Vaccination bill gets first hearing, El Paso County medical director weighs in

Lawmakers at the State Capitol in Denver are hearing from hundreds of people Monday night for another controversial bill.

House Bill 19-1312, introduced by a Democrat, aims to change the process parents go through before exempting their children from vaccinations.

If passed, the bill would make parents get a signed form from a physician or medical professional that certifies their reason for the exemption.

Read the full bill text here.

Opponents of the bill say it infringes on their rights.

Hundreds of people waited outside a hearing room waiting for their turn to speak.

A man waiting for his turn said, “it completely eliminates our rights as Coloradoan to make the very personal and profound choice of what gets injected into our bodies and our children’s bodies.”

Republican Representative Lois Landgraf said on Saturday, opposing the bill is about preserving people’s rights to choose what they’d like.

“It’s not my job to tell other parents what they should or shouldn’t do. This bill doesn’t really do that but it does put some barrier for some parents,” she said.

Supporters of the bill, like El Paso County Medical Director, Robin Johnson says it put all parents on an even playing field.

“Parents have truly the same opportunity for education that they would have in giving their kid an immunization as they would to exempt their child,” Johnson says.

If the bill passes, it would create a system that parents, on both sides of the issue have to be accountable for the choice they make.