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< Back July 6, 2023 LGBTQ+ Caucus Statement on Recent US Supreme Court Decisions DENVER, CO– The Colorado Democratic LGBTQ+ Caucus today released the following statement on recent decisions by the US supreme Court: We, the members of the Colorado General Assembly LGBTQ+ Caucus, stand strongly aligned with our brothers and sisters in the Black, Latino and Women’s Caucuses to express our outrage and dismay at the recent attacks against all of our communities leashed upon us by the US Supreme Court. We will not sit back and allow our country to sanction discrimination against its own people simply because of how they look, how they live or who they love. When Coloradans elected an overwhelming Democratic majority to the General Assembly in 2022–with the highest representation of LGBTQ people, women and people of color in our history, they sent a clear mandate to ensure our state will be one that stands as a beacon of freedom, equity, diversity and inclusion here in the Mountain West and across the country. We stand together not just to represent Colorado’s LGBTQ community, but to lead with our values, by shaping the legislation this Assembly puts forward and holding accountable those who seek to threaten and harm us and our neighbors. We will not allow an extremist minority to set progress back in our state or our nation. The recent decisions condoning anti-LGBTQ discrimination, cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking, while simultaneously crippling affirmative action and student debt relief, represent an unprecedented attack on our civil rights, racial and social justice and basic human decency: To prioritize one citizen’s right to make money in a particular way over another person’s right to live and love as they were created is not freedom–it is state-sanctioned discrimination. To interfere in the values set forth by our institutions of higher education, who understand that our nation is stronger with a diverse, educated workforce, is not equality–it is state-mandated aristocracy. To suggest that one person’s right to harass, bully, intimidate and threaten others is more important than another person’s right to feel safe in their own home, school or workplace, is not liberty–it is state-sanctioned abuse. To rule that providing assistance to those struggling under the burden of student debt is un-American, while forgiving billions of dollars of pandemic-era PPP loans and tens of thousands of dollars of mortgage interest relief each year to homeowners, is not promoting responsibility–it is state-sanctioned plutocracy. Here in Colorado we are proud to be a national leader in the movement to expand and strengthen civil liberties and protections for our LGBTQ community. Since our shameful decision on Amendment 2 over thirty years ago, we have made great strides to right a previous wrong and recognize we carry a special responsibility to create a safe and welcoming place for all people to grow, live and love as they choose. We know that within that diversity lies a profound strength–for our caucus, our communities and our state. This extremist court has opened the dangerous door for discrimination against any marginalized peoples and would seek to create second-class citizens who must take a back seat to religious views in the name of free speech, but we will not allow them to distract us from our mission to cultivate a state where education, family, opportunity, community and prosperity are accessible to all who seek it. As thousands of our neighbors from across the country flock to our state seeking reproductive and gender-affirming care, as Colorado stands strong against the tide of anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeping the country, and as we continue to right the wrongs of our own checkered history, the members of this LGBTQ caucus will stand together against this dangerous rise of Christian nationalism, call out hate and bias where we see it, and fight to defend the protections of liberty we have enshrined in our laws against all who would seek harm upon us and our community. This is who we are as a caucus, as a people and as a state. Previous Next

< Back April 22, 2019 HOUSE GIVES UNANIMOUS APPROVAL TO MCLACHLAN’S BIPARTISAN WILDFIRE MITIGATION BILL Wildfires continue to threaten homes across Colorado (Apr. 22) – The House gave unanimous approval to Rep. Barbara McLachlan’s bipartisan bill to mitigate the impacts of wildfires on Colorado’s mountain communities. “This bill will help address a need that encompasses our entire state. It’s no longer a question of ‘if’ wildfires will happen, it’s a matter of when they will happen,” said Rep. McLachlan, D-Durango. “We have small businesses, homes and hardworking people who depend on having healthy forests. It’s clearly important to fight wildfires and it is also important to take steps to mitigate the scope and severity of wildfires.” Rep. Barbara McLachlan is Chair of the House Education Committee and is a member of the House Rural Affairs and Agriculture committee. HB19-1006 creates a grant program to help with wildfire mitigation efforts in high-risk areas across the state where residential areas are approaching forest land, known as wildland-urban interface areas (WUIs). Colorado has the third highest percentage of households deemed high or extreme risk from wildfires in the entire country. The bill was approved unanimously by the House. It now heads to the Senate. Previous Next

< Back April 11, 2019 BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR TIPPER-CARAVEO BILL TO CREATE 2020 CENSUS GRANT PROGRAM 2020 Census is at risk of being inaccurate (Apr. 11) – The House passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Kerry Tipper, D-Lakewood, and Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Thornton, that would create a committee to disperse funds around the state to ensure a complete count of all Coloradans across the state. The 2020 Census is underfunded and behind schedule. “It is critical that we count every person in Colorado, especially as our economy and population grows,” said Rep. Tipper. “Even a one percent undercount could result in the state losing out on over $630 million in critical transportation, healthcare and education dollars.” Valid census data is tied to billions of dollars of federal funding allocations for Colorado. The state is estimated to receive over $1,480 per person annually from the federal government based on population numbers from the Census. Census dollars help fund transportation (public transit, road rehabilitation and construction); Head Start programs; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Food Nutrition Service, Health and human services programs, and more. HB19-1239 creates an appointed bipartisan and diverse committee, administered by the Dept. of Local Affairs, to award grants to nonprofits and local governments to ensure a complete count across all of Colorado for the 2020 Census. “The census determines so much for our state, it impacts every level of government and our state’s future,” said Rep. Caraveo. “We are in competition with 49 other states for federal dollars. It is in our best interest to compete for the federal pie of dollars and this bill will help with that.” The bill passed by a vote of 41-23. In the House State, Military and Veterans Affairs committee, the bill passed on a bipartisan vote of 7-2 with Rep. Janice Rich, R-Grand Junction, joining Democrats in supporting HB19-1239. Rich did not support the bill on the House floor. HB19-1239 now goes to the Senate. Previous Next

< Back March 25, 2021 DEMOCRATS DEFEAT ANTI-WOMAN, ANTI-CHOICE BILLS Health and Insurance Committee Democrats put a swift end to GOP proposals to limit reproductive health care access and stigmatize women who choose to have an abortion. DENVER, CO — The House Health and Insurance Committee today voted down two dangerous GOP proposals to ban abortion, criminalize doctors who perform them, and create a registry of women who have had them. The proposals were both voted down by party line votes of 8-5. “Months after Colorado voters overwhelmingly rejected a dangerous ballot initiative to limit abortion access, Republicans are at it again,” said House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “Between proposing that doctors who perform abortions be charged with a class one felony and demanding that women who undergo the procedure face probing and intimate questions about their personal lives, Republicans have shown how out of touch they are with our state.” “We’ve seen some heinous anti-choice proposals introduced in the past, but today’s bill was truly something out of a Handmaid’s Tale fever dream,” said Health and Insurance Chair Susan Lontine, D-Denver. “Proposing the creation of a registry to include the personal information of women who have decided that abortion is the right choice for them is dystopian, cruel, and frankly confounding. The voters in this state have been loud and clear: women in Colorado must have access to a full range of reproductive health care options, including abortions. We won’t allow the will of the voters to be overturned, and we won’t allow these brazen attacks on women to go any further.” HB21-1183 , sponsored by Representative Stephanie Luck, would require healthcare providers that perform abortions to investigate and report personal information about the women obtaining the procedure. This information would then be reported to CDPHE and made public in a report. In addition to compiling the age, race, and marital status, the bill would also require providers to inquire about the number of previous abortions a woman has had, the potential opposition of a partner to obtaining an abortion, the number of children the woman currently has, the reason for the “failure of family planning”, the stage of pregnancy, and the woman’s “reason” for obtaining an abortion, among many other probing questions. The bill was sponsored by 20 out of 24 House Republicans. HB21-1017 , sponsored by Representative Patrick Neville, defines human life at the point of conception and would make it a class one felony for doctors to provide abortions, with no exception for pregnancies that come as a result of rape or incest. In November 2020, Colorado voters defeated proposition 115, a ballot measure to ban abortion after 22 weeks, by an overwhelming 18 point margin. Previous Next

< Back February 12, 2020 BILL TO ABOLISH COLUMBUS DAY MOVES FORWARD DENVER, CO — The Colorado House today gave initial approval to a bill to eliminate state recognition of Columbus Day, a holiday named after the perpetrator of numerous crimes against humanity, and instead create a holiday that recognizes humanitarian Frances Xavier Cabrini. The new holiday would be the first state holiday named after a woman and would honor Cabrini’s tireless work on behalf of Colorado’s children. “Every year, for far too long, Columbus Day has brought pain to indigenous people in our state and around the country,” said Rep. Adrienne Benavidez (D-Adams County). “Today we took a step towards not only ending the pain caused by this holiday but also honoring Italian American icon Frances Xavier Cabrini. Cabrini Day would be the first state holiday in Colorado to honor a woman, and I’m proud that we are another step closer to making this a reality.” “We cannot continue to celebrate a man whose legacy causes so much pain and suffering to so many in our state,” said Rep. Kyle Mullica (D-Northglenn). “Holidays are a time to reflect on and celebrate the lives of great historical figures whose lives and values we would like to emulate. Columbus does not fit the bill and Francis Xavier Cabrini does; it’s as simple as that.” HB20-1031 would establish Cabrini Day on the first Monday in October as a state holiday. It would be a paid holiday for state employees, and the bill would remove state sanction of Columbus day, which occurs one week later. The holiday would recognize Cabrini’s humanitarian values and lifelong dedication to service, especially to the Italian American immigrant community, who faced discrimination and difficulty as they immigrated to America. She worked tirelessly to support the Italian-American community in the United States, including through several projects in Colorado. In 1904, Cabrini established Denver’s Queen of Heaven Orphanage for girls. In 1910, she founded a summer camp for the orphanage’s residents in Golden, Colorado. Currently, a shrine stands in her honor in the original location of the summer camp in Golden. The shrine includes the “Stone House”, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Columbus Day is one of the few holidays named after a person, and its continued existence perpetuates the pain and suffering he inflicted. He was responsible for the kidnapping, rape and murder of thousands. Over 50,000 indigenous people committed suicide rather than comply with his rule, and within two years of his landing in the Bahamas, over 125,000 people died, half the population. The bill aims to end the state sanctioned pain this holiday The bill passed on Second Reading this morning; the bill will still have to have a formal Third Reading vote before moving to the Senate. ### Previous Next

< Back April 4, 2024 Republican Impeachment Resolution Denies “Alleged” Jan 6 Insurrection Resolution sponsored by House Minority Leader and all but two House Republicans seeks to impeach Secretary of State for agreeing with Colorado Supreme Court that Trump engaged in insurrection against the US DENVER, CO - House Speaker Julie McCluskie today released the following statement on HR24-1006 , a resolution sponsored by House Republicans to impeach the Colorado Secretary of State: “Hearing this resolution in the Judiciary committee will limit the time wasted on this topic, while respecting that it is a top priority for House Republicans to have it introduced and openly debated. In an age when misinformation and conspiracy theories attack the integrity of our elections, we believe a public hearing to set the record straight on this issue is in the best interest of our democracy. This resolution, by the sponsor's own admission, is a political stunt to gin up MAGA support for House Republicans. It’s clear that the minority’s primary complaint is that the Secretary of State shares the view of the Colorado Supreme Court that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States. Instead of protecting our democracy, Republicans are defending Trump.” The resolution, sponsored by almost every House Republican, seeks to impeach the Secretary of State for agreeing with the Colorado Supreme Court that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States. The resolution claims that the Secretary’s past public statements about Trump engaging in an insurrection is grounds for impeachment. In the resolution, House Republicans inaccurately claim that the Secretary prevented Trump from being listed on the primary ballot, when in fact she was the defendant in a case brought by Republicans and simply followed Colorado Court rulings in executing the duties of her role. Trump was never prevented from appearing on the ballot. In 2022, two-thirds of House Republicans voted to thank Tina Peters and the Jan 6 insurrectionists, and disputed that Joe Biden is the duly elected President. The House Judiciary Committee will consider the resolution on April 9, 2024 at 1:30 PM in the Old State Library. Testimony will be limited to four witnesses selected by the resolution sponsors, House Minority Leader Pugliese and Representative Armagost, and four witnesses selected by the Chair in consultation with the Secretary of State. The Chair will allow witnesses to participate remotely, and from out of state if necessary. Secretary Griswold will also be allowed to testify for 10 minutes and respond to questions from committee members. Witnesses will testify as panels of four, and each witness will be limited to 10 minutes. Members of the committee will have one hour to question each panel, with the time split evenly between Majority and Minority members. A letter from Representative Weissman, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, is attached and outlines the parameters for the hearing. Previous Next

< Back Chad Clifford Rep. Chad Clifford represents House District 37, including Centennial, Greenwood Village, Foxfield, and areas of Unincorporated Arapahoe County. He serves as the Vice-Chair of the State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and a member of the Judiciary Committee. Rep. Clifford has experience as a police officer, business owner, Government Operations Lead for the American Red Cross, and volunteer in his community. He joined the legislature in 2024 and has passed legislation to create the Colorado Disability Opportunity Office, created workplace protections from egregious training repayment schemes, and removed record sealing fees to make it easier for people with a criminal record to move forward in life. His focus at the Capitol is to represent the people of House District 37 and advocate for the unique needs of the district.

Legislation would increase rental assistance to $65 million, nearly doubling current level < Back November 19, 2023 House Passes Rental Assistance to Keep Coloradans Housed DENVER, CO – The House passed legislation today to provide an additional $30 million in emergency rental assistance. Sponsored by Representatives Leslie Herod and Mandy Lindsay, HB23B-1001 , would increase statewide assistance to a total of $65 million, including $35 million from federal funds already allocated. “With Coloradans facing evictions at record rates, we are stepping up with emergency assistance that will help thousands of people have a fair chance to stay in their homes and catch up on rent,” said Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver . “Data shows people of color face evictions at a higher rate. The need for rental support is dire, and this legislation nearly doubles our investment to protect vulnerable families in their most challenging moments. Rental assistance supports both landlords and renters because it reduces evictions and keeps Coloradans housed.” “Coloradans facing eviction often have nowhere else to turn which can lead to cycles of poverty, homelessness and heartbreaking disruptions for vulnerable families,” said Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora . “Renters in our state need support now which is why this legislation increases emergency rental assistance by $30 million, nearly doubling statewide funding. This legislation will help prevent thousands of evictions by providing renters with a critical lifeline they need to get back on their feet. The reality is without this funding, many Coloradans are one missed paycheck away from losing their housing.” HB23B-1001 , which passed by a vote of 42-18 would invest $30 million into emergency rental assistance in the Department of Local Affairs to provide financial assistance for rent owed and other related costs for Colorado tenants making at or below 80-percent of the area median income. Under this legislation, eligible tenants at risk of eviction or displacement would be required to apply through an online state portal to be connected with a non-profit partner. In addition to monthly rental payments, qualified tenants could use funding toward paying rental debt, up to two months of future rent, utility bills, late fees, court costs, reasonable attorney fees, and security deposits. The funding could also be used towards spreading awareness and increasing outreach to tenants at risk of eviction or displacement. Evictions are on the rise in Colorado. This year alone, 43,899 evictions have been filed according to state courts and Denver County court filing data. This threatens the housing of over 100,000 people across the state. By the end of the year, the number of eviction filings will have surpassed 50,000. Colorado has the 8th highest median monthly rent out of all 50 states, with a two bedroom apartment costing an average of $1,856 in 2023. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development , out of an estimated 742,240 renter households across Colorado, 63-percent of renters have an annual household income that is less than 80-percent of the area median income and make up 93-percent of households most likely to be struggling with housing costs. Previous Next

Legislation will fund infrastructure projects like bicycle lanes, improved sidewalks and lighting at dangerous intersections < Back June 5, 2024 SIGNED! Bill to Better Protect Bicyclists and Pedestrians Becomes Law Legislation will fund infrastructure projects like bicycle lanes, improved sidewalks and lighting at dangerous intersections DENVER, CO – Legislation that will fund safe infrastructure improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians was signed into law by Governor Polis today. Sponsored by Senate Assistant Majority Leader Faith Winter, D-Westminster, and Senator Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, as well as Representatives Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora, and William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield, SB24-195 establishes a dedicated funding source for proven small infrastructure projects that improve safety for vulnerable road users, such as bicycle lanes, pedestrian refuge islands, and sidewalk and lighting improvements at dangerous intersections. The bill accomplishes these goals by dedicating $7 million annually from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Road Safety Fund for these projects, acknowledging the growing importance of this infrastructure in our transportation system. In addition, the bill directs CDOT to establish declining targets for vulnerable road user fatalities and serious bodily injuries and to report progress to the legislature in its annual performance plan. “Protecting Coloradans by preventing avoidable deaths and serious injuries is a moral imperative in its own right,” Winter said. “Quality sidewalks and protected bike lanes give people safe, dignified, and low-cost alternatives to driving, which will reduce traffic, improve air quality, cut climate pollution, and make our streets more vibrant community places.” “From e-biking and running in our neighborhoods to walking to work, Coloradans want our streets to be a safe place to walk and ride,” said Lindsay. “Our new law helps communities use proven methods, like protected bike lanes and speed cameras, to protect cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users.” “Bicyclist and pedestrian deaths have spiked to a frightening degree, and we must take action,” said Cutter. “Our new law will support safety projects that are proven to reduce traffic deaths. When our streets are safer and friendlier, people will feel more comfortable traveling outside of a car.” “We have passed numerous laws recently to encourage alternatives to car transportation, and these laws are most effective when our roads are structured to protect all of our road users,” said Lindstedt. “With this new law, we’re securing funding for projects to protect bicyclists, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users to allow Coloradans to more safely travel on our streets.” SB24-195 also streamlines CDOT’s ability to use speed cameras to improve safety on dangerous stretches of state highways like construction zones by clarifying authority and coordination with local governments. Authority to use speed cameras was expanded by SB23-200 to help limit speeding, a major cause of avoidable traffic crashes. Deaths and serious injuries on Colorado’s roads are on the rise, felt most acutely by vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. Bicyclist and pedestrian deaths reached an all-time high in 2023 with 153 deaths, topping the previous high set just one year before. Previous Next

< Back May 10, 2019 GOV SIGNS MCLACHLAN BILL TO PROVIDE FUNDING TO SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS Rep. McLachlan is chair of the House Education committee and is a former school teacher (May 10) – Gov. Polis signed a pair of bills today at Overland High School that is lauded as the one of the best school finance acts in recent memory and also provide resources to help with rural teacher retention. “This is one of the best school financing acts the people of our state have seen. It will affect every student in the state’s 178 P-12 school districts,” said Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango. “We worked across the aisle to invest in Colorado’s future this session and that’s what this bill does.” SB19-246 buys down the budget stabilization factorby $100 million, increases average statewide per pupil funding by $357 per pupil; invests an additional $20 million into rural schools, $22 million for special education, $3 million for high-school dropout intervention efforts and $1 million to expand access to physical education courses. The bipartisan bill was also sponsored by Rep. James Wilson, R-Salida, Sen. Paul Lundeen, R-Monument. and Sen. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, and was approved unanimously in the House and Senate. The Governor also signed SB19-190 that will create the “Growing Great Teachers Act” to prepare more Coloradans for the experience of teaching in our public schools. This bill would allow institutions of higher education to offer approved educator preparation programs through a contract with the Department of Higher Education. “We can now ensure that all teachers who are trained in Colorado are taught best practices through mentorship. Across the board, every department and every teacher should be taught best practices,” said Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango. “As teachers, we all know what best practices are for teaching, but it’s often not shared with new, incoming teachers. Through this bill, we can have really a great education for our kids that is consistent across the board no matter which Colorado school you graduate from.” This bipartisan bill was also sponsored by Rep. Wilson, Sen. Todd and Sen. Bob Rankin, R-Carbondale. It was approved unanimously in the Senate and with a vote of 49-16 in the House. Previous Next

< Back May 1, 2019 BILL TO ASK VOTERS TO RAISE TOBACCO TAX AND PUT FUNDING TOWARD EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE PASSES HOUSE $1.89 billion in health care costs for Colorado directly caused by smoking (May 1) – The House approved Rep. Yadira Caraveo’s bill that would give voters the choice to raise taxes on tobacco products, including a new tax on liquid nicotine used for vaping. There is currently no tax on liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes. If approved by voters, the referred measure would raise more than $300 million, half of which would go toward early childhood education and half to health care. “In the six years I’ve been a pediatrician, I have seen the rise of the teen vaping epidemic and the negative impacts it is having on their health and development. Kids as young as eleven are vaping and this bill will help decrease youth use of nicotine and tobacco products,” said Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Thornton. “Right now, there is a major loophole that is allowing vaping products to go untaxed. This will ask voters to close that loophole and put the funding toward early childhood education and health care in order to invest in our children and our state’s well-being.” Rep. Caraveo is the only medical doctor in the legislature. Numerous economic studies in peer-reviewed journals have documented that cigarette tax or price increases reduce both adult and underage smoking. In Colorado, an alarming 33 percent of students use tobacco products and 26 percent of high school students use e-cigarettes, which is twice the national average for teen vaping. Typically, one vaping cartridge contains the same amount of nicotine of a pack of cigarettes. Colorado’s current tobacco tax rate on cigarettes is one of the lowest rates in the country. The average state tobacco tax is $1.79 a pack. Colorado’s tax today is 84 cents a pack. The revenue raised would be reinvested in preventing smoking and vaping, especially among youth, mental health, as well early learning and other health and education programs. Raising the taxes on tobacco products and cigarettes is highly effective at reducing smoking. Nationally, every 10 percent increase in cigarette prices reduces youth smoking by about 7 percent and total cigarette consumption by about 4 percent. Smoking-caused productivity losses in Colorado top $1.27 billion. HB19-1333 was approved on a vote of 34-31. It now goes to the Senate. Supporters of this measure include: Children’s Hospital Colorado, Healthier Colorado, Colorado Children’s Campaign, Mental Health Colorado, Early Childhood Summit, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Parent Possible, Gary Community Investments, Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council, American Heart Association, The Consortium, Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution, Clayton Early Learning, EPIC, Boys & Girls Club, Healthy Child Care Colorado, among others. ### Previous Next

< Back May 26, 2021 HOUSE MOVES TO BAN JUVENILE JUSTICE FEES Herod bill to end cycles of poverty for families in the juvenile justice system gets preliminary House approval DENVER, CO– The House today advanced a bill to eliminate court fees for juveniles in the justice system. The bill passed the House on Second Reading. “There are thousands of kids in Colorado’s juvenile courts every year. And every year these youth are charged administrative fees that can sabotage their reform and set them up to fail,” said Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver. “Young people will still be held accountable for their crimes, and they’ll still be required to pay restitution to their victims, but the court system will no longer be perpetuating the poverty that often explains why kids get in trouble in the first place. It’s time to take away the obstacles standing in the way of our youth bouncing back and succeeding.” HB21-1315 , sponsored by Representatives Leslie Herod and Matt Soper, eliminates certain fees levied on individuals and families in the juvenile justice system. The average fees per case total about $300 in Colorado, despite studies showing that about 40% of Americans would be unable to cover a $400 emergency. Further, it is estimated that the state of Colorado spends about 75% of juvenile fee revenue on collection, meaning only 25 cents out of every dollar paid by families ends up contributing to the courts. Previous Next