Bill Text: TX HCR94 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Designating May 8 as Vaccination Day for a 10-year period ending in 2035.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 29)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-03-11 - Referred to Public Health [HCR94 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HCR94-Introduced.html
| 89R16426 TBO-D | ||
| By: Morales of Harris | H.C.R. No. 94 | |
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| WHEREAS, May 8 marks the anniversary of the date in 1980 when | ||
| the world was declared free of the smallpox disease, a monumental | ||
| achievement in public health; this occasion serves as a fitting | ||
| opportunity to highlight the lifesaving importance of immunization | ||
| and to encourage Texans to learn more about the visionary health | ||
| professionals who have contributed to the development of vaccines; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, The earliest known records of immunization date back | ||
| to the 15th century, and the practice was revolutionized by English | ||
| physician Edward Jenner in 1796, when he successfully inoculated a | ||
| child against smallpox using matter from a cowpox sore; later, the | ||
| term "vaccine" was coined from the Latin word for cow, vacca; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The first laboratory-produced vaccine was created | ||
| by Louis Pasteur in 1872; following the outbreak of the Spanish Flu | ||
| pandemic in 1918, the development of an influenza vaccine became a | ||
| priority for the U.S. military; the first flu shot was approved for | ||
| military use in 1945, and civilians were allowed to obtain the | ||
| vaccine soon after; another major breakthrough in immunization | ||
| research took place during the 1950s, when Jonas Salk developed the | ||
| first effective vaccine against polio, a devastating viral disease | ||
| that primarily affects young children; by 1960, a live-attenuated | ||
| version of the polio vaccine was developed by Albert Sabin; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1967, the World Health Organization launched the | ||
| Intensified Smallpox Eradication Programme, which aimed to | ||
| eliminate smallpox in more than 30 countries; the initiative | ||
| received unprecedented global support despite the ongoing Cold War, | ||
| leading to the eradication of the disease by 1980; over the decades, | ||
| immunization has continued to advance through efforts such as the | ||
| Essential Programme on Immunization, the Global Polio Eradication | ||
| Initiative, and the Meningitis Vaccine Project, as well as through | ||
| the dedicated work of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and other | ||
| organizations; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the past five decades, global immunization | ||
| efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives, including those | ||
| of more than 100 million infants; immunization programs have served | ||
| as the bedrock of primary health services in communities and | ||
| countries around the world, offering vaccinations and other vital | ||
| services, including nutritional support, maternal tetanus | ||
| prevention, and illness screenings; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Vaccines are crucial to improving public health and | ||
| combatting preventable diseases, and the remarkable work of vaccine | ||
| developers, past and present, is indeed deserving of special | ||
| recognition; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate May 8 as Vaccination Day; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section | ||
| 391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect | ||
| until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally | ||
| passed by the legislature. | ||
