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Bill

S 10279

Relates to the publication of immunization information

2025 Regular Session Introduced by James Skoufis

The bill requires the NY Department of Health to publish a public, searchable database of school immunization compliance and trends, protecting privacy.

REFERRED TO HEALTH
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Bill Summary · S 10279

Summary of Bill S. 10279 (2025-2026) — Relates to the publication of immunization information (New York)

Purpose and intent

  • The bill aims to enhance transparency around school immunization compliance by requiring the New York Department of Health to publish immunization data publicly.
  • It directs the department to provide an accessible, searchable publication of school-level immunization compliance and related analyses on its website, while protecting individual privacy.

Key provisions

1) Annual school compliance reporting (Public Health Law § 2164, amended)
- Each school must annually submit to the Commissioner of Health a summary of compliance with immunization requirements (on forms provided by the Commissioner).
- Summary content, at minimum, must include per immunization series:
- The number and percentage of children admitted who are fully immunized.
- The number and percentage of children admitted who are not fully immunized.
- The number and percentage of children exempt from the series (as permitted by law).
- Aggregate school-wide data: overall numbers and percentages of children who are:
- Fully immunized for all required series.
- Not fully immunized for one or more required series.
- Exempt from one or more required series.
- The Act also allows the Commissioner to require additional information beyond these basics.

2) New public publication requirement (New Public Health Law § 2169-a)
- The Department must prominently publish on its website information regarding compliance with immunization requirements.
- Specific publication elements include:
- A searchable database showing each school’s compliance with the immunization requirements (including the data contained in the annual compliance summaries).
- Per-series data: for each required immunization series, the number and percentage of students who are fully immunized, not fully immunized, and exempt.
- Overall data: percentages of students fully immunized for all required series, not fully immunized for one or more series, and exempt from one or more series.
- Statewide trends: analyses of immunization rates and exemptions over time.
- Geographic and institutional insights: analyses identifying particular schools, districts, or areas with immunization rates below 95% or otherwise vulnerable to the spread of communicable diseases.
- Any other information the Department deems pertinent or necessary.
- Privacy protection: The Department must ensure confidentiality of individual identifying information and must publish data in a way that cannot be linked to a specific child, parent, guardian, or person in parental relation to a child.

3) Effective date
- The act takes effect January 1, 2027.

Who would be affected

  • Public and private schools in New York State would be required to submit annual immunization compliance summaries to the state.
  • The New York Department of Health would publish a public, searchable database and related analyses on its website.
  • Data users include policymakers, researchers, educators, parents, and the general public seeking transparency on immunization coverage and exemptions.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Submission obligation begins with the 2026-2027 school year for the required annual summary (to be filed with the Commissioner on forms provided by the Department).
  • The Department would publish the described data on its website after the act takes effect (anticipating January 1, 2027, for the applicable requirements).
  • The bill authorizes the Department to present additional data as needed and to safeguard individual privacy in all publications.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Increases transparency and accessibility of immunization data at the school level, potentially informing public health planning and outreach efforts.
  • Creates a standardized, statewide data framework for tracking immunization coverage and exemptions.
  • Could facilitate targeted interventions in districts or schools with lower immunization rates (below 95%) or higher exemption levels.
  • Privacy protections are expressly required to prevent identification of individual students or families.
  • May raise questions about the appropriate balance between public data availability and privacy, as well as the resources needed for schools to compile and submit the required summaries.

Quick reference

  • Bill: S. 10279
  • Sponsor: Sen. Skoufis (co-sponsor: James Skoufis)
  • Jurisdiction: New York
  • Subject: Publication and dissemination of school immunization compliance data
  • Effective date: January 1, 2027

If you’d like, I can provide a side-by-side comparison with current law or draft a brief explainer for non-expert audiences.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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