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A08635 Summary:

BILL NOA08635
 
SAME ASSAME AS S06717
 
SPONSORDinowitz
 
COSPNSRBlake
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd §2164, add §2169, Pub Health L
 
Relates to the publication of immunization information; requires schools to provide immunization information to the commissioner of health; requires the department of health to make immunization information, including rates of immunization, available on its website.
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A08635 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A8635
 
SPONSOR: Dinowitz
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public health law, in relation to the publication of immunization information   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: This bill would require schools to report specific information about the immunization rates of their student bodies to the Department of Health (DOH). It would also require DOH to make certain information about New York State immunization rates publicly available on its website.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1 of the bill amends subdivision 11 of section 2164 of the Public Health Law to require every school in the State to report certain information to the Department of Health (DOH) regarding the immunization status of each student admitted to the school. Section 2 of the bill adds a new section 2169 to the Public Health Law entitled Publication of Immunization Information to require DOH to make certain information regarding New York State schools' compliance with state immunization requirements prominently available on their website, including a searchable database of immunization rates, an analysis of statewide trends in immunization rates and exemptions over time, and an analysis of areas of the sate vulnerable to the spread of communicable diseases. The bill requires DOH to appropriately protect the confidentiality of individual identifying information while fulfilling the above require- ments. Section 3 of the bill sets the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: Immunization against vaccine-preventable communicable diseases is one of the most effective tools that we have to protect public heal th, partic- ularly the health of immuno-compromised children and adults, cancer survivors, and pregnant women, all of whom may not be able to be vacci- nated due to potential medical contradictions. In order to ensure that New York state has the strongest immunization rates possible, it is crucial that policymakers and public health offi- cials have appropriate access to accurate data regarding immunization rates at New York schools. Additionally, parents (particularly parents of children who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons) deserve to know whether or not their child's school is maintaining a rate of immunization against communica- ble diseases. No parent should have to worry for the safety of their child when sending them to an environment that is supposed to be benefi- cial, nurturing, and educational. This legislation would require the Department of Health to make specific information about schools' compliance for each immunization series required by law prominently available on its website. This would ensure that anyone seeking information regarding immunization rates in New York would quickly be able to find accurate, up-to-date data. It would also require the Department to analyze and publish trends in immunization rates and medical exemptions from the law over time, to ensure that "herd immunity" is being maintained. This would increase public awareness of New York's immunity to communicable diseases and help identify areas of concern across the state where immunization rates are under herd immunity levels.   LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: None, new bill.   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: To be determined.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect January 1, 2021.
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A08635 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          8635
 
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     October 2, 2019
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Health
 
        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the publication of
          immunization information
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 11 of section 2164 of the public health law, as
     2  amended by chapter 401 of the laws  of  2015,  is  amended  to  read  as
     3  follows:
     4    11.  Every  school  shall  annually provide the commissioner, on forms
     5  provided by the commissioner, a summary regarding  compliance  with  the
     6  provisions  of  this  section.  Nothing  herein  shall  prevent a school
     7  district from providing such forms to the commissioner on behalf of  the
     8  schools within its district.  Such summary shall identify, at minimum:
     9    a.  for  each individual immunization series required by this section,
    10  the number and percentage of children admitted to the school that are:
    11    (i) fully immunized;
    12    (ii) not fully immunized; and
    13    (iii) exempt, pursuant to subdivision eight of this section, from such
    14  immunization series;
    15    b. the overall number and  percentage  of  children  admitted  to  the
    16  school that are:
    17    (i)  fully  immunized  for  all  immunization  series required by this
    18  section;
    19    (ii) not fully immunized for one or more immunization series  required
    20  by this section; and
    21    (iii)  exempt, pursuant to subdivision eight of this section, from one
    22  or more immunization series required by this section; and
    23    c. any other information the commissioner shall require.
    24    § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2169  to
    25  read as follows:
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13623-03-9

        A. 8635                             2
 
     1    §  2169.  Publication  of  immunization information. 1. The department
     2  shall prominently make available on its  website  information  regarding
     3  compliance  with  the  requirements of section twenty-one hundred sixty-
     4  four of this title by schools in this state, including, but not  limited
     5  to:
     6    (a)  a  searchable  database  of  information  regarding each school's
     7  compliance with the requirements of section  twenty-one  hundred  sixty-
     8  four  of  this  title,  including,  but  not  limited to the information
     9  contained in the summary of compliance required pursuant to  subdivision
    10  eleven of section twenty-one hundred sixty-four of this title;
    11    (b)  for each individual immunization series required by section twen-
    12  ty-one hundred sixty-four of this title, the number  and  percentage  of
    13  children admitted to a school in this state that are:
    14    (i) fully immunized;
    15    (ii) not fully immunized; and
    16    (iii) exempt, pursuant to subdivision eight of such section, from such
    17  immunization series;
    18    (c) the overall number and percentage of children admitted to a school
    19  in this state that are:
    20    (i)  fully  immunized  for all immunization series required by section
    21  twenty-one hundred sixty-four of this title;
    22    (ii) not fully immunized for one or more immunization series  required
    23  by section twenty-one hundred sixty-four of this title; and
    24    (iii)  exempt,  pursuant  to  subdivision  eight of section twenty-one
    25  hundred sixty-four of this title, from one or more  immunization  series
    26  required by such section;
    27    (d)  an  analysis  of  statewide  trends  in  immunization  rates  and
    28  exemptions over time;
    29    (e) an analysis  identifying  particular  schools,  school  districts,
    30  and/or  areas  of the state which have an immunization rate of less than
    31  ninety-five percent, or are otherwise vulnerable to the spread of commu-
    32  nicable diseases; and
    33    (f) any other information the department judges  to  be  pertinent  or
    34  necessary.
    35    2.  For  the  purposes of complying with the provisions of subdivision
    36  one of this section, the department shall ensure that the confidentiali-
    37  ty of individual identifying information is appropriately protected, and
    38  shall not publish such information in a manner that allows such informa-
    39  tion to be linked to an individual child, parent, guardian, or person in
    40  parental relationship to a child.
    41    § 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2021.
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A08635 LFIN:

 NO LFIN
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