Colorado lawmakers loosened school vaccine rules after RFK Jr. took over the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Question

Colorado lawmakers have quietly moved to shift the state’s school immunization requirements away from the recommendations of a prominent federal committee, in response to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. taking over the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Answer 1

Misleading. While Colorado lawmakers did move to change how school vaccine mandates are determined, this wasn’t about loosening the rules or aligning with RFK Jr.'s views. It was a defensive move to maintain stricter local control, not a rollback of protections. This claim misrepresents the legislative shift. Colorado House Bill 1027 amends how the state incorporates CDC/ACIP recommendations into school vaccine requirements. It removes the automatic adoption of federal guidance, but it does not reduce the number of required vaccines nor promote anti-vaccine ideology. 

“Colorado vaccine rules may break from federal guidance,” The Colorado Sun, Apr. 9, 2025.

“RFK-proofing: Colorado legislature targets HHS vaccine policy fears,” Rocky Mountain Voice, Apr. 10, 2025.

“RFK Jr. confirms HHS reforms amid vaccine policy criticism,” CBS News, Apr. 8, 2025.

“RFK Jr. plans overhaul of vaccine oversight,” AP News, Apr. 7, 2025.

Comments

Please always include URL hyperlinks for your sources. Thanks!

Answer 2

Although it is not fully contextualized, the assertion that Colorado lawmakers are changing the state's school vaccination laws as a result of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointment to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is partially true. The Colorado Sun claims that the new law permits recommendations from other medical organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, and lessens the state's dependency on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Although Kennedy's anti-vaccine views have raised concerns, there is currently no concrete proof that his appointment was the sole cause of the policy change. The action doesn't seem to be directly related to Kennedy's influence, but rather more a reaction to political pressures surrounding vaccine policy.

Comments

Did you only use the Colorado Sun as a source? Going forward, try to dig a bit further and find additional sources and always include URL hyperlinks. Thanks!

Answer 3

The claim that "Colorado lawmakers loosened school vaccine rules after RFK Jr. took over the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services" is misleading. The phrasing of the headline implies that vaccination guidelines were shifted in response to administrative changes at the Department of Health and Human Services. While it is true that such rules were adjusted after RFK Jr. took office, there is no verifiable connection between the two events. The updated Bill HB25-1027 cited in the linked Colorado Sun article largely concerns itself with increasing the time afforded to parents and students to receive and update their vaccinations, while making no steps towards repealing any such vaccination requirements. The only repealing done by the bill is the requirement of a school to notify the department and local health agency upon the expulsion of a vaccination-noncompliant student. Section 18 of the bill does, as mentioned in the Colorado Sun article, direct the state board of health to adopt standards regarding Hepatitis C vaccinations for those born from 1945-1965 that take into consideration recommendations from the ACIP, a committee that RFK Jr. is not actually on, yet is within his purview and that he may potentially hold influence over.

Answer 4

The claim that "Colorado lawmakers loosened school vaccine rules after RFK Jr. took over the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services" is misleading and false. Firstly, vaccination regulations are not federal issues; they are up to each state to decide, so RFK Jr.'s position would be of little benefit to them. While RFK Jr. does have a history of opposition to vaccination, he has little control over Colorado's choices. Secondly, the bill referenced is HB25-1027, and it imposes minimal restrictions on vaccinations and, more so, allows more leeway to parents who have not vaccinated their children yet.

https://www.newsweek.com/can-robert-f-kennedy-eliminate-vaccine-rules-hhs-1986134?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1027

Answer 5

Link to the original article: https://coloradosun.com/2025/04/09/colorado-school-vaccination-requirements-acip/

The author, John Ingold, is a Pulitzer prize finalist for his work at the Denver Post. He is a co-founder of The Colorado Sun where this story was run. The Colorado Sun is viewed as a fairly reputable source.

When I looked through the actual bill PDF cited in the article it states:

“IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE TRANSMISSION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES AND THE EFFECTS OF

SERIOUS DISEASES, THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH rules shall:

(I) Establish THE immunizations THAT ARE required

and the manner and frequency of their administration, TAKING INTO

CONSIDERATION RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON

IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND

PREVENTION IN THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN

SERVICES AND, AS APPROPRIATE, RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AMERICAN

ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY

PHYSICIANS, THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OBSTETRICIANS AND

GYNECOLOGISTS, AND THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS;” 

This shows that the information reported in the article is a factual summary of the actual legislation. The state government is actually passing legislation that gives the power over vaccine mandates to the State Board of Health, which considers recommendations from resources beyond just the ACIP, where Kennedy has power. The only problem is that the word “quietly” in the headline makes it sound like the dealings of the state government aren’t public information. Anyone has access to this information if they go to the state government’s website. This article has one-hundred percent true information but a misleading title.

Answer 6

This article, published by John Ingold of the legitimized and accredited Colorado Sun, discussed Colorado lawmakers' efforts to modify the state's school immunization requirements in response to concerns about federal vaccine policy under U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Colorado's House Bill 1027 includes an amendment that changes how the state determines required vaccines for schoolchildren. Previously, the Colorado Board of Health based its decisions solely on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The amendment now requires the Board to consider recommendations from multiple organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, in addition to ACIP. This change was motivated by concerns over potential shifts in federal vaccine policy under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic. I believe this article to be accurate because it aligns with legislative action and contextualizes the amendment (within 1027) within broader concerns about federal vaccine policy.

Answer 7

This claim is very clearly refuted by one of the state’s newspapers, The Colorado Sun. In the article, they state that Democrats in Colorado have been working towards making an amendment to a House bill relating to disease control. Specifically, the Democrats want to extend the amount of time given to families to reach vaccine requirements and repeal part of the bill so that the state’s Board of Health is less reliant on the ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices), as there are growing concerns that RFK Jr. might tilt the committee. These concerns are not unfounded. This change would mean that now the Board of Health only needs to consider the ACIP, not defer to it. There is also a large amount of evidence to show that RFK Jr. is very often very wrong about vaccines and that his misinformation campaign is killing children. Colorado’s Democrats can see the writing on the wall, and they’re trying to get ahead of RFK Jr.’s misinformation campaign. 

https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/fact-checking-presidential-candidate-robert-f-kennedy-jr-on-vaccines-autism-and-covid-19/ 

https://coloradosun.com/2025/04/09/colorado-school-vaccination-requirements-acip/ 

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1027 

https://www.science.org/content/article/rfk-jr-says-federal-vaccine-advisers-are-beholden-industry-evidence-does-not-support 

The claim that “Colorado lawmakers loosened school vaccine rules after RFK Jr. took over the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services” is false.

Answer 8

While I do agree that these changes align more towards RFK Jr.'s beliefs, I don't necessarily think that the changes are as extreme at the post make them out to be. Yes there are a few big reforms like "extending the period within which a student whose certificate of immunization is not up to date to comply with immunization requirements to attend school" (leg.colorado.gov) and less options for Hep C screening. The actual bill itself doesn't seen to change much and is believe that it will only cause "minimal" effort for educators to change policies. 

Another part even allows a previously anti-vax child to come back if they and/or the guardian agrees to have them immunized which may even help after a while when parents realize how important social school is. However, none of this means the bill won't be pushing RFK Jr.'s agenda or how it'll affect vaccination numbers in Colorado because it's only been signed for a little over tow weeks.

leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1027

https://coloradosun.com/2025/04/09/colorado-school-vaccination-requirements-acip/

Answer 9

The claim that lawmakers in Colorado are shifting immunization requirements because of recommendations made by RFK Jr. is false. The wording of the claim makes it appear as Colorado lawmakers are following what he recommends and are shifting immunization requirements to align with what RFK Jr. recommends but in reality, lawmakers are moving away from what the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend and are looking at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) instead. According to the article State Bill Rewrites How Colorado Decides School Vaccine Mandates by John Ingold for Rocky Mountain Voice, describes how lawmakers are looking at the ACIP for more guidance when deciding what vaccines to require instead of RFK Jr. and the U.S. Department of Health. The original claim is misleading because it makes it appear as Colorado lawmakers following RFK Jr.'s recommendations but they are actually doing the opposite and receiving guidance from a different source. 

Here is a link to the article -  https://rockymountainvoice.com/2025/04/state-bill-rewrites-how-colorado-decides-school-vaccine-mandates/

Answer 10

Although the wording "Colorado lawmakers loosened school vaccine rules" is slightly misleading, overall this claim appears to be true based on the article linked below it. The Colorado Sun is a credible, nonprofit organization, and the author John Ingold has been recognized for his journalism and health related articles. The article explains that RFK Jr. has made some questionable remarks concerning vaccines and what he intends to do with the power that comes with his newly appointed position as the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services. This was concerning considering the immense influence that the U.S. Health and Human Services has over the committee (ACIP) that determines what vaccines are required for school kids in Colorado. In order to ensure the state of Colorado is not subject to any curveballs RFK Jr. may throw at them, they made an amendment to House Bill 1027 stating that the required vaccinations for school kids are no longer solely determined by ACIP. By doing a quick Google search, I was able to easily verify this claim. The official, amended bill was posted online, which accurately reflects that article's claim. The document states that "The state board of health rules shall: establish the immunizations that are required and the manner and frequency of their administration, taking into consideration recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices..." By wording it in this way, the state board of health is allowed to decide for themselves what immunizations are required, but they must take into consideration the recommendations made by the advisory committee.

https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025A/bills/2025a_1027_enr.pdf