Washington, D.C. – October 22, 2004 – Congressman Doyle announced today that he was working to ensure that Congress passed legislation to improve the supply of flu vaccine before it adjourns later this year.

“it’s clear now that we need to ensure that enough flu vaccine will be available each year to inoculate all of the Americans who need and want flu shots,” Congressman Doyle said today. “The shortcomings of relying exclusively on the free market to provide millions of doses of flu vaccine are now clear. That is why I have cosponsored legislation that would put into place tax credits and buy-back guarantees for flu vaccine producers. By implementing these simple, cost-effective measures, we can prevent a future debacle like the one we’ve got now.”

Congressman Doyle has asked that he be added as a cosponsor of H.R. 3758, the Flu Protection Act. This legislation, introduced by Representative Rahm Emmanuel, would offer tax credits for expansion of flu vaccine production facilities, and would offer a government buy-back guarantee for vaccine makers who end up with surplus flu vaccine doses at the end of a flu season. It also authorizes an awareness campaign and outreach efforts to encourage people to get vaccinated. Once Congress comes back into session after the election, Congressman Doyle’s name will be added to the list of cosponsors of the Flu Protection Act.

Congressman Doyle also recently signed a letter to the House leadership asking them to take this legislation up and pass it when Congress comes back into session in November.

Here is the text of the letter than Congressman Doyle signed:

Dear Speaker Hastert and Leader Pelosi:

As bipartisan cosponsors of the Flu Protection Act (H.R. 3758), we are writing to ask you to schedule this essential legislation for consideration on the House floor while Congress convenes a special session next month.

This year’s flu vaccine shortage, which is already resulting in long lines for vaccine, tremendous hardships for families throughout the country, and widespread fear among the elderly and other vulnerable populations, has clearly revealed the inadequacies of our current system for flu vaccine production. The recent announcement by Chiron that it may not be able to supply vaccine for the United States in 2005 should encourage us to take immediate action to prevent this shortage from endangering Americans again and to ensure that we are better equipped to face next year’s flu season.

The Flu Protection Act offers incentives to produce vaccines, sets aside funds to encourage the creation of more vaccine companies with faster production times; and demands greater cooperation between the government and vaccine manufacturers to provide a more accurate estimate on the number of vaccines needed each year. The bill also directs the CDC to develop a contingency plan in case of another shortage such as the one we are experiencing this year.

Though we understand that time will be limited during the November session, we can think of few more pressing responsibilities for this Congress than to do everything in our power to ensure that millions of Americans do not face next flu season unprotected. We are confident that passage of H.R. 3758 would be a good first step to that end.

Thank you for your consideration of our request. We look forward to working with you toward a timely, bipartisan solution to this critical problem.

Sincerely,

.