S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
7729
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
May 1, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- 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 against rotavirus for certain children
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 2164 of the public health law, as amended by chap-
ter 401 of the laws of 2015, subdivision 6 as amended by chapter 35 of
the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
§ 2164. Definitions; immunization against poliomyelitis, mumps,
measles, diphtheria, rubella, varicella, Haemophilus influenzae type b
(Hib), pertussis, tetanus, pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease,
[and] hepatitis B, AND AGE APPROPRIATE ROTAVIRUS. 1. As used in this
section, unless the context requires otherwise:
a. The term "school" means and includes any public, private or paro-
chial child caring center, day nursery, day care agency, nursery school,
kindergarten, elementary, intermediate or secondary school.
b. The term "child" shall mean and include any person between the ages
of two months and eighteen years.
c. The term "person in parental relation to a child" shall mean and
include [his father or mother] THEIR PARENT, by birth or adoption, [his]
THEIR legally appointed guardian, or [his] THEIR custodian. A person
shall be regarded as the custodian of a child if [he has] THEY HAVE
assumed the charge and care of the child because the parents or legally
appointed guardian of the minor have died, are imprisoned, are mentally
ill, or have been committed to an institution, or because they have
abandoned or deserted such child or are living outside the state or
their whereabouts are unknown, or have designated the person pursuant to
title fifteen-A of article five of the general obligations law as a
person in parental relation to the child.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09803-02-5
S. 7729 2
d. The term "health practitioner" shall mean any person authorized by
law to administer an immunization.
2. a. Every person in parental relation to a child in this state shall
have administered to such child an adequate dose or doses of an immuniz-
ing agent against poliomyelitis, mumps, measles, diphtheria, rubella,
varicella, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pertussis, tetanus,
pneumococcal disease, [and] hepatitis B, AND AGE APPROPRIATE ROTAVIRUS,
which meets the standards approved by the United States public health
service for such biological products, and which is approved by the
department under such conditions as may be specified by the public
health AND HEALTH PLANNING council; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, NO PERSON IN
PARENTAL RELATION TO A CHILD IN THIS STATE SHALL BE REQUIRED TO HAVE
ADMINISTERED TO SUCH CHILD ANY IMMUNIZING AGENT REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION
WHERE SUCH CHILD WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE SUCH IMMUNIZING AGENT ADMIN-
ISTERED IN A MANNER APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS AS
MAY BE SPECIFIED BY THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH PLANNING COUNCIL DUE TO
THE CHILD'S AGE CONSISTENT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ADVISORY COMMIT-
TEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES.
b. Every person in parental relation to a child in this state born on
or after January first, nineteen hundred ninety-four and entering sixth
grade or a comparable age level special education program with an unas-
signed grade on or after September first, two thousand seven, shall have
administered to such child a booster immunization containing diphtheria
and tetanus toxoids, and an acellular pertussis vaccine, which meets the
standards approved by the United States public health service for such
biological products, and which is approved by the department under such
conditions as may be specified by the public health AND HEALTH PLANNING
council.
c. Every person in parental relation to a child in this state entering
or having entered seventh grade and twelfth grade or a comparable age
level special education program with an unassigned grade on or after
September first, two thousand sixteen, shall have administered to such
child an adequate dose or doses of immunizing agents against meningococ-
cal disease as recommended by the advisory committee on immunization
practices of the centers for disease control and prevention, which meets
the standards approved by the United States public health service for
such biological products, and which is approved by the department under
such conditions as may be specified by the public health and HEALTH
planning council.
3. The person in parental relation to any such child who has not
previously received such immunization shall present the child to a
health practitioner and request such health practitioner to administer
the necessary immunization against poliomyelitis, mumps, measles,
diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), rubella, varicella,
pertussis, tetanus, pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease, [and]
hepatitis B, AND AGE APPROPRIATE ROTAVIRUS, as provided in subdivision
two of this section.
4. If any person in parental relation to such child is unable to pay
for the services of a private health practitioner, such person shall
present such child to the health officer of the county in which the
child resides, who shall then administer the immunizing agent without
charge.
5. The health practitioner who administers such immunizing agent
against poliomyelitis, mumps, measles, diphtheria, Haemophilus influen-
zae type b (Hib), rubella, varicella, pertussis, tetanus, pneumococcal
disease, meningococcal disease, [and] hepatitis B, AND AGE APPROPRIATE
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ROTAVIRUS, to any such child shall give a certificate of such immuniza-
tion to the person in parental relation to such child.
6. In the event that a person in parental relation to a child makes
application for admission of such child to a school or has a child
attending school and there exists no certificate or other acceptable
evidence of the child's immunization against poliomyelitis, mumps,
measles, diphtheria, rubella, varicella, hepatitis B, pertussis, teta-
nus, ROTAVIRUS, and, where applicable, Haemophilus influenzae type b
(Hib), meningococcal disease, and pneumococcal disease, the principal,
teacher, owner or person in charge of the school shall inform such
person of the necessity to have the child immunized, that such immuniza-
tion may be administered by any health practitioner, or that the child
may be immunized without charge by the health officer in the county
where the child resides, if such person executes a consent therefor. In
the event that such person does not wish to select a health practitioner
to administer the immunization, [he or she] THEY shall be provided with
a form which shall give notice that as a prerequisite to processing the
application for admission to, or for continued attendance at, the school
such person shall state a valid reason for withholding consent or
consent shall be given for immunization to be administered by a health
officer in the public employ, or by a school physician or nurse. The
form shall provide for the execution of a consent by such person and it
shall also state that such person need not execute such consent if
subdivision eight of this section applies to such child.
7. (a) No principal, teacher, owner or person in charge of a school
shall permit any child to be admitted to such school, or to attend such
school, in excess of fourteen days, without the certificate provided for
in subdivision five of this section or some other acceptable evidence of
the child's immunization against poliomyelitis, mumps, measles, diphthe-
ria, rubella, varicella, hepatitis B, pertussis, tetanus, AGE APPROPRI-
ATE ROTAVIRUS and, where applicable, Haemophilus influenzae type b
(Hib), meningococcal disease, and pneumococcal disease; provided, howev-
er, such fourteen day period may be extended to not more than thirty
days for an individual student by the appropriate principal, teacher,
owner or other person in charge where such student is transferring from
out-of-state or from another country and can show a good faith effort to
get the necessary certification or other evidence of immunization.
(b) A parent, a guardian or any other person in parental relationship
to a child denied school entrance or attendance may appeal by petition
to the commissioner of education in accordance with the provisions of
section three hundred ten of the education law.
8. If any physician licensed to practice medicine in this state certi-
fies that such immunization may be detrimental to a child's health, the
requirements of this section shall be inapplicable until such immuniza-
tion is found no longer to be detrimental to the child's health.
8-a. Whenever a child has been refused admission to, or continued
attendance at, a school as provided for in subdivision seven of this
section because there exists no certificate provided for in subdivision
five of this section or other acceptable evidence of the child's immuni-
zation against poliomyelitis, mumps, measles, diphtheria, rubella, vari-
cella, hepatitis B, pertussis, tetanus, AGE APPROPRIATE ROTAVIRUS, and,
where applicable, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), meningococcal
disease, and pneumococcal disease, the principal, teacher, owner or
person in charge of the school shall:
a. forward a report of such exclusion and the name and address of such
child to the local health authority and to the person in parental
S. 7729 4
relation to the child together with a notification of the responsibility
of such person under subdivision two of this section and a form of
consent as prescribed by regulation of the commissioner, and
b. provide, with the cooperation of the appropriate local health
authority, for a time and place at which an immunizing agent or agents
shall be administered, as required by subdivision two of this section,
to a child for whom a consent has been obtained. Upon failure of a local
health authority to cooperate in arranging for a time and place at which
an immunizing agent or agents shall be administered as required by
subdivision two of this section, the commissioner shall arrange for such
administration and may recover the cost thereof from the amount of state
aid to which the local health authority would otherwise be entitled.
10. The commissioner may adopt and amend rules and regulations to
effectuate the provisions and purposes of this section.
11. Every school shall annually provide the commissioner, on forms
provided by the commissioner, a summary regarding compliance with the
provisions of this section.
§ 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 613 of the public
health law, as amended by section 24 of part E of chapter 56 of the laws
of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The commissioner shall develop and supervise the execution of a
program of immunization, surveillance and testing, to raise to the high-
est reasonable level the immunity of the children of the state against
communicable diseases including, but not limited to, influenza, poliom-
yelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib),
diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, AGE APPROPRIATE ROTAVIRUS, varicella,
hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease, and the immunity of adults of the
state against diseases identified by the commissioner, including but not
limited to influenza, smallpox, hepatitis and such other diseases as the
commissioner may designate through regulation. Municipalities in the
state shall maintain local programs of immunization to raise the immuni-
ty of the children and adults of each municipality to the highest
reasonable level, in accordance with an application for state aid
submitted by the municipality and approved by the commissioner. Such
programs shall include assurance of provision of vaccine, serological
testing of individuals and educational efforts to inform health care
providers and target populations or their parents, if they are minors,
of the facts relative to these diseases and immunizations to prevent
their occurrence.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately the
addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
to be made and completed on or before such date.
