ear NJCVC Members,
We are writing to alert you that the New Jersey Public Health Council will hold its second and final vote tomorrow, Friday, December 19, at 12:30 p.m., to adopt sweeping revisions to the New Jersey Sanitary Code (N.J.A.C. 8:57).
These changes are the same proposals we previously notified you about. The changes span more than 320 pages, were published in the New Jersey Register on September 15, and generated over 2,600 public comments along with at least 10 formal requests for a public hearing. The Public Health Council has not hosted a meeting since September and now has scheduled the meeting for tomorrow, after having cancelled their last 2 meetings.
Despite this extraordinary level of public concern:
- No public hearing was held
- No responses were provided to legislators, medical freedom organizations, or members of the public
- The last two Public Health Council meetings were canceled, eliminating opportunities for public engagement
- This final vote is scheduled at an unusual day and time, just days before Christmas, when many families are understandably distracted
At this time we do not know how this will play out.
The New Jersey Department of Health is advancing these changes without legislative approval, shifting authority from elected lawmakers to unelected and unaccountable health officials. If adopted, the revisions will affect families, schools, and employers across the state and carry serious implications for parental rights, religious liberty, privacy, and democratic oversight.
Key concerns include:
1. Severe Restriction of Religious Exemptions – The proposal rewrites the religious exemption so that a parent or guardian must object to immunization because it conflicts with the tenets and practices of a “recognized church or religious denomination” of which they are an adherent or member.
This would mean:
- Individuals with sincerely held personal religious beliefs but without formal membership in a recognized religious organization could lose their right to an exemption
- Parents may be required to prove affiliation with an officially recognized church
- The state would effectively decide whose faith “counts,” a direct threat to First Amendment protections
2. Private Institutions Allowed to Deny Religious Exemptions Entirely – Private schools and institutions would be empowered to accept or reject religious exemptions at will and could mandate additional vaccines beyond what is required for public schools.
3. Automatic Adoption of ACIP or other health organization recommendations – Future ACIP vaccine recommendations could become enforceable in New Jersey without legislative review, eliminating critical checks and balances.
4. Expanded Powers of Unelected Health Officials – The code would authorize quarantine, isolation, or exclusion from school, work, or public life based on suspicion, not confirmed illness.
5. Expanded Access to Private Health Data – Schools, colleges, and employers could gain broad access to sensitive health information without the confidentiality obligations required of licensed medical professionals.
What You Can Do Now
Join the meeting, listen in and/or make a comment.
- Click here: https://web.doh.nj.gov/apps2/events/displayEvents.aspx?item=7201
- Click on Meeting Agenda. That will open an agenda with a hyperlinked meeting link that says “Join the meeting now”
- Click Join the meeting now and enter the Meeting ID: 213 358 768 001 7 and passcode MQ7ea3m3
Thank you for your continued vigilance and advocacy.
NJCVC