ALBANY, NY – Senator Michelle Hinchey has introduced the Vaccine Integrity Act (VIA), new legislation that would authorize New York to follow state-level vaccine guidance, to protect residents from infectious diseases, following the Trump Administration's dismissal of experts from the federal advisory panel that shapes nationwide immunization policy.

“The Vaccine Integrity Act will give New York the power to act immediately in establishing a state-level process for reliable public health guidance, so that we can protect our people as the federal administration deals in falsehoods and conspiracies over science,” said Senator Michelle Hinchey. “The Trump administration has decimated one of our nation’s most trusted sources of public health policy, firing the experts whose work on vaccines has prevented deadly outbreaks, kept children safe in their classrooms, and eased the burden on local hospitals. Our legislation will be among the first we prioritize this session in the NYS Senate, so that all New Yorkers have the resources to protect themselves and their families from federal disinformation that will undoubtedly cause preventable disease across our country.” 

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has guided the nation’s vaccine policies for decades. Formed in the 1960s as vaccines for polio and measles became available, the committee was made up of medical and public health experts, including specialists in children’s health. Its role is to review vaccines and make recommendations to keep the public safe. ACIP’s guidance helps set the national vaccine schedule, drive state and local public health policy, and influence which vaccines insurers and the federal government will cover, including for children from low-income backgrounds.

Recently, ACIP has undergone an unprecedented political purge. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist, removed all 17 members and replaced them with eight new appointees with varying professional backgrounds, some of whom have promoted vaccine misinformation and health conspiracies. In August 2025, the Republican Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee – a physician – called for a delay in ACIP’s next meeting, citing concerns about the “meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed” by the new panel. This upheaval has raised serious concerns nationwide. States, including California, Oregon, and Washington, are exploring regional alternatives to ACIP to ensure vaccine guidance remains reliable. 

In New York, the Vaccine Integrity Act (S8496A) would allow the New York State Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, to authorize immunizations based on guidance from two existing expert bodies in New York, or an interstate advisory council on vaccines in the event New York joins one, in addition to the federal ACIP. State-level guidance would come from the Immunization Advisory Council (IAC), which includes pediatric, epidemiology, and public health professionals, and the 21st Century Disease Elimination Workgroup, which combines IAC members with staff from the state Department of Health’s immunization division. Health plans would also be required to cover any vaccines recommended by these state or interstate organizations, as they are currently required by law to cover any ACIP recommendations. This approach expands New York’s ability to respond to outbreaks like Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Mpox, and other emerging public health threats without relying solely on a federal panel that may be unable to perform its historical role.  

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