Greetings!

We need your voice! The Maryland Legislature is considering SB385 (and its companion HB637) — bills that would shift authority over vaccines, preventive screenings, and other healthcare policies from elected lawmakers to unelected health department officials.

Informed Choice Maryland (ICM) opposes these bills because they remove legislative oversight, reduce transparency, and give unelected officials authority over policies that affect all Maryland families. Your input is critical. Legislators pay attention when constituents reach out, especially with personalized messages. This is your chance to make your voice heard.

• These bills would authorize the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health, an appointed (not elected) official, to issue official statewide recommendations on vaccines, screenings, and other preventive services.
• Those recommendations could strongly influence insurance coverage and healthcare policy — without going through the full legislative process.
• Currently, major public health policies in Maryland are debated and voted on by elected representatives who are accountable to voters.
• The bills direct the Secretary to rely on national professional associations when issuing recommendations. These organizations are trade associations, not independent, non-partisan research bodies.
• Policies with broad impact on healthcare access and personal choice should be debated openly by the Legislature — not determined primarily by unelected appointees.

You don’t need to copy these word-for-word. Pick 2–3, or rewrite them in your own voice:

• I oppose SB385 / HB637 because they shift health policy authority from elected lawmakers to unelected officials.
• Maryland families deserve legislative oversight and transparency for decisions affecting healthcare.
• Using guidance from national trade organizations (like the AAP and ACOG) is not a substitute for independent, non-partisan review.
• Policies with widespread impact on healthcare and personal choice should be voted on by elected officials.
• Optional personal note: Add one sentence about how this affects you, your family, or your community. For example:

“As a parent in [County], I am concerned about how this bill could affect my children’s healthcare choices.”

You do not need to email every individual separately — using BCC ensures your message reaches all relevant legislators while protecting your privacy.

IMPORTANT: Please personalize your message. Legislators give more weight to emails that include one personal sentence about how the bill affects you or your family.

STEP 1: Email the Senate Finance Committee and SB385 Sponsors – Oppose SB385

EMAIL TEMPLATE:

Subject line:

Please vote NO on SB385

Email Body:

Dear Senator [Last Name],

I urge you to vote NO on SB385. This bill would allow an appointed official to set vaccine and preventive care policy, bypassing the Maryland Legislature and limiting accountability to voters.

[Insert one sentence about how this bill personally affects you or your family.]

Thank you,  

[Your Name]  

[City, District]

EMAIL ADDRESSES:

Paste all addresses below into the BCC field so recipients do not see each other.


bill.ferguson@senate.maryland.gov, malcolm.augustine@senate.maryland.gov, pamela.beidle@senate.maryland.gov, kevin.harris@senate.maryland.gov, shelly.hettleman@senate.maryland.gov, Cheryl.Kagan@senate.maryland.gov, nancy.king@senate.maryland.gov, clarence.lam@senate.maryland.gov, karen.young@senate.maryland.gov, sara.love@senate.maryland.gov, craig.zucker@senate.maryland.gov, antonio.hayes@senate.maryland.gov, arthur.ellis@senate.maryland.gov, dawn.gile@senate.maryland.gov, steve.hershey@senate.maryland.gov, carl.jackson@senate.maryland.gov, Ben.Kramer@senate.maryland.gov, alonzo.washington@senate.maryland.gov, justin.ready@senate.maryland.gov, johnny.mautz@senate.maryland.gov

STEP 2: Email the House Health Committee and HB637 Sponsors – Oppose HB637

(HB637 is the companion bill. A hearing has not yet been scheduled.)



EMAIL TEMPLATE:

Subject line:

Please vote NO on HB637

Email Body:

Dear Delegate [Last Name],

I urge you to vote NO on HB637. This bill would allow an appointed official to set vaccine and preventive care policy, bypassing the Maryland Legislature and limiting accountability to voters.

[Insert one sentence about how this bill personally affects you or your family.]

Thank you,

[Your Name]

[City, District]


EMAIL ADDRESSES:

Paste all addresses below into the BCC field so recipients do not see each other.


heather.bagnall@house.maryland.gov, bonnie.cullison@house.maryland.gov, tiffany.alston@house.maryland.gov, pam.guzzone@house.maryland.gov, Terri.Hill@house.maryland.gov, aaron.kaufman@house.maryland.gov, steve.johnson@house.maryland.gov, tom.hutchinson@house.maryland.gov, nicholaus.kipke@house.maryland.gov, lesley.lopez@house.maryland.gov, ashanti.martinez@house.maryland.gov, samuel.rosenberg@house.maryland.gov, Teresa.Reilly@house.maryland.gov, Matt.Morgan@house.maryland.gov, kim.ross@house.maryland.gov, kathy.szeliga@house.maryland.gov, deni.taveras@house.maryland.gov, teresa.woorman@house.maryland.gov, jennifer.white@house.maryland.gov, joseline.pena.melnyk@house.maryland.gov, robbyn.lewis@house.maryland.gov, gabriel.acevero@house.maryland.gov, nick.allen@house.maryland.gov, marlon.amprey@house.maryland.gov, dylan.behler@house.maryland.gov, harry.bhandari@house.maryland.gov, adrian.boafo@house.maryland.gov, derrick.coley@house.maryland.gov, Eric.Ebersole@house.maryland.gov, regina.boyce@house.maryland.gov, mark.edelson@house.maryland.gov, Diana.Fennell@house.maryland.gov, linda.foley@house.maryland.gov, catherine.forbes@house.maryland.gov, michele.guyton@house.maryland.gov, andreafletcher.harrison@house.maryland.gov, marvin.holmes@house.maryland.gov, julian.ivey@house.maryland.gov, dana.jones@house.maryland.gov, bernice.mireku-north@house.maryland.gov, David.Moon@house.maryland.gov, gabriel.moreno@house.maryland.gov, darrell.odom@house.maryland.gov, julie.palakovichcarr@house.maryland.gov, cheryl.pasteur@house.maryland.gov, Edith.Patterson@house.maryland.gov, n.scott.phillips@house.maryland.gov, andrew.pruski@house.maryland.gov, lily.qi@house.maryland.gov, denise.roberts@house.maryland.gov, mike.rogers@house.maryland.gov, malcolm.ruff@house.maryland.gov, gary.simmons@house.maryland.gov, jared.solomon@house.maryland.gov, ryan.spiegel@house.maryland.gov, vaughn.stewart@house.maryland.gov, veronica.turner@house.maryland.gov, joe.vogel@house.maryland.gov, courtney.watson@house.maryland.gov, greg.wims@house.maryland.gov, jamila.woods@house.maryland.gov, chao.wu@house.maryland.gov, natalie.ziegler@house.maryland.gov

Informed Choice Maryland is a volunteer-run organization. Please help us to continue serving Marylanders who rely on our work. Your generous donations help us pay for our annual accounting, tax filings, website costs, email service, and other business-related expenses. Donations are accepted here.

Please don't hesitate to connect with us via email at info@informedchoicemaryland.com if you have any questions about the legislative session or other issues, or if you have thoughts to share about how we can support our community most effectively. We would love to hear from you!

Many thanks for all you do to protect parental rights and informed medical choice in our state!

Thank you,

The ICM Team 

Informed Choice Maryland is a 501(c)4 organization run entirely by volunteers. Your contributions, no matter the amount, make our work possible. Please consider donating to support our efforts.

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