A proposal to defend science-based vaccine recommendations in Colorado, and push back against new federal vaccine standards to reduce the number of recommended childhood immunizations, passed its first hearing at the statehouse on Thursday.
For decades, Colorado has relied on vaccine recommendations from the federal government, but Democrats say because those guidelines now deviate from vaccine science, Colorado should adopt the more comprehensive, science-based vaccine guidance of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“What we are doing here with this bill is we are insulating our state from the dysfunction coming out of Washington,” said Democratic Senator Kyle Mullica, a registered nurse and one of the bill’s main sponsors. “In this state, we’re going to rely on science.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defied vaccine science earlier this month and slashed the number of recommended routine childhood vaccines from 17 to 11, in a process that circumvented the typical public input process. The chair of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, who was appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has publicly questioned the need for additional vaccines, including ones that prevent polio and measles, arguing that vaccinations are a choice best left to individual parents and doctors.
Senate Bill 32 seeks to bypass the shifting messages coming from Washington and potential future policy changes by no longer following that guidance.
At least 20 other states are also de-linking their state vaccine policy from the federal schedule.
Colorado’s proposal would also allow pharmacists to prescribe and administer vaccines and expand liability protections for providers.
Doctors, pharmacists, vaccine experts and advocates testified in support of the bill at a hearing in front of the Senate Health Committee on Thursday, including Susan Lontine, executive director of Immunize Colorado and a former state Democratic representative.
“When federal guidance becomes unstable, providers are left unsure which standards to follow, pharmacies question their authority, insurers hesitate on coverage and families experience confusion and delays in care,” Lontine said.
The bill faced opposition from several parents, MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) supporters and concerned citizens.
Pam Long testified about her son’s vaccine-induced encephalopathy and asked the committee to kill the bill.
“You might think it’s rare, but it’s lifelong,” Long said, of vaccine complications her family has experienced.
Phil Silverman, a self-described “old hippie,” questioned the liability limitation components of the proposal.
“If these products that the pharmaceutical industry is making and selling are so safe, why do they need liability protection?” Silverman said.
The bill passed the committee on a party-line vote, with three Republicans voting no. It heads next for consideration in the full Senate chamber.
