Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal Renames Important Bill Creating New York State Opt-Out Immunization Information System: The RFK, Jr. Act

NEW YORK — Today, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D, WFP - Manhattan) announced that he was renaming his legislation (S.1531) creating an opt-out immunization information system for adults under a new name: The Registry for Keeping Justified Records (“RFK, Jr.”) Act. The RFK, Jr. Act builds upon the existing NYS immunization information system for children by requiring health care providers who administer vaccines to adults to report all such vaccinations to the New York State Department of Health, or, for health care providers located in New York City, to the New York City Department of Health, unless the patient opts not to participate.

An earlier version of the bill has been introduced in previous legislative sessions, passing the Assembly on two separate occasions but failing to make it to the floor of the State Senate. Now, the bill is being reintroduced with a new name and a renewed focus in anticipation of notorious vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nomination to lead the United States Department of Health & Human Services and his pledge to roll back vaccines, putting millions of lives at risk for vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as polio, measles, mumps, whooping cough, and rubella. Kennedy has long spread the debunked idea that vaccines lead to autism.

The RFK, Jr. Act is modeled after New York State’s existing immunization registry law which, since 2008, has had these same reporting requirements in place for patients under the age of 19. Under the RFK, Jr. Act doctors would be required to report when they administer a vaccine, unless the adult patient opts out. This requirement will provide up-to-date vaccine histories and help patients maintain vaccine records, which will allow them to know what vaccines they have received and which they may still need. This will help prevent over-immunization for individuals who cannot recall what vaccines have been received in their lifetime.

The immunization registry authorized by the RFK, Jr. Act will also help health care providers consolidate and have more accurate records for their patients, who may be receiving treatment from multiple health care providers for various illnesses and ailments. In addition, the registry will serve as a valuable tool to allow the State of New York and local health departments to help control vaccine-preventable diseases through accurate vaccine tracking. Currently, 28 jurisdictions across the country have adult immunization information systems like that envisioned by the RFK, Jr. Act.

Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said: “Our statewide vaccine infrastructure is more important than ever as we face the threat of vaccine skeptics like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. taking the helm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and dictating vaccine policy at the federal level. Unlike Kennedy, New Yorkers trust the scientific research that shows immunizations are essential to the primary prevention of disease from infancy through adulthood. In fact, the reduction and elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases has been one of the great public health achievements in the United States. Effective tracking of vaccinations for adults is a commonsense and essential tool in this fight which is why we need the RFK, Jr. Act to be passed in the coming legislative session.”

###