Bill > SR15

This Resolution urges the United States Congress to require the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to comply with the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (NCVIA). The NCVIA, enacted in 1986, established a national vaccine program and tasked the Secretary of DHHS with ensuring both the prevention of infectious diseases through immunization and the prevention of adverse reactions to vaccines. While the NCVIA provided vaccine manufacturers with immunity from liability for vaccine injury claims to ensure a stable supply of vaccines and offered cost-effective arbitration for claims, this resolution notes that this immunity may have reduced the incentive for manufacturers to prioritize vaccine safety. The NCVIA also mandated that the Secretary establish a National Vaccine Program within DHHS to oversee vaccine safety, production, procurement, licensing, manufacturing, adverse reaction reporting, and research, and to create a Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines. Crucially, the NCVIA required the Secretary to submit biennial reports to Congress detailing actions taken to improve vaccine safety, a requirement that this resolution states has not been met. Therefore, this resolution calls on Congress to compel DHHS to submit these overdue biennial reports to Congress, emphasizing the importance of vaccine safety for public health.