New Jersey A 4868: Extends renewal period for licenses issued by New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling and waives applicable fees.

Bill Text

A4868 

ASSEMBLY, No. 4868 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

INTRODUCED MAY 4, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� GREGORY P. MCGUCKIN

District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Eliminates use of vaccines containing mercury over 
three years. 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� As introduced.

�� 

An Act 
concerning vaccines that contain mercury and supplementing Title 26 of the 
Revised Statutes.

���� Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� Except as otherwise 
provided in this section, beginning January 1, 2016, a health care provider 
shall not administer to any person in this State an influenza vaccine that 
contains more than 0.5 micrograms of mercury per 0.25 milliliter dose to a child 
under three years of age or 1.0 microgram of mercury per 0.5 milliliter dose to 
a person over three years of age, and any other vaccine that contains more than 
a trace amount of mercury.

���� b.��� Except as otherwise 
provided in this section, beginning January 1, 2017, a health care provider 
shall not administer to any person in this State a vaccine that contains more 
than a trace amount of mercury.

���� c.���� Except as otherwise 
provided in this section, beginning January 1, 2018, a health care provider 
shall not administer to any person in this State a vaccine that contains any 
amount of mercury.

���� d.��� The Commissioner of 
Health may authorize the use of vaccines containing a higher level of mercury 
than that specified in subsections a., b. and c. of this section if he 
determines it is necessary to prevent or respond to an outbreak of disease and 
there are insufficient amounts of such vaccines to adequately protect the 
public health.� Persons who receive a vaccine containing more than a trace 
amount of mercury shall be informed in advance that the vaccine contains 
mercury.

���� e.���� For purposes of this 
section, "trace amount" means a concentration of less than .0002%.

���� 2.��� The Commissioner of 
Health shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative 
Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary to carry 
out the provisions of this act.

���� 3.��� This act shall take 
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would phase out the 
use of vaccines that contain mercury over a three-year period.� Beginning 
January 1, 2016, health care providers would be prohibited from administering 
an influenza vaccine that contains more than 0.5 micrograms of mercury per 0.25 
milliliter dose for children under three years of age, and 1.0 microgram of 
mercury per 0.5 milliliter dose for persons over three years of age, and any 
other vaccine that contains more than a trace amount of mercury.� "Trace 
amount" means a concentration of less than .0002%.� Beginning January 1, 
2017, health care providers would be prohibited from administering vaccines 
that contain more than a trace amount of mercury, and beginning January 1, 
2018, health care providers would be prohibited from administering vaccines 
containing any mercury.

���� The bill provides an exception 
under which the Commissioner of Health may authorize the use of vaccines 
containing a higher level of mercury if he determines it is necessary to 
prevent or respond to an outbreak of disease and there are insufficient amounts 
of such vaccines to adequately protect the public health.� Persons who receive 
a vaccine containing more than a trace amount of mercury shall be informed in 
advance that the vaccine contains mercury.

���� Since the 1930s, thimerosal, 
which is approximately 50% ethyl mercury by weight, has been used as a 
preservative in vaccines.� The federal Food and Drug Administration has 
encouraged drug manufacturers to reduce or eliminate thimerosal from vaccines 
in order to reduce the cumulative levels of mercury to which children may be 
exposed after receiving recommended childhood immunizations.� According to the 
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the exception of 
influenza vaccines, the last lots of vaccines manufactured with thimerosal that 
are used in the childhood immunization schedule expired in 2003. In 2004, the 
CDC added influenza vaccines to the recommended childhood immunization 
schedule.� It is expected that the manufacturing capacity of influenza vaccines 
with no thimerosal or trace amounts of thimerosal will increase in the next few 
years.