Colorado Senate ‘kills’ vaccination bill

Colorado State Senators essentially killed a bill that would have made it harder for parents to opt their children out of vaccinations.

The bill would have required parents who don’t want their children vaccinated for personal or religious reasons to apply in person for an exemption at a state office.

Thursday, the legislation was laid over for debate until Friday, the Denver Post reported. That effectively means it’s dead for this session.

The bill got a last-minute hearing late Wednesday and still must be debated by the full Senate before the session ends at midnight Friday.

The debate comes as an outbreak of measles surges across the United States, the worst in 25 years. The once-common disease became increasingly rare after a vaccine became available in the 1960s and was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.