care facilities to “offer” influenza vaccine to health care workers and “track” those who have received the vaccine and those who refuse the vaccine. This opens the door for vaccine mandates for adults. Records will be maintained regarding who has received this vaccine and who has declined it. 

  • This bill is a waste of health care dollars – NJ can’t afford this cost
  • Health Care workers already have access to the flu vaccine, we don’t need this bill.
  • The bill language follows ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommendations which can change and result in adult vaccine mandates, etc.
  • This bill promotes the spread of the flu virus (flu mist is a live virus vaccine that causes the flu)
  • Reports have shown the flu vaccine to be ineffective (Cochran review 2011 http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab005187.html)

A3920 Requires health care facilities to offer influenza vaccination to their health care workers.
2nd Reading in the Senate

Identical Bill Number: S2984   

Conaway, Herb, Jr.   as Primary Sponsor
Conners, Jack   as Primary Sponsor
Ramos, Ruben J., Jr.   as Primary Sponsor
Wagner, Connie   as Co-Sponsor
Benson, Daniel R.   as Co-Sponsor
Chivukula, Upendra J.   as Co-Sponsor
                    
________________________________________
5/5/2011 Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee
5/19/2011 Reported out of Assembly Comm. with Amendments, 2nd Reading
12/5/2011 Assembly Floor Amendment Passed (Conaway)
12/15/2011 Passed by the Assembly (55-13-2)
12/15/2011 Received in the Senate without Reference, 2nd Reading

Introduced – 4 pages PDF Format    HTML Format
Statement – AHE 5/19/11 – 2 pages PDF Format    HTML Format
Reprint – 3 pages PDF Format    HTML Format
Floor Statement – Assembly 12/5/11 1R – 1 pages PDF Format    HTML Format
Reprint – 3 pages PDF Format    HTML Format
________________________________________
Committee Voting:
AHE  5/19/2011  –  r/Aca  –  Yes {10}  No {0}  Not Voting {1}  Abstains {0}  – 
Roll Call
    
Conaway, Herb, Jr. (C) – Yes   
Wagner, Connie (V) – Yes   
Angelini, Mary Pat – Yes
Benson, Daniel R. – Yes   
Green, Jerry – Yes   
Handlin, Amy H. – Yes
Munoz, Nancy F. – Yes   
Polistina, Vincent J. – Yes   
Quigley, Joan M. – Not Voting
Riley, Celeste M. – Yes   
Tucker, Cleopatra G. – Yes   

Session Voting:
Asm.  12/15/2011  –  3RDG FINAL PASSAGE   –  Yes {55}  No {13}  Not Voting {9}  Abstains {2}  – 

Roll Call
    
Albano, Nelson T. – Yes   
Amodeo, John F. – Yes   
Angelini, Mary Pat – Yes
Barnes, Peter J., III – Yes   
Benson, Daniel R. – Yes   
Bramnick, Jon M. – Yes
Bucco, Anthony M. – No   
Burzichelli, John J. – Yes   
Caputo, Ralph R. – Yes
Carroll, Michael Patrick – Yes   
Casagrande, Caroline – Yes   
Chiusano, Gary R. – No
Chivukula, Upendra J. – Yes   
Ciattarelli, Jack M. – Yes   
Conaway, Herb, Jr. – Yes
Coughlin, Craig J. – Yes   
Coutinho, Albert – Yes   
Coyle, Denise M. – Not Voting
Cryan, Joseph – Yes   
Dancer, Ronald S. – No   
DeAngelo, Wayne P. – Yes
DeCroce, Alex – No   
DiCicco, Domenick, Jr. – Not Voting   
DiMaio, John – No
Diegnan, Patrick J., Jr. – Yes   
Egan, Joseph V. – Yes   
Evans, Elease – Yes
Fuentes, Angel – Yes   
Giblin, Thomas P. – Not Voting   
Gove, DiAnne C. – No
Green, Jerry – Yes   
Greenwald, Louis D. – Yes   
Gusciora, Reed – Not Voting
Handlin, Amy H. – Not Voting   
Holzapfel, James W. – Not Voting   
Jasey, Mila M. – Yes
Johnson, Gordon M. – Yes   
Lampitt, Pamela R. – Yes   
Mainor, Charles – Yes
Malone, Joseph R., III – No   
McHose, Alison Littell – No   
McKeon, John F. – Yes
Milam, Matthew W. – Yes   
Moriarty, Paul D. – Not Voting   
Munoz, Nancy F. – Yes
Nardello, Gerry – Yes   
O’Donnell, Jason – Yes   
O’Scanlon, Declan J., Jr. – Yes
Oliver, Sheila Y. – Yes   
Peterson, Erik – No   
Polistina, Vincent J. – Yes
Pou, Nellie – Yes   
Prieto, Vincent – Yes   
Quigley, Joan M. – Yes
Quijano, Annette – Yes   
Ramos, Ruben J., Jr. – Yes   
Rible, David P. – Abstain
Riley, Celeste M. – Yes   
Rudder, Scott – Not Voting   
Rumana, Scott T. – Abstain
Rumpf, Brian E. – No   
Russo, David C. – Yes   
Ryan, Kevin J. – Yes
Schaer, Gary S. – Yes   
Schroeder, Robert – No   
Singleton, Troy – Yes
Spencer, L. Grace – Yes   
Stender, Linda – Not Voting   
Thompson, Samuel D. – Yes
Tucker, Cleopatra G. – Yes   
Vainieri Huttle, Valerie – Yes   
Vandervalk, Charlotte – No
Voss, Joan M. – Yes   
Wagner, Connie – Yes   
Watson Coleman, Bonnie – Yes
Webber, Jay – Yes   
Wilson, Gilbert L. – Yes   
Wisniewski, John S. – Yes
Wolfe, David W. – No