Senate Bill 20-163, School Entry Immunization

In June 2020, the Colorado legislature passed Senate Bill 20-163, School Entry Immunization for the purpose of improving Colorado’s immunization rates.  Since its passing, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) implemented Senate Bill 20-163. 

This law:

• Consolidates the personal belief and religious vaccine exemptions into a single nonmedical exemption category.
• Requires an immunizing provider signature or completion of CDPHE’s online education module prior to claiming a nonmedical exemption.
• Requires use of CDPHE’s standard medical and nonmedical exemption forms.
• Requires schools to actively and directly share their school’s measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) rate with parents and guardians via CDPHE’s annual parent letter by Feb. 15 of each year.
• Establishes a “vaccinated child standard” of 95% for all school-required vaccines, where the immunization rate goal for every school is 95% of the student population to be vaccinated.
• Requires medical providers to report both immunization and exemption information to the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS).