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PRINTER'S NO. 1247
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 1055
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY COLLETT, PISCIOTTANO, KEARNEY, TARTAGLIONE,
HAYWOOD, KANE, SANTARSIERO, COSTA, L. WILLIAMS, CAPPELLETTI,
VOGEL AND SAVAL, OCTOBER 17, 2025
REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE,
OCTOBER 17, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of September 27, 1961 (P.L.1700, No.699),
entitled "An act relating to the regulation of the practice
of pharmacy, including the sales, use and distribution of
drugs and devices at retail; and amending, revising,
consolidating and repealing certain laws relating thereto,"
further providing for pharmacy technician and pharmacy
technician trainee registration, qualifications and
supervision; providing for administration of injectable
medications, biologicals and immunizations, for clinical
laboratory certificate and for report on pharmacy-
administered vaccines; and making a repeal.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 3.3(a)(4) of the act of September 27,
1961 (P.L.1700, No.699), known as the Pharmacy Act, is amended
to read:
Section 3.3. Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacy Technician
Trainee Registration, Qualifications and Supervision.--(a) A
pharmacy technician shall register with the board biennially on
a form prescribed by the board and pay a registration fee
established by the board by regulation. An individual must
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possess an unrestricted registration from the board to practice
as a pharmacy technician. The following shall apply:
* * *
(4) An individual practicing as a pharmacy technician for at
least one year [of] between January 29, 2019, and June 28, 2025,
within the two-year period immediately preceding the [effective
date of this section] promulgation of final-form regulations by
the board implementing this section shall not be required to
comply with clause (3)(i) or (ii), provided the individual
applies within one year of the promulgation of regulations by
the board implementing this section.
* * *
Section 2. The act is amended by adding sections to read:
Section 3.5. Administration of Injectable Medications,
Biologicals and Immunizations.--(a) The board shall by
regulation establish education and training standards and
practice guidelines pursuant to which pharmacists shall be
authorized to administer injectable medications, biologicals and
immunizations to individuals eight years of age or older and
influenza and COVID-19 immunizations by injectable or needle-
free delivery methods to individuals five years of age or older.
The standards and guidelines shall include the following:
(1) Satisfactory completion of an academic and practical
curriculum approved by the board that includes the current
guidelines and recommendations of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in the Public Health Service of the
United States Department of Health and Human Services, the
American Council on Pharmaceutical Education or a similar health
authority or professional body and includes disease
epidemiology, vaccine characteristics, injection technique,
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emergency response to adverse events and related topics.
(2) Maintenance of a current cardiopulmonary resuscitation
certificate acceptable to the board.
(3) That the administration of injectable medications,
biologicals and immunizations be in accordance with a definitive
set of treatment guidelines established by a physician and
consistent with one of the following:
(i) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations or
another competent authority approved by the board.
(ii) A determination by the Department of Health that both
of the following apply:
(A) Immunization of a population or subpopulation is
supported by medical evidence.
(B) Immunization of the population or subpopulation would
advance the public health by reducing the spread or severity of
infectious disease in this Commonwealth.
(4) The Department of Health may exclude an immunization
from a determination under clause (3)(ii) upon finding that all
of the following apply:
(i) Administration is no longer supported by medical
evidence for a population or subpopulation.
(ii) Administration is no longer effective to reduce the
spread or severity of infectious diseases in this Commonwealth
and would not advance the public health.
(5) In making a determination under paragraph (3) or (4),
the Department of Health may consider as evidence reports issued
by any of the following:
(i) The American Academy of Pediatrics.
(ii) The American College of Obstetricians and
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Gynecologists.
(iii) The American College of Physicians.
(iv) The American Academy of Family Physicians.
(v) The Infectious Diseases Society of America.
(vi) The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
(6) After making a determination under paragraph (3)(ii) or
(4), the Department of Health shall provide notice of the
determination and the addition or exclusion by:
(i) transmitting the notice to the Legislative Reference
Bureau for publication in the next available issue of the
Pennsylvania Bulletin;
(ii) posting the notice on the Department of Health's
publicly accessible Internet website; and
(iii) electronically transmitting the notice to the
chairperson and minority chairperson of the Consumer Protection
and Professional Licensure Committee of the Senate and the
chairperson and minority chairperson of the Professional
Licensure Committee of the House of Representatives.
(7) That a minimum of two hours of the thirty-hour
requirement for continuing education for license renewal be
dedicated to administering injectable medications, biologicals
and immunizations.
(8) For individuals under eighteen years of age, that
parental consent be obtained prior to administration.
(9) Maintenance of a level of professional liability
insurance coverage in the minimum amount of one million dollars
($1,000,000) per occurrence or claims made. Failure to maintain
insurance coverage as required shall subject the licensees to
disciplinary proceedings. The board shall accept as satisfactory
evidence of insurance coverage any of the following:
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(i) personally purchased liability insurance;
(ii) professional liability insurance coverage provided by
the individual licensee's employer; or
(iii) similar insurance coverage acceptable to the board.
(10) Notification of the individual's primary care provider,
if known, within forty-eight hours of administration.
(b) Except as provided under subsection (e), a pharmacist's
authority to administer injectable medications, biologicals and
immunizations shall not be delegated to any other individual. A
pharmacy intern who has completed a course of education and
training which meets the requirements of subsection (a)(1) and
(2) and maintains liability insurance in the amounts specified
under subsection (a)(9) may administer injectable medications,
biologicals and immunizations, in keeping with the requirements
under subsection (a)(3), to individuals who are eight years of
age or older and influenza and COVID-19 immunizations by
injectable or needle-free delivery methods to individuals five
years of age or older only under the direct, immediate and
personal supervision of a pharmacist holding the authority to
administer injectable medications, biologicals and immunizations
or a physician, physician assistant or certified registered
nurse practitioner.
(c) A supervising pharmacist shall report the administration
of immunizations under this section to the immunization registry
maintained by the Department of Health within seventy-two hours
of immunization administration and to the individual's primary
care provider in accordance with subsection (a)(10). Nothing in
this subsection shall be construed to prohibit a supervising
pharmacist from delegating the reporting of immunization
administration to a pharmacy intern or technician.
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(d) A pharmacist, pharmacy intern or pharmacist technician
who administers an influenza or COVID-19 immunization to an
individual under eighteen years of age shall inform the parent
or adult caregiver of the importance of a well-child visit with
a pediatrician or other licensed primary care provider and refer
the patient as appropriate.
(e) A pharmacist who holds the authority to administer
injectable medications, biologicals and immunizations may
delegate the authority to administer:
(1) Influenza and COVID-19 immunizations to a certified
registered nurse practitioner, physician assistant, registered
nurse or licensed practical nurse; or
(2) COVID-19 immunizations authorized or licensed by the
United States Food and Drug Administration or based on a
determination by the Department of Health under subsection (a)
(3)(ii), and influenza immunizations recommended by the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices or based on a determination
by the Department of Health under subsection (a)(3)(ii), for
administration to individuals thirteen years of age or older by
a pharmacy technician if:
(i) The pharmacy technician:
(A) Until the board promulgates final regulations
implementing registration of pharmacy technicians, holds a
national certification from the Pharmacy Technician
Certification Board or the National Healthcareer Association; or
(B) After the board promulgates final regulations
implementing registration of pharmacy technicians, is registered
with the board.
(ii) The following conditions are met:
(A) The supervising qualified pharmacist is providing
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direct, immediate and personal supervision to the qualified
pharmacy technician who is administering the immunizations or
vaccinations.
(B) The qualified pharmacy technician has completed a
practical training program that is approved by the Accreditation
Council for Pharmacy Education and that includes hands-on
injection technique and the recognition and treatment of
emergency reactions to vaccines.
(C) The qualified pharmacy technician has a current
certificate in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
(D) The qualified pharmacy technician has obtained liability
insurance as required under subsection (a)(9) through the
qualified pharmacy technician's employer.
(E) Administration of a COVID-19 immunization or influenza
vaccinations shall be in keeping with the requirements under
subsection (a)(3).
Section 3.6. Clinical Laboratory Certificate.--(a) If a
pharmacy holds a valid certificate of waiver issued by the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a pharmacy or
pharmacist may order and perform laboratory examinations and
procedures for COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus
and streptococcal infections authorized or approved by the
United States Food and Drug Administration under the Clinical
Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (Public Law 100-578,
102 Stat. 2903) and shall be exempt from the requirements under
section 3 of the act of September 26, 1951 (P.L.1539, No.389),
known as The Clinical Laboratory Act.
(b) A pharmacist may designate the administration of a test
under subsection (a) to a pharmacy intern or pharmacy technician
if the designation by the pharmacist to a pharm acy intern or
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pharmacy technician and the administration of the test is in
keeping with nationally recognized clinical practice guidelines
that have not been disapproved by the Department of Health. The
Department of Health shall submit any nationally recognized
clinical practice guidelines the Department of Health has
disapproved to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication
in the next available issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
Section 3.7. Report on Pharmacy-administered Vaccines.--(a)
The Department of Health shall, in consultation with the board,
report to the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Majority
Leader and the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives and the Majority Leader and the
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives information
concerning pharmacist activities authorized under this act,
including:
(1) The number of injectable medications, biologicals and
immunizations administered to individuals under eighteen years
of age broken down by age.
(2) The number of injectable medications, biologicals and
immunizations administered to individuals under eighteen years
of age broken down by type of injectable medications,
biologicals and immunizations.
(3) Subject to information being made available, an
assessment on whether there is a change in the number of well
visits for children with their primary pediatric care provider
attributable pharmacist services authorized under this act.
(4) Beginning from the effective date of this section,
changes in the pharmacy immunization rates for individuals under
eighteen years of age.
(b) The Department of Health shall review data available for
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injectable medications, biologicals and immunizations
administered by a pharmacist, pharmacy intern or technician in
this Commonwealth. The Department of Health shall also review
data available from other state governments which have
authorized pharmacists to provide similar pharmacy services as
authorized under this act.
(c) The Department of Health shall report its findings no
later than five years following the effective date of this
subsection and include recommendations for changes in the laws
of this Commonwealth.
(d) Upon completion of the report and transmission of the
report under subsection (a), the Department of Health shall
publish the findings on the Department of Health's publicly
accessible Internet website.
Section 3. Repeals are as follows:
(1) The General Assembly declares that the repeal under
paragraph (2) is necessary to effectuate the addition of
sections 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 of the act.
(2) Chapter 10 of the act of November 21, 2016
(P.L.1318, No.169), known as the Pharmacy Audit Integrity and
Transparency Act, is repealed.
Section 4. The addition of sections 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 of the
act is a continuation of sections 1002, 1003 and 1004 of the act
of November 21, 2016 (P.L.1318, No.169), known as the Pharmacy
Audit Integrity and Transparency Act. Except as otherwise
provided in sections 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 of the act, all activities
initiated under sections 1002, 1003 and 1004 of the Pharmacy
Audit Integrity and Transparency Act shall continue and remain
in full force and effect and may be completed under sections
3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 of the act. Orders, regulations, rules and
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decisions which were made under sections 1002, 1003 and 1004 of
the Pharmacy Audit Integrity and Transparency Act and which are
in effect on the effective date of section 3(2) of this act
shall remain in full force and effect until revoked, vacated or
modified under sections 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 of the act. Contracts,
obligations and collective bargaining agreements entered into
under sections 1002, 1003 and 1004 of the Pharmacy Audit
Integrity and Transparency Act are not affected nor impaired by
the repeal of sections 1002, 1003 and 1004 of the Pharmacy Audit
Integrity and Transparency Act.
Section 5. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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