Kim Lawrence | Oppose HB1719

To the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee and Members of the New Hampshire House, My name is Kim Lawrence, and I am a New Hampshire resident. I am writing to urge you to VOTE NO on HB 1719, which removes Hepatitis B from the list of required childhood immunizations under New Hampshire law. This bill offers only minimal, short-term savings while exposing children, schools, and taxpayers to significant long-term health and financial risk. The fiscal tradeoff does not make sense According to the fiscal note, the direct savings from removing the Hepatitis B vaccine requirement are very small: $20,000 in FY 2027 $82,000 in FY 2028 $82,000 in FY 2029 These savings result from reduced vaccine purchases funded through the NH Vaccine Association insurance assessment. This is not new money for services — it is simply reduced prevention spending. In contrast, the Department of Health and Human Services explicitly warns of indirect costs if outbreaks increase due to lower vaccination rates. DHHS estimates: $100,000 to $350,000 per outbreak, with the possibility of multiple outbreaks per year. That means a single outbreak could erase years of savings, and multiple outbreaks could cost hundreds of thousands or more in taxpayer-funded response efforts. Hepatitis B is a serious disease Hepatitis B is not a minor illness. It can lead to: chronic infection, liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Removing the requirement increases the number of children entering schools without protection, raising risk not only for individual families but for the entire community. Optional vaccination leads to unequal protection When vaccines become optional, uptake declines unevenly. Communities with lower access to care or higher exposure to misinformation are hit hardest. This creates gaps in protection that put: medically fragile children, immunocompromised residents, and school communities at risk. Public health works best when prevention is consistent and widespread. This bill shifts risk onto schools and taxpayers If outbreaks occur, schools, nurses, local health officials, and emergency responders will bear the burden. The financial cost will ultimately fall on the state and local governments, not on the individuals who opted out. Conclusion HB 1719 trades proven disease prevention for a very small reduction in vaccine spending while risking large and unpredictable outbreak costs. It is neither fiscally responsible nor protective of public health. New Hampshire should invest in prevention, not gamble with children’s health and taxpayer dollars. Please VOTE NO on HB 1719. Sincerely, Kim Lawrence New Hampshire