SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 1956
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: MAY 19, 2025
The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1956.
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.
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.
This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.