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< Back February 11, 2019 HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES VALDEZ BILL TO IMPLEMENT SAFE PRODUCE SAFETY STANDARDS (Feb. 11) — A bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Donald Valdez, D-La Jara, that would provide the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) the authority to monitor the growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce for human consumption passed the House Rural Affairs and Agriculture Committee today. “This bill is so important for our farmers, our ranchers, and our next generation of producers,” said Rep. Valdez. “It is vital that we continue knowing where our food comes from.” Currently, food is inspected by the federal government under the Food Safety Modernization Act. HB19-1114 will bring the food inspection to the CDA Produce Safety Program once the federal program expires in two years. CDA wants to take over food inspections because they will have a better understanding of Colorado and the needs of Colorado farmers and consumers. After hearing testimony in support from farmers the bill will directly impact, HB19-1114 unanimously passed the committee 11-0 and now heads to House floor. Previous Next

The House today advanced legislation on a preliminary vote to eliminate arbitrary caps on building new housing that drive up costs for families in order to save people money on housing, improve our environment and increase our housing supply. < Back April 21, 2023 House Advances Bill to Reduce the Cost of Housing DENVER, CO - The House today advanced legislation on a preliminary vote to eliminate arbitrary caps on building new housing that drive up costs for families in order to save people money on housing, improve our environment and increase our housing supply. “Colorado’s housing shortage is pushing Coloradans out of their communities and increasing commutes that worsen our already poor air quality,” said Rep. William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield. “Allowing more housing not only helps Coloradans find homes in their communities, but it is often more energy efficient, creates more walkable communities, and prevents towns from sprawling into open space. Eliminating arbitrary growth caps will save people money on housing and build more homes for Coloradans of all incomes.” “When one locality enacts blanket growth limits, it shifts housing pressure onto neighboring communities to keep up with the growing population,” said Rep. Ruby Dickson, D-Centennial . “By ensuring people will receive fair consideration for new housing permits, we can help meet Coloradans' housing needs. This bill will improve affordability and reduce commute times, reducing pollution and allowing Coloradans to live closer to their jobs, schools, and loved ones." HB23-1255 would prevent local governments from enacting and enforcing housing growth restrictions that limit housing development to a certain number of building permits or approvals without a transparent process and fair consideration of a proposal’s merits. Under the bill, local governments would not be required to accept any specific developments or projects, but they would not be able to reject a proposal simply due to an arbitrary growth cap. There are exceptions to the prohibition in cases of a declared disaster emergency and for the purpose of updating land use plans and laws or acquiring public infrastructure or water resources. This bill was introduced alongside SB23-213 in March 2023 with Governor Jared Polis, climate champions, local government officials, economic development organizations, labor groups, and housing affordability advocates to announce Colorado’s plan to address the statewide housing crisis. The bills aim to create more housing supply for every budget so Coloradans can afford to stay in their communities without being priced out. These policies also improve air quality, protect open space, conserve water, create jobs and help local communities plan for future growth. Previous Next

< Back June 12, 2020 GALLAGHER REPEAL PASSES THE HOUSE DENVER, CO – The House today passed Joint Budget Committee (JBC) Chair Daneya Esgar’s bipartisan bill to repeal the Gallagher Amendment. The bill would ask Colorado voters to decide whether to repeal the Gallagher amendment. The bill passed by a vote of 47-18. “Colorado’s schools, libraries, firefighters, police officers, and special districts can’t afford the Gallagher amendment,” said Rep. Esgar, D-Pueblo. “Today we’re asking voters to decide whether we do away with a policy that is no longer delivering on its original intent. I’ve worked on this issue for long enough to know first hand that the Gallagher Amendment is hampering our local governments’ ability to properly fund needed services. It’s time to relegate it to the history books.” Passed in 1982, the Gallagher amendment requires local jurisdictions to adjust property taxes in order to maintain a 45/55 statewide ratio between residential and commercial property tax collections. Gallagher originally intended for local governments to be able to raise and lower their local property taxes in response to fluctuating property values to ensure adequate local tax collections to support vital services including our K-12 schools and fire districts. However, the passage of TABOR in 1992 prevents local jurisdictions from raising property taxes without voter approval. Consequently, the rise in local property values has drastically reduced the residential assessment rate from 21% in 1987 to 7.15% today and shifted the tax burden to commercial properties, increasing costs for our small businesses across the state. SCR20-001 refers a question to Colorado voters to decide whether to repeal the Gallagher amendment in order to prevent a further decline in the residential assessment rate, as required by Gallagher. Failure to pass the repeal will result in a further decrease in local property taxes, increased state obligation to fund K-12 education, and heightened pressure to cut other services to maintain a balanced budget. SB20-223 is a companion bill to SCR-001 that will freeze the property tax assessment rate if Coloradans approve the ballot measure. Previous Next

< Back April 17, 2019 HOUSE APPROVES PAIR OF BILLS TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH More than one million Coloradans experience mental health or a substance use crisis each year (Apr. 17) – The House approved two pieces of legislation that would increase access to mental health services for high-risk families and Coloradans. Rep. Lisa Cutter and Rep. Tom Sullivan’s bill will modernize behavioral health insurance coverage laws to align with federal law and close loopholes to increase access to mental health services for Coloradans. “Kids as young as nine and ten are attempting suicide in Colorado. This issue isn’t going away until we address it,” said Rep. Cutter, D-Evergreen. “Over one million Coloradans deal with a mental health issue, and over half of them aren’t getting the help they need. If we include regular mental health services into normal insurance coverage, then maybe we can work on tackling the high suicide rate in this state.” HB19-1269 strengthens prevention and screening laws to shift the current system away from expensive, late-stage treatment to early prevention; enforces and makes transparent existing state and federal parity laws; increases consumer protections; and eliminates gaps and loopholes in current law to ensure no more Coloradans fall victim to them. “Access to mental health isn’t an issue we can keep putting off and waiting on. We are frequently hearing stories of children and families dying by suicide which leaves many all over the state mourning over the loss of their loved ones,” said Rep. Sullivan, D-Centennial. “It’s time we take action and make it easier for people to access the mental health services they need.” Currently, state and federal laws require insurance carriers to provide equal coverage for mental health and physical care. However, many families are being denied coverage or are paying out-of-pocket costs for weeks or months for mental health care services because of loopholes in current law. HB19-1269 was approved with a bipartisan vote of 48-15. It was unanimously approved by the House Public Health Care and Human Services committee. It now heads to the Senate. The House also unanimously passed a bipartisan bill, HB19-1193, sponsored by Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, that would provide behavioral health support for high-risk families. “We need to stop criminalizing people who are just trying to get help,” said Rep. Herod. “This bill will give families the support they need to break their addictions, get healthy and get back on the right track.” HB19-1193 expands existing programs that provide access to substance use disorder treatment to pregnant and parenting women. This bill creates a child care pilot program for parenting women engaged in substance use disorder treatment. Previous Next

< Back September 18, 2020 JOINT RELEASE: AS COLORADO’S ECONOMY SHOWS PROMISING SIGNS OF RECOVERY, JBC REMAINS VIGILANT DENVER, CO – Democratic members of the Joint Budget Committee today released the following statements after the Legislative Council staff and the Office of State Planning and Budgeting delivered the September quarterly economic forecasts, both of which project higher General Fund revenue compared to earlier estimates in June but substantial uncertainty and budgeting challenges ahead. “Today’s forecast has some good news for us, presenting a promising picture of an economy starting to recover from a huge economic hit,” said JBC Chair Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “However, these promising indicators of recovery should be taken with a great deal of caution. The recovery continues to be sensitive to the pandemic, and the substantial increased need for critical services for Coloradans along with the need to restore one-time budget cuts made this year mean we’re not out of the woods yet. The Joint Budget Committee will continue to monitor this volatile economy and respond to the impacts of the pandemic over the coming months. It’s up to all of us to help continue Colorado’s economic recovery — being responsible with mask use, social distancing and other public health precautions can help our state bounce back.” “The road to recovery was never going to be easy, but what’s more and more apparent is that not all Coloradans are recuperating equally. Low-wage workers have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and economic downturn. Without federal leadership, our economy is diverging into separate trajectories, with circumstances rapidly improving for select industries and the wealthiest among us, ” said JBC Vice-Chair Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City. “We need to combat this trend by creating more equity in our tax code and advocating for additional federal relief. Despite the crowing we’ve heard over an inflated stock market, the crisis is as serious today as it was in March for laid-off workers and struggling businesses.” “I’m proud of the work the Joint Budget Committee has done so far to stave off the worst effects of a historic budget crisis, but we’re not done yet,” said JBC Member Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “Today’s forecast shows us that while we’ve seen our economy start to recover more quickly than expected, we’ll have to continue our work to protect critical services that support Coloradans who are struggling during these difficult times. Restoring the $1 Billion in cuts made to public schools, colleges and universities must be a top priority. I remain committed to protecting high quality public education in our state. This year we used federal stimulus funds to boost support for small businesses, housing and utilities assistance, and mental health services; we hope that Congress will prioritize additional funds for states so we can continue working to meet the unique needs of Coloradans.” “I am incredibly proud and hopeful for Colorado’s future. Unlike countless other states, we acted swiftly and decisively in response to the pandemic – protecting us from some of the most destructive consequences to our public health and economy. At the same time, it’s clear from this forecast that our fiscal future is still highly unpredictable in the wake of COVID-19. Some industries and sectors are rebounding strongly while others are still really struggling. So as we navigate the path forward, it’s important that we keep our lens wide and make sure no one is being left behind. But together, I’m confident we can prevent that from happening and build back an economy that works for everyone,” said JBC Member Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada. The Legislative Council staff (LCS) September forecast estimates that revenues will increase by 10.3 percent in FY 2021-22 after falling 11.6% in FY 2020-21. Due in large part to the General Assembly’s efforts to close loopholes and curb tax breaks for corporations, General Fund revenues are now expected to be $893.8 million more in FY 2019-2020 and $542.1 million more in FY 2020-2021 than anticipated in the June revenue forecast, reflecting modest improvement in the state’s economic outlook. This upward revision is based on higher than expected collections in FY 2019-20 and increased economic expectations for 2020 and 2021. The LCS estimate indicates there is downside risk to the forecast from a prolonged economic recovery or a double-dip recession due to the resurgence of COVID-19, uncertain business and consumer behaviors, and the potential for increases in unemployment; the LCS economists highlighted that the forecast contains significant uncertainty and that the pandemic will guide the economic recovery. There is upside risk to the estimate driven by a faster economic recovery, a potential COVID vaccine, and additional federal stimulus support. The September forecast from the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting anticipates General Fund revenues will increase by 4.7 percent in FY 2021-22 after decreasing by an equal amount in FY 2020-21. OSPB’s September General Fund revenue forecast is up by $895.6 million for FY 2019-2020 relative to its June estimate due to higher than anticipated tax collections in July 2020 after the deferral of income tax filings from April to July. The OSPB General Fund forecast for FY 2020-21 is $1,532.8 million, or 14.6 percent higher than estimated in June. It is important to highlight that the revenue forecasts do not account for the $2.8 billion in one-time spending reductions the JBC made to balance the FY 2020-21 budget, program caseload growth, and inflationary pressures being placed on essential state services as we continue to respond to COVID, nor the potential fiscal impacts of ballot questions being referred to voters in November. Additionally, there is uncertainty around the availability and flexibility of federal funds in the coming fiscal year. Previous Next

Governor Jared Polis today signed bipartisan legislation to make it faster, easier and less expensive for local governments to approve solar installation projects < Back May 11, 2023 SIGNED! Brown’s Bill to Streamline Clean, Solar Energy Projects BOULDER, CO – Governor Jared Polis today signed bipartisan legislation to make it faster, easier and less expensive for local governments to approve solar installation projects. This law, sponsored by Representatives Kyle Brown and Matt Soper, helps local governments implement free automated permitting and inspection software by establishing a grant program to offer one-time financial assistance. “With this law, it will be easier and cheaper for Coloradans to transition to solar energy and take climate action,” said Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville . “Permitting can be a huge barrier to bringing new solar energy sources online, and this legislation speeds up the permitting process, so more Coloradans can begin powering their homes with clean, renewable energy. Streamlining this permitting process saves local governments and their residents time and money, cuts bureaucratic red tape and boosts the transition to renewable energy.” HB23-1234 , establishes the Streamlined Solar Permitting and Inspection Grant Program to assist local governments with the start-up costs associated with implementing free automated permitting and inspection software. This program would offer one-time financial assistance to implement the software, helping local governments to review and approve residential solar projects faster. Automating the permit and inspection process will reduce costs for consumers and local governments and accelerate Colorado’s transition to clean energy. Previous Next

Colorado became one of the first states in the nation to implement new federal Summer EBT Program < Back November 28, 2023 SIGNED! Bill to Reduce Child Hunger, Support Working Families DENVER, CO – Today, Governor Jared Polis signed Senators Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, and Jeff Bridges, D-Arapahoe County, and Representatives Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, and Lorena Garcia’s, D-Unincorporated Adams County, legislation to take advantage of the federal Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Program and provide students with nutrition assistance during summer break. Under SB23B-002 – which passed with bipartisan support – Colorado children will receive an estimated $35 million to help their families purchase groceries while school is out for summer – a time when child hunger typically spikes. The Summer EBT benefits can be used to purchase food from SNAP retailers. Families will receive $40 a month per eligible child for the summer benefit in 2024, to be adjusted for inflation in following years. “In Colorado, far too many children, through no fault of their own, face nutritional challenges—a problem that becomes exacerbated in the summer when they are not in school and they don’t have access to free and reduced meals,” said Zenzinger. “I’m proud of our bipartisan work to deliver these federal funds, making Colorado a national leader on this issue.” “Today, we’re taking an important step to combat childhood hunger,” said Bird. “This law utilizes federal funds to feed more children during the summer months when child hunger rises. We’re working to make it easier for hardworking Coloradans to make ends meet and feed their children.” “Ensuring kids have access to meals all year round is a great thing, full stop,” said Bridges. “Passing this legislation now means more than 300,000 Colorado kids will get meals for next summer, when they’re not receiving meals at school. Our bipartisan bill means Colorado will be a national leader in utilizing the federal funding available to us, and I’m proud to see it get signed into law.” “No child in Colorado should go hungry, and we’re taking significant steps to combat child hunger during the summer,” said Garcia. “This law will help feed more children and provide some much needed breathing room in the grocery budgets of thousands of families. Taking advantage of federal funding to feed our kids during the summer upholds the dignity of families and protects the health of the over 300,000 children in Colorado." The Summer EBT Program was established in December 2022 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 , with the program beginning in the summer of 2024. After California, Colorado is the next state to opt into the program for the 2024 year. Sixteen other states indicated to the U.S. Department of Agriculture that they intend to do so next year, which would postpone their program’s start until 2025. Colorado became one of the first states in the nation to implement new federal Summer EBT Program Previous Next

< Back January 27, 2020 REP. ROBERTS’ RURAL JUMP-START EXPANSION BILL ADVANCES Bipartisan legislation would allow more businesses to access the benefits of the Rural Jump-Start Program DENVER, CO — Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Representatives Dylan Roberts and Janice Rich that would improve and expand eligibility for the Rural Jump-Start Program today advanced from the House Rural Affairs and Agriculture Committee. The legislation passed 10-0. “The Rural Jump-Start Program is already giving businesses in rural Colorado the support they need to create and keep jobs here in our state,” said Rep. Dylan Roberts (D-Avon). “The bill we moved forward today will ensure that more businesses can take advantage of the program’s benefits and will extend it for more years to come. I look forward to seeing this legislation continue to advance and am grateful for the support that it has received on both sides of the aisle.” HB20-1003 would eliminate provisions that limit eligibility for the Rural Jump-Start Program in order to enable more businesses to take advantage of the incentives and benefits offered in economically distressed areas of rural Colorado. HB20-1003 also extends the program for five years and allows economic development organizations to form Rural Jump-Start Zone programs to authorize new businesses to participate. Representative Janice Rich (R-Grand Junction) is a co-prime sponsor of the legislation. The Rural Jump-Start Program incentivizes businesses to create and maintain jobs in rural parts of Colorado by providing tax relief both to the businesses themselves and to their employees. These businesses must be located in designated economically distressed areas of Colorado known as Rural Jump-Start Zones. Previous Next

< Back April 22, 2021 HOUSE ED PASSES BILLS TO ADDRESS LEARNING DISRUPTIONS, PREVENT BULLYING IN SCHOOLS DENVER, CO– The House Education Committee today passed SB21-013 and HB21-1221, legislation that would address COVID-19 related learning disruptions and prevent bullying in schools. “Building back stronger means making sure that every child in our state gets through this school year and the next with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive,” said Denver Public Schools Director Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver. “Every student in Colorado should have the opportunity to address their specific learning needs. I’m proud of the package of bills we’ve developed to address the disrupted learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” “Students have been through so much the last year; we have to do everything we can to ensure learning loss related to COVID-19 and the disruption of in-person learning is reversed,” said Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood . “This bill will help school districts across the state access the best practices they’ll need to work with students and help them get where they need to be.” SB21-013, which is sponsored by Representatives Jennifer Bacon and Meg Froelich, directs the Department of Education to identify and collect resources to help school districts address learning disruptions. It will include products, strategies, and services that have been demonstrated to identify and address learning disruption experienced as a result of disruptions to learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill also directs local education providers to expand students’ access to online courses currently provided on the Colorado Digital Learning Solutions platform, and to communicate the availability of these learning recovery opportunities to students’ families. The bill passed 7-2. “Bullying harms one in five students, often leading to tragic outcomes that are avoidable,” said Rep. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County. “We can do more to prevent and stop bullying, and that’s what this bill would do. It asks school districts to adopt a model bullying prevention policy and ensures that policy is effective by including parent voices and addressing cyberbullying.” “The wellbeing of our students must be a top priority, which is why we are always looking at how we can better keep them safe and healthy both at school and at home,” said Rep. Mary Young, D-Greeley. “The bill we advanced today will do that by strengthening schools’ bullying policies and ensuring that educators have the tools and strategies they need to prevent both in-school and cyberbullying that can happen anywhere.” HB21-1221, which is sponsored by Representatives Lisa Cutter and Mary Young, would ensure important changes for when the Department of Education’s model bullying policy is updated next year, including making a crucial distinction between conflict and bullying which are often conflated. The bill would ensure parents of students who have been bullied are involved in developing the policy, and extend the policy to cyberbullying that occurs during online instruction. It requires districts to implement the model bullying policy and report bullying incidents. Approximately 15 percent of students in high school in Colorado experience bullying, and nationwide, 20 percent of middle and high schoolers experience bullying. Persistent bullying can lead to feelings of isolation, rejection, exclusion, and despair, and they can also lead to suicidal behavior. The committee also passed HB21-1273, which is sponsored by Representative Cutter and would require CDE to report on the total number of licensed school psychologists in Colorado who work in schools across the state. Yesterday the committee passed HB21-1259, another bill in the package to address COVID-19 related learning loss, which streamlines the application process and reporting requirements for school districts seeking to access stimulus funding to provide students with extended learning opportunities. Previous Next

< Back March 1, 2019 ICYMI: HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES CUTTER-WEISSMAN BILL TO EXPAND DISCLOSURE OF FUNDING IN CAMPAIGNS Mystery money flooding political campaigns (Mar. 1) — A bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, and Rep. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, that would require expanded disclosure of funding behind campaign communications passed the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs committee yesterday. “I was excited to support this bill because I’ve been in public relations and communications for twenty-five years, and an advocate for fair and ethical communications ” said Rep. Cutter. “Healthy democracy depends on transparency, so let’s do everything we can to create an informed electorate.” SB19-068 would require listing the name of any person or entity that spends more than $1000 per year on electioneering communications on the communication itself, be it a television ad, mailer, or a distributed flyer. It would also increase transparency and accountability in elections by including electioneering communications that occur at any point between the primary and general election. “Voters are too often bombarded by political advertisements during elections from unnamed sources, making it difficult for voters of all persuasions to properly weigh the issues,” said Rep. Weissman. “Putting stronger disclosure laws on the books would allow Colordans to have all the proper facts when they fill out their ballots.” The bill passed committee with a 6-3 vote and now heads to the House floor. More information on SB19-068 can be found here . Previous Next

< Back April 15, 2023 Bill to Prevent Youth Crime Advances in the House DENVER, CO - The House today advanced bipartisan legislation on a preliminary vote to increase the prosecution age of children to improve public safety and prevent future crimes and victims. “I’ve spent my professional career working closely with kids and their families to help them navigate the traumatic experiences that often lead to contact with our criminal justice system,” said Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, D-Denver. “I’ve seen unstable living environments, abuse, mental health struggles, poverty, and many other factors that impact childhood development. Research and data show that the strategies in this bill prevent crime and keep our children safe. If we want to improve public safety, we need to set kids up for success by connecting them to services that address their underlying needs to prevent future crimes from occurring.” “The decade I served as a law enforcement officer taught me that too many people who end up in a cycle of incarceration are first arrested at a very young age,” said Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud.” “We must start passing policy that prevents this cycle, and the victimization that stems from it, in the first place. There are hundreds of statutes on the books to charge someone after they commit a crime but not enough to protect our loved ones from being victimized in the first place. This bill makes our communities safer by getting young kids the evidence-based interventions they need that have been proven to reduce crime.” Current Colorado law permits kids as young as 10-years-old to be prosecuted for a crime and detained in the juvenile justice system, introducing them at a young age to what can become a long-term cycle of incarceration. HB23-1249 , also sponsored by Republican Representative Ryan Armagost, would prohibit kids from 10 to 12-years-old from being prosecuted or detained for crimes beginning in July 2024, with exceptions for the most serious crimes. Instead, these kids would be referred to local collaborative management programs to receive services like behavioral health treatment and other community-based programs to address the root causes that lead to criminal activity. This bill does not make any changes to victims services, and victims would still be notified of and able to provide input on the plan to rehabilitate the child. They may also be eligible to receive financial compensation. Starting September 1, 2023, every Colorado county would be required to establish collaborative management programs to provide services to 10 to 12-year-olds instead of detaining them in the criminal justice system. These individualized programs must review all referrals, create a plan for the child and family, and refer the child to relevant services accordingly. Victims have the right to be informed and provide input to the plan. In developing services to support the victims, the Department of Human Services shall consult with the Department of Public Safety and representatives from community based organizations. Additionally, a juvenile referred for an action that would be considered felony sexual assault or unlawful sexual conduct if committed by an adult must receive a sex offender evaluation. Previous Next

< Back February 7, 2023 Bill to Offer Youth Mental Health Screenings Passes Committee DENVER, CO - The House Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services Committee today passed a bill to conduct mental health screenings in schools to help determine the mental well-being of students and continue the successful I Matter program. “In 2021, almost 70% of Colorado students reported that they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet. “We created the I Matter Program to provide six free therapy sessions to Colorado youth, a successful tool in addressing mental health issues for over 5,000 kids so far. This bill would use a mental health screening within our schools to more easily identify students that could benefit from resources like the I Matter Program.” HB23-1003 would permit public schools to participate in a voluntary mental health screening program for sixth through twelfth graders. The school would be required to notify parents of the date and time that the mental health screening is scheduled, the purpose, and information about the licensed mental health screener. Parents would have the option to opt their child out of participating, although students over 12 years old could still be screened due to Colorado law . The screening would be conducted via a questionnaire and evaluated by a licensed mental health screener. If a student is at-risk for attempting suicide, physical self-harm, or harming others, the screener would immediately notify the parents as well as the school and the school would react according to school crisis response policy. If the screener finds the student in need of further help, they will contact the parent about additional treatment options, including information or a referral to the I Matter program. The I Matter Program was created with the passage of HB21-1258 , sponsored by Rep. Michaelson Jenet, and expanded by HB22-1243 . The program received $15 million dollars in funding from the 2021 and 2022 legislative sessions to provide a mental health screening followed by six free therapy sessions to youth across the state and is available virtually and in person. Students use a screening tool through the program’s website to match them with licensed mental health professionals that best fit their needs, including bilingual services. If the student needs additional services or shows signs of needing immediate help, their assigned care navigator connects them to long-term mental health care providers or crisis support, including Colorado Crisis Services. Since the program started in October 2021, over 5,500 Colorado kids have utilized the free therapy services, with almost 44% attending at least four sessions. The participating 5,655 students come from 59 of the 64 counties across Colorado. Previous Next