Res 0425-2026

Whereas, Models run by researchers at Stanford Medicine and their colleagues suggest that diseases like measles, rubella, and polio could become endemic to the United States again if vaccine rates decline; and Whereas, Influenza vaccination rates have fallen among children aged 6 months to 17 years in New York City, according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, with only 32 percent having received the shot by the midway point of the 2025-26 flu season, compared to 34 percent at the same time last year, and 38 percent midway through the 2021-22 flu season; and Whereas, Experts warn that recent attempted changes to vaccine recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may further depress vaccinations rates, with KFF highlighting that conflicting messages from the CDC and other public health organizations may sow confusion among the public; and Whereas, The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is the CDC's panel of independent vaccine experts and is responsible for developing vaccine recommendations, which then become official CDC policy once adopted by the CDC's director; and Whereas, A recent court decision, which temporarily blocked the CDC's new vaccine schedule and found that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not follow federal legal procedures when replacing members of the ACIP, has placed doubt on the ability of the CDC to provide trustworthy and scientifically backed vaccine recommendations; and Whereas, According to KFF, the attempted changes to the vaccine schedule also created questions around insurance coverage for vaccinations, as parents who wished to immunize their children with the usually recommended second and third doses of the HPV vaccine, which was not being recommended by the CDC, could potentially have been on the hook for the more than $300 commercial price, as insurers are only legally required to cover vaccinations recommended by the CDC; and Whereas, S.8334A, introduced by State Senator Andrew Gounardes in the State Senate, and companion bill A.8824A, introduced by State Assembly Member Karines Reyes and pending in the State Assembly, would add COVID-19 vaccines to the list of vaccinations that insurers are required to cover under state law, ensuring that insurance coverage of this vaccine is not reliant on the CDC's recommendations; and Whereas, S.8853, introduced by State Senator Shelley B. Mayer in the State Senate, and companion bill A.9648, introduced by State Assembly Member Amy Paulin and pending in the State Assembly, would require that vaccine requirements for children in New York State be set in accordance with the recommendations of various nationally and internationally recognized scientific organizations, not just the ACIP; and Whereas, S.8496C, introduced by State Senator Michelle Hinchey in the State Senate, and companion bill A.9060C, introduced by State Assembly Member Amy Paulin and pending in the State Assembly, would mandate that requirements regarding insurance coverage for vaccines and the administration of vaccines be set in accordance with the recommendations of various nationally and internationally recognized scientific organizations, not just the ACIP; and Whereas, S.8334A, S.8853, and S.8496C all passed the State Senate and were delivered to the State Assembly as part of a package of vaccination legislation on March 4, 2026; and Whereas, These bills, collectively, diminish New York State's and its healthcare practitioners' reliance on the ACIP, by allowing regulations and recommendations regarding vaccines, their administration, and their coverage by insurers to be guided by other organizations such as: (1) The American Academy of Pediatrics; (2) The American Academy of Family Physicians; (3) The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; (4) The American College of Physicians; (5) and other similar nationally or internationally recognized scientific organizations, ensuring that New York is following best and the most up-to-date medical practices; now, therefore, be it Resolved, that the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Assembly to pass A.8824A, A.9648, and A.9060C, and for the Governor to sign S.8334A/A.8824A, S.8853/A.9648, and S.8496C/A.9060C, legislation requiring vaccines to be regulated, recommended, administered, and insured based on the recommendations of various nationally and internationally recognized healthcare organizations alongside the federal advisory committee on immunization practices. JN LS 22407, 22408, 22409 4/6/2026