Tennessee Needs Your Help

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Support Tennessee Bill To Ban Mercury in Vaccines (HB0956)

Co-Sponsors Needed! Send a Message to your TN Legislators

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Representative Tre Hargett, of the 97th Legislative District, and

Representative Lyn, of the 57th Legislative District, has

introduced HB0956 in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

HB0956 provides for a ban of the use of the preservative thimerosal,

a 50% ethylmercury based preservative by weight, in the State of

Tennessee. This bill, as introduced, would prohibit the

administration of immunizations that contain more than trace amounts

of any mercury-containing preservative to any child less than eight

years of age on or after January 1, 2007, UNLESS the commissioner of

health determines that there is a public outbreak and there is an

insufficient supply of mercury-free vaccine available. This bill

would require advance notice for any person who is administered an

immunization that contains mercury.

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This bill would also require any health insurance provider, other

than Medicare, Medicaid, or TennCare, that covers vaccinations to

also cover mercury-free vaccinations at the same percentage rate as

customary charges for vaccines that contain mercury. This bill would

apply to any health policy executed, amended, or renewed on or after

January 1, 2007.

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What you can do to support this legislation:

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Please contact your State Representatives and ask them to co-sponsor

HB0956

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Click the Take Action button on this email and you will be taken to

our email messaging system on our web site. If you are reading this

message on the web site enter your zip code on the web site form and

your legislators will be identified. Then you can send our suggested

message or edit it as you wish. In any case, send a message to your

Tennessee Legislators today.

Tennesseeans can use our Messaging System to easily send an email to

your Tennessee legislative representatives by clicking " Take Action "

if you are reading this message in an email or by simply entering your

zip code in the designated spot if you are reading this message on

our web site.

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Why we urgently need your help now:

The bill is scheduled to be heard Tuesday, April 25, 2006. Legislative

Plaza, Nashville, TN. Room 16, 9:00 am. Provided the Committee

chairman will allow the bill to be heard. The bill stalled earlier

this week in the Committee because of pressure from the Speaker of the

House, Jimmy Naifeh (D) whose wife, Betty Naifeh is a high

powered lobbyist for several pharmaceutical companies.

For the next three days, please call, write, fax and send an A-CHAMP

message to the following:

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Call and Fax the Commerce Committee

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Jere Hargrove, Chair 615-741-1875 fax 931-372-9247

Curtis, Vice Chair 615-741-1963

Shepard 615-741-3516 fax 615-253-0244

Curt Cobb 615-741-6824 fax 615-253-0344

DeBerry 615-741-2239 fax 615-253-0294

Joanne Favors 615-741-2702 fax 615-253-0351

Craig Fitzhugh 615-741-2134 fax 615-741-1446

Steve Godsey 615-741-7623 fax 615-253-0272

Jim Hackworth 615-741-4400 fax 615-741-4322

Bill Harmon 615-741-6849 fax 615-253-0264

Hawk 615-741-7482

Judd Matheny 615-741-7448 fax 615-253-0226

Joe McCord 615-741-5481 fax 615-253-0212

Bob McKee 615-741-1946 fax 615-253-0209

Montgomery 615-741-5981 fax 615-253-0303

Dennis Roach 615-741-2534 fax 615-532-8221

Rowe 615-741-1898

Sargent 615-741-6808 fax 615-253-0217

Park Strader 615-741-2264 fax 615-741-1005

Curry Todd 615-741-1866 fax 615-532-8221

Eddie Yokley 615-741-6874 fax 615-253-0225

We are asking EVERYONE in the autism community to contact these

offices and ask everyone you know to contact these offices.

Last but not least, FLOOD Speaker Jimmy Naifeh with similar

calls/faxes -- his wife is a paid lobbyist for pharmaceutical

companies and he asked St. Jude to help oppose the bill. Please be

polite!!

Phone (615) 741-3774 Fax (615) 741-0944