National Vaccine Information Center

Vaccine choice advocacy program state activities the web-based nvic advocacy portal and website created in 2010 maintains accurate, real time information on proposed state and federal vaccine legislation; provides analysis, talking points and recommendations; and connects registered users electronically with their own legislators to help them actively participate in the law making process, a right guaranteed under the u.s. Constitution. Proposed vaccine-related state and federal bills are designated by nvic as "bills to watch" on the portal if the bills align with nvic's mission or of they pose a threat to informed, voluntary vaccine decision making. Active monitoring of proposed vaccine-related bills ensures the publishing of accurate bill information and action alerts. Over the past 14 years, nvic has analyzed, tracked, and issued positions on over 4,000 vaccine-related bills. For this reporting period, nvic supported 624 vaccine-related bills across 43 states, supporting 390 vaccine related bills and opposing 163 bills. 2024 marks the third consecutive year that nvic supported more vaccine- related bills than were opposed. No state legislature passed bills in 2024 legislative sessions with covid-19 shot mandates or mandates for any other vaccine and no state eliminated vaccine exemptions. Idaho and kansas passed legislation prohibiting the vaccination of children without parental consent. No state legislature passed bills giving minors the legal authority to consent without the knowledge or consent of their parents. Consumer advocacy and representation federal vaccine advisory committees since 1988, nvic has provided consumer representatives to serve on federal vaccine advisory committees and federal and state public engagement projects, and nvic staff monitors and provides public comment and reports on vaccine development, regulation, policymaking and promotion activities of the department of health and human services. This includes monitoring and reporting on the actions taken by the fda vaccines and related biological products advisory committee (vrbpac); cdc advisory committee on immunization practices (acip); national vaccine advisory committee (nvac); and advisory commission on childhood vaccines (accv). - advisory commission on childhood vaccines (accv) - this federal advisory committee was created by congress in the national childhood vaccine injury act of 1986 to provide oversight on the operation of the federal vaccine injury compensation program (vicp). During fye 2024, nvic staff monitored and reported on the meetings of the accv and provided oral public comments at the september 2023 and march 2024 accv meetings, which are available on nvic.org. - centers for disease control advisory committee on immunization practices (acip) - this federal vaccine advisory committee makes universal use vaccine recommendations for children and adults in the u.s. During fye 2024, nvic staff and volunteers monitored and reported on acip meetings. - national vaccine advisory committee (nvac) - this committee was created by congress in the national childhood vaccine injury act of 1986 to provide oversight on the us vaccination program and is under the administration of the office of the assistant secretary of health, department of health and human services. During fye 2024, nvic staff and volunteers monitored and reported on nvac activities and provided two public comments, which are available on nvic.org. - vaccines & related biological products advisory committee (vrbpac) - the vrbpac is a federal advisory committee that makes recommendations to the u.s. Food and drug administration (fda) on the licensure or emergency use authorization of vaccines based on review and evaluation of vaccine safety and efficacy data by vrbpac members. During fye 2024, nvic staff and volunteers monitored and reported on vrbpac meetings. Federal public comment on direct to consumer advertising. During fye 2024, nvic staff submitted written public comment to dhhs regarding the need for the fda direct to consumer advertising and labeling metrics to apply to vaccines.

Counseling and community support service since 1982, staff has provided information about vaccination and infectious diseases to members of the public contacting nvic, as well as operated a vaccine reaction registry and provided free one-on-one counseling and informational support for those reporting vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths upon request. This year, many of the inquiries to nvic were made by phone, email or letter and were asking for information about how to: - identify a vaccine reaction; - report a vaccine reaction to the federal government; - file for federal vaccine injury compensation; - find information about state vaccine laws; - ask doctors questions when making a vaccine decision.; and - learn more about options to counter coercion and respond to sanctions for attempting to exercise voluntary, informed consent to vaccination. During fye 2024, nvic's counseling program responded to several hundred calls and nearly 1,000 email requests for information on vaccines and diseases and from people reporting vaccine reactions or in need of one-on- one support regarding application of coercion or punitive sanctions in a doctor's office, place of employment or other venue for declining use one or more government recommended vaccines.

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