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92_SB1304gms
State of Illinois
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Springfield, Illinois 62706
George H. Ryan
GOVERNOR
August 15, 2001
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois Senate
92nd General Assembly
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(b) of the Illinois
Constitution of 1970, I hereby veto and return Senate Bill
1304, entitled "AN ACT concerning immunizations."
Senate Bill 1304 amends the Department of Public Health
Act. It provides that a person is ineligible to serve on the
Immunization Advisory Committee if the person or his or her
spouse is an officer, employee, or agent of, or has any
ownership or other financial interest in a pharmaceutical
company that manufactures vaccines. Senate Bill 1304
prohibits members or their spouses from soliciting or
accepting anything of value or any other economic benefit
from a pharmaceutical company that manufactures or produces
vaccines unless it is offered and available generally to
licensed physicians or the public. Senate Bill 1304 also
states that the prohibitions do not apply to an officer,
employee, or his or her spouse of a government or non-profit
entity that solicits vaccines for the governmental or
non-profit entity.
I have concerns regarding the impact Senate Bill 1304
would have on the Immunization Advisory Committee. Senate
Bill 1304 would severely limit the number of pediatric
disease specialists and pediatric physicians in general, who
would be eligible to serve on the Immunization Advisory
Committee. Many physicians with expertise in the field of
immunizations and infectious disease have contractual
relationships with pharmaceutical companies with regards to
speaking engagements. Also, many medical schools and
academic centers employ infectious disease specialists that
perform research funded by the pharmaceutical industry. The
Committee provides the Director of the Department of Public
Health with valuable knowledge, resources and recommendations
with regards to childhood immunizations. To limit the
eligible number of experts available to serve on the
Immunization Advisory Committee would be a mistake.
Furthermore, the members of the Committee are already
required to complete a Financial Interest Inventory statement
disclosing their financial relationships with pharmaceutical
companies. Committee members with a substantial financial
interest are required to abstain on votes pertaining to
entities with which the member has a financial relationship.
I have instructed the Director of the Department of
Public Health to consider possible conflicts of interest as
he or she reviews possible candidates for the Immunization
Advisory Committee. The Department of Public Health's legal
counsel also monitors and reviews voting records of the
Immunization Advisory Committee to ensure compliance with the
by-laws regarding disclosure of financial interests and
voting. Therefore, I do not see a need for the provisions
and restrictions imposed by Senate Bill 1304.
For these reasons, I hereby veto and return Senate Bill
1304.
Sincerely,
George H. Ryan
GOVERNOR