House Bill hb0871e1
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CS/CS/HB 871, First Engrossed
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to immunizations; creating s.
3 381.0421, F.S.; requiring that individuals
4 enrolled in a postsecondary educational
5 institution be provided information regarding
6 meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B
7 vaccines and, if residing in on-campus housing,
8 provide documentation of vaccination against
9 meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B, or a
10 statement declining such vaccination; providing
11 an effective date.
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13 WHEREAS, meningococcal meningitis is a serious disease
14 that can lead to death within a few hours of onset, and
15 WHEREAS, meningococcal meningitis is a highly
16 contagious but largely preventable infection of the
17 spinal-cord fluid and the fluid that surrounds the brain, and
18 WHEREAS, one in ten cases of meningococcal meningitis
19 is fatal, and
20 WHEREAS, one in seven survivors is left with a severe
21 handicap, such as loss of a limb, mental retardation,
22 paralysis, deafness, or seizures, and
23 WHEREAS, individuals of any age can carry the disease
24 for days, weeks, or months unknowingly or without becoming
25 ill, and
26 WHEREAS, at any time, from 10 to 25 percent of the
27 population carries meningococcal meningitis, and
28 WHEREAS, scientific evidence suggests that college
29 students living in dormitory facilities are six times more
30 likely than other individuals to contract meningococcal
31 meningitis, and
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CS/CS/HB 871, First Engrossed
1 WHEREAS, immunization against meningococcal meningitis
2 will decrease the risk of disease, and
3 WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
4 recommends that college students be vaccinated against this
5 disease, and
6 WHEREAS, the Legislature urges that college freshmen
7 residing in on-campus housing be vaccinated against
8 meningococcal meningitis, NOW, THEREFORE,
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10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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12 Section 1. Section 381.0421, Florida Statutes, is
13 created to read:
14 381.0421 Vaccination against meningococcal meningitis
15 and hepatitis B.--
16 (1) A postsecondary educational institution shall
17 provide detailed information concerning the risks associated
18 with meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B and the
19 availability, effectiveness, and known contraindications of
20 any required or recommended vaccine to every student, or to
21 the student's parent or guardian if the student is a minor,
22 who has been accepted for admission.
23 (2) An individual enrolled in a postsecondary
24 educational institution who will be residing in on-campus
25 housing shall provide documentation of vaccinations against
26 meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B unless the
27 individual, if the individual is 18 years of age or older, or
28 the individual's parent or guardian, if the individual is a
29 minor, declines the vaccinations by signing a separate waiver
30 for each of these vaccines, provided by the institution,
31 acknowledging receipt and review of the information provided.
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CS/CS/HB 871, First Engrossed
1 (3) This section does not require any postsecondary
2 educational institution to provide or pay for vaccinations
3 against meningococcal meningitis or hepatitis B.
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