Vaccine bill draws Republican ire after it is scheduled for Sunday debate

Photo of Colorado state capitol by Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

A bill aimed at increasing Colorado’s childhood vaccination will get another hearing this Sunday. Despite coronavirus and racial justice protests, it’s expected to draw what will be the biggest crowds of this mid-pandemic legislative session.

The measure already caused a delay in the House calendar when Republicans slowed the pace of debate on Friday.

Roxborough Park Republican Rep. Mark Baisley said he was furious at the sudden scheduling of a bill for a Sunday hearing at noon. Lawmakers occasionally work on a Saturday, but a Sunday is almost unheard of.

Read more of the story on CPR

Bente is an award-winning journalist who joined Colorado Public Radio in August 2018 after a decade of reporting on the Colorado state capitol for the Rocky Mountain Community Radio collaborative and KUNC. In 2017, Bente was named Colorado Journalist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and she was awarded with a National Investigative Reporting Award by SPJ a year later.