Eighty House Republicans on Tuesday voted with Democrats to pass the Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2021, which if signed into law would reportedly “modernize” already existing vaccination database systems. Not one Democrat voted “no” on the legislation, also called H.B. 550, but 130 Republicans declined to support the bill.
There seems to be a disconnect between House GOP members who voted to pass the bill and those who did not regarding what the legislation would actually accomplish. Among the “no” votes, some lawmakers view H.B. 550 as a chance for the federal government to grossly expand its power. Among the “yes” votes, the bill would do the opposite, and, in fact, protect states from federal government overreach in public health, according to a source affiliated with the bill’s development.
Breitbart News previously reported that the bill could assist in the creation of a federal vaccination database, a concern aired by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), who voted “no” and told Breitbart News exclusively that the bill is “clearly a legislative tool to enforce vaccine mandates and force their Orwellian rules onto those who do not comply.”
On Wednesday, Breitbart News reached out to the offices of the four Republican bill cosponsors — Reps. Larry Bucshon (R-IN), James Baird (R-IN), David McKinley (R-WV), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) — as well as four representatives who voted “yes” on the bill. None of the cosponsors replied by the time of publication, but Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) and the spokesman of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) exclusively provided insight into the representatives’ reasons for passing the bill.
But First…Some Background
According to the bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH), the government would provide $400 million in taxpayer dollars to fund “immunization system data modernization and expansion.” An immunization information system (IIS) is defined…