Gov. Hochul Signs Vaccine Confidentiality Legislation

Adds Late Amendments that Lessen Breadth of Protections

ALBANY — Just before midnight last night, Governor Hochul signed legislation designed to remove barriers to vaccination, doing so only after requiring amendments that limit the scope of confidentiality protections for vaccine recipients. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement from Executive Director Donna Lieberman:

“This law puts in place some important new protections for vaccine recipients’ personal information, but we are disappointed the governor has insisted on amendments that weaken safeguards approved by the legislature unanimously. In the face of rising COVID cases and other infectious diseases, this is certainly a step in the right direction. Yet the Governor’s insistence on chapter amendments make it a missed opportunity to ensure New Yorkers can be as confident as possible sharing the personal information required to get a vaccine or use a vaccine passport. No one should be criminalized or deported as a result participating in public health responses.”