,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ageg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #be1 #bjac ,mr4 ,posey 7for himself and ,mrs4 ,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to conduct or support a comprehensive study comparing total health outcomes1 including risk of autism1 in vaccinated populations in the ,united ,states with such outcomes in unvaccinated populations in the ,united ,states1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,vaccine ,safety ,study ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,securing the health of the ,nation's children is our most important concern as parents and stewards of the ,nation's future4 7#b7 ,the ,nation's vaccine program has greatly reduced human suffering from infectious disease by preventing and reducing the outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases4 7#c7 ,total health outcomes are the best measure of the success of any public health effort1 including security from both chronic and infectious disease4 7#d7 ,childhood immunizations are an important tool in protecting children from infectious disease4 7#e7 ,the number of immunizations administered to infants1 pregnant women1 children1 teenagers1 and adults has grown dramatically over recent years4 7#f7 ,the incidence of chronic1 unexplained diseases such as autism1 learning disabilities1 and other neurological disorders appears to have increased dramatically in recent years4 7#g7 ,individual vaccines are tested for safety1 but little safety testing has been conducted for interaction effects of multiple vaccines4 7#h7 ,the strategy of aggressive1 early childhood immunization against a large number of infectious diseases has never been tested in its entirety against alternative strategies1 either for safety or for total health outcomes4 7#i7 ,childhood immunizations are the only health interventions that are required by ,states of all citizens in order to participate in civic society4 7#aj7 ,public confidence in the management of public health can only be maintained if these ,state government-mandated1 mass vaccination programs-- 7,a7 are tested rigorously and in their entirety against all reasonable safety concerns2 and 7,b7 are verified in their entirety to produce superior health outcomes4 7#aa7 ,there are numerous ,united ,states populations in which a practice of no vaccination is followed and which therefore provide a natural comparison group for comparing total health outcomes4 7#ab7 ,no comparative study of such health outcomes has ever been conducted4 7#ac7 ,given rising concern over the high rates of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and other chronic conditions1 the need for such studies is becoming urgent4 #c4 ,study on health outcomes in vaccinated and unvaccinated ,american populations 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7in this ,act referred to as the ,secretary71 acting through the ,director of the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 shall conduct or support a comprehensive study-- 7#a7 to compare total health outcomes1 including the incidence and risk of autism1 in vaccinated populations in the ,united ,states with such outcomes in unvaccinated populations in the ,united ,states2 and 7#b7 to determine whether exposure to vaccines or vaccine components is associated with autism spectrum disorders1 chronic conditions1 or other neurological conditions4 7b7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to authorize the conduct or support of any study in which an individual or population is encouraged or incentivized to remain unvaccinated4 7c7 ,qualifications ,with respect to each investigator carrying out the study under this section1 the ,secretary shall ensure that the investigator-- 7#a7 is objective2 7#b7 is qualified to carry out such study1 as evidenced by training experiences and demonstrated skill2 7#c7 is not currently employed by any ,federal1 ,state1 or local public health agency2 7#d7 is not currently a member of a board1 committee1 or other entity responsible for formulating immunization policy on behalf of any ,federal1 ,state1 or local public health agency or any component thereof2 7#e7 has no history of a strong position on the thimerosal or vaccine safety controversy2 and 7#f7 is not currently an employee of1 or otherwise directly or indirectly receiving funds from1 a pharmaceutical company or the ,centers for ,disease ,control4 7d7 ,target populations ,the ,secretary shall seek to include in the study under this section populations in the ,united ,states that have traditionally remained unvaccinated for religious or other reasons1 which populations may include ,old ,order ,amish1 members of clinical practices 7such as the ,homefirst practice in ,chicago7 who choose alternative medical practices1 practitioners of anthroposophic lifestyles1 and others who have chosen not to be vaccinated4 7e7 ,timing ,not later than #abj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall issue a request for proposals to conduct the study required by this section4 ,not later than #abj days after receipt of any such proposal1 the ,secretary shall approve or disapprove the proposal4 ,if the ,secretary disapproves the proposal1 the ,secretary shall provide the applicant involved with a written explanation of the reasons for the disapproval4 7f7 ,transparency ,to facilitate further research by the ,secretary or others1 the ,secretary shall ensure the preservation of all data1 including all data sets1 collected or used for purposes of the study under this section4