SB 866 Take Action

2022 Legislation

Take Action on SB 866

SB 866 Minors: vaccine consent. (Wiener) would authorize a minor 12 years of age or older to consent to vaccines.

CURRENT STATUS: SB 866 passed on the Senate Floor on May 12, 2022. In the Assembly, it passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee, was amended on the floor, and is now awaiting a floor vote. Because it was amended, it must go back to the Senate floor for concurrence before going on to the Governor's desk.

ACTION ALERT august 17, 2022

SB 866 is still awaiting a floor vote in the Assembly which must happen in the next few weeks.

Call your Assemblymember's capitol and district offices or Email them

Find your State Assemblymember here which will provide a link to their website where you can find phone numbers and other contact info.

Sample Call Script: "I am calling to ask the member to vote no or abstain on SB 866, as amended, which would allow minors to consent to vaccinations. This bill threatens family rights and endangers children. Parents have the greatest vested interest in protecting the health and well-being of their children and should remain decision makers when it comes to their health."

Join our Twitter Campaign

Find all the info you need here: SB866 Counter-Attack Twitter Campaign

Follow us on Twitter so that you can retweet and amplify our campaign: https://twitter.com/CHCAdvocacy

Step 1. Set Up Meeting

Contact the district office and request meeting. If you do not know who your state representatives are, go to FindYourRep.Legislature.CA.Gov.

If asked what the meeting is about, feel free to state a general concern such as education, health, or the pandemic.

Do not be discouraged if you are offered a meeting with a staffer rather than your legislator, or if it is on zoom vs. in person. Staffers play an important role in the legislative process.

Step 2. Get to Know your Legislator

Read your representatives' bio on their website. What are their interests? What bills have they authored in the past? How have they voted on issues you care about?

Find a common interest in order to establish relatability.

Step 3. Prepare Documents to Take to Meeting

Create your own one page document with the top three concerns you have. Bullet points are helpful as legislators and staffers are dealing with hundreds of bills.

Also, share our "Six Questions and Serious Concerns about SB-866: Teens Choose Vaccines Act" which is signed on by over 20 organizations (see below). This is a powerful tool to point out the deficiencies of the bill.

Step 4. Dress and Act Professionally

When meeting with legislators and staffers, the goal is to build positive relationships. This is easy to do if expressing views in polite and respectful ways.

Representatives and their staff are just ordinary people that are generally very personable and friendly.

For a more in depth training on the legislative process and meeting with legislators, watch this video.

TaKe Action 2:
Submit Your Opposition Letter to Policy Committees

Make sure that your position on this bill is heard and put on record by submitting you comments to the California Legislature Position Letter Portal. (Watch Video Tutorial)

Comments will be shared with the appropriate policy committee members hearing the bill.

Sample Comment:

"I oppose SB 866, which would allow minors to consent to vaccinations. This bill threatens family rights and endangers children. Parents have the greatest vested interest in protecting the health and well-being of their children and should remain decision makers when it comes to their health.”

You might add a personal experience or talking points outlined below.

CHCA Letter Opposing SB 866

Specific Ask: Oppose SB 866 or abstain from voting on the bill.

Main Talking Points

The bill would infringe on the sacred parent-child relationship. Neither the state nor medical personnel can replace the guidance and interests of parents.
Teens lack the necessary maturity to make sound medical decisions and are generally more vulnerable to coercion than adults
This legislation does not protect children in their need for information that is extensive enough and age appropriate so that they can make a choice regarding the actual medical short and long term risks vs. benefits of vaccination.
If parents are not aware that their child has recently received a vaccine, their ability to properly monitor that child for any side effects is hampered and may cause a delay in timely treatment.