A marathon public hearing on religious exemptions for vaccinations in schools got underway in Hartford Tuesday.

Thousands of parents who say they won't vaccinate their children on religious grounds are facing off with state leaders and doctors who want to repeal the exemption.

Nearly 2,000 people signed up to testify about ending religious exemptions.

The public hearing was set to run for 24 straight hours.

Connecticut has some of the highest vaccination rates in the nation, but infectious disease experts say they see a troubling trend.

"If you remember correctly, we had large outbreaks of measles in New York," says Dr. Jack Ross, of the Infectious Diseases Society of Connecticut. "That epidemic alone cost $8.4 million."

Some people who testified against the removal of the exemption brought up widely debunked conspiracy theories.

After getting his COVID shot today, Gov. Ned Lamont said he supports rolling back exemptions.

"If it looks like people are using the religious exemption and we're less likely to have people vaccinated in our schools, and it's more risky for their fellow students and more risky for teachers, I think the Legislature is on the right path," he says.

This exemption would not apply to the COVID-19 vaccine, which is completely voluntary.