The following highlights recent news of state actions on human papillomavirus vaccine legislation. Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases. FDA in July 2006 approved Gardasil for sale and marketing to girls and women ages nine to 26, and CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices later that month voted unanimously to recommend that girls ages 11 and 12 receive the vaccine. GSK in April plans to file for FDA approval of Cervarix, and it expects approval by the end of this year (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/23). Summaries appear below.

• Colorado: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday endorsed a bill (SB 80) that would require middle school girls to receive an HPV vaccine unless their parents or guardians opted them out of the requirement, the Denver Post reports (Clausing, Denver Post, 2/1). Sen. Suzanne Williams (D) and Rep. Mike May (R) introduced the bill, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports. According to the News, about 30,000 middle school girls would be vaccinated annually if the bill is passed. The vaccine is not yet covered by state health plans, but Jim Martin, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said he is confident that his agency can obtain federal money to ensure that girls who are uninsured could receive the vaccine at no cost (Scanlon, Denver Rocky Mountain News, 1/30).
  
  
• Connecticut: Three bills have been introduced this month in the General Assembly that address access to HPV vaccines, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports. The first bill (HB 6085), introduced by Rep. DebraLee Hovey (R), would require all girls in the state to receive an HPV vaccine by age 12. It also would give an unspecified amount to the Department of Public Health to study cervical cancer prevention and treatment options, as well as allocate $50,000 for a public education campaign. A second bill (HB 5485), sponsored by Rep. Roberta Willis (D), would require the state's HUSKY insurance program for low-income families to cover HPV vaccines. A third bill would require the health department to develop HPV immunization standards (Collins, AP/Long Island Newsday, 1/28).
  
  
• Kansas: Rep. Delia Garcia (D) has sponsored a bill (HB 2227) that would require girls enrolling in the sixth grade in the state's public schools to receive an HPV vaccine, the Wichita Eagle reports. Parents or guardians could decline to have their child vaccinated by signing a document stating that they had received information about the vaccine, according to the measure. Thirty-six legislators are cosponsoring the legislation (Klepper, Wichita Eagle, 1/31).
  
  
• Maryland: Sen. Delores Kelley (D) on Tuesday said that she plans to withdraw a bill she introduced earlier this month that would require girls entering the sixth grade to receive an HPV vaccine, the Baltimore Sun reports. Kelley plans to withdraw the legislation because parents and educators in the state are concerned about an additional vaccine requirement after thousands of sixth- through ninth-grade students were denied admission to public schools because they were not vaccinated against chickenpox or hepatitis B (Smitherman, Baltimore Sun, 1/31). Kelley said she likely will reintroduce the bill during the next legislative session (Wiggins, Washington Post, 1/31).
  
  
• Michigan: Lawmakers recently introduced two bills that aim to increase use of HPV vaccines among girls entering the sixth grade, the AP/MLive.com reports. Reps. Brenda Clack (D) and Mark Meadows (D) introduced legislation (HB 4164) that would require the parents or guardians of sixth grade girls to turn in a statement from a physician indicating whether the child received an HPV vaccine or if they opted against it. A group of lawmakers -- including Sens. Tony Stamas (R) and Deb Cherry (D) -- introduced a measure (HB 4104) that would make it mandatory for girls entering sixth grade to receive an HPV vaccine; however, there would be a way for parents or guardians to opt out of the requirement (Martin, AP/MLive.com, 1/29).
  
  
• Wisconsin: Sens. Lena Taylor (D) and Robert Wirch (D) recently introduced legislation that would require girls enrolling in the sixth grade to receive an HPV vaccine unless their parent opted them out of the requirement, the AP/St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Taylor said the measure has one Republican and two Democratic co-sponsors in the Assembly and three Republican co-sponsors in the Senate. Matt Canter, spokesperson for Gov. Jim Doyle (D), said the governor had not reviewed the bill and had no comment (Bauer, AP/St. Paul Pioneer Press, 1/27).