< Back April 26, 2023 Legislation to Fight Climate Change, Reduce Emissions Advances in House DENVER, CO – The House today advanced legislation on a preliminary vote to propel Colorado’s clean energy transition forward and better combat climate change. SB23-016, sponsored by Representatives Karen McCormick and Emily Siorta, would establish interim greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets and incentivize investments in electrification. “Every Coloradan deserves clean air and a livable climate, which is why we are passing this bold legislation to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Rep. Karen McCormick, D-Longmont. “This legislation creates interim targets to help Colorado reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and incentivize the use of clean alternatives in our homes and businesses. This bill puts Colorado on a strong path toward meeting our climate goals and creating a healthier state for all of us.” “This bill will help us mitigate the effects of climate change and improve our air by encouraging electrification and supercharging our transition to a clean energy economy,” said Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver. “Coloradans are counting on us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide and bring our state closer to reaching our climate goals. This legislation establishes critical emission reduction goals that will work to protect our families and children for years to come.” SB23-016 would update the state’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals to match the latest climate science by adding interim targets, including a 65 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to 2005 levels by 2035, and a new goal of 100% emissions reduction by 2050. To help reach these targets, the bill would require the Public Utilities Commission and local governments to consider and prioritize upgrades and additions to the state’s electric transmission infrastructure system, and conduct a study on transmission capacity to pave the way for electrification across the state. Local permitting for projects to renovate, rebuild, or recondition transmission lines would be expedited, and the construction would be subject to the state’s labor standards. To further expedite electrification, the bill would incentivize the retirement of a major local ozone contributor: gas-powered lawn equipment. SB23-016 creates an income tax credit worth 30% of the purchase price of electric lawn mowers, leaf blowers, trimmers, and snowblowers and encourages climate-aware financial investing by requiring large insurance companies to complete a climate risk disclosure survey annually. Finally, the bill would expand the definitions of “pollution control equipment” and “clean heat resource” to include currently underutilized wastewater thermal energy, and enable Colorado to lead in carbon sequestration by allowing the state to apply to the Environmental Protection Agency for Class VI injection well primacy. Previous Next

< Back March 15, 2019 REP. CARAVEO ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR BILL TO PRIORITIZE HEALTH & SAFETY OF COLORADANS, GIVE LOCAL COMMUNITIES A VOICE House Energy & Environment committee to hold hearing on SB19-181, Protect Public Welfare Oil and Gas Operations on Monday (Mar. 15) – Rep. Yadira Caraveo announced her support for SB19-181, legislation to prioritize the health and safety of all Coloradans, empower local communities and protect our environment today. “As a lifelong Coloradan, and proud resident of Adams County since childhood, I cannot remain silent during one of the most crucial debates we have had in decades,” said Rep. Caraveo, D-Thornton. “As a proud Latina woman, I understand the disproportionate impact oil and gas development has on communities of color. I cannot let marginalized voices go unheard, especially when Republican Senators misappropriate the notion of “environmental racism” to divide us further,” Rep. Caraveo added. The bill is also sponsored by Speaker KC Becker and Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg. “I will use my expertise as the only doctor in the General Assembly to combat the misinformation surrounding the bill, and fight for a common sense approach to modernize our laws and give communities a greater say in oil and gas development,” Caraveo concluded. SB19-181 updates Colorado’s antiquated oil and gas laws to protect families and individuals from residential drilling by putting health and safety first, giving local communities more of a voice, and ensuring clean air. This bill passed the state Senate by a vote of 19-15 on March 13. In addition to a strong stakeholder process around this bill, it was debated for over thirty hours over three public committee hearings and two floor debates in the Senate. The bill will go through three committee hearings in the House that are open to the public and two floor debates. Previous Next

The House State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee today passed legislation to jumpstart a study to examine racial disparities and the impact of systemic racism on Black Coloradans. < Back April 1, 2024 Bill to Uncover and Define Systemic Racial Inequities in Colorado Passes Committee DENVER, CO – The House State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee today passed legislation to jumpstart a study to examine racial disparities and the impact of systemic racism on Black Coloradans. SB24-053 , sponsored by Representatives Leslie Herod and Naquetta Ricks, would create the Black Coloradan Racial Equity Commission to determine and make recommendations surrounding the lasting effects of systemic racism in Colorado’s practices, systems, and policies. “Generations of systemic racism cannot be eliminated by a few policy changes – we need data-driven research to define the structural inequities Black Coloradans are experiencing,” said Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver . “From redlining to limited educational opportunities, we know Black Coloradans have combated blatant inequality and racism for decades. This important, community led, legislation would help Colorado develop a deeper understanding of the impacts of past and current racial inequities and give us the tools we need to craft forward-thinking policy that will support Black Coloradans into the future.” “Uncovering the historical harm done against Black Coloradans is an important step forward in our healing and creating a more equitable future for us all,” said Rep. Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora. “This legislation would instruct History Colorado to research decades of systemic inequalities in our schools, our neighborhoods and in statewide policies that will help us better understand their lasting impacts on Black Coloradans today. While painful, this racial equity study opens the door to future conversations and will help us craft future policies that will uplift Black families instead of putting barriers in front of them.” SB24-053 , which passed by a vote of 8-3 would establish a commission to direct History Colorado to conduct historical research across areas like economic mobility, housing, K-12 education, health care and the criminal justice system. Racial equity studies, like the one outlined in SB24-053, can be used as tools to qualify and quantify past discrimination and recommend certain corrective measures. The study would also include an economic impact analysis of the racial discrimination determined by the study. Under this bill, History Colorado would submit the study to the commission and any recommendations within two-and-a-half years. The work of the commission and the study hinge on receiving adequate gifts, grants, and donations to fund it. Previous Next

< Back April 9, 2019 HOUSE COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES BILL TO INCLUDE BREAST EXAMS IN HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE (Apr. 9) — The House Health and Insurance committee passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, and Rep. Janet Buckner, D-Aurora, that would require women’s preventative health, which is already mandated under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), to include follow-up diagnostic procedures for women with increased risk factors for contracting breast cancer without any additional costs or co-pays by the patient. “We already know that early detection is key to both saving women’s lives and also lowering health insurance costs,” said Rep. Michaelson Jenet. “We need to provide coverage for women on these exams so they no longer have to decide between the cost of their screening and the cost of their life. We are giving people the option to act instead of having to react.” HB19-1301 would require health insurance to cover any breast imaging performed after a breast cancer screening study comes back and requires additional testing within the same calendar year. This can be based on factors including a high lifetime risk or an individual’s healthcare provider indicating that further imaging is necessary. “When women are given the resources to detect early signs of breast cancer, this will in turn save lives of the patients and save health insurance companies money,” said Rep. Buckner. “Patients can take the proper steps to get healthy and avoid costly procedures to treat their cancer.” The 2010 ACA defined benefits for individually purchased health insurance. It included covering one breast exam screening per year, but did not extend to covering a breast exam if further analysis or tests are needed. The bill passed the committee unanimously and the bill now heads to House floor. Previous Next

Proposal protects funding for schools, fire districts and critical services < Back November 20, 2023 Colorado Democrats Deliver on Property Tax Cuts Proposal protects funding for schools, fire districts and critical services DENVER, CO - The House passed legislation to provide short-term property tax relief while protecting our schools, fire districts, and other local services Colorado communities rely on. The bill passed by a vote of 42-18. “Hardworking Coloradans deserve real solutions that ease the affordability crisis, which is why we delivered urgent property tax cuts while protecting funding for schools, fire departments and critical services like our first responders,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “This responsible package delivers real results for the people who need it the most – hardworking families, Coloradans on fixed incomes and the people feeling the greatest impacts of our affordability crisis - without jeopardizing our state’s reserves or impacting Coloradans’ TABOR refunds.” “I’m proud that we have passed this legislation to responsibly provide property tax reductions for the hardworking Colorado families who need it the most,” said Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy, D-Lakewood. “This short-term solution will reduce upcoming property tax bills and offer Coloradans some support while local governments look into how they can better tackle property tax increases at the local level. This legislation, alongside the entire package of bills we passed in this special session, will help Coloradans stay afloat amidst the impacts of the housing crisis.” SB23B-001 would increase the property value exemption for multifamily and single family residential properties from $15,000 to $55,000 and decrease the residential assessment rate from 6.765 percent to 6.7 percent for the 2023 tax year. To offset revenue loss resulting from these property tax reductions, this bill would transfer $146 million of general fund dollars to the State Education Fund to be used to backfill school districts’ budgets, and would appropriate $54 million of general fund dollars to be used to backfill fire districts, ambulance and health districts, and local government services. Previous Next

< Back May 2, 2022 HOUSE PASSES BILLS TO BOOST LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND COMMUNITIES Legislation will provide grant funding for community revitalization and to local governments to address and prevent homelessness DENVER, CO – The House passed two bills today to provide grant funding for local governments, nonprofits and communities. HB22-1377 is part of the Colorado Democrats’ Homelessness package and invests $105 million for local governments to fund wraparound services and other services for Coloradans experiencing homelessness. HB22-1409 invests $20 million for community revitalization projects that create jobs and support local economies. “This bill invests $105 million in federal dollars to address Colorado’s homelessness crisis,” said Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver, sponsor of HB22-1377 . “HB-1377 directs desperately needed resources to local governments and nonprofits to ensure Coloradans experiencing homelessness are able to access housing and treatment. This is a crucial step towards helping our neighbors who need it the most.” “This session, I have been working hard to direct resources toward addressing homelessness because it is an issue that expands beyond the Denver-Metro area to every community,” said Rep. Tony Exum, Sr, D-Colorado Springs, sponsor of HB22-1377 . “The $105 million federal economic relief funding in our bill invests in community-driven proven strategies to address and prevent homelessness, including care coordination and transitional housing, and connects people with the services they need.” “We’re working to revitalize communities and boost local economies in every part of our state,” said Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, sponsor of HB22-1409 . “The Community Revitalization Grant Program has successfully directed funding toward impactful projects that beautify communities, create sustained jobs and uplift our local businesses and now we’re investing an additional $20 million to continue this good work in communities across Colorado.” “This bill invests $20 million to continue the great success of the Community Revitalization Program, which was jumpstarted through a bill I sponsored last session that boosted main streets and fostered new economic opportunities for neighborhoods,” said Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, HB22-1409 . “This funding can be used to begin new projects in communities across the state so each and every main street can thrive and grow.” Local Grants Program: HB22-1377 , sponsored by Representatives Steven Woodrow and Tony Exum, passed the House by a vote of 41 to 24. This bill directs $105 million in flexible grant funding to local governments and nonprofits that are pursuing innovative measures to address the needs of individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Those initiatives may include wraparound supportive services, care coordination, emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing and property conversion. Community Revitalization Grant Program Funding: HB22-1409 , sponsored by Representatives Leslie Herod and Brianna Titone, passed the House by a vote of 48 to 17. The bill directs an additional $20 million to the Community Revitalization Grant Program, which the legislature created last year as part of Democrats’ Colorado Comeback State Stimulus plan. The program provides gap funding for projects in creative districts, historic districts, main streets or neighborhood commercial centers to create workforce housing, commercial spaces, and child care centers to support the state’s economic recovery. Projects that have already received funding can be found here . Previous Next

SB25-014 repeals unenforceable language from Colorado Statute that states that a marriage is valid only if it is between a man and a woman < Back April 7, 2025 JOINT RELEASE: Protecting the Freedom to Marry Act Signed Into Law DENVER, CO – Governor Jared Polis today signed into law the Protecting the Freedom to Marry Act, implementing Amendment J and removing language from the Colorado Constitution banning same-sex marriage. SB25-014 , sponsored by Senator Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, and Representatives Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, and Lorena García, D-Unincorporated Adams County, repeals the provision in Colorado statute that states that marriage is valid only if it is between a man and a woman. That provision has been unenforceable since the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 and is now in conflict with the State Constitution. “The freedom to marry who we love is a fundamental right,” said Danielson. “I cannot sit back and allow Coloradans to have their marriages and families put at risk. It’s especially important now, as the Trump Administration attacks the LGBTQ community, to secure everyone’s right to live safely in our state, and marry whomever they love.” “This law implements the will of the voters and protects marriage equality in Colorado,” said Titone. “As the Trump administration continues to blatantly attack and demonize the LGBTQ+ community, this law upholds marriage equality in Colorado. By implementing the will of the voters we're protecting the freedom to marry who we love.” “Colorado voters have spoken; they want marriage equality constitutionally protected in our state,” said García. “In an era where the Trump administration continues to take aim at critical protections and rights for the LGBTQ+ community, Colorado is standing up to protect marriage equality. With this law, we’re fulfilling the will of the voters and taking steps to protect marriage equality now and into the future.” Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment J in the 2024 election. Previous Next

< Back January 12, 2022 SPEAKER GARNETT: LET’S MOVE COLORADO FORWARD, TOGETHER Speaker Delivers Opening Day Speech as House Convenes for Second Session of 73rd General Assembly DENVER, CO– House Speaker Alec Garnett today delivered his Opening Day speech and outlined his vision for the 2022 legislative session and how the House can help save people money and move Colorado forward, saying: “For far too many families across our state, the going has gotten tougher and tougher in the last few years. Despite the incredible work we’ve done to make health care more affordable, create a more fair tax code, and support small businesses during their times of need, life in Colorado has gotten more and more expensive. That’s why my number one priority this session is to bring down the cost of living in Colorado and make life more affordable for families in our state.” In his speech, Speaker Garnett also outlined his plans to focus on more than just saving people money, explaining what it means to move Colorado forward: “We all know what drives Colorado forward: good jobs, healthy and safe communities, successful small businesses, well-funded schools and a thriving workforce. This session, we will deliver transformational changes that position Colorado for that future. Together, we’re going to build a safer, more affordable and healthier Colorado for all.”. Speaker Garnett made his commitment to public education plain and vowed to make the largest investment in K-12 in the state’s history: “I want to take a moment to acknowledge the dedication of every educator in the state who has bent over backwards to ensure that our students can continue their education despite the turmoil. Recognizing their heroic efforts and sacrifices, I vow to fight tooth and nail to ensure that we don’t divert a single dime away from public education. In fact, I’m proud to say that this session we are planning the largest investment in K-12 education in the state’s history.” The Speaker laid out the challenges facing Colorado and vowed to protect Coloradans’ democracy and fundamental rights, saying: “We cannot stand idly by while extremism threatens our liberty, our fundamental rights, and our democracy. As some continue to deny that the 2020 election was free, fair and decisive, we in Colorado will keep holding up our state-of-the-art elections system as a model for the rest of the country to increase voter participation while guaranteeing electoral integrity. As states across the country outlaw abortion, threaten reproductive rights and criminalize doctors who only seek to do right by their patients, we in Colorado will work overtime to ensure that the right to access a full range of reproductive health care, including abortion, is never infringed upon.” Tomorrow, the House and Senate will meet in a joint session to hear the governor’s State of the State address. ### The speaker’s full remarks are below: Opening Day Speech 2022 As prepared for delivery by Speaker Alec Garnett You know, it’s a bittersweet feeling, looking out on all of you today. Daneya, Patrick, Susan, Terri, Kevin, Kim: Today marks our last first day of session. Congratulations to all of you for serving your full 8 years, it’s certainly been an honor for me. We’ve come a long way since we were baby legislators. I’ve added a few grey hairs, a few pounds, and a few kids. All in all, I’m blessed to have served with each one of you and love you dearly. As Speaker, I am humbled by the opportunities we have this session to govern on behalf of every Coloradan. From the very beginning, our tenure has been shaped by the hands of history. Who would have guessed something as microscopic as a virus could hold the planet, and our fate, in a vice grip, shaping the way we govern. In a way, the challenge of this virus is fitting. As many of you know, viruses are ultimately determined by a term that is now firmly in our daily conversations: DNA. The structure, known as the double helix, is what we are used to seeing: two strands, intertwined, working together. I might offer, we across both parties, are the DNA of this building. Let us work together, to find solutions, to make progress, to deliver results People need and deserve a government that listens to them and makes their lives easier when they confront unforeseen challenges as individuals, families and businesses. The problems Coloradans are facing are dynamic. They are moving fast and changing quickly, so we as a government have to respond in kind. The unique situation we find ourselves in, not only because of COVID but also because of issues like the constant threats against our democracy, the rapidly changing economic landscape that has put enormous pressure on Colorado families, and the creeping menace of climate change, are a true test of all of us. Of how well our government can run when the going really gets tough. The issues we face are always in flux but the one constant that remains is this institution. I challenge each of you to put this institution first, like the thousands of legislators who served before us. In doing so, we’ll set an example for the thousands that will come after us. Speaking of those who have served in this chamber before our time, I’d like to take a moment to recognize the loss of former representative Mike McLachlan, a dear friend and a giant of Southern Colorado who dedicated his entire life to making our state and his home a better place for all. Barbara, we love you and we’re all here for you. There’s a lot we can learn from the legacy of Mike McLachlan. Despite serving in a fiercely competitive district, he was always willing to work across the aisle and collaborate with anyone on a good idea. This year, I’m proud to announce that I will once again appoint Marc Caitlin as Vice Chair of the Agriculture, Livestock and Water committee. To me, this is common sense: we all know Rep. Caitlin as an expert on these policy issues. But it’s more than that to me. The appointment is also symbolic. It’s a clear and resounding representation of my belief that in this building we work best when we work together. For far too many families across our state, the going has gotten tougher and tougher in the last few years. Despite the incredible work we’ve done to make health care more affordable, create a more fair tax code, and support small businesses during their times of need, life in Colorado has gotten more and more expensive. That’s why my number one priority this session is to bring down the cost of living in Colorado and make life more affordable for families in our state. As your Speaker, this will be the lens through which I will evaluate legislation: will this bill make life in Colorado more affordable or more expensive? How will this proposal improve life for everyday families struggling to make ends meet? With these questions as our north star, I’m confident we can move Colorado forward. Thankfully, we will not be starting from scratch. Far from it. For years now, this body has been hard at work ensuring that the future of Colorado is affordable. Our historic investments in education and the workforce development programs we instituted will ensure that Coloradans are ready to fill the high-paying jobs we’ve attracted to forge our state’s future. The early childhood education agency we created last year will get us closer to universal pre-K and, coupled with our work to provide full day Kindergarten across the state, we’re already helping young parents to save money on child care at a time when, on average, childcare costs almost as much as college. Our work to guarantee an affordable health insurance option in every county of the state means Coloradans will be better cared for and will keep more money in their pocket to spend when times are tough. The prescription drug affordability board we set up last year will help rein in the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs and prevent Coloradans from having to decide between buying life saving medication and putting food on the table. As a firm believer in government’s ability to get good work done despite the political muck, it brings me great satisfaction to know that many of these laws and programs were created in a cooperative and bipartisan way. I’m grateful to each of you, on both sides of the aisle, for the great effort you’ve made. But this year, as high costs of living continue to tighten their grip on the budgets of families in Alamosa, Denver, and Larimer County alike, it won’t be enough to cooperate on just ‘some’ of these solutions. So what more perfect time to come together than now? Coloradans need everyone in this chamber coming together to move Colorado forward. We all know what drives Colorado forward: good jobs, healthy and safe communities, successful small businesses, well-funded schools and a thriving workforce. This session, we will deliver transformational changes that position Colorado for that future. Together, we’re going to build a safer, more affordable and healthier Colorado for all. As I mentioned earlier, my top priority is to save Coloradans money. The people of Colorado deserve to do more than just get by. That’s why we have a plan for them to do better. Our investment of federal dollars will save Coloradans money by directing nearly $500 million into innovative affordable housing solutions. With your help and hard work, we’re going to create a Revolving Loan Fund to leverage private and local dollars to rapidly finance the development of affordable housing units. We’re going to deploy thousands of ready-to-go affordable homes quickly, especially in more rural parts of our state. And because housing costs are far from the only concern weighing on Coloradans’ minds, we’re going to keep working to lower prescription drug costs, ensuring that drug rebates are passed along to consumers, saving people money on health care. We’re going to save people money on child care by expanding universal preschool. We’re going to reduce fees associated with starting a business, or obtaining a professional license for nursing and other front line jobs. All of these innovative ideas will mean more money in Coloradans pockets, but they also mean a stronger, more resilient economy. Of course, this session will be as long as any other, so we’ll work on more than just saving people money. We are going to make smart public safety investments to prevent crime and reduce recidivism to make our communities safer. We want to stop crime before it happens, and will continue fighting to ensure that every Coloradan can feel safe in their community. We want to stop people, especially young people, from entering the system in the first place, and to provide those who do with the tools they need to turn their lives around. This means pursuing community-based solutions to homelessness and substance use disorders, working with local governments to address and prevent pandemic-induced crime, and investing in resources to break up crime rings. We will not go back to the failed policies of the past that overpopulated our prisons, wasted taxpayer dollars, and left us with high recidivism and not nearly enough rehabilitation. Instead, it’s time to make Colorado safer and forge a more compassionate, more effective criminal justice system. As events over the last year laid bare, climate change is an urgent, immediate threat to our state, and our communities. We’ve taken steps to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and position our state toward a cleaner, greener future. But as last year’s ozone pollution days showed us, we have more to do. So we are going to better invest in our air and water by cracking down on polluters, improving our permitting and monitoring systems and reducing emissions on high ozone days like the ones we all suffered through last summer. We’re going to invest in cleaning our air now. COVID has been hard on all of us and we’ve all had to make enormous adjustments and sacrifices in the past couple of years. But few Coloradans have been tested and pushed to the brink the way that our educators have. Across the state, the job of educators has gone from tough to damn-near impossible. Classrooms have gone virtual, lesson plans have gone out the window, the mental health of our children has suffered, and teachers have been left to pick up the pieces while earning half of what they deserve. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the dedication of every educator in the state who has bent over backwards to ensure that our students can continue their education despite the turmoil. Recognizing their heroic efforts and sacrifices, I vow to fight tooth and nail to ensure that we don’t divert a single dime away from public education. In fact, I’m proud to say that this session we are planning the largest investment in K-12 education in the state’s history. Health care and public health will continue to guide many of the decisions we make in this building. Despite our exhaustion and fatigue, COVID has not relented yet. The Omicron variant is spreading through Colorado and our hospitals and their staff are still feeling the pressure. While vaccines are working and keeping those who have gotten the shot out of the hospital, the situation in Colorado and around the country remains dire. I’d like to take this moment to thank the frontline health workers, like our own Representatives Caraveo and Mullica, who have not rested to ensure the health and wellbeing of their fellow Coloradans. The best way to show our gratitude to these brave Coloradans is to keep doing our part. Get your booster shot, keep wearing masks, and look out for one another. When speaking of the duties of a citizen in a democratic Republic, Teddy Roosevelt said more than one hundred years ago that, in the long run, the success or failure of said nation would depend on the way in which the average man or woman does their duty, first in the ordinary, every-day affairs of life, and next in what he dubbed those great occasional cries which call for heroic virtues. This is one such moment. Colorado needs the heroism of every man and woman who wishes to see our state succeed. In the past few weeks, I have personally been reminded of the strength and resiliency of the people of Colorado. As we prepared to enter the new year, thousands of our friends and neighbors in Boulder county were displaced by the Marshall fire. I know the thoughts and prayers of everyone in this room remain with all those affected by the fire. Seeing people from every corner of the state step up to offer places to stay, items and funds to donate, reminded me of how tough every day Coloradans are. Of course, some take this a bit further and have made being “Colorado tough” a part of their job description. I’m talking about every single first responder who helped out that day, in particular Sheriff Joe Pelle and his team, whose ability to quickly execute the evacuation orders saved lives. It’s up to us to do our part to support first responders by continuing to tackle climate change head-on. There is no doubt that the severity and the devastation of the Marshall fire were intensified by our changing climate. Last year’s low precipitation, coupled with hurricane level winds, made for a perfect firestorm. What began as a suburban grass fire that would have raised little concern a decade ago ended as a destructive inferno and a reminder that climate change is a clear and present danger. We cannot let up our fight. Threats to our Colorado way of life are not only coming in the form of fires and pandemics. We cannot stand idly by while extremism threatens our liberty, our fundamental rights, and our democracy. As some continue to deny that the 2020 election was free, fair and decisive, we in Colorado will keep holding up our state-of-the-art elections system as a model for the rest of the country to increase voter participation while guaranteeing electoral integrity. As states across the country outlaw abortion, threaten reproductive rights and criminalize doctors who only seek to do right by their patients, we in Colorado will work overtime to ensure that the right to access a full range of reproductive health care, including abortion, is never infringed upon. Government works best when we look ahead and anticipate the problems of tomorrow. That’s why I’m so proud of this body, of each and every one of you, for the forward-thinking policymaking that we’ve done since the beginning of the pandemic. After we acted swiftly in 2020 during the special session to send relief to families and businesses, we pivoted in the middle of session to focus on allocating the federal relief dollars. We shored up our state’s reserves and we set aside hundreds of millions of dollars to make lasting, transformational change in the areas where help was needed most. Those areas for transformational change: affordable housing, workforce, mental and behavioral health and economic recovery are more important now than they were a year ago. Throughout our legislative interim, members have been working diligently in those areas to come up with legislative solutions to the second wave of pressing needs brought on by COVID. The bills that will come out of the interim task force processes won’t solve these problems overnight. But I am confident – as you all should be – that making historic investments in our state’s affordable housing, and mental and behavioral health infrastructure will address the root causes of crime, homelessness, and high costs of living in Colorado. If we do our jobs as well as I know we can, then we will be treating the underlying causes of the afflictions that face our state, not just managing the symptoms. Every year since I’ve been in this building, we sit here on Day One and lay out a laundry list of goals for ourselves. The task at hand seems monumental, even impossible at times, especially when you consider that the 120 day countdown has already begun. Yet, somehow, through many long nights, many challenging committee hearings, many heated debates, we always find a way to get things done. I’d like to take a moment here to talk about how I believe we should go about getting this done. Politics, as we all know, has always been a rough business. But we cannot allow ourselves to use any of this as an excuse to act in a way that is disrespectful or that dishonors this institution and the people who sent us here to govern. Don’t put your ambition before the decorum of this institution. Don’t use the well of this chamber as your twitter handle. Park your politics outside these hallowed doors. Being elected to this office is a tremendous responsibility, I don’t have to tell you that. That responsibility includes acting with respect, practicing compassion, and extending understanding to all of our fellow representatives. It’s impossible to know what each of your colleagues is going through, but I personally know of several members in this chamber who will be showing up to work this session while facing challenging and tragic situations in their personal lives. In times as tough as these, we must be graceful, kind, and dignified as we work with each other. I talk about respect for the institution and the importance of upholding decorum a lot. Some of you may be tired of hearing it from me, but the longer you spend in this building the more respect you have for the institution. It’s important to clarify that a failure in decorum is not you failing me. It’s you failing the people of Colorado. If you are not engaged in working on policy solutions, you are wasting the people’s time. We were not elected to bicker or squabble. We were elected to govern and lead. It’s up to us to restore people’s faith in government. As I mentioned when I began, governing through a pandemic has changed the way I think about our responsibilities as lawmakers. When we campaign, we all come in knowing what we want to focus on during our time in the legislature. We pull from our experiences, examine our own problems and aspirations, and decide the areas of public life we want to improve. Hopefully, when we are elected, we also know a little bit about what our constituents would like us to focus on. We have deep roots in our communities and spend time going door to door, hearing what people want and need from their government. What we don’t know is what hand we’ll be dealt while we’re in office. Societal unrest, global pandemics, economic downturns – as we all know, the focus of a legislative body can change in an instant. So our duty as Representatives is to do the best we can with the trust we’ve been given. It is to listen and problem solve. To work together and find nimble fixes to thorny problems. We owe it to our constituents, to this institution, and to ourselves to stay humble, stay flexible, and stay steadfast in our commitment to making life in this state a little bit better every single day. Let’s move Colorado forward, together. 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< Back April 18, 2019 HOUSE APPROVES EDUCATION BILLS TO HELP KIDS FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO COLLEGE (Ap. 18) – The House gave preliminary approval to two bills that would help teachers drowning in student loan debt and encourage young girls to go into the STEM field. “In Colorado we have 3,000 educator positions going unfilled. This bill will help us address the educator shortage crisis impacting classrooms in our rural, urban and suburban schools,” said Rep. McLachlan, D-Durango, a former teacher and chair of the House Education committee. SB19-003 is a bipartisan bill that would award up to $5,000 of qualified educational loans for up to five years for teachers and educators employed in qualified positions under the program and targets teachers and rural or other hard to fill locations or content areas. The bill also alters the teacher loan forgiveness program, renaming it the educator loan forgiveness program and revises the eligibility criteria for the program. Contributing to a dire shortage of educators in many Colorado communities are a lack of access to affordable housing in rural communities, salaries that are below state or national averages, coupled with sky-rocketing student loan debt and fewer people choosing to enter the profession. SB19-003 passed in the House by a voice-vote. A final vote will be completed at a later date. The House also gave preliminary approval to a bill would get more young women and underrepresented groups more involved in STEM. “We are getting these kids ready for jobs that haven’t even been imagined yet. Right now, we can’t see the full extent of the gender gap in computer science classrooms because Colorado doesn’t gather that information,” said Rep. Esgar. “If we start gathering this information, we can better come up with solutions to solve this problem.” HB19-1277 also provides computer science classroom participation data to understand the extend the gender gap in Colorado. “I am so excited to be sponsoring a bill like this. We need to encourage our students, especially our young girls and underrepresented students to get involved in tech and science, which offer high paying jobs,” said Rep. Cutter, D-Evergreen. “This is a responsible investment in the future of our children and the future of our state.” The bill would provide $250,000 per year to grant funding for three schools and districts who want to offer computer science courses and afterschool programs with an emphasis on participation by underrepresented groups, such as women. HB19-1277 passed by a voice-vote. A final vote will be given at a later date. Previous Next

< Back February 15, 2019 HOUSE APPROVES BIPARTISAN “JUDE’S LAW” Esgar bill allowing ease for transgender Coloradans to change ID documents heads to Senate (Feb. 15) — A bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo that will allow transgender Coloradans to change the gender on their birth certificate and other official identification documents without undergoing surgery or appearing in front of a judge, also known as “Jude’s Law,” passed the House today. “This bill is about personal freedom,” said Rep. Esgar, co-chair of the LGBTQ caucus. “Not having updated ID documents interferes with the ability of transgender Coloradans to live their lives openly and honestly and to be their authentic selves.” The bill was also changed today to the title Jude’s law, named after Jude, a transgender student who has testified in support of this bill every year for the last four years. The amendment was approved with bipartisan support by a vote of 46-17. “Jude has testified at the capitol in support of this legislation for years now. We have watched her grow up in front of our eyes. She has been simply asking this legislature to give her the ability to live her most genuine life,” Rep. Esgar concluded. Current law requires transgender Coloradans to undergo surgery and then appear in front of a judge to prove the surgical procedure before they can update the gender on their birth certificate. They are then given an amended version of their birth certificate which can sometimes force a transgender person to out themselves when asked why their birth certificate is amended. This bill will grant them an entirely new birth certificate, without going through cumbersome and expensive hurdles like surgery or appearing in front of a judge, to have their documents match their gender identity. HB19-1039 also removes this publication requirement, making the process safer and more private. HB19-1039 will allow transgender Coloradans to change the gender designation their birth certificate to male, female or X, to correspond with their gender identity. The X gender marker does not stand for intersex, it means that the individual does not identify as male nor female. Current law also requires a person to file legal notice in a newspaper three times and include their current name and proposed new name before they can change it; this bill removes that requirement. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support with a final vote of 41-22 and now heads to the Senate. Previous Next

HB26-1144 strengthens Colorado’s law to crack down on ghost guns < Back May 5, 2026 ICYMI: CO Dems’ Bill to Prohibit 3D Printing of Ghost Guns is Now Law HB26-1144 strengthens Colorado’s law to crack down on ghost guns DENVER, CO - Governor Jared Polis yesterday signed a gun violence prevention bill into law. HB26-1144 will help prohibit the three-dimensional printing of firearms, large-capacity magazines or other firearm components. “Three-dimensional printing technology has become much more accessible in recent years, which has been taken advantage of by bad actors who print firearms and firearm parts to avoid background checks and other gun violence prevention laws,” said Rep. Lindsay Gilchrist, D-Denver. “3D printed guns and gun components are an increasing threat in our communities because they lack identification that law enforcement can use to track the weapon back to a suspect, and they undermine life-saving guardrails like background checks and waiting periods. Our law cracks down on this illegal practice to protect our communities from gun violence and save lives.” “The rise in 3D-printer technology has introduced a new front in our fight to prevent gun violence in the United States,” said Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Aurora. “It is imperative that we act right now to shore up existing law to prevent the at-home production of ghost guns, saving countless lives before they are threatened.” “We’re being responsive to new technology that threatens the safety of our communities by creating a new law to ensure that everyone must adhere to Colorado’s laws before they can access a firearm,” said Speaker Pro Tempore Andy Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins. “I proudly passed Colorado’s ghost gun ban in 2023, which helped prevent unserialized guns and gun parts from terrorizing our communities. This law strengthens our 2023 law to keep ghost guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and protect Coloradans from gun violence.” "In Colorado, three lives are lost to gun violence every single day. This new law is an intervention in that violence and in the growing threat of untraceable, 3D printed firearms," said Sen. Katie Wallace, D-Longmont. "The threat of 3D printed weapons is growing, but it is also preventable. This law will close loopholes in existing law to prevent gun violence and make Colorado safer.” HB26-1144 prohibits the use of a three-dimensional printer, or similar devices, to make a firearm or a firearm component. An initial violation of this provision is a class 1 misdemeanor, and any subsequent violation is a class 5 felony. Since 2016, the number of ghost guns used in crimes throughout the country increased by 1000 percent , yet over 99 percent of those guns cannot be traced back to a user, owner or producer. Between 2016 and 2021, law enforcement reported recovering over 45,000 privately-made firearms, including in nearly 700 homicide or attempted homicide investigations. When an untraceable gun is used in a crime, it can be impossible for a gun violence victim and their family to seek accountability. Colorado Democrats passed the original “ghost guns” law, also sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem Boesenecker, in 2023, which prohibited the possession, sale or transfer of unserialized firearms, frames and receivers. Previous Next

The House today passed legislation to prevent and mitigate wildfire destruction in Colorado < Back February 7, 2025 House Passes Bill to Combat Wildfires DENVER, CO – The House today passed legislation to prevent and mitigate wildfire destruction in Colorado. HB25-1009, sponsored by Representative Tisha Mauro and Junie Joesph, would encourage local governments to reduce dead vegetation that often fuels wildfires. “Taking steps now to mitigate the risk of destructive wildfires will keep our communities safer,” said Rep. Tisha Mauro, D-Pueblo. “This bill encourages property owners to reduce dead vegetation around their property, which can often accelerate wildfires. Wildfire season in Colorado is now year-round, and property owners play and important role in limiting the risk of wildfire destruction.” “Our bill takes a proactive approach to combat destructive wildfires and keep our communities safe,” said Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder. “We know that wildfires can spread quickly and this bill empowers local communities to reduce dead vegetation that can act as an accelerator to wildfires. Keeping our communities safe is a top priority, and this legislation proactively mitigates wildfire risks to protect our businesses and homes.” HB25-1009 , passed the Hous e of 42-20 and wo uld give fire protection and metropolitan districts the tools to mitigate fire risks locally, improving community safety. Specifically, the bill would encourage local governments to create programs to help property owners reduce dead or dry vegetation around their property. Dead plant materials, such as leaves, grass, shrubs, dead leaves, and fallen pine needles, can accelerate wildfires. This bill aims to empower communities to reduce dry vegetation to keep neighborhoods, businesses and homes safer from destructive wildfires. On Thursday, February 6, the House passed another bill sponsored by Representative Mauro to keep Coloradans safe. HB25-1039 , also sponsored by Representative Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland, will extend legal immunity to property owners when first responders access their property during an emergency. HB25-1039 passed the House on Thursday by a vote of 64-0 and aims to protect property owners from civil liability during an emergency, only if it is unrelated to their negligence or misconduct. Previous Next