SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3306

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 9, 2021

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3306.

      As amended by the committee, this bill establishes requirements for optometrists to administer immunizations against influenza and coronaviruses.  Specifically, an optometrist will be authorized to administer an immunization against influenza or a coronavirus by any route or modality if the optometrist meets the training and qualification requirements as are established by the New Jersey State Board of Optometry by regulation, and administration of the immunization is consistent with recommendations issued by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

      Optometrists who meet these requirements will be authorized to administer immunizations against influenza and coronaviruses to any patient who is 18 years of age and older.

      As amended, the bill provides that optometrists may be authorized by the New Jersey State Board of Optometrists to administer immunizations against influenza or a coronavirus during a public health emergency involving an outbreak of influenza or the coronavirus declared pursuant to the “Emergency Health Powers Act,” P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.), regardless of whether the board has promulgated rules and regulations implementing the provisions of the bill.  The authority to administer immunizations under the emergency authority will be limited to the disease for which the public health emergency was declared.

      Any immunization administered to a patient by an optometrist is to be reported by the optometrist to the New Jersey Immunization Information System established pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2004, c.138 (C.26:4-134) for inclusion in the patient’s registry.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments revise the bill to provide that the authority for optometrists to administer immunizations will be limited to influenza and coronaviruses.  As introduced, the bill would have authorized optometrists to administer any immunization.

      The committee amendments revise the age limit for optometrists to administer immunizations to provide that they may not administer an immunization to any person who is younger than 18 years of age.  The bill would originally have allowed optometrists to administer immunizations to patients seven years of age or older, subject to certain restrictions. 

      The amendments revise the synopsis of the bill to reflect these changes.