Bill > A605

Introduced Session

This bill permits emergency medical technicians to administer certain vaccines during declared public health emergencies. The bill provides that, during a declared public health emergency involving an outbreak of an infectious disease, an emergency medical technician in the State is to be authorized to administer a vaccine provided that: (1) the emergency medical technician is certified by the Department of Health (DOH) to administer vaccines that protect against the infectious disease that is the basis of the declared public health emergency; (2) the vaccine is recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent against the transmission of the infectious disease that is the basis of the declared public health emergency; (3) the emergency medical technician has completed an educational vaccine administration training program that is based on guidance from the CDC and which has been approved by the DOH; and (4) a medical director or a supervising healthcare professional, whose scope of practice includes the administration of intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, documents the adequate competency of the emergency medical technician through a skills assessment checklist that is approved by the DOH. Under the bill, an emergency medical technician is to comply with any other restrictions or guidance concerning the vaccine as have been issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or the DOH. A vaccine administered pursuant to the bill's provisions may be administered pursuant to an individual prescription for the vaccine, a standing order for the vaccine issued by an authorized prescriber, or an immunization program or other program sponsored by an authorized governmental agency that is not patient specific.

Committee Categories

Gary Schaer (D)*,  Shavonda Sumter (D)*,  Anthony Verrelli (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document