House Overwhelmingly Passes HB 1098

In a stinging rebuke to Gov. Perry, the Texas House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed HB 1098. The vote was 119 to 21.

From Representative Bonnen - this release:

BONNEN PASSES BILL TO REVERSE HPV VACCINE MANDATE
HB 1098 Overrides
Governor's Executive Order

Today I successfully passed HB 1098 on the House floor with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 119-21. This bill reverses the Governor's executive order mandating the HPV vaccine of all eleven-year old girls entering the sixth grade and ensures that parents are given back the right to individually decide what is best for their children.

I am not opposed to the HPV vaccine but I am strongly opposed to the state telling parents that we know better than they do. Until we know how the vaccine could affect the future health of these young girls, it would be extremely irresponsible for us to mandate it.

We'd be sending a false message to families saying that we know it is safe when,
in reality, there are so many questions left unanswered about its effectiveness
and long-term implications. I am authoring HB 1098 to reverse the Governor's mandate and ensure Texas eleven-year-olds are not used as Merck's guinea pigs.

I will continue to fight for the rights of families on this issue as this bill now moves over to the Senate for further debate.