NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2186
SPONSOR: Dinowitz TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring children
enrolled in an overnight, children's non-regulated, summer day, or trav-
elling camp to be vaccinated
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill would require that any child attending an overnight, summer
day, travelling summer day or children's non-regulated camp be up to
date on their vaccinations; excluding those with a compromising medical
condition
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill adds subdivision 3-a to § 1392 of the public
health law to define children's non-regulated camp.
Section two of the bill adds subdivision 6-a to § 1394 of the public
health law to state that each children's overnight, children's non-regu-
lated, summer day, and travelling summer day camp shall ensure that
every child enrolled at such camp has been administered an adequate dose
or doses of an immunizing agent against poliomyelitis, mumps, measles,
diphtheria, rubella, varicella, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Rib),
pertussis, tetanus, pneumococcal disease, and hepatitis B, which meets
the standards approved by the United States public health service for
such biological products. If any health care practitioner, as defined in
section twenty-one hundred sixty-four of this chapter, certifies that
such immunization may be detrimental to a child's health, the require-
ments of this subdivision shall be inapplicable until such immunization
is found no longer to be detrimental to such child's health.
Section three of the bill provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
The New York State Department of Health code requires many camps to
maintain immunization records for all campers, which are then regularly
reviewed by local health departments. However, there are no vaccination
requirements for admission to camp. Currently, individual camps must
decide if any vaccines are required and what specifically those vaccines
would be. This legislation would require vaccinations of children
attending camp in New York State with the exception of a child with a
medical exemption.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: A.6961 - Health / S.4249 - Health
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect October 1, 2023.
