Reading the Committee Tea Leaves
February 20th, 2007 at 6:40 am
It’s hard to believe this early in the session, but the House Committee on Public Health is still debating Perry’s HPV vaccine mandate. It’s 12:25 a.m. as of this writing. They’re only on the first of two related bills up for the debate. The lead-in managed to take long enough to deter a terminally ill woman. And the last sentence that just registered in my brain (now from the video feed) was a concerned parent asking, “Can I please ask why there’s a roach killer in this vaccine?” (She’s talking about sodium borate, a.k.a. borax.) So it’s been a pretty exhaustive debate, to say the least.
While the flood of information and commentary continues, the committee members established early individual patterns to their questioning of witnesses. Some subjective assessments of the members who spoke frequently:
— Ellen Cohen (D-Houston): Generally spoke up to advocate for greater access to health care for women across the board. Was especially unhappy that preventive care programs had their budget slashed last session.
— Garnet Coleman (D-Houston): Seemed resigned to the bill overturning Perry’s mandate passing out of committee, but was a recurring thorn in the side of those who want to overturn the mandate.
— Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker): Mainly perked up to question the data of those who favor requiring the vaccine. Was more than ready to dismiss the science behind Merck’s vaccine testing because of its track record in the Vioxx scandal.
— Dianne White Delisi (R-Temple): Questions usually led in the same direction: Broader health care reforms should take funding priority over the HPV vaccine.
— Veronica Gonzales (D-McAllen) and Susan King (R-Abilene): Both offered seemingly opinion-neutral questions about the science behind the vaccine.
February 28th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
[…] voted it out of committee with a favorable recommendation less than 24 hours after a marathon testimony session. The vote went 6-3, with Reps. Cohen, Coleman and Gonzalez, all Democrats, voting […]
February 28th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
[…] the wee hours of Tuesday morning, the House Committee on Public Health concluded its hearing on the HPV vaccine […]
March 1st, 2007 at 8:26 am
[…] Sure, some conservatives and more than a few whack jobs oppose the vaccine just because it could, in their imagination, make kids somehow more promiscuous. But within the legislature, it’s the mandate that’s got ‘em angry. […]
July 24th, 2007 at 9:26 am
[…] in the media spotlight, doing photo ops with the governor and interviews with state outlets. The committee hearing started very late, and then the initial “expert” testimony ran for several hours. You […]