Amid substantial changes in federal vaccine policy, New Jersey lawmakers passed a bill this week that would give the state Department of Health the authority to rely on expert recommendations beyond the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine panel.
The bill has received backlash from parents rights groups and Republican legislators who say the state Department of Health is trying to become the sole authority on vaccines and bulldoze parents’ decision-making power. But its supporters dispute that framing and argue that parents will remain in charge of what vaccines their children receive.
Assemblyman Paul Kanitra, a Republican who represents parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties, accused the bill’s supporters of being driven by “Trump derangement syndrome.”
“This bill is attacking the federal experts, not because of science, but because you cannot accept that President Trump and RFK Jr. directed this review and that science supports their positions,” said Kanitra on Monday during the final voting session of the 221st Legislature.
Vaccines are a subject of debate in a way they’ve arguably never been before following controversial changes at the CDC.
Under President Donald Trump’s administration, all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices have been removed and replaced, a move condemned by public health experts. The new members have taken actions that stray from long-standing public health recommendations, such as voting to scale back the hepatitis B birth-dose recommendation.
Five days into the New Year, the CDC announced an even bigger change when it cut the number of childhood vaccines it recommends.
In New Jersey, officials who no longer fully trust the federal government when it comes to vaccine practices are taking steps that they say are necessary to protect access and clarify guidance.
Under the bill passed by a majority of the Assembly on Monday, the Department of Health will be required to consider guidance from the CDC’s vaccine panel, as well as recommendations from nationally recognized medical organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Physicians.
It will also require health insurers to cover the full cost of vaccines recommended by the New Jersey Department of Health. Current law already requires health insurers to provide this coverage for immunizations that have a recommendation from the CDC’s vaccine panel.
Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia said Monday it was “not a small technical change.”
“This bill is actually an incredible transfer of power,” said Fantasia, a Republican who represents Sussex County. “This bill removes the anchor and replaces it with a system that is more insulated from scrutiny and more concentrated in one agency.”
The bill’s sponsors argue that Republican legislators are spreading misinformation. Supporters maintain that the bill doesn’t remove the CDC’s vaccine panel as a trust authority, but rather adds additional organizations it can turn to.
“It does not directly impact mandates. It does not directly impact any sort of enforcement actions the department takes,” said Acting State Health Commissioner Jeff Brown when asked about the legislation at a press event on Monday morning.
“It just gives us flexibility to look at (the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices), and go above and beyond, which we need to do now because they’re reducing the childhood immunization schedule, which we know is evidence-based and has saved lives,” said Brown, who was attending a press conference held by U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer at Hackensack University Medical Center. “And they’re diverting from that, so we need to protect New Jersey residents. That’s why I’ve spoken in support of the bill.”
Gottheimer, who was announcing new federal legislation to create or expand mobile flu vaccine clinics, said that while he hadn’t read the state bill yet he’s a staunch supporter of vaccines.
“I’ll take a look at the state bill, but what I do know is right now we need to be following expert medical guidance on vaccines and ensuring public health decisions are rooted in science, not politics,” Gottheimer said in a statement late Monday.
“Vaccines are one of the most effective tools we have to protect children, families, and seniors, and it’s critical that these decisions remain focused on the best outcomes for patients — not political arguments. That’s why I am fighting to ensure we continue to follow decades of proven science from trusted medical experts,” said Gottheimer.
Gottheimer said that vaccines aren’t a partisan issue. But on Monday, Republican legislators accused Democrats of being motivated by political bias.
“I have numerous concerns, including that the primary impetus for this radical change is political, as this is based on disagreement with the president’s administration in Washington,” said Assemblyman John V. Azzariti Jr., a Republican representing parts of Bergen County.
Assemblywoman Carol Murphy refuted that accusation in an interview Tuesday morning, stating the bill’s “not politically motivated. It’s based upon medical facts and it’s based upon what we’re seeing and hearing. And our children are at stake here.”
If anyone’s politically motivated, Murphy said it’s Republicans.
“They’re the ones who are bringing Trump and all of that into this. They’re using the verbiage that is needed to start getting people scared and paying attention to what they have to say. And I think they’re doing it wrongly because it’s misinformation. It’s not even accurate information,” said Murphy, a Democrat representing Burlington County and the Assembly bill’s primary sponsor.
Now that both houses of the Democratic-controlled state Legislature have approved the bill, it heads to Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who can either sign or reject the bill before he leaves office next week.
In addition to introducing and passing laws, the state has formed its own regional public health coalition with other Democratic-led states to ensure consistent public health messaging.
On Monday, the Northeast Public Health Collaborative released a statement rejecting the CDC’s recent changes to the childhood immunization schedule and instead said it continues to support the American Academy of Pediatrics’ childhood vaccine schedule.