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I want people to know they are not alone in this battle < Back MONICA DURAN: Domestic violence awareness more important now than ever Oct 31, 2023 See more This op-ed was published in the Aurora Sentinel on Oct 30, 2023 I want people to know they are not alone in this battle Hidden behind closed doors and hushed about in dark hallways is the growing epidemic of domestic violence. Nationally, domestic violence is on the rise , and troubling data from the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board reveals Colorado is not immune to this trend. Economic uncertainty, isolation and lack of child care, all exacerbated by the pandemic, have created more dangerous conditions for many in our state. Throughout October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are tasked to spread awareness about this epidemic and connect those fleeing abusers with crucial services. The trauma, hardship and pain are very real for me, and a constant reminder of why this work is important. At just nineteen, I found myself in an abusive home situation that left me in fear for my life. Domestic abuse is difficult to talk about, let alone escape with a young son. It took me years to muster up the courage to leave my abuser, reclaim my life, and breakthrough stigmas to make my voice heard. Throughout those trying years, I navigated a challenging court system, limited survivor resources, financial uncertainty and ultimately homelessness. Today, I have my life. But we must remind ourselves that for every person who escapes, there are many more who are still living in dangerous and terrifying situations. After all this time, sharing my story still isn’t easy. As we face more domestic violence deaths than ever recorded before in Colorado, I want people to know they are not alone in this battle. I am fighting for you at the Capitol and working to break down the wall of silence surrounding domestic violence. Since the end of the last legislative session in May, I have been busy collaborating with local leaders, survivors, and advocates to help shape policy that supports domestic violence survivors. One of the persistent issues survivors face is the lack of resources to help them start anew. That daunting list of tasks can include arranging child care, hunting for a new apartment, seeking health care treatment and attending court dates. As I plan for the 2024 legislative session that begins in January, securing more funding for crime survivors, making survival resources more readily available and cutting red tape with criminal filings are at the top of my priority list. Our work this session will build on important legislation I helped pass that combats the domestic violence epidemic and protects survivors. In 2021, we passed HB21-1255 , which allows for the removal of firearms from someone who has a domestic violence-related protection order issued against them, and HB21-1165 , bipartisan legislation to make criminal investigations more seamless for victims of strangulation. To improve the court system experience for survivors, we passed HB23-1222 , which establishes standards for domestic violence cases tried in municipalities, strengthens oversight, and increases data sharing. These pivotal pieces of legislation, along with many others, make our communities safer and protect Coloradans. While it is humbling to see my own personal history shape statewide policy and to be awarded the Domestic Abuse Survivor Award by the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abuse non-profit and the Aquamarine Award for being a champion in our fight against domestic violence from Violence Free Colorado, our work is never done. We must continue to spread awareness of domestic violence and work toward a future where we can all live violence-free. October is the time to be extra aware of the lingering and growing dangers of domestic violence. Identify warning signs of abuse as a partner tries to gain or maintain power and control over you and your household. If you need help in Colorado, call (800) 799-7233 to be connected to the National Domestic Violence Hotline or visit violencefreecolorado.org . Those living in Jefferson County can call Porch Light, a Family Justice Center, at (720) 853-8850 to seek help. Majority Leader state Rep. Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, represents House District 23 which includes Lakewood, Lakeside, Applewood, and Mountain View Previous Next

< Back Brianna Titone Representative Titone was elected in 2018 to represent House District 27, which comprises Northern Arvada, Golden, Applewood, and the Northwest JeffCo mountains. She proudly serves as the Chair/Vice Chair of the Joint Technology Committee, the Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee. She also serves as the Chair of the Colorado Democratic LGBTQ+ Caucus, a board member with the Colorado State Internet Portal Authority and The Energy Council, as well as national policy committees for the National Conference of State Legislatures. She is the first openly transgender legislator in the Colorado General Assembly and the first transgender person in the nation elected to a legislative caucus leadership position. She worked as a hydrogeologist and geochemist before becoming a citizen activist on equity issues and eventually running for office. Her extensive education includes undergraduate degrees in Physics and Geology and advanced degrees in Geosciences and Information Communication Technology.

< Back Rep. Meghan Lukens: Strengthening rural health care Mar 27, 2025 See more This story was originally published in the Vail Daily here . As we move through the 2025 legislative session, I am excited to share updates on the vital health care initiatives I am advancing to support our Western Slope communities. Health care accessibility, affordability, and quality remain top priorities for families across Eagle, Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Routt counties. This session, I am championing several health care bills that address the unique challenges faced by our rural and mountain communities. Preserving access to rural independent pharmacies For many in our Western Slope communities, the local pharmacy is not just a place to pick up prescriptions — it’s an essential health care resource. That is why I am proud to sponsor HB25-1222 , which helps preserve access to rural independent pharmacies, a bill idea brought to me directly by a constituent in Oak Creek. This bill does a few things. First, it ensures fair reimbursement for rural independent pharmacies and allows the delivery of life-saving drugs by rural independent pharmacies to underserved communities. Next, it makes sure audit recovery practices are fair so rural independent pharmacies don’t close. Finally, it gives pharmacies much needed flexibility to serve their communities through remote operations. These protections will help ensure that our community members can continue to access vital medications and health care services close to home, without having to travel long distances or face unnecessary delays. Supporting our rural health care infrastructure Rural hospitals and health care facilities are lifelines for our communities, providing essential services that save lives and improve health outcomes. However, these facilities often face unique financial and operational challenges that can threaten their sustainability. That’s why I am sponsoring HB25-1085 , which modernizes outdated rules for Colorado county hospitals by allowing government officials to serve as board trustees, making board meetings more flexible, and extending budget deadlines. These common-sense changes were requested directly by a constituent wanting to support Colorado’s rural county hospitals to help them operate more efficiently and effectively. Building on this work, I am also proud to sponsor HB25-1223 , which establishes a task force to study the current capital needs of our rural and frontier hospitals. This legislation will help determine the financial resources required to bring these facilities up to date with existing standards and codes. By identifying these needs, we can make targeted investments to ensure our rural healthcare infrastructure remains strong for generations to come. Additionally, I am sponsoring SB25-078 , which allows nonprofit, small hospitals to enter into collaborative agreements with other hospitals to increase patient health care access. These partnerships will help smaller facilities leverage resources, share expertise, and ultimately provide better care for patients across our rural communities. Protecting our student athletes The health and safety of our young people is a top priority, and that includes during school sporting events. SB25-191 requires high schools — particularly at sporting events — to follow nationally recognized guidelines for all automated external defibrillators in schools. This means there will not be AEDs behind locked doors, and it will be widely known where AEDs are located. With sudden cardiac arrest being the leading cause of death among student athletes, these changes will help schools implement life-saving measures more efficiently. Every minute counts during a cardiac emergency, and having AEDs readily available at sporting events could save a life. Continuing our work together These health care initiatives address specific challenges our communities face while being mindful of our state’s fiscal realities. Each bill responds directly to feedback from health care providers, patients, and community leaders across House District 26, focusing on practical solutions that will make a real difference in people’s lives. As always, I believe we make the best policy when we listen to those closest to the issues. If you have insights about health care in our communities or thoughts on any of these bills, please share them with me. You can reach me at meghan.lukens.house@coleg.gov or attend one of my upcoming town halls. For more frequent updates throughout the legislative session, join my newsletter by sending me an email. Let’s keep in touch and keep making a difference in House District 26. Onward! Meghan Lukens of Steamboat Springs is the representative for Colorado’s House District 26, which encompasses Moffat, Rio Blanco, Eagle, and Routt counties. Previous Next

< Back Michael Carter Rep. Michael Carter is proud to call Aurora home. His wife has taught in the community for over two decades, his three children attend Aurora Public Schools, and he practices law in Aurora to protect the community’s most vulnerable. Becoming a state representative is not his first experience in public service. Rep. Carter is a third-generation Army Veteran and he served as the Vice President of the Aurora Public School Board of Education. After receiving his law degree from the University of Denver, he worked as a public defender and a private criminal defense attorney. From safer schools for our students to affordable housing for working families, Rep. Carter is committed to developing policy solutions that work for all Coloradans and move our state forward. He will utilize his experience in the criminal justice system and K-12 public education to improve public schools and uphold the values of justice. Rep. Michael Carter is the representative for House District 36 serving Adams and Arapahoe counties and he serves as the Vice-Chair of the House Judiciary Committee and a member of the State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee.

< Back Rep. Mike Weissman: ‘Dobbs’ anti-abortion decision joins shameful Supreme Court rulings Jun 25, 2022 See more The following op-ed was published in The Aurora Sentinel. “I am no longer a person”. “I cried for hours this morning.” “I don’t know what it is to be American.” These were the reactions of several women friends I talked to about to the radical, dangerous Dobbs decision by the U.S. Supreme Court last Friday. In overturning 50 years of settled law, the Court did two kinds of grievous harm: first, to every woman in our country and second, to its own legitimacy. The first harm is obvious. By throwing out long-standing law that the U.S. Constitution protects abortion rights, Dobbs instead subjects women to the whims of politicians in state legislatures, some of whom are even more radical and dangerous than the Court’s decision itself. “Trigger” bans are already going into effect, extremist laws have recently been passed in states like Oklahoma, and vigilant enforcement mechanisms have been passed in states like Texas. These are not laws that women should be subjected to in any free society. It is important to note that abortion remains legal, available and safe in Colorado. Fortunately, this is the case in some other states as well, states whose laws respect women’s autonomy. But Dobbs means that a woman’s right to control her own body and life now depends on what state she lives in. The radical justices who overturned Roe may believe their decision will reduce abortions. However, their decision will mostly make access to abortion less equal. Women with means living in restrictive states will travel to other states to exercise their right to bodily autonomy. Women with lesser means may rely on financial support from abortion funds, which have attracted much new notice for precisely this reason, or may have to self- manage an abortion without support from a medical professional. Even in the least trying of circumstances, women in restrictive states will pay for the Court’s decision in time away from home and work and certainly in emotional turmoil for being put through such travails by their own government. That travail and turmoil is the basis of the second grievous harm of the Court’s decision – to its own legitimacy. We’ve been here before, and the injuries have been very slow to recover from. The 1857 Dred Scott case helped precipitate the Civil War. The 1896 Plessy case upheld the Jim Crow-era “separate but equal” doctrine. Numerous early 20th century cases exemplified by the Lochner decision struck down worker protection laws during a period of rapid industrialization and dangerous working conditions. During World War II, Korematsu upheld internment of Japanese Americans in camps, some of which were here in Colorado. More recently, Bowers v. Hardwick upheld criminalization of consensual sexual activities between adults. Dobbs now joins this shameful history of cases that have departed from our nation’s core principles. Americans’ opinions about abortion rights vary, but very few people would agree with the idea that the U.S. Constitution should offer zero protection at all, leaving the matter entirely to the whims of radical state politicians who could criminalize medical providers, those who assist women in obtaining abortions, or even pregnant women themselves. Yet in substituting their own feelings about abortion rights for decades of settled law, that is exactly what the Court majority has done. A Court that acts in this way cannot be counted on to safeguard other rights that Americans enjoy. For example, last week, days before Dobbs, the Court’s Vega decision weakened the landmark, decades-old, Miranda case concerning the right against self-incrimination. The most radical members of the Court are, at least, not hiding the ball. In a concurring opinion, Justice Thomas explicitly urged reconsideration of cases affirming the Constitutional rights to use contraception, to consensual sexual activities between adults, and to marriage equality. In the face of a Court bent on eliminating Constitutional rights, state legislatures matter more than ever. In Colorado, our legislature acted this year to protect abortion rights in state law, and I was proud to support this. In Colorado today, women still have sovereignty over their own bodies and lives. Tragically, this is not true in all other states. In the face of decisions like Dobbs, I’m sure my friend isn’t the only one struggling with “what it is to be American” right now. She added, “my heart is in pain” due to the decision. Mine is too. But as a man who believes women are his equals under the law, as an attorney, and as a state legislator, I will find resolve in that pain for the struggles that now lie ahead. State Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, represents House District 36. Previous Next

< Back Junie Joseph Majority Caucus Co-Chair Junie Joseph is serving her second term as the State Representative for House District 10, which includes most of the City of Boulder and a small part of Gunbarrel. She is also a member of the House Finance Committee, the Energy & Environment Committee, and the Appropriations Committee. Rep. Joseph has a passion for human and civil rights. She has worked in the human rights and development field where she offered her expertise on transitional justice issues in South Africa while working for a non-governmental organization as part of an academic research placement. She supported the mandate of the United Nations as an intern by providing both research and organizational assistance to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. She has also served as a global law and development fellow on a USAID project in Côte D’Ivoire, West Africa, promoting the rights of persons with disabilities to access the Ivorian Judicial system. Most recently, she worked as a Human Rights Officer within the United Nations Mission to the Central African Republic, serving internally displaced persons in the region of Bria. After returning from the Central African Republic, Junie moved to Colorado to study law. She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Colorado Law. In addition to her law degree, Rep. Joseph holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Florida and a Master’s in Applied Human Rights from the University of York in England. Rep. Joseph is committed to equity and justice in her work. In her first session as a legislator, she passed gun violence prevention legislation, fought for criminal justice reform, and allocated funds to help Coloradans build wildfire-resilient homes.

< Back Majority Leader Esgar & Rep. Frolich Opinion: Abortion access must be written into Colorado law because Roe vs. Wade is in jeopardy Jan 24, 2022 See more The following op-ed was published in The Denver Post. By JULIE GONZALES, MEG FROELICH and DANEYA ESGAR This year could very well be the last anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court case that established the constitutional right to abortion. We are at a crisis point. The time to take action and protect our rights is now, so as Colorado lawmakers we have crafted a proactive abortion rights bill that will soon be introduced in the Colorado General Assembly. Protecting abortion access has to be a priority in the 2022 legislative session, and we are the lead sponsors on the Reproductive Health Equity Act, or RHEA. The Reproductive Health Equity Act will ensure every individual has the fundamental right to choose or refuse contraception; every individual who becomes pregnant has a fundamental right to choose to continue a pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion; and a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the laws of Colorado. Barriers to abortion access always fall heaviest on those with the least access to health care already — communities of color, low-income people, young people, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, rural Coloradans. RHEA would also address that equity gap. The worst restrictions to abortion access and reproductive health care have come from state legislatures across the nation, and as state lawmakers, we are obligated to take action in the opposite direction here in Colorado. Because Colorado is such a strongly pro-abortion rights state, people are surprised to learn there’s nothing expressly protective of abortion access or reproductive health care in Colorado law. Yes, we have defeated many attempts to ban or restrict abortion at the legislature and the ballot box, but there are no state laws explicitly protecting the constitutional right to access abortion and reproductive health care in Colorado. Why? Until now, we haven’t needed anything in state law; we had the constitutional protection of Roe and the federal courts. We might not anymore. The Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe with the case known as Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health, a case challenging Mississippi’s unconstitutional abortion ban. Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health was argued on Dec. 1, and a decision is expected in June 2022. It’s entirely likely abortion access could be struck down as a federal, constitutional right and returned to the states. If Roe is overturned, abortion will likely become illegal in roughly half the country, including many states around Colorado. In 2020, 64% of Coloradans surveyed agreed with the statement “abortion should be legal in all cases or most cases with some restrictions.” Support was even higher for: “politicians need to stop trying to force their beliefs on women when it comes to abortion.” (82% agreed) “when it comes to ending a pregnancy, a woman should have the power to make decisions about her own body.” (76% agreed) Across the country, about 6 in 10 Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. And during the last election, Coloradans across party and county lines voted to defeat Proposition 115, a ban on abortion later in pregnancy, by nearly 20 points. In 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014, Coloradans overwhelmingly rejected harmful and dehumanizing amendments to the state Constitution that would have created “fetal personhood” and outlawed abortion in the state. And since 2010, we have seen 41 pieces of legislation introduced — and defeated — that would restrict or eliminate abortion access for Coloradans. But that’s not enough. We need to meet this moment of crisis on abortion rights with action. Our job as legislators is to pass laws that respect the will of our constituents and Colorado citizens, who have made it clear over and over again that they support abortion rights. This legislation serves as a model for other states to expand and protect access to reproductive health care, including abortion. We already have very strong support in the legislature for the Reproductive Health Equity Act, and we would urge Coloradans to call or email their legislators and let them know they support it. Once again, it is time for Colorado to be a leader on abortion and reproductive rights. Previous Next

< Back Rep. Amabile: We propose to outlaw encouraging someone to commit suicide Oct 1, 2023 See more This story was published in the Colorado Sun on Oct 1, 2023. Nearly 50,000 Americans completed suicide during 2022 – a stunning number, reflecting a continued rise in the suicide rate of some 35 percent over the last two decades. Numerical tolls provide a blunt gauge for societal problems, but numbers alone can make a problem feel remote and impersonal. People who lose a loved one to suicide experience shock and hurt that is both tender and omnipresent despite the passage of time. A healing instinct motivates us to want to prevent this pain from repeatedly occurring in our community. We have heard from fellow Coloradans reaching out to us as their elected representatives and asking, “what else can be done?” We are answering their call with action that honors the memory of lost loved ones and prevents more families in our state from experiencing this devastating tragedy. Unfortunately, online encouragement and easy access to life-ending materials can lead to unnecessary death by suicide. Last November, a Clear Creek County family’s 17-year-old son was struggling with chronic physical issues and common anxiety when he found a supportive community online that encouraged suicide. From there, he was directed to an online retailer who sold pure sodium nitrite, a substance which has few household uses but has become an increasingly popular suicide method. The price he paid to an online retailer who knew the pure sodium nitrite was being used for suicides was $13.99, shipped by two-day mail. Ingesting the compound, he died shortly afterwards. Sadly, this young man, a constituent of ours, was one of at least 222 people nationwide using this particular poison to complete suicide during 2022. Shockingly, there is an ecosystem online for people who want to complete suicide, outside and distinct from the legal path of medically-assisted suicide; there are deadly materials available online, shipped right to young people. For people feeling intense hurt, depression, or trauma, going online to find a way to heal is common. A web search for relief from a physical ailment generally leads to sites that recommend medication or a physician visit. But people struggling with suicidal ideation who seek help online can easily wind up in a web-based wasteland that offers advice on “how to” take one’s own life. And many heed that sick advice. We plan to introduce two bills in the upcoming General Assembly that could save lives and spare families from the enduring pain of suicide caused by this online reality. The first would explicitly prohibit encouraging an individual to complete suicide, not just by restricting the means as current law does, but by prohibiting advice and encouragement. The First Amendment cannot simply be tossed aside, of course, but we believe the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized the validity of restricting speech that is “integral to a criminal act.” The power of words directed at someone who is struggling to maintain mental equilibrium can be just as impactful as handing someone a loaded gun and our statutes should reflect that. Colorado’s End-of-Life Options Act permits qualified medical professionals to assist terminally ill adults to end their lives. But in “non-medical” situations, assisting with suicide is a criminal offense – manslaughter — in Colorado and most other states. However, due to vague language, prosecutors used the suicide manslaughter statute only four times in the last five years. This pales in comparison to the frequency of suicides completed after people receive instruction and encouragement to take their own lives. While difficult to document, with 1,287 people completing suicide in Colorado in 2022, numbers compel us to act. Our second bill would ban the sale of pure sodium nitrite to consumers and require any pure sodium nitrite product sold to carry explicit warnings of harm. Experts know that this type of suicide prevention, often referred to as “means restriction,” can be an effective method to reduce death. The Colorado Department of Health and Environment recently released, to health care providers throughout the state, an advisory on sodium nitrite, noting “an increase in suicide by ingestion of sodium nitrite in Colorado and across the United States.” We commend the Department for taking this important step and look forward to bolstering their efforts with legislation. We have just concluded September, which is Suicide Prevention month. September is not merely about remembering the harm suffered by so many Coloradans or about lending support to families impacted by limitless grief, but is also about taking tangible measures to interrupt the cycle of suicide, and we are ready to get to work. If you or a loved one is experiencing emotional distress, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 988 or Colorado Crisis Services at text TALK to 38255, or access chat via coloradocrisisservices.org , where help and hope are available at any hour, any day. Previous Next

< Back Rep Cutter: It’s time to invest in our most valuable asset — Colorado kids Sep 18, 2022 See more Rep. Lisa Cutter, Sen. Tammy Story, Sen. Jessie Danielson President John F. Kennedy Jr. once said, “Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future” and we couldn’t agree more. If we want to build a brighter future for all of us, then we have to invest in our most valuable asset: our kids. We’ve raised our families here in Jeffco, sending them to our public schools and watching them flourish in our community – we have navigated or are navigating the same school system you are, and we want to make sure all of our children get the high quality education they deserve. We can’t think of anything more important than ensuring young Coloradans have the tools they need to grow, succeed and thrive. After all, our kids are our future leaders – and one day, we’re going to pass the torch on to them and we need to give them the tools and training they need right now to be prepared. As mothers ourselves, we want to give our children the best future possible, and that future starts with a quality education. That’s why we prioritized passing policies this year to prepare students for success so every Colorado kid – no matter where they live – has an equal shot at success. First, we sought to give our youngest Coloradans a leg up by implementing universal pre-K and providing high-quality early childhood education opportunities for every child. Decades of research has shown that greater access to early childhood education leads to better outcomes for children all the way into adulthood, but far too many parents across Colorado simply can’t afford it. Providing up to 10 hours a week of free universal preschool for families means more kids will have access to the nurturing early education programs they need to grow, it will be easier for parents to get back to work and we will save families money. This is a win for families with young children, and a win for our economy. We also made a historic investment in K-12 education through the 2022 Public School Finance Act. The new law increases per pupil funding to a historic high of $545 per student, which school districts can use to reduce classroom sizes, increase teacher pay, and help provide more individualized support to help students learn. We know high quality teachers and educators are an integral part of our kids’ educational success – the law also breaks down financial barriers to entering the teaching profession through loan forgiveness and stipends for teachers, so we can attract higher quality teachers to the profession and better support our kids. Finally, we wanted to make sure our students are equipped with the tools necessary to attain a higher education degree and be successful in the workforce. Higher ed is the key to a bright future for many Colorado students, but too many folks are finding it hard to afford the cost of a degree. That’s why we fought to keep the cost of tuition down, while creating more pathways for students to get the skills and training they need to land a job in their field of choice. Colorado students entering the workforce need efficient and effective pathways to gain the experience and training they need to earn a degree and, ultimately, a good-paying job. We passed legislation to expand credential pathways to help Coloradans seeking to further their education or get the training they need to land jobs in high-demand industries, a measure that will accelerate our economic recovery and help businesses fill critical gaps in the workforce. As our students head back to school, we’re reflecting on all of the things we accomplished this year to make sure our kids are on the best path forward to achieve their dreams. Through the measures we passed, we will not only prepare our students for success – we will also help develop our workforce and power our economy as we continue to move Colorado forward. But the work doesn’t stop here – our kids will always be our priority. We look forward to continuing to pass meaningful policies that will help ensure Colorado learners frompreschool through high school, and beyond are adequately prepared for life beyond the classroom – because when our students succeed, we all succeed. Previous Next

Colorado Democrats delivered results to support students, homeowners, renters and create safer communities. House Democrats responded to the most pressing needs in Colorado and delivered results . This session focused on gun violence prevention, protecting reproductive rights, record public school funding, improving air quality and reducing the cost of housing, health care and prescription drugs. DOWNLOAD ONE PAGERS PARA ESPAÑOL, PRIMA AQUÍ DOWNLOAD REPORT

The state Supreme Court said the 2021 Abuse Accountability Act is unconstitutional. So, let’s change the Constitution. < Back Majority Leader Duran: Even decades after sexual abuse, victims need a pathway to seek justice Aug 14, 2023 See more This was published in the Colorado Sun on Aug 14, 2023 . As any survivor will tell you, the pathway toward healing is not linear. Everyone deserves to feel safe and supported in their home, but many children face a very different and dangerous reality. As many as one in four girls and one in thirteen boys in the United States experience sexual abuse. However, we know these numbers are likely much higher given the number of cases that go unreported or resurface decades after they happen. So, earlier this summer, when the 2021 Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act was deemed unconstitutional by the Colorado Supreme Court, my heart broke for survivors across the state. The 2021 law would have allowed survivors of child sexual abuse until 2025 to prepare and pursue civil lawsuits against persons or institutions for crimes alleged committed between 1960 and 2022. This law was a crucial lifeline for those long awaiting accountability. It took years to pass this law, with survivors testifying and demanding we create a new legal course of action to seek justice, which we did. Despite the best efforts and support from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, this Supreme Court ruling now makes it nearly impossible for survivors to seek the justice and accountability they are rightfully owed. After bravely coming forward and publicly sharing their stories, many survivors of childhood abuse reopened traumatizing wounds only for the court to rip away this avenue for justice. After this devastating news, I was reminded of why I stepped foot in the political arena in the first place. As a survivor of domestic violence, I face the pain, in every sense of the word, each and every day. It took years to muster up the courage to leave my abuser, not only to keep my young son safe, but to reclaim my life. I know the feeling of displacement all too well as you navigate a tricky court system, face limited survivor resources and restart a life from scratch. Sharing my story is never easy, but hopefully it makes one less person feel alone in this uphill battle. Survivors of sexual and domestic violence are already left with barebone avenues to pursue justice and accountability and if your case makes it to trial, it can be retraumatizing and painful to undergo the proceedings. For many survivors of child sexual abuse, this process is overwhelming and the trauma they experienced can sometimes take years, if not decades, to recover — which is well beyond Colorado’s statute of limitations. After listening to survivors and working with advocacy organizations, it was clear that not all survivors come forward right away. Whether it is five years, 10 years or more, are not all survivors of child sexual abuse owed a pathway to seek justice? While it might be easier to say “we tried,” I am working towards uncovering solutions that would bring us closer to creating clear pathways for our survivors to seek accountability in the courts. Survivors are counting on us to make meaningful change, and it is our responsibility to see it through. During my time at the General Assembly, my colleagues and I have made great strides towards supporting Colorado’s crime victims, including SB22-183 which invested $48 million in critical resources and supportive services to victims of crime and HB23-1222 , which created new protections for domestic violence survivors seeking justice in municipal courts. While we accomplish great feats during the session, our work does not stop there. As a member of the Child Welfare System Interim Study Committee, we are moving the needle to make sure Colorado survivors get the resources and support they desperately need. While this is impressive progress, more must be done and in the wake of the court’s ruling. State Sens. Rhonda Fields and Jesse Danielson, and Rep. Michaelson Jenet and I are determined to see this through with the help of Colorado voters. While we are still working through the specifics, we are looking at crafting a referred constitutional amendment that would allow voters to restore the intentionality of the 2021 Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act. Our goal remains the same as it did with the original legislation: offer survivors of child sexual abuse a pathway to pursue justice and hold offenders accountable. I want to make one thing clear: Colorado survivors have not been forgotten, and our work will continue. Monica Duran, of Wheat Ridge, represents District 23 in the state House of Representatives, where she is majority leader. Previous Next

Meeting the moment and governing responsibly in a crisis. Colorado Democrats passed responsible laws to protect the health and safety of hardworking Coloradans and get our state back on track. DOWNLOAD