State Senate to pass vaccine package - Spectrum News

Democrats in the State Senate want to expand protections around vaccine access.

They plan to advance a slate of legislation this week intending to do just that, and while the package includes measures around insurance coverage and recommendations, the messaging is clearly a response to the Trump administration and Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s policies and commentary around vaccines.

The bills expected to be passed Wednesday include:

• S.7025A: Authorize Registered Pharmacy Technicians to give vaccines, sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Cooney.
• S.8334A: Require Coverage of COVID-19 vaccine and Other Established Vaccinations after federal recommendations changed over the summer, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Gounardes.
• S.8853: Set standards around vaccine requirements for children, sponsored by Sen. Shelley Mayer.
• S.8496C: Expand vaccine authorization power beyond the federal advisory committee on immunization practices to include other state and local entities, sponsored by Sen. Michelle Hinchey.
• S.5706: Allow nursing students to administer certain vaccines, sponsored by Sen. James Skoufis.
• S.5340A: Allow medical assistants to administer vaccines, sponsored by Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky.
• S.5852: Require providers be reimbursed for the full cost of vaccinations, sponsored by Sen. James Skoufis.

While Gounardes sponsors the COVID-19 bill, he stressed the importance of the entire package.

“It’s an incredibly important time for New York to set clear guidelines and standards to calm the public and explain to the public what the science around vaccinations is and what is the appropriate vaccination schedule for both you and your children,” he said.

Spectrum News 1 reached out to Republicans on the Senate Health Committee for comment and they declined to comment. The bills would also have to pass in the state Assembly and be signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in order to become law.

It comes as Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has been expressing a desire to get legislation finalized in response to Trump’s immigration policy.

The Senate majority has made it clear they intend to chart their own path despite the ultimate need for a three-way agreement between the Senate, Assembly and Gov. Hochul on a set of policies.

Stewart-Cousins had said last week that a package could be expected as soon as this week, after forming a ‘working group’ to inform the upper chamber’s response to Hochul’s immigration proposals.

“I’ve had members meeting and we now have recommendations I have received,” she said at the time. “I believe we will be able to have something that we can put forward in the next week or so.”

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie last week said the Assembly would be looking for a three-way agreement.

While progress has been made in the past week in ironing out certain details, it appears there is still work to be done.

Gounardes said we likely won’t see that package this week.

“I don’t think this week. I don’t think we’re quite ready yet, I know we’re looking at a whole range of ideas and options — first among those including New York for All all but certainly not limited to New York for All,” he said. “Those conversations are ongoing, I think we all recognize that there is an urgency to this moment and that we have to act and we’re working with all expediency to try to do so.”

Both the Senate and Assembly are poised to release their one-house budgets at the beginning of next week.