Colorado may make it tougher to get vaccine exemptions, but abandons "really aggressive option"

An outcry from parents and opposition from Gov. Jared Polis are leading a Colorado lawmaker to abandon his effort to eliminate the state’s personal-belief exemption for required vaccinations.

The legislation from State Rep. Kyle Mullica introduced Thursday makes it more difficult for parents to receive a religious or personal-belief exemption from immunizations required to enroll their children in school, but it preserves both in law.

The new approach is designed to address Colorado’s lowest-in-the-nation immunization rate and comes after warnings from public health officials about measles and mumps outbreaks in the state and across the nation.

Under the measure, parents who claim a religious or personal-belief exemption would be required to complete a standardized form and get it certified by a state or local public health agency. Parents would then file the certification with the school. Right now, a standardized form and public health approval is not required.

Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2019/04/05/colorado-vaccine-exemption-rules/