Date: 03/13/2014

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB14-1288

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, INSURANCE, & ENVIRONMENT

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment GG). The motion
Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment II). The motion
Adopt amendment L.004 (Attachment JJ). The motion
Refer House Bill 14-1288, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
PASS



04:06 PM -- HB 14-1288

Representative Pabon presented House Bill 14-1288. Under current law, a student is exempted from receiving required immunizations prior to attending public school if the student or parents submits a statement of exemption based on religious or personal beliefs. The bill expands the requirements necessary to invoke the personal belief exemption by requiring the state of exemption to include either:

The bill requires the Colorado Department of Education to develop a plan to ensure school compliance and the State Board of Health, within the DPHE, to promulgate rules regarding the requirements. Each school in the state will be responsible for making immunization exemption rates of the their student population publically available. The DPHE, Department of Education, and Department of Human Services must establish a joint policy on immunization data collection and information sharing.

04:17 PM

Representative Pabon responded to questions about how Colorado compares to other states concerning the use of the personal belief exemption for vaccines, whether the bill requires mandatory vaccinations, and the stakeholders involved in drafting the bill. He responded to question about the rule making process that will be utilized if the bill is enacted, whether the bill applies to all students entering a school or childcare center, and whether the costs of the vaccines deter parents from vaccinating their children. Representative Pabon responded to questions about the Oregon education module, medical privacy, and the duty of the providers to explain the risks and benefits of vaccines. He responded to questions about whether vaccine information about students would be provided to teachers, the procedure for providing information to parents exercising the personal belief exemption, and whether a certain percentage of the population not being vaccinated creates a public health risk.

04:42 PM -- Alexendra Fickenscher, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She discussed the personal belief exemption.

04:46 PM -- Thomas D. Birge, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. He discussed his daughter who has primary immunodeficiency syndrome.

04:49 PM -- Dawn A. Fritz, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She stated that Colorado has the sixth-highest exemption rate. She discussed autism.

04:50 PM -- Kelly Watson-Snyder, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She discussed vaccinating her children.

04:52 PM -- Allison Lehman, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She discussed being a mother of a prematurely born child and the provision of the bill that would allow parents access to school vaccination rates.

04:55 PM

Ms. Watson-Snyder responded to questions about being a Medicaid client. Ms. Lehman responded to questions about where she gets her information about vaccines. Ms. Fritz, Ms. Lehman, and Ms. Fickenscher responded to questions about their children's vaccinations and medical privacy.

05:03 PM -- Dr. Susan Lawson, representing herself, testified against the bill. She provided two handouts to the committee (Attachments A and B). She discussed her daughter who was injured by a vaccine.

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05:10 PM -- Shawn Kelley, representing himself, testified against the bill. He stated that children receive 49 doses of vaccines by the age of six. He discussed the vaccine adverse event reporting system and Gardasil.

05:14 PM

Dr. Lawson responded to questions about Oregon's education module. Mr. Kelley responded to questions about the vaccine schedule included in Attachment A. Dr. Lawson and Mr. Kelley answered questions about Gardasil and a U.S. Supreme Court case concerning vaccine safety.


05:18 PM -- Ronnie Prine, representing himself, testified against the bill. He discussed his son who started experiencing seizures after receiving a vaccination. Mr. Prine answered a question about his son.

05:22 PM -- Dr. Michael Gaeta, representing himself, testified against the bill. He discussed informed consent and relayed data concerning vaccine use in the United States. Dr. Gaeta responded to questions about the Oregon education module. He discussed peer-reviewed research in response to a question. Dr. Gaeta responded to questions about vaccine package inserts, post-marketing trials of vaccines, and the National Vaccine Information Center. Representative Ginal provided a handout to the committee (Attachment C). Dr. Gaeta responded to questions about the bill's provisions concerning informing parents about the risks and benefits of immunizations.

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05:43 PM -- Dr. James Todd, representing Children's Hospital, testified in support of the bill. He discussed Colorado data about vaccines. Dr. Todd provided the committee with a handout (Attachment D). Dr. Todd read a written statement from Dr. Erwin Gelfand of National Jewish Health (Attachment E).

140313 AttachD.pdf140313 AttachD.pdf140313 AttachE.pdf140313 AttachE.pdf

05:51 PM -- Sophia Yager, representing the Public Health Nurses Association of Colorado and the Boulder County Public Health Department, testified in support of the bill. She discussed herd immunity and relayed statistics about the prevalence of certain diseases and vaccines.

05:54 PM -- Virginia Munoz, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She discussed school-based health centers, her experience as a school nurse, and disease prevention strategies for schools.

05:59 PM

Dr. Todd responded to questions about the flu vaccine and vaccine package inserts. He responded to questions about the January 2013 Institute of Medicine's Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety Report and the credibility of various entities. Ms. Munoz responded to questions about the availability of information for parents about vaccines and discussed the reasons parents give for not vaccinating their children. The panel responded to questions about what information the Board of Health should provide about vaccines.

06:11 PM

Dr. Todd responded to questions about public health benefits and risks associated with immunizations. He discussed the pertussis vaccine. Ms. Munoz responded to questions about whether she is aware of children who were not vaccinated being discriminated against in schools, the required immunizations for children, and the current vaccination exemption process. Dr. Todd responded to questions about the school vaccination rate reports.

06:20 PM

Ms. Munoz answered questions about whether she believes the bill will increase vaccination rates.

06:23 PM -- Peter Bockenthien, representing himself, testified against the bill. He distributed a copy of his testimony to the committee (Attachment F).

140313 AttachF.pdf140313 AttachF.pdf

06:29 PM -- Heidi Snider, representing herself, testified against the bill. She said the bill puts the government between herself and her children. Ms. Snider discussed informed consent and a family member who had an adverse reaction to a vaccine.

06:34 PM -- Sarah Carrasao, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed her son who has autism and the need for objective third-party studies on vaccines. She provided the committee with two informational packets (Attachments G and H).

140313 AttachG.pdf140313 AttachG.pdf140313 AttachH.pdf140313 AttachH.pdf

06:41 PM -- Julia Heasler, representing D'Jinn Daisy Designs, testified against the bill. She said she was a small business owner. She discussed being offended by the bill and the discrimination she has felt for not vaccinating her children. Ms. Heasler responded to questions about the Oregon education module.

06:49 PM -- Marianne Martinez, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She discussed her experience as a school nurse and vaccine exemptions.

06:53 PM -- Shirley Ritter, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She discussed the cocooning concept and the importance of vaccinations in early childcare centers.

06:56 PM -- Vangi McCoy, representing the Montelores Early Childhood Council, testified in support of the bill. She discussed the importance of vaccines to protect student and community health and the personal belief exemption.

07:01 PM -- Ed Reilly, representing himself, testified against the bill. He discussed state mandates and parental responsibility.

07:05 PM -- Dana Ledbetter, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed being injured by a vaccine and her experience choosing not to vaccinate her children.

07:09 PM -- Elizabeth Blackwood, representing herself, testified against the bill. She provided a handout to the committee (Attachment I). She discussed vaccine studies and vaccine package inserts.

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07:14 PM -- Darlene Jalil, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed vaccine ingredients, the bill's legislative declaration, and disease rates in other states. Ms. Jalil responded to questions about the measles vaccine. She discussed parental rights. Ms. Jalil responded to questions about a recent measles outbreak in New York. The committee dialogued with Ms. Jalil about vaccines, vaccine exemptions, and immunization rate reporting by schools.

07:33 PM -- Melissa Winefeldt, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed the constitutionality of the bill, privacy concerns, and parental rights. She provided the committee with an informational packet (Attachment J).

140313 AttachJ.pdf140313 AttachJ.pdf

07:37 PM -- Phil Silberman, representing himself, testified against the bill. He discussed scientific research, educating all parents about vaccines, and the "Do No Harm" documentary.

07:41 PM -- Theresa Wrangham, representing the National Vaccine Information Center, testified against the bill. She discussed vaccine education materials, mandated education efforts, and pertussis. Ms. Wrangham provided the committee with a booklet (Attachment K) and a handout (Attachment L). She responded to questions about her involvement in the stakeholder process during the drafting of the bill and the Oregon education module.

140313 AttachK.pdf140313 AttachK.pdf140313 AttachL.pdf140313 AttachL.pdf

07:48 PM -- Cindy Loveland, representing the National Vaccine Information Center, testified against the bill. She discussed the bill's legislative declaration and the handout (Attachment M) she provided to the committee.

140313 AttachM.pdf140313 AttachM.pdf

07:51 PM -- Suzanne Shapiro, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed educating herself about vaccines and the 2011 Institute of Medicine's Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality report.

07:55 PM -- Captain Pam Long, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed vaccine exemptions, her son who was injured by a vaccine, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and the adverse events listed on vaccine package inserts. Ms. Long responded to questions about the Oregon education module and educating parents about the benefits and risks of vaccines.

08:01 PM -- Mary Hendrick, representing herself, testified against the bill. She read a written statement (Attachment N). Ms. Hendrick discussed being a parent who did not vaccinate her children and her vaccine injury. She provided the committee with a handout (Attachment O).

140313 AttachN.pdf140313 AttachN.pdf140313 AttachO.pdf140313 AttachO.pdf

08:07 PM -- Whitney Gregg, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed the personal belief exemption and the vaccine education required by the bill.

08:10 PM -- Dr. Barb Gauthier, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed the Oregon's Department of Health website concerning vaccines, the pertussis vaccine, and medical exemptions. Representative Primavera made comments about the education module requirement. Representative Swalm discussed polio. Dr. Gauthier responded to questions about the polio vaccine.

08:19 PM -- Kenly C. Goonan, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed homeopathy and the need to educate all parents about vaccines.

08:23 PM -- Barbara Cavanagh, representing herself, testified against the bill. She provided the committee with a written statement (Attachment P). She discussed being a school nurse and creating a healthy immune system.

140313 AttachP.pdf140313 AttachP.pdf

08:27 PM -- Candy Lewis, representing herself, testified against the bill. She read a written statement from Nancy Markow (Attachment Q). Ms. Lewis discussed previous witnesses' testimony, personal choice, and discrimination.

140313 AttachQ.pdf140313 AttachQ.pdf

08:35 PM -- Dr. Sharon Anable, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed her patients' reactions to the bill and the reasons why someone might exercise a personal belief exemption.

08:39 PM -- Brett L. Mers, representing himself, testified against the bill. He stated his objections to the bill based on philosophy, limitations of knowledge, and morality.

08:43 PM -- Robyn Charron, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed Voices for Vaccines, mandatory vaccinations, and her son who was injured by a vaccine. She referenced information in the packet (Attachment R) she provided to the committee.

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08:50 PM -- Aaron Robertson, representing himself, testified against the bill. He read from his written statement (Attachment S).

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08:54 PM -- Treon Goossen, representing Home Educators of Colorado and Parentalrights.org, testified against the bill. She discussed which schools are included in the bill and the Department of Education's role under the bill.

08:57 PM -- Meghan DeLanro, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed discrimination of families that do not vaccinate and vaccine exemptions.

09:03 PM -- Kathy Sincere, representing herself, testified against the bill. She discussed her children who were injured by vaccines, and provided the committee with a handout (Attachment T).

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09:09 PM -- Francis Sincere, representing himself, testified against the bill. He read from the handout (Attachment U) he provided to the committee. Mr. Sincere responded to questions about his testimony.

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09:15 PM -- Maureen Maker, representing Colorado Citizens for Science in Medicine, testified in support of the bill. She discussed increasing Colorado's vaccination rates.

09:17 PM -- Linda Rosa, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She discussed vaccine education.

09:22 PM -- Dr. Sean O'Leary, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. He discussed the Institute of Medicine report referenced by prior witnesses. Dr. O'Leary responded to questions about vaccine ingredients, vaccine injuries, and polio. He responded to questions about the risk of contracting a disease versus the risk of adverse reactions to vaccines, whether the bill will provide for better public health outcomes in Colorado, and how much information is provided to parents by health care providers about the risks associated with vaccines.

09:39 PM -- Sundari Elizabeth Kraft, representing Vaccinate for Healthy Schools, testified in support of the bill. She discussed Colorado's personal belief exemption for vaccines and providing information to parents about schools' exemption rates. Ms. Kraft responded to questions about the online educational module.

The following people submitted written statements in opposition to the bill:

140313 AttachV.pdf140313 AttachV.pdf140313 AttachW.pdf140313 AttachW.pdf140313 AttachX.pdf140313 AttachX.pdf140313 AttachY.pdf140313 AttachY.pdf140313 AttachZ.pdf140313 AttachZ.pdf140313 AttachAA.pdf140313 AttachAA.pdf140313 AttachBB.pdf140313 AttachBB.pdf140313 AttachCC.pdf140313 AttachCC.pdf140313 AttachDD.pdf140313 AttachDD.pdf140313 AttachEE.pdf140313 AttachEE.pdf140313 AttachFF.pdf140313 AttachFF.pdf

09:47 PM

Representative Pabon discussed amendment L.001 (GG) and distributed a memorandum concerning the fiscal assessment of proposed amendment HB1288_L.001 (Attachment HH).

140313 AttachGG.pdf140313 AttachGG.pdf140313 AttachHH.pdf140313 AttachHH.pdf
BILL:HB14-1288
TIME: 09:47:16 PM
MOVED:McCann
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment GG). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Schafer
VOTE
Fields
Ginal
Humphrey
Joshi
Landgraf
McNulty
Primavera
Singer
Swalm
Schafer
McCann
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection



09:48 PM

Representative Pabon discussed amendment L.003 (Attachment II).
BILL:HB14-1288
TIME: 09:49:07 PM
MOVED:McCann
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment II). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Schafer
VOTE
Fields
Ginal
Humphrey
Joshi
Landgraf
McNulty
Primavera
Singer
Swalm
Schafer
McCann
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION:

140313 AttachII.pdf140313 AttachII.pdf

09:49 PM

Representative Pabon and Representative Fields discussed amendment L.004 (Attachment JJ).
BILL:HB14-1288
TIME: 09:50:20 PM
MOVED:McCann
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.004 (Attachment JJ). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Ginal
VOTE
Fields
Ginal
Humphrey
Joshi
Landgraf
McNulty
Primavera
Singer
Swalm
Schafer
McCann
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

140313 AttachJJ.pdf140313 AttachJJ.pdf

09:50 PM

Representative Pabon made concluding remarks about the bill. He listed a number of organizations that support the bill. The committee members discussed the bill. Representative Pabon responded to a question about the applicable definition of school for the bill.
BILL:HB14-1288
TIME: 10:14:14 PM
MOVED:Fields
MOTION:Refer House Bill 14-1288, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 9-2.
SECONDED:Schafer
VOTE
Fields
Yes
Ginal
Yes
Humphrey
No
Joshi
No
Landgraf
Yes
McNulty
Yes
Primavera
Yes
Singer
Yes
Swalm
Yes
Schafer
Yes
McCann
Yes
Final YES: 9 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS




10:16 PM

The committee took a brief recess.