Let’s dig in! Last week our team noticed SB232 which would provide death and disability benefits for our front line public servants if they were to develop COVID-19 in the line of duty. This is a much-needed bill, we certainly feel our Fire, Law Enforcement, and EMS deserve this coverage! We did notice that if an individual declines a vaccination for COVID then they will still be denied their benefits. The clause allowed for medical exemption however did not account for a religious exemption. Nor did it provide clarity on if it was appropriate for a vaccination under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to be included. We could not sit by without advocating for our Front line Heroes!

As it turns out there is a similar bill over in the Senate Pensions and Labor committee at present. HB1515 has similar language as HB232. We want these bills to pass however the Legislature needs to address the important issue of religious freedom and the new and pressing problem of EUA. We will keep an eye on HB1515 to see if we need to take action. At this point we will focus on the SB232 because it has almost passed. If we see movement on HB1515 we will address it as appropriate and let you know when action is needed. 😊

About 2 weeks ago we were sending out calls to action on SB47 that would allow pharmacists and pharmacy techs to provide Corona virus vaccinations and the authors allowed the bill to die without being heard. The Indiana House of Representatives chose to kill the bill rather than being forced to go on record and vote for or against the amendments we encouraged on informed consent and strengthened privacy surrounding release of personal health information. (If you missed the petition please be sure to sign it and share!) Allowing a bill to die really speaks volumes, and I am going to break it down so you understand just how important SB47 is.

Right now pharmacists and pharmacy techs are able to administer the vaccinations and we speculate that may be tied to emergency orders. If that is accurate and the emergency is ended these orders will no longer be valid removing these abilities from standard pharmacy staff. As we have seen Indiana’s vaccination plan is centered around pharmacies. SB47 is a big deal because if pharmacists and or pharmacy techs are not able to administer the vaccinations that means that they will have to hire licensed staff able to administer vaccinations throughout the state when nurses and physicians are already in high demand.

They killed a very important bill because they didn’t want to vote on lawful, honest, clear cut amendments. I suspect that this bill will not be allowed to go by the wayside because of all the reasons above. I would bet that we could see SB47 pop back up in “conference committee.” I think it is important to talk about what exactly conference committee is, here goes nothing. At the end of session bills that have gone through one side of the legislature and were amended on the other side are sent to conference committee to decide what language to use. I have also been made aware that bills that passed one side of the house and then died in the other can also come back via conference committee. Either way the process for conference committee is as follows. The Speaker of the House (Todd Houston in the house) and the President Pro Tempore (Rod Bray in the senate) each assign 2 members from their side. Typically the two members are one from each party, but don’t have to be. These 4 individuals then decide if the bill will die for good or be sent on for the Governor’s signature.   

All that to say that SB47 can still come back and we likely won’t have any opportunity to push for good amendments. We will let you know as things develop and if there is anything you can do.

Do you ever feel like the legislative process is confusing and difficult? Well, you aren’t alone. I feel like at every turn there is something unexpected and surprising. I imagine you could equate it to having 50-100 cooks in the kitchen. There are so many moving parts and different directions that legislation moves in it feels almost impossible to keep up. Ultimately, that is just the way it is and we must adapt. I will tell you one of the best things I have witnessed in this journey is the power of teamwork and collaboration.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have a fantastic core group to work alongside. We are always looking to grow our team and invite you to volunteer!

We have mentioned in a few bursts that there are meetings coming up in local areas. Please check here to see if you can attend a meeting near you. If you would like to host a meeting we would love to chat with you.

Thank you!
 
Ashley

Hello Hoosiers!
It has been a little while since I posted, here is an update on all the recent happenings.

Please make sure that you are contacting your State House Representative about Rep. John Jacob’s amendments to SB47! We want them voted on asap.

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding SB47 and difficulty finding it so I wanted to be sure to clear that up. It has nothing to do with children providing consent for themselves. SB47 allows the administration of an immunization for coronavirus disease by a pharmacist and pharmacy technician under direct supervision. Pharmacists/Pharmacy techs can already provide several immunizations, this just adds coronavirus to that this. The bill isn’t harmful to medical liberty but it certainly could use some strengthening and that is exactly what Rep. John Jacob’s amendments do.

Rep Jacob has 2 different amendments fortifying Hoosier Medical Liberty! These amendments need to pass.

1. Stopping the transfer of information from physicians to other agencies without the SIGNED consent of the individual. In more detail: it will prevent a physician or an employee of a physician, physician group, hospital, or other health care provider from disclosing an individual's eligibility for a vaccination or immunization; or add an individual's name to a vaccination or immunization registry or contact list that is administered by: a state agency, a federal agency, a pharmacy, a health clinic or a vaccination or immunization distribution site.
2. Adding informed consent requirements to pharmacy administered vaccinations, including a clause regarding those under Emergency Use Authorization. Strengthening informed consent law for physicians and other providers including information for vaccination and Emergency Use Authorization.

It seems as though the other members of the House of Representatives do not want to vote on these amendments. The House Sponsor Rep. Davisson has “passed” on the bill 3 times since the filing of Rep. Jacob’s amendments. We have heard that he “does not support the amendments.” The proposed amendments are straight forward and clear cut. We have even heard that some members of the House have stated they are “common sense” and “better than the bill itself.” We need to make sure that we bring attention to the issue so that our Representatives are informed about this important issue.

You can also sign our Resist the Registry petition here!

March madness is here! We have a group who would like to gather and rally to educate in the area. It could be the V4V banners or using V4V signs around the stadium. If this is something you are interested in please email us contact@hoosiersformedicalliberty.com
 
H4ML near me! Are you ready to meet with people in your area who share concerns over Medical Liberty? We have officially started to launch this part of our organization. We have a few coordinators who have stepped up but we would like to have a few more. If you would be interested in coordinating a local meeting please use the volunteer sign up. If you would like to sign up for notifications of a meeting in your area you can sign up here.
 
Want the upper hand in politics? Time to take a Political Leadership class from the Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership! The class is a day event including a light lunch. I will continue to sing the praises of this organization because it is what truly lit my fire, gave me hope, and the tools to be successful in political battles. These classes have been popping up around Indiana and you do not want to miss them.
There is a class once a month from April to June throughout the state. April 10th will be in New Albany, May 15th in Fort Wayne, and June 19th in Anderson. Get more info here. It is also my understanding that Merrillville will also be hosting a class. In addition to these, I would love to see classes scheduled in West Central Indiana and South West Indiana. If you would be interested in helping host one of these events please get in touch with me, I will help you get started.
 
Thank you again for your support. I look forward to continued success and growth with all of you.
 
Ashley