Autism Action Network

05/13/2026

NY keep Albany's phones ringing to stop the mandatory vaccine bill for camps. The NY Senate Health Committee passed the mandatory vaccines for camp bill yesterday, S3958a (Skoufis-D) yesterday. The bill would prohibit children who are not compliant with the shots required for school in New York from attending overnight camps, summer day camps, and travelling summer day camps. There are no religious or conscience exemptions.
The vote split on party lines with the exceptions of Democratic Senator Monica Martinez voting “No” and Democratic Senator Sam Sutton not voting.
The bill 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.
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

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 with your own Senator. Your Senator’s contact information should appear below:

You Can look up your Senator here:
https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator

Please call these Senators:
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senate Majority Leader, D-35, Yonkers,
(518) 455-2585, LOB 907, Albany, NY 12247, [email protected]

Michael Gianaris, Deputy Senate Majority Leader, (D-12) Astoria, (518) 455-3486,
Capitol 427, Albany, NY 12247, [email protected]

Gustavo Rivera, Chair Senate Health Committee, (D-33) Bronx, (518) 455-3395, Capitol 502c, [email protected]

Sam Sutton, D-22, Brooklyn, (518) 455-2754, LOB 809, Albany, NY 12247, [email protected]
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, [email protected]
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, [email protected]
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, [email protected]

Siela Bynoe, (D-6) Garden City, (518) 455-3260, LOB 947, Albany, NY 12447, [email protected]

Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, (D-23) Coney Island, (518) 455-2437, LOB 944, Albany, NY 12247, [email protected]

Jeremy Zellner, (D-61) Buffalo, (518) 455-3240, LOB 617, Albany, NY 12247, [email protected]

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 state, 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 in 2019 one of only 5 states that do not allow religious exemptions.

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.

05/10/2026

NY Take Action: Senate moving on mandatory shots for camp

Emergency Meeting, Monday, 5/11, Bellmore, NY

The Senate Health Committee will be voting on S3958a this Tuesday, Sen. James Skoufis's bill to require all kids at summer camps to be up-to-date with the mandated schedule of shots.

If we are going to stop this bill, we need to crank the pressure on the members of the Senate Health Committee on Tuesday.

Autism Action Network is holding an emergency organizational meeting to stop this bill and the other awful vaccine bills active in Albany.

Bellmore Movies and Showplace

222 Petit Avenue (facing the Bellmore LIRR station)

Bellmore, NY 11710

Monday, May 11, 8 pm

With John Gilmore of the Autism Action Network, Dr. Eric Feintuch, DC, and Dr. John Lamonica, DC, and Michael Kane of Children's Health Defense.

Register for the meeting in the first comment.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day
to the mom's caring for someone with autism.
You are moving the world.

04/26/2026

NY Assembly Health Committee Chair Amy Paulin bragging about the Assembly passing her bill to mandate hepatitis b shots for all college students. They are moving ahead on forcing adults to get medical procedures whether they want them or not. Whatever happened to "My Body. My Choice"? This is why they are pushing to have a mandatory adult vaccine database so they track, coerce and punish those who will not comply. The average age for full-time undergraduate students is approximately 22.7 years, while part-time undergraduates average 27.5 years, 39 years for a graduate student. Paulin tries to justify her bill with the following misleading statement. "College students share classrooms, dining halls, and dorms, and they deserve to be protected." Unless the students are sharing needles or exchanging bodily fluids in Econ 101 they will not get hep b. It is illegal to bar a student with an active case of hep b from school or college, but if this bill passes a healthy person who refuses the hep b shot will not be able to go to college in New York., which shows that this is not about public health but about serving the financial interests of the vaccine industry. This bill applies to online and out of state students as well. The bill still needs to pass the Senate and hopefully we can stop it there. Please comment politely on Paulin's page. Take action in the first comment below.

My bill, A.2078, to add hepatitis B to the list of required immunizations for post-secondary students in New York, has passed in the Assembly! College students share classrooms, dining halls, and dorms, and they deserve to be protected. If signed, New York will join at least ten other states, including California and Florida, in taking this step to safeguard student health.

04/24/2026

NY TAKE ACTION: Zoom Tonight, Fri., 4/24, 8 pm, Assembly passed Hochul Vax Power Grab, Adult Vax Database, Hep B for College, more. Stop them in the Senate. Register for the Zoom in Comments or at Autism Action Network Website.

04/18/2026

Rep. Lucy McBath demands an apology from Sec. Kennedy for talking truthfully about people profoundly impacted by autism.

McBath: During your first press conference as Secretary in April of last year, you said, and I'm quoting, "Autism destroys families. That these are kids who will never pay taxes, never hold a job, never play baseball, never write a poem, or go out on a date." Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted, which I would also like to submit for the record. The truth that the majority of people on the autism spectrum can do all the things that you…

Kennedy: Of course they can, and I never said they couldn't.

McBath: Some people with disabilities do need direct care to assist them with activities like going to the bathroom, but that does not mean that they are somehow less than or unable to lead fulfilling and productive lives as you said they were. I'm reclaiming my time.

I'm asking you here today, Secretary, to apologize for spreading lies about people with autism and their families. Will you apologize for those remarks that you've made? I Of course I Then if you let me explain, I'm happy to.

Kennedy: I was talking about people with profound autism. I'm talking about people who are non-verbal, non-toilet trained, head banging, stemming, toe walking.

McBath: Okay, then since you're since you're explaining what you really meant by those comments, and you're explaining what you really meant. Can you apologize to the thousands of families that do not believe what you're just telling us now?

Kennedy: Because if you look at my comments, it was clear I was talking about…

McBath: Very sad. I find that very, very sad. It should be very easy for you to apologize if that's not in fact what you said.
Kenndy: Crocodile tears, Congresswoman.

04/13/2026

Autism Action Network's John Gilmore was invited to give a presentation at the Brownstone Institute Supper Club in Manhattan. It is tomorrow night, 4/14, at Carmine's on the Upper Westside, only 3 tickets are left! Link to get tickets in the first comment. I will be speaking on "New Hope for Autism Research, Treatment and Policy."