Vaccine Administration Requirements

This bill changes rules for giving vaccines, and makes sure there are exceptions to who has to get vaccines.

• Vaccine: a shot that you get at the doctor to protect you against getting sick. It works by putting a very small amount of the sick in you, so that your body can get used to it and fight it off later.

This bill:

• Updates part of the Health and Safety Code is updated by adding two new parts

  • Health and safety code: A set of rules about health and safety in Texas.

• The first new part says:

  • Health professionals giving a vaccine to someone need to:

    • Give them written info on the vaccine's benefits and risks. 

    • Keep the vaccine maker and lot number written down in a safe place.

      • Lot number: a special code on a vaccine that helps track where and when it was made.

    • Write down any serious health issues, like going to the hospital, getting injuries, or dying after getting a vaccine. 

    • Tell the system that tracks bad reactions to vaccines about any serious health problems.

    • Share a list of ingredients found in vaccines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is a federal office focused on health and sicknesses.

  • Just reporting a bad reaction to the vaccine to the vaccine maker doesn’t follow all the rules.

  • Health professionals with a special license to give vaccines could get in big trouble if they don’t follow these rules.

  • If someone who doesn't have the proper license does something wrong, another person can take them to court to stop them and ask the judge to make the unlicensed person pay for the legal costs and lawyer fees. 

• The second new part says:

  • Government officials can’t question or punish health care professionals for saying someone does not have to get vaccines for health reasons 

  • Different groups must accept that some people don’t have to get vaccines from health care professionals, and allow these people to still be part of the group.

  • People who have a license to give vaccines who break these rules can get in trouble. 

  • If someone who doesn't have the proper license does something wrong, another person can take them to court to stop them and ask the judge to make the unlicensed person pay for the legal costs and lawyer fees. 

If this bill passes, these changes start right away if it gets “yes” votes from two-thirds vote of all the leaders elected to the house and the senate. 

If it passes but doesn’t get enough “yes” votes, the changes start on September 1, 2025.