Rep. Jeff Leach Leach Argued That Allowing Doctors To Distribute A Vaccine Proven To Prevent Cancer Was Wrong Because It Would “Rip That Decision From The Parents And The Child And Give It To The Doctor” Leach Voted Against An Amendment To Allow Doctors To Distribute A Vaccine If It Was Proven To Prevent Cancer The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Recommended All Girls And Boys 11-12 Years Old Get Vaccinated Against Human Papillomavirus, Which Can Cause Cervical Cancer In Women Rep. Bill Zedler Offered An Amendment To A Bill To Limit The Number Of Children A Child Protective ​ ​ Services Worker Could Supervise That Would Restrict Doctors From Including Vaccinations In Initial Medical Examinations For Children. “A foster care bill in the House turned into a heated debate on ​ vaccinations for children on Wednesday. The bill, from Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, is part of the state’s attempt to reform its foster care system. Wu’s House Bill 39, which won preliminary approval, would limit on the number of children a Child Protective Services worker could supervise. It would also require speedy medical evaluations of children entering the foster care system. Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington and vice chairman of the staunchly conservative Texas Freedom Caucus, authored an amendment to the bill that would restrict doctors from including vaccinations in initial medical examinations for children. Zedler said children could be removed from their homes by Child Protective Services and given an unwanted vaccination.” [San Antonio Express News, 5/10/17] ​ ​ Another Legislator Attempted To Change The Amendment To Allow Doctors To Distribute A Vaccine If It Was Proven To Prevent Cancer, Specifically Concerned With HPV, Which Can Cause Cervical Cancer In Women And Which The CDC Recommended All 11-12 Years Old Be Vaccinated Against. “Rep. Sarah ​ Davis, R-West University Place, attempted to change Zedler's amendment to allow doctors to distribute a vaccine if it has been proven to prevent cancer. Davis, an advocate for vaccinations, said she was ‘dumbfounded’ that lawmakers would vote against preventing cervical cancer. Davis was referring to the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer in women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all girls and boys who are 11 or 12 years old should get the HPV vaccine. It's also recommended for young women through age 26 and young men through age 21, according to the CDC website. ‘” [San Antonio Express News, 5/10/17] ​ ​ Leach Argued Against The Amendment To Allow Doctors To Distribute A Vaccine Proven To Prevent Cancer, Arguing It Would Revoke The Rights Of Parents Who Did Not Believe In Vaccination And “Rip That Decision From The Parents And The Child And Give It To The Doctor.” “A foster care bill in the ​ House turned into a heated debate on vaccinations for children on Wednesday. [ ] Rep. Sarah Davis, … R-West University Place, attempted to change Zedler's amendment to allow doctors to distribute a vaccine if it has been proven to prevent cancer. Davis, an advocate for vaccinations, said she was ‘dumbfounded’ that lawmakers would vote against preventing cervical cancer. Davis was referring to the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer in women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all girls and boys who are 11 or 12 years old should get the HPV vaccine. It's also recommended for young women through age 26 and young men through age 21, according to the CDC website. ‘My amendment empowers doctors to practice medicine,’ Davis said during a testy exchange with Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano. ‘I think this is so important that we can eradicate cervical cancer.’ Leach said he was concerned that Davis' amendment would revoke the parental rights of those who do not believe in vaccination and ‘rip that decision from the parents and the child and give it to the doctor.’” [San Antonio Express News, 5/10/17] ​ ​ Leach Voted To Table The Amendment. “Amendment No. 2 Representative Zedler offered the following ​ amendment to CSHB 39: Floor Packet Page No. 3 Amend CSHB 39 (house committee report) on page 2, line 16, after the underlined period, by inserting the following: A physician or other health care provider conducting the medical examination under this section may not administer a vaccination as part of the examination. Amendment No. 3 Representative S. Davis offered the following amendment to Amendment No. 2: Amend Amendment No. 2 by Zedler (page 3, prefiled amendments packet) to CSHB 39 on page 1, line 5, between ‘examination’ and the underlined period, by inserting ‘unless the vaccination has been proven to prevent cancer’. [...] Representative Zedler moved to table Amendment No. 3. The vote of the house was taken on the motion to table Amendment No. 3 and the vote was announced yeas 69, nays 67. [...] Yeas [:...] Leach[.]” [Amendment #3 to CSHB 39, 85th Legislature, 5/10/17] ​ Leach Introduced An Amendment To Allow The Decline Of Immunization For Reasons Of Conscience, Prohibiting State Child Welfare Workers From Removing A Child From A Home Because Their Parents Chose Not To Get Them Vaccinated Leach: “There's A Lot Of People On Both Sides Of The Issue That… Believe That Government Ought To Stay Out Of This Decision” House Bill 7 Was A Child Protective Services Reform Bill. “Legislators gave initial approval to House Bill ​ 7, which directs the state's Department of Family and Protective Services only to remove children from their homes over allegations of violence or abuse, not for reasons like a parent having a low income or being charged with a nonviolent misdemeanor. The bill would also give parents more access to the child welfare agency's evidence about allegations against them; end a lawsuit against a parent if more than a year passes without any movement in the courts; prevent courts from terminating parent-child relationships without evidence; and stop courts from ordering medical or mental health treatment for a child before consulting a health care professional.” [Texas Tribune, 5/8/17] ​ ​ Leach Introduced An Amendment To Allow The Decline Of Immunization For A Child For Reasons Of Conscience. “Amendment No. 32 Representative Leach offered the following amendment to CSHB 7: ​ Floor Packet Page No. 19 Amend CSHB 7 (house committee report) as follows: (1) On page 9, line 6, strike ‘or’. (2) On page 9, line 12, between ‘code’ and the underlined period, insert the following: ; or (5) declined immunization for the child for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief[.]” [Amendment #32 to CSHB 7, 85th Legislature, 5/8/17] ​ ​ The Amendment Would Prohibit State Child Welfare Workers From Removing A Child From A Home Because Their Parents Chose Not To Get Them Vaccinated. “Reps. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and Jason ​ Villalba, R-Dallas, engaged in a testy exchange over Leach's amendment to prohibit state child welfare workers from removing a child from home because their parents chose not to get them vaccinated.” [Texas Tribune, 5/8/17] ​ ​ Leach Said The Amendment Was Only Meant To Protect Parents From Having Their Children Taken Away For Simply Being Unvaccinated: “There's A Lot Of People On Both Sides Of The Issue That … Believe That Government Ought To Stay Out Of This Decision.” “Villalba argued the amendment might ​ expose foster children to vaccine-preventable diseases like mumps, which is experiencing a 23-year high in Texas. ‘So you protect the rights of parents over the rights of the children who have been exposed to a disease that is potentially fatal?’ Villalba asked. Leach said the amendment was only meant to protect parents from having their children taken away for simply being unvaccinated. ‘There's a lot of people on both sides of the issue that are smart and well meaning and love their children and believe that government ought to stay out of this decision,’ Leach said.” [Texas Tribune, 5/8/17] ​ ​ Leach Received An A+ Rating And An Endorsement From Texans For Vaccine Choice Leach Received An A+ Rating And An Endorsement From Texans For Vaccine Choice. [Texans For ​ Vaccine Choice, October 2017] ​ ​ Leach Voted Against Over A Half Billion Dollars In Annual Estimated Medicaid Funding For Texas Nursing Homes, Which Suffered Staff Shortages That Left Seniors Open To Greater Risk Of Coronavirus Infection Texas Had One Of The Lowest Medicaid Reimbursement Rates In The Nation, Despite More Than Four Out Of Five Texans In Nursing Homes Depending On Medicaid Or Medicare About 85 Percent Of Texans In Nursing Homes Depended On Medicaid Or Medicare. “About 85 ​ percent of Texans in nursing homes depend on Medicaid or Medicare.” [Dallas Morning News, 4/6/16] ​ ​ Texas Had One Of The Lowest Medicaid Reimbursement Rates In The Nation, Resulting In Nursing Homes Often Spending More Caring For Residents Than They Were Reimbursed. “Texas has one of the ​ lowest Medicaid reimbursement rates in the nation, which means nursing homes often spend more caring for residents than they are reimbursed.” [Dallas Morning News, 4/6/16] ​ ​ Leach Voted Against A Bipartisan Bill To Create A Nursing Facility Reinvestment Allowance To Allow Access To Federal Medicaid Funds For Non-Medicare-Funded Nursing Homes The Federal Government Match Would Have Provided An Estimated $578 Million Per Year For Medicaid-Funded Nursing Home Reinvestment Without A Dime Of State Spending Bill Sponsor: HB 2766 Would Create A Nursing Facility Reinvestment Allowance, Allowing The State To Draw Down Additional Medicaid Funding By Accessing Additional Federal Dollars Specifically For Nursing Home Care, As 43 Other States Did. “AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT[:] H.B. ​ 2766 creates the Nursing Facility Reinvestment Allowance (NFRA) that will allow the state to draw down additional Medicaid funding by accessing additional federal dollars specifically for nursing home care.