SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR
CITIZENS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 3240
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: DECEMBER 15, 2022
The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens
Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3240, with committee
amendments.
As amended, this bill requires automatic registration with the New
Jersey Immunization Information System (NJIIS) upon the
administration of a vaccine for persons who are not currently
registered with the NJIIS and unless the person or the person’s parent
or legal guardian, in the case of a person younger than 18 years of age,
provides a written request not to participate in the registry.
The NJIIS is a Statewide database that maintains records of
individual vaccination histories. Individuals born after January 1,
1998 are automatically included in the registry, unless the individual’s
parent or guardian provides a written request that the person not be
included in the registry; individuals born prior to January 1, 1998 may
be included in the registry at the individual’s written request.
This bill requires any person who is not currently enrolled in the
registry to be automatically enrolled at the time the person is
administered a vaccine, unless the person or the person’s parent or
legal guardian, in the case of a person younger than 18 years of age,
provides a written request not to participate in the registry.
As amended, the bill provides that during a declared public health
emergency, state of emergency, or an outbreak, or the immediate
threat of an outbreak, of a communicable disease, as declared by the
Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Health may deny an
individual’s request to disenroll from the registry or to not participate
in the registry for one or more vaccines for a specified period of time
in order to track the administration and uptake of vaccinations.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:
The committee amendments provide that during a declared public
health emergency, state of emergency, or an outbreak, or the
immediate threat of an outbreak, of a communicable disease, as
declared by the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Health
may deny an individual’s request to disenroll from the registry or to 2
not participate in the registry for one or more vaccines for a specified
period of time in order to track the administration and uptake of
vaccinations.
Current law permits a child born prior to January 1, 1998 to be
enrolled in the registry only at the written request of the individual’s
parent or legal guardians. The committee amendments instead provide
that any New Jersey resident born prior to January 1, 1998 may be
enrolled in the registry at the person’s written request to reflect the fact
that anyone born prior to January 1, 1998 is no longer a minor.