Wisconsin legislators are considering two good bills regarding vaccine mandates.

AB 229 and SB 228 would prohibit the Department of Health Services (DHS) from mandating new vaccines and add an exemption for school varicella vaccine mandates based on prior infection.

Specifically, these bills would prohibit DHS from: 

1)  Requiring immunization against any disease, including meningitis, under the program that was not specified by rule prior to January 1, 2023,

2)  or including varicella in its definition of what constitutes a substantial outbreak of a disease. 

These bills also require DHS to allow an exemption from the varicella vaccine requirement if a parent or adult student reports that the student has a history of chickenpox disease. 

The effect of these bills is to freeze the current schedule and eliminate the ability of DHS to mandate future vaccines.  This would leave mandates for any future vaccines to the legislature. 

WAPF is opposed to vaccine mandates and these bills would prevent any new vaccine mandates by agency rule.

The introduction of these bills is good news but we need you, the constituents, to speak up and make your voices heard! 

TAKE ACTION

1. Contact your Assembly Member and urge him/her to SUPPORT AB 229.

• Contact your State Senator and urge him/her to SUPPORT SB 228.

You can look up who represents you at: https://www.lwm-info.org/153/Wisconsin-State-Legislators-Contact-Info

Calls are more effective than emails and only take a few minutes.  Below is a Sample Script, and there are additional Talking Points.  Use your own words when you call or email a personal message is always more effective than a form message!

SAMPLE SCRIPT

My name is ____, and I live in (town.)  I am calling Assembly Member/Senator ___ to support an important bill.

Wisconsin law already recognizes that peoples personal beliefs should be respected when it comes to vaccination, but many parents are unaware that they can decline vaccines and still have their children attend school or daycare.

AB 229 (or SB 228 for Senators), would eliminate the Department of Health Services ability to add more vaccines to the already large list of vaccine requirements, thus leaving future mandates to the state legislature for a vote.

DHS should not have unlimited power to add more and more vaccines to the immunization program by unchecked administrative rule.

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