Democrats in New York have introduced legislation that would preserve requirements for certain vaccines for children recommended by state health officials and major scientific organizations, even if federal authorities rescind approval of the shots.
State Rep. Amy Paulin, a Democrat, on March 26 unveiled one of the bills, which would alter the state public health law in New York that sets out required vaccines for children, including vaccines against polio, measles, and hepatitis B.
The bill, Assembly Bill 10711, would remove language stating that the vaccines need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Instead, the law would say that parents are required to have their children receive the vaccines “in accordance with regulations issued by the [state’s health] commissioner, utilizing generally accepted medical standards and taking into consideration recommendations of” nationally or internationally recognized scientific organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics.
A second piece of legislation would require insurance companies to cover vaccines even if they are not recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provided they are recommended by the commissioner based on recommendations from the same organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, or national or international groups.
New York has historically mandated only vaccines that are approved and recommended by federal health agencies.
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