HB357

I don't want to restrict access to vaccines at all. This bill restricts access to vaccines by removing certain vaccines from the vaccine schedule in 2026.

Come on, guys. The vast, vast majority of people are grateful for access to vaccines. Stop weakening public health policy, it's insane.

Please stop trying to legislate medical care. This bill would take away the health Commissioner's ability to adopt rules around immunization as needed. Let the doctors do their thing, please, and oppose this bill

please do not make chicken pox great again.

Let's keep our access to life-saving vaccines robust, especially in this era of rampant disease outbreaks.

As a pediatrician and resident of Chichester, I strongly oppose New Hampshire HB 537, which would strip the commissioner of health and human services of the authority to add required childhood immunizations and remove Hib, Hepatitis B, and varicella from the required vaccine list in 2026. This bill undermines public health by limiting the ability to respond to emerging disease threats and weakening protections against serious childhood illnesses. Hib, Hepatitis B, and varicella vaccines prevent severe complications, including meningitis, liver disease, and shingles. Their removal will increase preventable disease outbreaks, putting children and communities at risk. New Hampshire has a history of strong, science-based public health policies. I urge you to reject HB 537 and uphold evidence-based immunization protections for our children.

HB 357 is dangerous to public health. Verifiable scientific research demonstrates the efficacy of immunization as a means to protect public health. HB 357 encourages all of us to unsee what science has demonstrated to us and to unnecessarily risk lives when we could protect them. Please vote against this bill.

I oppose limiting access to vaccines. This is an abomination, setting us back decades.

Vaccines keep all of us healthy. Please vote no on HB357

Dear Members of the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee, My name is [Your Name], and I am writing as a mother and a concerned citizen of New Hampshire to strongly oppose HB 357. This bill would limit the ability of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to require vaccines beyond those explicitly listed in state law, undermining efforts to keep our children and communities safe from preventable diseases. As a parent, I want to ensure that my child and all children in New Hampshire are protected from serious illnesses. Medical science has made incredible advancements in preventing the spread of infectious diseases, and we should trust our public health experts to make evidence-based decisions about which vaccines are necessary—not tie their hands with restrictive legislation. HB 357 removes flexibility in responding to emerging health threats and could lead to lower immunization rates, putting vulnerable populations—such as infants, immunocompromised individuals, and elderly community members—at greater risk. We should be strengthening public health protections, not weakening them. I urge you to vote NO on HB 357 and stand up for the health and well-being of New Hampshire’s children and families. Sincerely, Melissa Wilson Exeter, NH

OPPOSE HB357 Why would there ever be a desire to limit any access to life-saving vaccines?? Everyone benefits from widespread community immunity to disease thanks to vaccines. DO NOT limit our State Health Commissioner's access to new vaccines. Robin Helrich Hopkinton

It is short sighted and a danger to public health to limit vaccine access.

This bill wrongly expects that no new childhood diseases, or diseases that affect children, will ever happen. If you have children in real life, you know that there's no such thing as ONE sick child. Immunizations work. There's no need for NH legislators to get in the way of mothers taking care of their children.

This bill limits childhood immunization requirements to diseases identified in statute. The bill removes the authority of the commissioner of health and human services to adopt rules requiring immunization for additional childhood diseases.

Vaccinations save the lives of those vaccinated and those who cannot receive or respond to them. We need medical and scientific professionals not professional politicians to make those decisions. As a retired pediatrician who has lived through times when many of the now accepted vaccines were not available, I have seen the heartbreak of illness and death that these diseases can cause. I would be very happy to discuss with anyone why I believe so strongly. I met MANY families who were reluctant to proceed with vaccination for their children. Discussing the diseases as well as the risk/ benefits of vaccination helped most all of these families to start vaccinating their children. It was one of the most important services I provided in 40 years of practicing pediatrics. It is conversation that helps vaccination. Leave that to the professionals who understand the nuances. Allow the public health doctors to help provide what is best for our communities.

I oppose this bill: The department of health and human services should be able to respond quickly to growing or epidemic-level disease within the population, rather than needing to go through legislative processes to do so. This bill would compromise the ability of health and human services protect citizens, especially children, from dangerous diseases.

Decisions on epidemics, medical impacts, and childhood health issues should be in the hands of the experts, not partisan legislatures. Although it is ideal for legislators work for the people and seek the most knowledgeable experts, we all know they don't, and when pushed they will cave to party pressure. Leave the decisions to the experts.

House Committee on Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs New Hampshire House March 5th, 2025 Dear Honorable Members of the New Hampshire Committee on Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs, My name is Tory Shaheen, and I’m writing today on behalf of New Hampshire Families for Vaccines, an organization dedicated to advancing pro-vaccine policies and legislation and opposing policies based on misinformation about immunizations. We support our valuable medical, bioscience, and public health professionals. We recognize your critical role in shaping legislation that affects immunization rates and public health, and we appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony on HB 357. Unfortunately, we cannot support this Bill. This Bill proposes to limit school vaccination requirements and to repeal the authority of the Health Commissioner of New Hampshire to add new childhood diseases to the list of vaccinations for children. At the outset, it is important to note that if any parent does not want to vaccinate their children against any of the diseases, they do not have to. New Hampshire has religious exemptions for all vaccines. This Bill is a solution to a problem that does not exist because no child in New Hampshire is forced to take any vaccine. This bill is a dangerous step backward in public health. By limiting childhood immunization requirements to only diseases specifically listed in the statute, it removes the flexibility and authority of health experts to respond to emerging threats. Immunization schedules must evolve based on the latest science as new diseases and vaccines are developed. By stripping the Commissioner of Health’s ability to adopt necessary rules for additional diseases, the Bill undermines our ability to stay ahead of potential outbreaks and protect our children, who are most vulnerable to diseases. Furthermore, if this Bill becomes law, the three diseases that have already been added by the Commissioner to the immunization list for children: varicella, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenza, could run rampant in schools and daycares. Medical experts are clear: these diseases can be dangerous, and that is why they recommend children be vaccinated against them. Varicella can lead to serious lung infections and inflammation of the brain. Hepatitis B is one of the leading causes of liver cancer worldwide. Haemophilius influenza can cause meningitis, which creates severe neurological damage, including hearing loss and developmental delays. Without prompt treatment, it can be fatal. These are not diseases that any child should be subjected to since they are preventable through vaccination. We humbly ask you to OPPOSE HB 357, and keep our kids safe from disease now, and in the future. Thank you for your consideration and the work that you do on behalf of all in New Hampshire. Tory Shaheen Director New Hampshire Families for Vaccines Exeter

It's the right thing to do.

I urge you to oppose HB 357. Why would the authority to make recommendations on vaccines be taken away from the experts who understand the epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases and given to a 400 member body of people whose expertise is in almost any other field besides communicable diseases? Are we waiting to see the effects of vaccine preventable disease outbreaks in NH? This makes no sense and, if passed, would be harmful on to children, families, and communities in NH. Please use common sense and oppose this unnecessary and harmful bill. Thank you.

Strongly oppose!!!

This is a very unsound idea. Public Health measures aim to keep the population healthy. Vaccines are an important part of the many measures to do just that. Polio, measles, chickenpox, mumps, pertussis are all preventable when vaccines are provided. Why would you craft legislation to prevent children to be vaccinated putting them and others at risk for illness and the spread of these viruses? I have seen what the devastating sequela from measles can do to a child and watched as the child's parents stood at the bedside knowing the child wasn't going to survive from something that was preventable. And I am old enough to remember the polio epidemic and the aftermath. Vaccines work. Stop this fool headed bill. Vote to OPPOSE.

If this bill were to pass it would put medical decision making in the hands of lawmakers. The DHHS uses the evidence-based practice immunization schedule to roll out guidance surrounding vaccines. This is an antivaccine bill that would put our children at risk. Please oppose this bill- it undermines safety and science.