Bill to protect vaccine access through pharmacists passes state House
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus December 16, 2025 | 3:35 PM
HARRISBURG, Dec. 16 – As federal authorities continue to undermine immunization access, the Pennsylvania House has passed legislation introduced by state Reps. Arvind Venkat, Tarik Khan, Bridget Kosierowski and Jennifer O’Mara to protect Pennsylvanians’ access to vaccines provided by pharmacists, regardless of federal policy changes.
Current state law allows pharmacists to administer vaccines based on federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. The legislation, H.B. 1881, would also allow pharmacists to provide vaccines based on recommendations from Pennsylvania health authorities, which may draw from guidance issued by professional medical societies.
“The work of our local pharmacists is crucial to keeping our communities healthy, and that work should continue to be backed by science,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “This legislation will allow Pennsylvanians to avoid the politicization of health care and get the lifesaving vaccines they want, even if the federal government stops recommending them purely due to politics.”
Under this legislation, state vaccination approvals would come from the CDC, competent authorities designated by the Board of Pharmacy, or the Pennsylvania Department of Health which could be informed by professional medical societies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, or the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
“Many Pennsylvanians want peace of mind when it comes to vaccine access,” said O’Mara, D-Delaware. “This is responsible legislation because Pennsylvania medical professionals are fully capable of making decisions about vaccine availability based on real science.”
“I’ve cared for patients who got sick because they couldn’t get the vaccines they needed,” said Khan, D-Philadelphia. “No parent should have to worry that politics in Washington will stop their child from getting a lifesaving shot. That’s why this legislation matters — it ensures people can get protected here in Pennsylvania, and it will save lives.”
“This necessary legislation will prevent politics from depriving you of the lifesaving, science-backed vaccinations you need to be healthy,” said Kosierowski, D-Lackawanna. “This legislation will ensure that state vaccination approvals continue to come from highly-competent health authorities and that our local pharmacists can continue to do their jobs vaccinating you from disease.”
Since this legislation was introduced in September, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has ended longstanding vaccine recommendations, including the administering of the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns.
“These vaccine recommendations from the CDC and ACIP are no longer backed by scientific evidence but instead by anti-vaccine ideology and will cost people’s lives,” Venkat said. “These dangerous actions by the federal government show we need a stronger, permanent solution to ensure Pennsylvanians can receive their vaccinations even after we are past this moment of political turmoil.”
The passage of this legislation comes after the House passed H.B. 1828, introduced by Khan, Kosierowski and Venkat, all health care professionals, in October. House Bill 1828 would protect coverage by private insurers for vaccines recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Health which could be informed by professional medical societies.
It is estimated that vaccines have prevented 150 million deaths worldwide in the last 50 years. Pharmacies have been a common place for people to get vaccinations, with the initial release of the COVID-19 vaccine resulting in more vaccines being administered by pharmacists than physicians.
House Bill 1881 now moves to the state Senate for consideration.