E-NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL VACCINE INFORMATION CENTER

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UNITED WAY/COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN

#9119

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"Protecting the health and informed consent rights of children since 1982."

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Dear NVIC Friends:

As you know from the Action Alerts that NVIC has been sending out over the past three weeks, we and the parent organization members of our Coalition, Americans for Vaccine Safety and Accountability, have been working with Congress to improve the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

(VICP) that was created under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. We thank all of you who have responded to our ACTION ALERTS and have communicated with those legislators who represent you in Washington, D.C. about your concern that Congress do the right thing and protect the rights of the vaccine injured.

While we have not been in agreement with all of the provisions in the bill

(S.15) forwarded by Senator Bill Frist (R-TN), there have been ongoing discussions with staffs of both sides of the aisle to find a way to amend that bill and create meaningful reforms to the VICP. For us, meaningful reform must include access by all of the children injured after the 1986 law's implementation in 1988 to the federal compensation system and the protection of access to the civil justice system that will serve as a "check and balance" on the implementation of the federal compensation system.

Over the past few weeks, the "markup" of the Frist bill has been repeatedly postponed. Today, the bill was once again scheduled for "markup" and was cancelled. There are too many outstanding questions and concerns remaining. We believe that, because so many of you have made your voices known here in the nation's Capitol, we now have another opportunity to work harder to try to get a bill that comes much closer to doing what it needs to do for the vaccine injured.

Please know that every letter and every phone call you have made to Capitol Hill has made a difference in this process, which is the political process that we rely on in our democratic form of government. We will keep you updated and are grateful for the prayers and encouragement that you have given us as we go forward and try to do the best we can to represent the very real and special needs of the families of vaccine injured children.

With thanks,

Barbara Loe Fisher, Co-founder & President

Kathi Williams, Co-founder & Vice President

National Vaccine Information Center

Americans for Vaccine Safety and Accountability

- Autism Society of America

- Lyme Disease Foundation

- Mothering Magazine

- National Vaccine Information Center

- New Hampshire Citizens for Health Freedom

- Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education

- Safe Minds

- Unlocking Autism

- World Chiropractic Alliance

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