H 7934Pharmaceuticals

Businesses and Professions - Pharmacies

This bill allows pharmacists to give all recommended vaccines to children aged 3 to 18, not just flu or COVID shots.

Held for study

Population
Affected

Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Health & Human Services

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends existing law to expand the authority of pharmacists regarding the administration of vaccines to children. Currently, pharmacists are permitted to administer only influenza and COVID-19 vaccines to children between the ages of three and eighteen. This bill allows pharmacists to administer all routine, scheduled, or recommended immunizations to this age group. The bill retains requirements for parental consent and mandates that pharmacists report the administration of these vaccines to the Rhode Island Department of Health and the patient's primary care provider.

For younger readers

Right now, if you go to a pharmacy, the pharmacist is only allowed to give kids shots for the flu or for COVID-19. This new rule changes that so pharmacists can give kids between 3 and 18 years old other regular shots they might need for school or to stay healthy. Your parents still have to say it is okay before you get one. After the shot, the pharmacist must tell your regular doctor and the health department that you received it.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

PharmacistsChildren aged 3-18ParentsPrimary Care ProvidersDepartment of Health

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

None

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Expands access to healthcare services for working families, allowing them to obtain necessary vaccinations for children during pharmacy hours which are often more convenient than traditional doctor office hours.
Promotes public health and community welfare by potentially increasing vaccination rates among children, thereby reducing the spread of preventable diseases in schools and the community.
Alleviates pressure on the primary care system and public clinics, allowing doctors and nurses to focus on more complex medical issues while utilizing pharmacists' skills for routine preventative care.
Could lead to a fragmentation of care where children miss important comprehensive wellness checks and screenings at their pediatrician's office because parents opt for quick pharmacy visits instead.
May funnel more healthcare revenue toward large corporate pharmacy chains rather than supporting community health centers or independent pediatric practices.
Increases the workload on pharmacy staff who are often already overburdened and understaffed, potentially risking errors or reducing the quality of attention given to patients.

For Conservatives

Reduces government restrictions on business practices by allowing pharmacists to utilize their full training and offer a wider range of services to the market.
Enhances parental choice and convenience by providing more options and locations for obtaining routine medical services for their children outside of traditional medical monopolies.
Promotes free-market competition in the healthcare sector by breaking down barriers that previously prevented pharmacies from competing with doctors for routine procedures.
Expands the infrastructure for mass vaccination of minors, which may concern those wary of government-recommended immunization schedules and pharmaceutical influence.
Mandates government tracking by requiring pharmacists to report immunization data to the Department of Health, raising concerns about medical privacy and government surveillance of citizens.
Undermines the traditional relationship between families and their primary care physicians by outsourcing medical care to retail environments.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 4 additions · 4 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 5-19.1-31 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-19.1 entitled "Pharmacies" is hereby amended to read as follows: 5-19.1-31. ~~Administration of influenza and COVID-19 immunizations to individuals~~ ~~between the ages of three (3) years and eighteen (18) years, inclusive~~ Administration of routine, scheduled, or recommended immunizations to individuals between the ages of three

(3) and eighteen (18) years, inclusive.

(a) Parental consent shall be required for all pharmacist-administered immunizations for individuals under the age of eighteen (18) years.

(b) The department of health shall require a pharmacist who is authorized to administer ~~influenza and COVID-19~~ immunizations to individuals between the ages of three (3) years and eighteen (18) years, inclusive, pursuant to § 5-19.1-2, to electronically report to the department all immunizations administered within seven (7) days of administration in the format and for the populations required by the department. (c)(1) The department of health shall require a pharmacist who is authorized to administer ~~influenza and COVID-19~~ immunizations to individuals between the ages of three (3) years and eighteen (18) years, inclusive, pursuant to § 5-19.1-2 to provide notification of a patient’s immunization to the patient’s primary care provider, if known, within fourteen (14) days of administration.

(2) The department of health’s rules and regulations shall include provisions to ensure that the administering pharmacist makes a good-faith effort to obtain information relating to the identity of a patient’s primary care provider or primary care practice, for the purposes of fulfilling the reporting requirements of subsection (c)(1) herein. If a patient does not have an existing relationship with a primary care provider or primary care practice, the administering pharmacist shall proceed with the reporting requirements contained in subsection (b) of this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.