Colorado may become the next state to consider legislation designed to make it harder for parents to opt their kids out of getting vaccinated, but the bill being drafted by a Democratic representative could face opposition from Gov. Jared Polis.

State Rep. Kyle Mullica is drafting a bill to address Colorado’s low vaccination rates, and he said he’s considering including a provision that would eliminate non-medical exemptions for vaccines.

“At the end of the day, there’s a problem and I want to make sure our kids are safe,” Mullica said.

Colorado has made progress in recent years, but still has a reputation as a state with extremely low vaccine rates. In 2017, about 29 percent of children between 19 and 35 months were under-immunized in the state, according to a recent report by Children’s Hospital Colorado. The report found Colorado ranks 23rd in the nation when it comes to vaccination rates for children in this age group.

During the 2017-18 school year, only 88.7 percent of kindergarteners in Colorado received the vaccine to protect against measles, mumps and rubella — one of the lowest rates in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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State law requires Colorado students to be vaccinated against certain diseases, such as measles and mumps. However, they can be exempted for medical, religious or personal-belief reasons.

Mullica, who is a nurse and father, is still writing the bill, and said he’s not yet settled on what policies it will tackle when it is finally introduced.

“It comes down to student safety,” he said. “We want (students) to be able to go to school in a safe environment.”

However, the prospect of a bill that eliminates one or both of the non-medical exemptions is already attracting pushback from people who are against vaccines and others — including the state’s Democratic governor.

“Governor Polis believes that forcing people to receive shots they don’t want creates mistrust of government, mistrust of vaccinations, and would ultimately backfire and hurt public health,” spokeswoman Laurie Cipriano said in an emailed statement.

The anti-vaccination movement is driven by concerns about vaccine safety, including the debunked belief that vaccines can cause autism. In 2016, there were 18 states that allowed parents to get immunization exemptions based on philosophical beliefs, according to a 2018 report by PLOS Medicine.

Some states, such as Arizona, are considering bills to expand vaccine exemption.

Vaccine exemptions “are a consumer protection,” said Pam Long, a founding board member of Colorado Health Choice Alliance, an organization that promotes opt-out rights.

“Vaccines have risk and they are completely liability free.” she said.

It’s too soon to tell if recent measles outbreaks in places like Washington state are leading to more national public interest in immunization rates, said Dr. Jessica Cataldi, a vaccine researcher and member of the Colorado chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians.

Last month, a Denver resident was diagnosed with measles, prompting city and state health officials to issue a warning about possible exposure to the respiratory illness.

At least 18 other states are considering vaccine legislation, including about eight that are debating bills that would eliminate one or all non-medical exemptions, said Diane Peterson, associate director for immunization projects at the Immunization Action Coalition.

“I think having outbreaks happen and having diseases that we thought we had eliminated… certainly motivates lawmakers,” Cataldi said.