NY State Senate Bill S3373

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Introduced
In Committee
On Floor Calendar
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
Delivered to Governor
Signed/Vetoed by Governor

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view actions (1)

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 31, 2023	referred to health

Co-Sponsors

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A1736
Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §2168, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S6771, A8679
2021-2022: S1653, A2255

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires immunization information systems to record data on the number of vaccine exemptions reported by each health care provider.

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S3373

SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring immuni-
zation information systems to record data on the number of vaccine
exemptions reported by each health care provider

 
PURPOSE:

To ensure that the Department of Health has sufficient information to
investigate suspicious patterns of vaccine medical exemptions and take
appropriate actions.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends section 2168 of the public health law to require that
records of medical exemptions to the school vaccination requirement
issued by health care providers must be entered into the statewide
immunization information system or the New York City Health Department's
citywide immunization registry in a manner that allows the Commissioner

of the Department of Health to search and access the number of
exemptions reported by each individual health care provider.

Section 2: Effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In 2019 New York State ended the religious exemption to school vaccina-
tion requirements. Children who have medical conditions that would
prevent them from receiving the normal schedule of vaccines are still
eligible to receive medical exemptions from the requirement.  However,
other states that have ended religious exemptions to vaccine require-
ments have seen a surge in spurious medical exemptions. For example,
news outlets have reported that 30-50% of kindergarteners at some Cali-
fornia schools received medical exemptions after California ended the
religious exemption to school vaccination requirements.

Other reporting uncovered the fact that a few "bad apples" within the
medical profession were handing out large numbers of exemptions often
after having been d by parents to find a reason to exempt their child.

To avoid the same problems in New York, the Department of Health must
have the tools to quickly and easily identify any medical practitioners
who may be giving out an unusually large number of medical exemptions.
Current law requires that health care providers must report the immuni-
zation status of children under their care, and this information is
entered into the statewide immunization information system (or in New
York City, into the city's immunization registry) and subsequently made
available in the aggregate for schools and school districts around the
state. However, the Department does not currently track information
about exemptions at the level of individual health care providers. This
legislation would require that information on medical exemptions be
entered into the existing immunization information systems in A manner
that would allow the Commissioner of the Department of Health and his or
her designees to search and access the number of exemptions reported by
each individual health care provider. This information will allow the

Department to identify and investigate any suspicious patterns of
exemptions.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

Senate

2020- S6771 Referred to Health

2021-2022- S1653, Referred to Health

Assembly

2020- A8679, Referred to Health

2021-2022- A2255, Referred to Health

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3373
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 31, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  SKOUFIS,  HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring  immuni-
   zation  information  systems  to  record data on the number of vaccine
   exemptions reported by each health care provider

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph  (f)  of  subdivision  5 of section 2168 of the
 public health law, as amended by chapter 35 of  the  laws  of  2019,  is
 amended to read as follows:
   (f)  The  immunization  status  of  children exempt from immunizations
 pursuant to subdivision eight of section twenty-one  hundred  sixty-four
 of  this  title  shall  be  reported by the health care provider.   SUCH
 REPORTED INFORMATION SHALL BE ENTERED INTO  THE  STATEWIDE  IMMUNIZATION
 INFORMATION  SYSTEM  AND  THE NEW YORK CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S CITYWIDE
 IMMUNIZATION REGISTRY BY THE  DEPARTMENT  OR,  AS  APPROPRIATE,  BY  THE
 DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK, IN A
 MANNER THAT ALLOWS THE COMMISSIONER AND HIS OR HER DESIGNEES  TO  SEARCH
 AND  ACCESS  THE NUMBER OF EXEMPTIONS REPORTED BY EACH INDIVIDUAL HEALTH
 CARE PROVIDER.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00831-01-3

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S3373

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

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Co-Sponsors

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Details

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S3373

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Sponsored By

James Skoufis

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Your Voice

Actions

Co-Sponsors

Brad Hoylman-Sigal

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Details

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S3373 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments