Amazing Rally for Medical Freedom in the Bronx at Senator Rivera's Office
No bad vaccine bills scheduled for the Senate health committee next Tuesday - BIG WIN!
Today we held an amazing and impactful rally in the Bronx against four oppressive vaccine bills in front of Senator Gustavo Rivera’s office. The office was completely shutdown - clearly they knew we were coming.
It was good they knew we were headed their way, because by the time our rally ended John Gilmore found out there were no bad vaccine bills scheduled for this Tuesday’s health committee meeting. Rivera is the chair of that committee. This is the last scheduled Senate health committee meeting of the year. They could call an “emergency” meeting if they choose to; nevertheless this is a good sign worthy of some celebration.
For the rally Children’s Health Defense provided a digital truck that had messages including “Parents Call the Shots…My Body My Choice…No Forced Hep-B Shot for College” all in English and Spanish. The Spirit Drummers came out making the rally a party with rhythm, chanting, and dancing.
New York gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe showed up at the rally, which we all so greatly appreciated! We hope more candidates for Governor will begin to discuss critical medical freedom issues just like Larry is!
Action we must take now
Three of the four bad bills we rallied against are not moving; for now, hopefully they are now dead. We shall continue to monitor them.
But there is one bill that could still make it to Hochul’s desk…
Banning Unvaccinated Kids from Summer Camp
Now we need to keep up the pressure to stop S3958a, the bill that, for the first time, will mandate all shots required for school to attend all camps. Only one other state does this. The harder we fight this bill, the more we reduce the chance that the Senate will try and move any of the other awful vaccine bills, like mandatory hepatitis-b shots for college, the mandatory adult vaccine database, and eliminating the right to sue for injuries if New York starts requiring shots not approved by the federal government.
The Senate is rapidly running out of time. There still is no budget, which is 6 weeks late. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn on June 4 and currently leadership is saying there is no chance they will extend the session; largely because politicians need to get home and start campaigning for the elections. There is a huge backlog of bills and the members do not want to waste time on controversial bills that are not their priority.
The summer cam- ill was passed by the Senate Health Committee this past Tuesday. It was not sent to the Rules Committee as is customary, but sent directly to the Floor Calendar where it will await posting to the “Active List” of bills that will be voted on by the Senate as a whole. We want to keep it waiting.
If the bill is passed by the Senate and the Governor signs the bill before October of 2026 the law would take effect in October of 2026. If the Governor signs the bill after October of 2026 the law would take effect in October of 2027.
TAKE ACTION HERE NOW!
Stop New York Bill Barring Unvaxxed Kids From Summer Camps
A dangerous vote in the Senate Health Committee is happening Tuesday, May 12.
After you complete the above action, please call the following Senators and ask them to do what they can to prevent the bill from going to the floor, and why it is a bad idea. (Talking Points are below)
Start by calling your own Senator - look them up here: https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator
Then Please call and email the following Senators as well:
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senate Majority Leader, D-35, Yonkers,
(518) 455-2585, LOB 907, Albany, NY 12247, scousins@nysenate.gov
Michael Gianaris, Deputy Senate Majority Leader, (D-12) Astoria, (518) 455-3486,
Capitol 427, Albany, NY 12247, gianaris@nysenate.gov
Gustavo Rivera, Chair Senate Health Committee, (D-33) Bronx, (518) 455-3395, Capitol 502c, grivera@nyseante.gov
Sam Sutton, D-22, Brooklyn, (518) 455-2754, LOB 809, Albany, NY 12247, sutton@nysenate.gov
Sen Sutton refused to vote for S3958a in the Health Committee
Monica Martinez, D-4, Suffolk, (518) 455-2765, LOB 903, Albany, NY 12247,
Sen. Martinez voted No on S3958a in the Health Committee, and was one of only 4 Democrats who voted to protect the religious exemption in 2019
Peter Harckham, (D-40), Peekskill, (518) 455-2340, LOB 310, Albany, NY 12447, harckham@nysenate.gov
Harckham was one of only 4 Democratic Senators who voted to protect the religious exemption in 2019
Brian Kavanagh, (D-27) Lower Manhattan, (518) 455-2625, LOB 512, Albany, NY 12247, Kavanagh@nysenate.gov
Kavanagh was one of only 4 Democratic Senators who voted to protect the religious exemption in 2019
James Skoufis, S3958a Sponsor, (D-42), (518) 455-3290 LOB 612, Albany, NY 12247, skoufis@nysenate.gov
Siela Bynoe, (D-6) Garden City, (518) 455-3260, LOB 947, Albany, NY 12447, bynoe@nysenate.gov
Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, (D-23) Coney Island, (518) 455-2437, LOB 944, Albany, NY 12247, spanton@nysenate.gov
Jeremy Zellner, (D-61) Buffalo, (518) 455-3240, LOB 617, Albany, NY 12247, zellner@nysenate.gov
TALKING POINTS
First, is there any need for this bill? Are there demonstrable outbreaks in summer camps?
Only one other state, California, requires all campers to be up-to-date with the school schedule, 49 states, including New York, have it wrong?
This bill just adds to the needless and unjust discrimination against people with religious beliefs that preclude some or all vaccinations since New York became one of only 5 states that do not allow religious exemptions back in 2019.
Medical exemptions are technically allowed in New York, but they are nearly impossible to get, as shown by New York having the lowest rate of medical exemptions of any state according to CDC.
This bill would also place a considerable administrative burden on camps.
Huge
Thanks for the update and for showing up strong!!!