1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Vaccination Information and Promotion Act of 2019” or the “VIP Act of 2019”.
Vaccination Information and Promotion Act of 2019
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a program to address the health crisis of insufficient vaccinations, and for other purposes.
2. Addressing the health crisis of insufficient vaccinations
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall develop and implement a program to reverse the decline in the rate of childhood vaccinations, including by—
conducting a national effort to increase public awareness of and knowledge about the benefits of childhood vaccinations;
supporting the development of a broad range of communication tools to inform the public on the importance of vaccinations;
acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, making more readily available on federally hosted social media specific information from the scientific and medical community on the importance of vaccinations to the health and well-being of infants, children, young adults, adults, and the elderly; and
awarding grants and other financial assistance to public and private educational institutions, and non-governmental (including nonprofit) and other appropriate entities that serve children, students, and the elderly, to implement vaccination education programs.
3. GAO study
The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct, and submit to the Congress a report on the results of, a study on the change over time in public attitudes toward childhood vaccinations and the reasons underlying such changes.
4. Authorization of appropriations
To carry out this Act, there is authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2025.