Senator Hochadel Votes to Preserve Connecticut Vaccine Standards
HARTFORD — Senator Jan Hochadel (D-Meriden) voted Thursday to pass House Bill 5044, legislation maintaining access to vaccines and preserving Connecticut’s immunization standards of care.
The bill passed the Senate on a 22-12 vote after winning approval from the House on Tuesday. It now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature.
“Most people do not send their kids to school wondering whether they are protected from preventable diseases, and that is because Connecticut has spent decades building one of the strongest vaccination records in the country,” said Senator Hochadel. “The Trump administration has spent the last year undermining that work at the federal level, and this bill makes sure Connecticut maintains that progress. Our kids, our seniors, and our most vulnerable residents deserve better than vaccine policy driven by skepticism and politics.”
H.B. 5044 ensures Connecticut residents retain access to vaccines despite the efforts of the Trump administration’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Under the bill:
- Connecticut’s vaccine standards will also incorporate recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
- This change will allow the state to retain its current vaccination standards amid vaccine skepticism at the CDC’s ACIP Committee.
- Last year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy removed all 17 sitting members of the ACIP and replaced them with new members, many of whom have voiced skepticism of the efficacy of vaccines.
- Since then, the body has attempted to remove vaccines from standard schedules.
The legislation also creates a Vaccines for Adults program, which will provide free vaccines to uninsured and underinsured adults ages 19+ through free clinics, municipal health departments and other eligible providers. The change allows the state increased supply chain flexibility from its current ACIP-tied program.
The bill allows the Public Health Commissioner to develop respiratory virus vaccine requirements in nursing homes, which already allow non-medical exemptions. Current vaccine requirements will remain unchanged at schools, higher education, child care centers and family care homes, among other agencies.
The legislation also clarifies the legislative intent behind a 2021 law which discontinued non-medical vaccine exemptions at schools, childcare facilities and colleges.
With about 495,000 schoolchildren currently attending Connecticut schools, the legislation preserves the existing status quo and keeps children safe from preventable illnesses. Connecticut currently has one of the nation’s highest vaccination rates at 98.2%. Just .02% of Connecticut students have non-medical exemptions compared to 3.4% nationally.
The legislation also requires individual and group health insurance policies to cover immunizations on the standard of care and allows pharmacists to administer any vaccine on Connecticut’s own immunization schedule, preserving and expanding access to vaccinations regardless of federal action.