Burchett / 5 Senator Zhang

S. S._____

A BILL
To eliminate the cost of Polio, Tetanus Diphtheria, Hepatitis B, and Varicella for citizens eighteen and under.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the Zhang Act of 2015.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) According to government statistics, children under the age of fourteen are three times more likely to suffer adverse
effects. Although this is proven true, there have been philosophical and religious arguments that the biological structure
of a childs body has less influence than spiritual effects.
2) Childrens immune system can deal with most infections naturally. This is not true for all children as each individual
has specific cases due to their biological structures. Exemptions are made from diseases such as sickle cell disease, low
red blood cell, cancers, etc.
3) Religious and other exemptions to mandatory vaccination laws are not required by the US Constitution, as also the
first amendment grants the right to practice any religion.
4) 42 states have mandatory vaccine policies and many children are required 22 shots by first grade. Eight states do not
have mandatory vaccine policies.
5) The majority of lower income parents actually support mandatory vaccination for their kids, even though it may be a
financial struggle for them. Conversely, the majority of higher income parents are opposed to vaccines being
mandatory.
6) Center for Disease Control recommends getting 28 doses of ten vaccines for kids aged zero to six. Although this is
not a law, medical workers are highly supportive.
7) Most states offer medical and religious exemptions and some states allow philosophical exemptions.
8) Injecting questionable vaccine ingredients into a child may cause side effects; however, each vaccine administered
has been tested repeatedly in a number of labs across the country, most in notable global institutions that can be found
across the world.
9) In 1855 Massachusetts passed the first US state law mandating vaccinations for schoolchildren followed by New
York, Connecticut, Indiana, and Arkansas.
10) The cost for Polio is $50; the cost for Tetanus Diphtheria is $25; the cost for Hepatitis B is $60; the cost for
Varicella is $200.
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) This bill shall allow every citizen under the age of 18 of the United States the ability to receive vaccines for Polio,
Tetanus Diphtheria, Hepatitis B, and Varicella (Chicken Pox). Currently, state governments are in rule of vaccinations
for public schools, and all 50 states must comply with this act. There is an estimated 73 million minors in the United
States, according to the census taken in 2014. Each will be granted the right for vaccinations of the diseases
aforementioned, regardless of race, social economical background, or sexuality. The agency responsible for the
enforcement of the Zhang Act will be The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It will grant out
appropriate vouchers in which citizens may use to receive these vaccines. All minors must be accompanied by an adult
or guardian at the time of vaccination. If an adult is not present, the child will not be able to receive the vaccine. These
vaccines will be administered at physician practices. If someone is unable to receive vaccines in this manner, schools
will be expected to administer this implementation.
B) The cost determined for these vaccines will be without insurance, as not every citizen is guaranteed proper insurance
in the United States. Two point four billion will be provided for the maintenance of this bill. The funding shall come
from a half a percent increase on the top bracket of income taxes.
C) States that do not comply will be penalized from federal funding for public schools. The cost of penalty will be ten
million dollars for each state. This bill shall be enacted on September 1, 2016. It shall be renewed every two years.

Vaccinations are one of the foremost fields of research across the globe today. One of the main setbacks of
developing countries is the spread of diseases and viruses. Vaccines have been proven to be effective and
with the implementation of them, many contagious diseases can be controlled and certain diseases can be
eradicated entirely in a country. It is especially important for young children to receive vaccinations because
their immune systems are naturally weaker than those of adults. Because of the high financial costs of these
vaccinations, many underserved families do not have the proper coverage for the fees. The United States
should lower the costs of vaccines in order to provide an equal opportunity to U.S. citizens, decrease the
death rate due to the diseases aforementioned, and increase awareness of the dangers these diseases may
carry to every parent in the United States.
Due to the financial situations of some families, parents cannot afford to have their children receive
expensive vaccinations. The cost for Polio is $50; the cost for Tetanus Diphtheria is $25; the cost for
Hepatitis B is $60; the cost for Varicella is $200. If the government were to remove the costs, then every
person under the age of 18 would be able to receive vaccinations for only these four viruses free.
Surprisingly, most low-income parents are actually more supportive of making vaccines mandatory in
comparison to higher income parents, even if it is a financial struggle for them. Educational institutions, from
grade school to university, require proof of immunizations. In order to enforce the right to education, the
government should guarantee that no child will be left behind due to a lack of vaccination. If each and every
child can have the right to receive these vaccinations free of charge, then the rate of the cases as well as
deaths would be lower.
Since the discovery and implementation of these four vaccinations, reported cases and deaths have
decreased dramatically. Once a person is infected with one of these diseases, it can be extremely difficult to
treat. The charts comparing the rate of cases to the rate of deaths are almost proportional. Thanks to the
vaccination, only 96 cases of Polio have been reported in 2012, which is a drastic decrease compared to the
50k cases reported in 1951, before the vaccine was invented. It is recommended for a child to receive his or
her first dose of the hepatitis B vaccination at birth. If this were to carry out effectively for all citizens, then
all citizens will have received this vaccination before entering primary school. Therefore, there would be no
confusion and complication with school policies. Implementation of these vaccinations will increase the
overall knowledge of the effects of these diseases in the United States.
It is important to note that although there is no direct evidence that a lack of knowledge causes low
immunization rates, there is definitely a correlation amongst those two. Eighty-one percent of the citizens in
this nation graduate high school, which means 19% dont. That is approximately 35 million people. There is a
direct correlation between people who dont have a diploma from high school and people who dont receive
these immunizations. Often times, children are ineligible to enroll in school because they have not fulfilled
that requirement, which can be caused by different reasons. Sometimes, it can be because of the
background of the family members. Also, because children are not allowed to enroll in school without proof
of immunization, they cant go to school to gain necessary knowledge in the first place. It is a cycle that
keeps repeating. If each child were granted the necessary vaccinations, then they would have the
opportunity to go to school. The rate of high school graduates would increase, therefore increasing the
knowledge overall in our country. Although there is no guarantee that every single vaccine given will be
effective, professionals in the medical field heavily advise for the use of them. With this implementation, the
detriment of others to compensate such individuals will not happen anymore. There are exemptions made,
however.
The Mandatory Vaccinations Act of 2015 should become a law in order to give each child the right to
education, increase the health rate, and increase the education in medicine across the board. The future of
the United States lies in our generation, the following generation, and the following generation. It all has to
start early, and the first step is to receive vaccinations prior to enrolling in school. Two and a half billion
dollars will be provided for the maintenance of this bill. The funding shall come from the 6.5 trillion dollars the
federal government receives from income taxes. States that do not comply will be penalized from federal
funding for public schools. With this bill, the diseases specified have a chance of being eradicated in the
United States.