Legislature Won't Vote on Ban of Mercury in Vaccines

BY LESLIE REED

February 26, 2007

LINCOLN - A bill to eliminate vaccines containing mercury died Monday when State Sen. Carol Hudkins of Malcolm failed in a bid to force it to the full Nebraska Legislature for debate.

Legislative Bill 49 had been stalled in the Health and Human Service Committee, where committee members voted 3-2 last week to advance it. But it takes four votes to advance a bill.

Hudkins' effort Monday to override the committee and get the bill to the floor for debate was rejected 32-7.

The lawmaker said some studies have suggested that a sharp rise in autism since the 1980s could be connected to thimerosal, a form of ethyl mercury contained in vaccines as a preservative.

"I don't want my grandson getting a thimerosal-containing vaccine until we know more about it," Hudkins said. "We need to get it on the floor to talk about it."

But Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Joel Johnson of Kearney said new studies have disputed a link between thimerosal and autism.

"There is no proof whatsoever that thimerosal causes autism," he said.

Legislative Speaker Mike Flood of Norfolk and Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said they opposed "short-circuiting" the committee system by bringing up a bill that lacked committee support.

Flood said had Hudkins' request been granted, the Legislature could find itself tied up in considering similar motions on many other bills.

Under legislative rules, a bill is automatically killed if its sponsor fails to force it out of committee.

Hudkins, who had been considering designating the autism bill her priority legislation for the session, said she would try again next year.

Source: Omaha World-Herald