Greetings from Albany, NY
Surprise! We’re sharing an additional edition of Capital Brief this week. We’ve adjusted our cadence for the remainder of the year and will be back in two weeks with our next edition.
In this edition, we provide an overview of the president’s executive order on childhood vaccinations, highlight a few of the state comptroller’s recent audits, and share updates on the pied-à-terre tax rollout, as well as the Essential Plan and Medicaid changes we’ve been keeping an eye on.
Presidential Executive Order Related to Childhood Vaccination
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 10 calling for changes to the childhood vaccine recommendations. The order addresses the number of vaccines routinely recommended for all children, reducing the number of diseases covered from 18 to 11, calls for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be given as three separate shots once those products are domestically available and for childhood vaccines to be administered at separate medical visits. Experts warn that requiring more appointments could make it harder for families to keep up with vaccinations, increasing the risk that children miss or delay needed immunizations.
However, the executive order does not automatically change state immunization requirements. States establish their own requirements for school and child care enrollment, meaning any changes to federal recommendations would need to be considered separately at the state level.
In New York, Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “This executive order doesn’t change New York State’s immunization requirements or recommendations. To be clear: no new research was presented.” He added, “Here in New York, we will continue to be guided by the science.” The state’s broader immunization efforts include a statewide public media campaign encouraging families to keep children up to date on recommended vaccines.
National health experts have also raised concerns about the changes. Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, called the executive order disheartening and dangerous, adding that, “There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance.” New York State and New York City endorsed the 2026 American Academy of Pediatrics childhood and adolescent immunization schedule earlier this year, while maintaining existing school immunization requirements (signed into law as Chapters 114 and 115 of 2026).
The World Health Organization similarly emphasized that its vaccination recommendations are based on more than 60 years of research conducted by international authorities and independent expert groups.
Pied-à-terre Tax Update
The New York City Department of Finance (DOF) published a list of more than 960,000 properties listed as potentially eligible for the tax, creating confusion among homeowners. The city later clarified that the list included all properties on the property tax roll, not just those potentially subject to the tax. Separately, DOF mailed warning notices to about 17,000 property owners whose homes may be subject to the tax. Some recipients say their homes should be exempt and are now required to provide documentation to the city to support their exemption claims.
The confusion prompted a group of city residents to challenge the law’s implementation. A Staten Island judge issued a temporary restraining order pausing the rollout, but the city quickly appealed, temporarily lifting the restraining order and allowing the rollout of the tax to proceed. A hearing scheduled for Aug. 31 will determine whether the restraining order is reinstated.
Gov. Hochul defended the tax, stating, “I believe in the state of New York, if you have a $5 million second home, you should be able to afford to pay for police, fire, trash removal and snow removal in the winter time.”