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D A Y C A R E
Changing the law to make day-care available to children with a religious exemption HB 465
ON Friday, February 23rd, 2007 - HB465 was passed by the House Education Committee by a 8 to 7 vote. On Tuesday, February 27th at about 10:30 AM HB465 was defeated in the House of Representatives by a 52 against and 48 for vote. To see how your legislator voted, Click Here. Reference: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2007/Votes/h044007.txt News from Helenair.com House rejects expanding religious vaccine exemptions Below is now the history of HB465, formerly LC1951. Rubutals to arguments against HB465 January 2007: Several groups and individuals are cooperating in an effort to get Montana law changed so that children with a religious exemption can attend day-care. On January 25th, our draft was posted as follows: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2007/billhtml/HB0465.htm or if you want a PDF file with line numbers: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2007/billpdf/HB0465.pdf Keep in mind that when the bill goes to committee and public input is accepted that the language is likely to change.
H E L P Last Minute Help to get HB465 through Committee.
Action Alert Time is of the essence! Please help in our efforts to pass HB465 – allowing for religious exemption from vaccination in Montana day cares/preschools. Even if you have already sent a letter of support or hardship, now is another push. The Education Committee had a hearing last Friday and will take a final vote to pass it along to the full House this coming Monday, Feb. 19th. We are asking for a final push from you to make a phone call. PLEASE make your call today, FRIDAY Feb. 16th or MONDAY before noon! What we need from you now is a simple phone call to the Legislative Hot Line. It’s EASY and takes 2 minutes of your time. Here’s how to do it and what to say: Call 406-444-4800 Tell the operator you want to ask a committee to vote a certain way. She’ll ask you your name and address and if you’ve called in previously for this bill Committee is the HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE The Bill is HB465 Vote FOR it THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE for this session – THANKS for your help. Feel free to pass this along to any and all activists in your life! H E L P [Legislator letter] If time and desire permit, please write to your local State Senator and State Representative stating you support a change in state law to allow unvaccinated children in day care with the religious exemption. If you have experienced a financial hardship due to the lack of day-care being available to your children, please state that in your letter. [more_info] If you do not have time to write your own letter or simply want a suggestion see our sample below: If you want to attend the hearing, give me your email address and/or phone number and we will try to give you a heads up in time for you to attend. We do not know how much advance notice we will be given for the hearing. Contact info Tracking the Bill Short Title: Revise medical and religious exemptions for immunization Click here for Montana Legislature Detailed Bill Information for LC1951 (HB 465) Letters to Legislators
If you are willing to write a letter of support to your local Montana State Senators or Representatives, their addresses
are here:
Map to click which will give you the names of your Representative and Sentator for your district.
Also their home addresses.At this time of year, it is probably best to write your legislators directly in Helena. The Proper Address On the envelope: Senator ________________ Montana Senate State Capitol PO Box 200500 Helena, MT 59620-0500 Rep.________________ Montana House of Representatives State Capitol PO Box 200400 Helena, MT 59620-0400 For the inside address: Inside the letter: The Honorable ____________ Senate Chambers (or House of Representatives) State Capitol Helena, MT 59620 For the salutation: Dear Senator Dear Representative Suggested Language for letter: Dear Reference: HB 465 Revise medical and religious exemptions for immunization Soon HB 465 will come up for vote. Please support this bill which is very much needed to give financial relief to parents who chose to not vaccinate their child in accord with their deeply held religious beliefs. By making this choice, their child is not eligible to be placed in a day care facility. This is ironic, given that children too young to be vaccinated can attend day care. Children with a medical exemption may attend day care in all 50 states. But in Montana and only a few other states (1 or 2) are children with a religious exemption to vaccination denied the right to attend day care. The full text of the current draft is posted at: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2007/billhtml/HB0465.htm
Thank you very much for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely yours; Contact
Questions: email duffel@blackfoot.netN E W S
27 February 2007source: http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/ House rejects expanding religious vaccine exemptions By SARAH COOKE Associated Press Writer HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The House killed a bill Tuesday that would have allowed children who aren't vaccinated for religious reasons to attend a state-funded preschool or day care center. Parents can obtain a medical exemption for immunizations and still send their children to such facilities, but they can't be exempt because of their religious beliefs, bill sponsor Rep. Rick Jore, C-Ronan, said. Public schools allow religious immunization exemptions, said Jore, who urged lawmakers to make state policy consistent and stop discrimination against those families. "The issue here is not an issue of whether we support or do not support vaccinations, in my view it's an issue of equal protection of the law," he said. Opponents, however, said the bill would unfairly expose infants and young children not yet finished with their vaccinations to possibly life-threatening diseases. The measure died on a 52-48 vote. "I'm concerned about the little babies and little children who can't protect themselves," said Rep. Bill Jones, R-Bigfork. "They're at risk." Ninety-five percent of Montana parents currently vaccinate their children, according to the Montana Public Health Association. |