House Bill 772: Relating to the Immunization Data and the Immunization Registry

Sponsors: HB772
Representative Howard


House Bill 772 would make it more difficult for parents to opt out of having their children's immunization records on the Texas immunization registry. Currently, individuals or their parents or guardians, if they are minor children, must consent to place their immunization information on the immunization registry. If HB 772 passes, individuals or their parents or guardians will have to consent to have their immunization information withheld from the registry. This changes the law from an "opt-in" provision to an "opt-out" requirement.


This Bill has passed in the House and is on its way to the Senate. We already have a vaccine registry that parents can opt-into for their kids vaccines to be tracked. HB772 makes it automatic, you have to opt-out if you do not want your child's records to be tracked. It is very important that this bill fails in the Senate. It infringes on your parental rights. Call your Texas Senators and oppose this bill in the Senate. 

HB 772 would require the Texas Department of State Health Services to take, store, and track EVERY TEXAN’s vaccination status. This would subject everyone to harassing enforcement procedures that include phone calls, mail, and even HOME VISITS to make sure they have every single vaccine. None of this tracking and enforcement would be done with permission like current Texas state law requires.

Currently, the health department can only enter your vaccination status, already required to be sent by health care providers and insurance companies, if you have given them your permission to track and bug you about getting vaccinated. Simply put, HB 772 allows them to take your vaccine status information, store it, and harass you about it, without your permission. While there is a so-called “opt out” provision that would require you to contact the health department and ask to be removed, the health department would still track your data and most importantly, store your identity in an OPT-OUT database as a vaccine tracking refuser. There is NO WAY under HB 772 to NOT BE TRACKED BY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

Those supporting this legislation are selling it as a cost saver for the State (more intrusive government never saves money); more security and confidentiality of records (never leaving the doctor’s office would be more secure); and as supporting “meaningful use” requirements and increasing provider enrollment (this means incentive payments of up to $44,000 to a Medicare provider and up to $63,750 to a Medicaid provider to use Electronic Health Records, EHR, and share them with government databases). Even if you are not a Medicaid or Medicare user, if your provider accepts these, your records will be shared. 

Just more crap to intrude into a persons life... 

Sooooo, they don't have anything more important than pass intrusion type bills. No education or financial issues in the state that should be addressed?

Stupid politicians!