Relates to immunization vaccines for children

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic9

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Toby Ann Stavisky says this is needed

Protecting the health and wellbeing of New York residents is one of the foremost responsibilities of State government. An important part of fulfilling this role is to ensure that residents have access to the immunizations they need to stay healthy. Vaccines are safe, effective and have proven to be one of the most successful public health inter- ventions, significantly reducing childhood mortality and morbidity from preventable disease. Historically, the federal government has made recommendations regarding immunizations based upon the rigorous evaluation of sound science and medicine, and thus been aligned with the State on immunization policy. This alignment is reflected in current State law, which ties childhood vaccine schedules to recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The Committee, which advises the Center for Disease Control on immunization policy, has long agreed with the scien- tific and medical consensus that immunizations are critical to protect- ing public health and safety. Unfortunately, the current federal admin- istration does not share in this consensus and has replaced many of the medical experts on the Committee with immunization skeptics that appear unwilling to maintain evidence-based immunization recommendations that prioritize public health. To ensure that access to life-saving immunizations continues unabated in New York, it is essential to amend State law to eliminate reliance sole- ly on recommendations from the federal government. The bill does so by removing references to the Committee, and replacing those references with recommendations issued by the Commissioner of Health in consulta- tion with trusted scientific organizations including the American Acade- my of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Ameri- can College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, and other nationally or internationally recognized scientif- ic organizations that continue to value recommendations grounded in the highest quality scientific evidence. The Commissioner may also continue to consider the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immuniza- tion Practices. The bill also authorizes pharmacists to administer the COVID-19 immunization, something pharmacists are currently authorized to do under federal law.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.