NOTE: The governor signed this measure on 5/21/2014.
      
      
      HOUSE BILL 14-1288
      
      
      BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Pabon, Court, Gardner, Gerou, Ginal, Labuda,
      McCann, McNulty, Peniston, Schafer, Buckner, Fields, Fischer,
      Hullinghorst, Kagan, McLachlan, Melton, Primavera, Rosenthal, Ryden,
      Salazar, Tyler, Vigil, Becker, Kraft-Tharp;
      also SENATOR(S) Aguilar, Guzman, Todd, Ulibarri, Nicholson, Tochtrop.
      
      
      Concerning information available regarding personal belief
           exemptions to immunization requirements for children prior
           to attending school.
       
      
      Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
      
           SECTION 1.  Legislative declaration. (1)  The general assembly
      hereby finds and declares:
      
           (a)  Vaccines are considered one of the greatest public health
      achievements of the twentieth century, and save an estimated three million
      children's lives every year;
      
           (b)  Vaccines are cost-effective, and for every dollar we spend
      immunizing a child up to six years of age, more than $10 is saved in direct
      and indirect costs;
      
           (c)  High rates of immunization coverage are necessary to prevent
      the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases;
      
           (d)  Children who are not vaccinated are twenty-two to twenty-eight
      times more likely to get pertussis (whooping cough) than their immunized
      peers, and with Colorado pertussis cases at epidemic levels, high exemption
      rates can increase the risk of pertussis and other vaccine-preventable
      diseases within Colorado schools and communities;
      
           (e)  Personal belief exemptions are the primary reason for exemption
      from recommended vaccines and account for over ninety percent of all
      exemptions for Colorado kindergartners from 2003-2012;
      
           (f)  Colorado has one of the highest rates of personal belief
      exemption for immunizations in the United States, which translates to
      nearly three thousand kindergartners entering school unvaccinated against
      one or more vaccine-preventable diseases each year;
      
           (g)  States with permissive or easy procedures for claiming personal
      belief exemptions have higher rates of vaccine-preventable diseases; states
      with policies that make it easy to exempt children from immunization were
      associated with a ninety percent higher incidence of whooping cough in
      2011;
      
           (h)  A parent's decision to refuse vaccination for their child carries
      risk for their child and the community at large and, therefore, it is critical
      that Colorado develop a policy that ensures careful consideration of the
      research about vaccine benefits and risks; and
      
           (i)  Vaccination does carry some risk for the child receiving the
      vaccination, and parents should weigh the benefits and risks before
      choosing to have their child vaccinated.
      
           SECTION 2.  In Colorado Revised Statutes,  25-4-903, add (2.5)
      and (5) as follows:
      
           25-4-903. Exemptions from immunization - rules. (2.5)  The
      state board of health shall promulgate rules regarding:
      
           (a)  Immunization information, including exemption rates,
      that is available to the public through the department, including
      evidence-based research, resources and information from
      credible scientific and public health organizations, peer-reviewed
      studies, and an on-line learning module; and
      
           (b)  The frequency of submission of exemption forms.
      
           (5)  Each school shall make the immunization and exemption
      rates of their enrolled student population publicly available
      upon request.
      
           SECTION 3.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 25-4-910 as
      follows:
      
           25-4-910.  Immunization data collection. (1)  The department
      of public health and environment, in consultation with other
      state departments, shall establish a joint policy on immunization
      data collection and sharing.
      
           (2)  The department of public health and environment shall
      provide assistance to schools with the analysis and
      interpretation of the immunization data.
      
           SECTION 4.  Effective date. This act takes effect July 1, 2014.
      
           SECTION 5.  Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds,
      determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate
      preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.
      
      
      
      
      ________________________________________________________
      Mark Ferrandino                        Morgan Carroll
      SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE                     PRESIDENT OF
      OF REPRESENTATIVES                         THE SENATE
      
      
      
      
      
      
      ____________________________  ____________________________
      Marilyn Eddins                      Cindi L. Markwell
      CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE                 SECRETARY OF
      OF REPRESENTATIVES                         THE SENATE
      
      
      
      
                  APPROVED________________________________________
      
      
      
      
      
                                    _________________________________________
                                    John W. Hickenlooper
                                    GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF COLORADO