| About AIRA |
| Membership |
| AIRA Sponsor Members |
| AIRA Members |
|
Publications & Links
|
| Members Only |
| Special Interest Groups |
| News & Trends |
| Knowledge Sharing |
Registries Are in the Senate Limelight
On June 26 the Senate Appropriations Committee took up the bill that funds all the federal programs under the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, and related agencies for fiscal year 2004. This is the bill that each year funds the National Immunization Program under CDC-- the source of the grants (“317”) to states, some cities and territories for their immunization programs. The majority of federal dollars for registries comes from this source.
After a committee drafts its bill and approves it, the bill is reported with a committee report. Every Child By Two (ECBT) in its discussions with the Senate Appropriations Committee staff contributed its ideas for the report, Senate Rpt. 108-081. The following committee report language encourages registry development nationwide.
The Committee recognizes that immunization registries, like all database systems, continue to require funding. The Committee's goal is to have registries up and running in all States. CDC must remain vigilant in offering the best technical assistance to States. Immunization providers lose interest if they have learned a new system that fails, and registries are only as good as the number of accurate records they hold. The Committee understands that immunization registries are able to perform many of the functions required of State immunization programs, including immunization surveillance, vaccine inventory, VFC compliance, school surveys for compliance with immunization requirements, reminder notices to patients, immunization records for parents, etc.
To find the full Committee Report, log onto http://thomas.loc.gov and scroll down to the FY 2004 appropriations section. Then find “Labor, Health and Human Services and Education” on the chart and click on the committee report. This is the web site of the Library of Congress that tracks Congressional activity.
Considering that this is the largest of the 13 appropriations bills and covers a huge number of programs, ECBT is very pleased to see the recognition afforded immunization registries.
Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees approved their “Labor/HHS/Education” bills on June 26. The next step is for each chamber to take its bill to the floor, amend, and pass it. Then the two versions will go to a conference committee made up of appropriators of each chamber chosen by the leadership to conference this particular bill. The conferees come to a compromise version of the bill, which is voted upon in each chamber, and sent to the President for his signature.
(Carol Ruppel
Government Relations Director, Every Child By Two)