Connecticut HB 5044: AN ACT ESTABLISHING CONNECTICUT VACCINE STANDARDS.

Bill Text

Substitute House Bill No. 5044 
 
Public Act No. 26-3 
 
 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING CONNECTICUT VACCINE STANDARDS. 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section  1.  Subsection  (a)  of  section 19a-7f  of  the  general  statutes  is 
repealed  and  the  following  is  substituted  in  lieu  thereof  (Effective from 
passage): 
(a) The Commissioner of Public Health shall [determine] establish the 
standard  of  care  for  immunization  for [the  children] residents of  this 
state.  The  standard  of  care  for  immunization  shall (1) be  based  on a 
consideration of the recommended schedules for [active] immunization 
for [normal] adults, infants  and  children  published  by  the  National 
Centers  for  Disease  Control  and Prevention  Advisory  Committee  on 
Immunization  Practices,  the  American  Academy  of  Pediatrics,  the 
American  College  of  Obstetrics  and  Gynecology and  the  American 
Academy    of    Family    Physicians,    and    (2)    include     schedules 
recommended     by     the     commissioner     for     immunization     and 
contraindications to administration of vaccines in accordance with such 
schedules.    The    commissioner    shall    establish,    within    available 
appropriations,  an  immunization  program [which] that shall: [(1)] (A) 
Provide [vaccine] vaccines at  no  cost  to  health  care  providers  in 
Connecticut to administer to children so that cost of [vaccine] vaccines 
will not be a barrier to age-appropriate vaccination in this state; [(2)] (B) 

Substitute House Bill No. 5044 
 
Public Act No. 26-3 2 of 23 
 
with the assistance of hospital maternity programs, provide all parents 
in this state with the recommended immunization schedule for [normal] 
infants and  children, a booklet to record immunizations at the time of 
the infant's discharge from the hospital nursery and a list of sites where 
immunization may be provided; [(3)] (C) inform in a timely manner all 
health  care  providers  of  changes  in  the  recommended  immunization 
schedule; [(4)] (D) assist  hospitals,  local  health  providers  and  local 
health  departments to  develop  and  implement  record-keeping  and 
outreach programs to identify and immunize those children who have 
fallen  behind  the  recommended  immunization  schedule  or  who  lack 
access  to  regular  preventative  health  care  and  have  the  authority  to 
gather  such data  as  may  be  needed  to  evaluate  such  efforts; [(5)] (E) 
assist in the development of a program to assess the vaccination status 
of  children  who  are  clients  of  state  and  federal  programs  serving  the 
health  and  welfare  of  children  and  make  provision  for  vaccination  of 
those  who  are  behind  the  recommended  immunization  schedule; [(6)] 
(F) access  available  state  and  federal  funds, including,  but  not  limited 
to,  any  funds  available  through  the  federal  Childhood  Immunization 
Reauthorization or any funds available through the Medicaid program; 
[(7)] (G) solicit,  receive  and  expend  funds  from  any  public  or  private 
source; and [(8)] (H) develop and make available to parents and health 
care providers public health educational materials about the benefits of 
timely immunization. 
Sec. 2. Subparagraph (B) of subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of section 
19a-7f of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted 
in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 
(B) [Commencing January 1, 2013, (i) any] Any health care provider 
who administers vaccines to children (i) under the federal Vaccines For 
Children immunization program that is operated by the Department of 
Public  Health  under  authority  of  42  USC  1396s  shall  utilize,  and  the 
department shall provide, any vaccine licensed by the federal Food and 

Substitute House Bill No. 5044 
 
Public Act No. 26-3 3 of 23 
 
Drug  Administration,  including  any  combination  vaccine  and  dosage 
form,  that  is  (I)  recommended  by  the  National  Centers  for  Disease 
Control   and   Prevention   Advisory   Committee   on   Immunization 
Practices,  and  (II) made  available  to  the  department  by  the  National 
Centers  for  Disease  Control  and  Prevention,  and  (ii) [any  health  care 
provider  who  administers  vaccines  to  children] shall  utilize,  and  the 
department shall provide, subject to inclusion in such program due to 
available appropriations, any vaccine licensed by the federal Food and 
Drug  Administration,  including  any  combination  vaccine  and  dosage 
form,  that  is  (I) [recommended  by  the  National  Centers  for  Disease 
Control   and   Prevention   Advisory   Committee   on   Immunization 
Practices] set  forth  in  the  schedules  for  immunization  included  in  the 
standard  of  care  for  immunization  established  pursuant  to  subsection 
(a) of this section, (II) made available to the department by