{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://barragan.house.gov/2025/12/19/press-release-rep-barragan-reintroduces-bill-to-address-transportation-barriers-to-help-americans-access-vaccinations/", "PRESS RELEASE: Rep. Barrag\u00e1n Reintroduces Bill to Address Transportation Barriers to Help Americans Access Vaccinations", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Nanette Diaz Barrag\u00e1n", "B001300", "barragan.house.gov", "barragan", "https://barragan.house.gov/news", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nDecember 19, 2025\n\nContact: Jin.Choi@mail.house.gov\n\nRep. Barrag\u00e1n Reintroduces Bill to Address Transportation Barriers to Help Americans Access Vaccinations\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Yesterday, Congresswoman Nanette Barrag\u00e1n (CA-44) reintroduced the Vaccine Transportation Access Act to support Americans getting vaccinated by creating a grant program for community organizations to address transportation barriers.\n\nGrants can be used to provide on-demand transportation for patients directly or pay for transportation services, such as ride-share companies to bring the patients to and from their vaccine appointments. This bill builds upon Rep. Barrag\u00e1n\u2019s COVID Vaccine Transportation Access Act (H.R. 3013) in 2021, which focused on ensuring that people in communities facing transportation barriers could reach their COVID vaccine and booster shot appointments during the pandemic.\n\n\u201cGetting vaccinated can help protect against preventable illnesses, hospitalizations, and increased health care costs across communities,\u201d said Rep. Barrag\u00e1n. \u201cBut in many communities like mine, patients may lack the financial resources or reliable transportation to get to their routine check-up \u2013 and the closest health center or hospital can be miles away. That is why I\u2019m proud to reintroduce the Vaccine Transportation Access Act to help ensure that Americans can receive the critical preventive care they need, especially at a time when vaccine access and affordability are under attack.\u201d\n\n\u201cTransportation should never stand between a patient and getting a lifesaving vaccine. The Vaccine Transportation Access Act is a smart, practical step that helps communities close that gap. The AAFP is proud to endorse this legislation because it strengthens access, supports evidence-based care and helps ensure every patient \u2014 regardless of where they live \u2014 can get the vaccinations they need to stay healthy,\u201d said Sarah Nosal, MD, FAAFP, President of American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).\n\n\u201cThe American College of Physicians strongly believes that immunizations are one of our most important tools to protect public and personal health. However, in order to realize this protection, patients need to be able to access vaccines. Legislation like the Vaccine Transportation Access Act, which would provide resources to help patients get transportation to vaccine appointments, is key to improving access, getting patients vaccinated and protecting our communities,\u201d said Jason M. Goldman, MD, MACP, President of American College of Physicians (ACP).\n\n\u201cUber is a powerful platform for reducing transportation barriers to healthcare access. We are glad to support Congresswoman Nanette Barrag\u00e1n\u2019s legislation, which would help ensure vulnerable populations can consistently reach the care they need,\u201d said Javi Correoso, Head of Federal Affairs, Uber.\n\nThe Vaccine Transportation Act will ensure that the grant program applies to vaccines, as long as they are recommended by:\n\nThe CDC\u2019s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) as of October 25, 2024; or\n\nEvidence-based clinical care guidelines from U.S. professional medical societies.\n\nOriginal cosponsors of the legislation include Reps. Andr\u00e9 Carson, Steve Cohen, Debbie Dingell, Jes\u00fas \u201cChuy\u201d Garc\u00eda, Dan Goldman, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Darren Soto, Paul Tonko, and Marc Veasey.\n\nThe Vaccine Transportation Access Act is endorsed by theAmerican Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG), American College of Physicians (ACP), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), Lyft, Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease (PFID), Uber, and Vaccinate Your Family.\n\nTo view the full bill text, click HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://barragan.house.gov/2025/12/19/press-release-rep-barragan-reintroduces-bill-to-address-transportation-barriers-to-help-americans-access-vaccinations/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4484119601547718, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}