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Coloradans voted tonight to continue Democratic leadership of the Colorado House. With ballots still being counted, results indicate that House Democrats will have an overwhelming majority with additional races still too close to call. < Back November 5, 2024 Colorado Democrats Secure Overwhelming House Majority DENVER, CO - Coloradans voted tonight to continue Democratic leadership of the Colorado House. With ballots still being counted, results indicate that House Democrats will have an overwhelming majority with additional races still too close to call. “Coloradans have once again placed their trust in us, and I am grateful to the people of our state. They have elected an overwhelming Democratic majority to the House in similar numbers to what we won in 2018 and 2020 when we secured the largest Democratic majority since FDR,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “It’s clear from the results that Coloradans believe we are the right people to lead our state forward. Coloradans believe in reproductive freedom, and tonight, Coloradans reelected a pro-choice majority. Coloradans believe in public education, and tonight we reelected a pro-public schools majority. Coloradans believe in climate science, and tonight we reelected a pro-climate action majority. House Democrats are excited to build on our breakthrough session and continue fighting for our values, our freedoms and our Colorado way of life.” “I’d like to thank the voters of our state for reelecting our majority, and I congratulate all the Democratic lawmakers and candidates who worked so hard and ran great campaigns,” said Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. “This cycle, we were defending seats in Republican territory that Trump won four years ago, and we still won an overwhelming majority because Coloradans agree with us on the issues that matter most like saving families money, protecting our climate, reducing gun violence, and securing abortion rights. Tonight, Colorado rejected the party of election deniers, climate deniers and politicians who would take us backward and once again entrusted Democrats to move Colorado forward.” During the 74th General Assembly, House Democrats responded to the most pressing needs in Colorado and delivered results. During the breakthrough 2024 Legislative Session, we focused on gun violence prevention, fully funding K-12 public schools, improving air quality and reducing the costs for families. Major Accomplishments from the 74th General Assembly Making Colorado More Affordable for All: House Democrats passed legislation to save people money and new laws to make housing more affordable , reduce the cost of prescription drugs, and prevent unpredictable rate spikes on utility bills. We also delivered property tax relief for homeowners and businesses, including veterans, people with disabilities, and seniors. Colorado Democrats put money back into the pockets of hardworking Coloradans by boosting the state Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit and creating the refundable Family Affordability Tax Credit. Saving Coloradans Money on Health Care: From providing no-cost mental health services to youth and increasing hospital transparency to cutting patient costs, Colorado Democrats have passed new laws to ensure Coloradans have access to affordable, quality health care. The reinsurance program and Colorado Option are saving consumers nearly half a billion dollars a year. Protecting Reproductive Rights: Colorado Democrats have protected your right to reproductive health care. We passed laws to protect those receiving, providing, or assisting with abortion and gender-affirming care, limit surprise medical billing for reproductive health care services and treatment, and improve access to contraceptive care. We also rejected dangerous bills from the Colorado GOP that would have criminalized abortion and effectively banned IVF. Investing in Public Education: One of the biggest accomplishments of the 2024 legislative session was eliminating the Budget Stabilization Factor , increasing total funding for public schools by more than $500 million. A new bipartisan school funding formula increases funding for rural schools and at-risk students, special education, and English Language Learners. Families will save money on higher education with the Colorado Promise Act, a refundable income tax credit that will cover the cost of two years of higher education or the full cost of community college. Protecting Our Air and Water: House Democrats are dedicated to addressing climate change , improving Colorado’s air quality, and protecting our water . New laws will generate significant funding for transit, rail, and land and wildlife habitat conservation and restoration. Additionally, Colorado Democrats created over $60 million in annual tax cuts to businesses and consumers for clean energy and made water and energy efficiency improvements more affordable and eco-friendly. Preventing Gun Violence and Improving Public Safety: Colorado Democrats took major strides to prevent gun violence in our communities. We expanded Colorado’s “red flag” law, implemented a minimum three-day waiting period to receive a firearm, strengthened training requirements to receive a concealed carry permit, and improved enforcement of federal gun laws. A bipartisan law was credited for a sharp decrease in auto thefts. In 2024, we passed bipartisan laws to strengthen protections against human trafficking and improve safety for victims by expanding protections around civil protection orders. Previous Next

Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, and Senator Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, today released the following joint statement calling on CommonSpirit Health, which operates Mercy Hospital, and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado to reach an agreement that maintains in-network service consumers in Central and Northwest Colorado: < Back May 6, 2024 McCluskie and Roberts Joint Statement on CommonSpirit Health and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield DILLON, CO - Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, and Senator Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, today released the following joint statement calling on CommonSpirit Health, which operates Mercy Hospital, and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado to reach an agreement that maintains in-network service consumers in Central and Northwest Colorado: Coloradans in our community and across the state are at risk of losing access to the hospitals and health care facilities they rely on. If Anthem were to go out of network with CommonSpirit hospitals, including the hospital in Frisco, tens of thousands of our shared constituents from Jackson, Grand, Summit, Lake, and Park Counties and beyond could lose access to care. The fallout to our communities would be dire. While we understand the negotiations are complex, we strongly urge Anthem and CommonSpirit to reach an agreement that puts patients first and allows consumers to continue their treatment or receive care at facilities that are most convenient and closer to home. Coloradans in rural areas already have to travel far distances to get the care they need, and this impasse threatens to make health care even more challenging to access in the High Country. Previous Next

On August 7, three new laws will go into effect to strengthen consumer protections for ticket sales for activities like concerts and sporting events, crack down on predatory towing, and improve flexibility, fairness, safety, and transparency for gig transportation network company (TNC) workers and consumers. < Back July 30, 2024 New Laws Go Into Effect to Boost Consumer Protections for Event Tickets, Predatory Towing and Improve Gig Worker Rights DENVER, CO - On August 7, three new laws will go into effect to strengthen consumer protections for ticket sales for activities like concerts and sporting events, crack down on predatory towing, and improve flexibility, fairness, safety, and transparency for gig transportation network company (TNC) workers and consumers. “Colorado is home to many great live music venues and multiple professional sports teams, and this consumer protection law will help prevent Coloradans from being taken advantage of by bad actors,” said Rep. William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield, sponsor of HB24-1378. “This law guarantees refunds for canceled events, ensures actual all-in prices are advertised and bans deceptive website sales to clarify consumer rights and protections in the ticket industry. We’re creating a Colorado that better serves consumers so they can fully enjoy their favorite events, from Nuggets games to Taylor Swift concerts.” “For too long, bad actors have made the ticket purchasing process overly complicated and difficult to navigate,” said Senator Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, sponsor of HB24-1378. “This year, I was proud to champion the effort to bring greater transparency to the ticket buying process and improve the experience for Colorado consumers. This new law will help Coloradans attend the concerts and sporting events they love with more ease and peace of mind.” “Unfortunately, most Coloradans have had negative experiences with the ticket industry that make it more difficult for them to attend concerts and professional sports games,” said Rep. Alex Valdez, D-Denver, sponsor of HB24-1378. “As a resident of downtown Denver, I know how important our local sports teams and big concert events are to local businesses. Our legislation will bolster protections for consumers, making ticket-buying a more secure process so Coloradans can feel better about their purchases.” HB24-1378 , also sponsored by Senator Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, requires ticket sellers and resellers to guarantee refunds to ticket buyers and prohibits an operator from denying entry to ticket holders who purchased the ticket through a reseller. This new law expands what constitutes a deceptive trade practice, including: Displaying trademarked, copyrighted, or substantially similar web designs, URLs, or other images and symbols with the intent to mislead a purchaser, Selling a ticket to an event without disclosing the total cost of the ticket, or Increasing the price of a ticket after the ticket has been selected for purchase, except for adding delivery fees. The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that additional fees on event tickets average 27 to 31 percent of the ticket’s price. HB24-1051 improves oversight, transparency and fairness in the towing industry in Colorado. Specifically, this law ends the practice of towing carriers patrolling, monitoring or policing properties to enforce parking restrictions on behalf of property owners. It also directs the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to promulgate new rules for towing carriers, including requiring carriers to disclose additional information necessary for effective oversight and meaningful reporting, beginning September 1, 2025. “Leveling the playing field amongst towing companies and everyday Coloradans is essential, and that begins with dismantling some of the financial incentives for towing companies,” said Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, sponsor of HB24-1051. “While the Towing Bill of Rights laid a strong foundation to protect vehicle owners, we’re doing more to improve transparency within the towing industry and prohibiting predatory towing companies from patrolling parking lots to look for vehicles to profit on. Today, we’re putting consumers first by requiring property owners to authorize residential non-consensual tows, outlining more guardrails for towing carries and making sure vehicles towed illegally are returned to the owner within 48 hours at no cost.” “When my car was wrongfully towed last summer, it showed me how the laws we had in place were being ignored and weren’t strong enough. Since then, I’ve heard from countless Coloradans who have shared their experiences as well, which was the reason to come back to the table and further strengthen Colorado’s Towing Bill of Rights,” said Senator Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, sponsor of HB24-1051. “It all worked out for me in the end, but you shouldn’t have to be a senator or know the law forward and backward just to be treated fairly. This legislation ensures towing companies aren’t hiding the ball when it comes to telling people their options and rights under the law. My hope is that with this law, we can better protect consumers and hold towing carriers responsible for following the law.” “Imagine waking up to find, through no fault of your own, that your vehicle has been towed – this is an unfortunate reality for many in our state,” said Rep. Tisha Mauro, D-Pueblo, sponsor of HB24-1051. “Our legislation works to break down financial incentives for predatory towing practices, specifically patrolling parking lots, and drastically improves consumer protections. Under this law, if a vehicle is illegally towed, the towing company will have to make it right by returning the vehicle within 48 hours at no cost to the owner. To ensure we’re leveling the playing field between Coloradans and towing companies, this law also outlines new rules for towing carriers to create a better state for us all.” “Over the past few years, we’ve worked hard to improve consumer protections in the towing industry and for TNC drivers,” said Senator Kevin Priola, D-Henderson, sponsor of HB24-1051 and SB24-075. “In the years since, we’ve learned that we need to do more to ensure that towing companies are actually following the law as intended and that drivers have the transparency they deserve. I was proud to sponsor these laws that make much needed updates to our Towing Bill Rights and provide drivers with essential details about their work like pay and destination – both of which ensure greater fairness for Coloradans.” Importantly, HB24-1051 changes the incentive structure for towing companies by requiring the property owner to authorize non-consensual tows. Unauthorized vehicles will still be towed at the expense of the vehicle owner. Another portion of the law aims to ramp up consumer protections by requiring companies to return a wrongfully towed vehicle to the original location within 48 hours and at no charge to the vehicle owner, and improving parking lot signage to explain towing regulations clearly in both English and Spanish. The law also makes it a deceptive trade practice to conduct a non-consensual tow in violation of the law. In an effort to improve long-term transparency in the towing industry, HB24-1051 allows the PUC to suspend or revoke a towing carrier permit in certain circumstances and the law addresses conflicts of interest for members of the Towing Task Force . Gig work has risen over the last decade, but many workers struggle to make ends meet or plan for their financial future due to the volatile nature of their earnings and unjust terminations. SB24-075 addresses a number of issues gig workers and consumers face by requiring the following: Companies must disclose terms and grounds for termination or deactivation of drivers and communicate the reconsideration process; Companies must disclose the fare, distance, and direction to all drivers before they accept a ride, which can prevent last-minute ride cancellations initiated by drivers; Companies must disclose fare information to customers, including the total amount paid and how much of that the driver received; and Companies must disclose some ride and app activity-related information to the state of Colorado, such as total mileage driven, deactivations and reconsideration results, and more. “Gig workers deserve to know how much they will get paid before they accept a job, and this law will give them better clarity so they can make informed workplace decisions,” said Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, sponsor of SB24-075. “This law improves gig workers’ rights while providing much-needed transparency to consumers so they know what their money is paying for.” “All workers deserve to know how much they get paid and what their job entails, but currently rideshare and delivery gig workers aren’t given that information,” said Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, sponsor of SB24-075. “Our new law gives basic rights to TNC drivers and provides much-needed transparency for customers.” “The gig economy has exploded in recent years, and we are addressing the lack of worker protections and consumer transparency to ensure fair wages and autonomy,” said Rep. Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora, sponsor of SB24-075 . “This law aims to address these issues by requiring companies to disclose the distance, direction, and fare of a ride to drivers before they accept it and share fare information with customers so they know how much of their rideshare is going to their driver. Without this information, drivers and customers are left in the dark and are vulnerable to being over-charged or underpaid.” The law aims to provide transportation network company drivers with transparent information about tasks and earnings, and customers with the information needed to make decisions about how much to tip. Additionally, it will protect drivers by giving them a basic level of transparency about how deactivations are considered and can be appealed. Previous Next

< Back May 10, 2021 BIPARTISAN BILL TO EXPAND PEACE OFFICER MENTAL HEALTH GRANT PROGRAM PASSES Rep. Julie McCluskie’s bill to expand the successful peace officers behavioral health support grant program passes house on third reading DENVER, CO– The House today passed Rep. Julie McCluskie’s bipartisan bill to modify the existing peace officer mental health grant program to expand and enhance community based law enforcement response efforts. The bill passed by a vote of 57-6. “Expanding the Peace Officer Mental Health Grant Program to include a focus on co-responder and community partnership programs is responsive to the many behavioral health and social services needs we are seeing in Colorado’s communities,” said Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “It’s important that we diversify the tools available to create a continuum of responses for individuals in crisis and connect them to the support they deserve. Expanding this grant program will do just that.” The Peace Officer Mental Health Grant program provides financial assistance to law enforcement agencies for services such as counseling and mental health support for peace officers, on-scene response services to support peace officers’ handling of people with behavioral health issues, use of force training, and more. HB21-1030 , also sponsored by Minority Leader Hugh McKean, R-Loveland, removes the grant program’s repeal date and expands the allowable uses of the grant funds to include on-scene responses for social service needs in addition to mental health, meaning responders could direct individuals toward help with housing, food insecurity and more. The program will continue to fund direct mental health support services for peace officers and will open up additional opportunities for collaborative responses to calls for service between public safety entities and community-based providers. Previous Next

< Back February 21, 2020 HOUSE PASSES ENERGY EFFICIENCY OPTIONS FOR HOMEOWNERS The House today passed Representatives Mike Weissman and Alex Valdez’s bill to give home buyers more options with regards to energy efficiency products in new homes, such as electric vehicle charging, electric water heating and solar panel systems. The bill passed in third reading by a vote of 37-23. “When buying a home, which is perhaps the most significant investment of their lives, homeowners deserve to have more options to make their homes more energy efficient,” said Rep. Weissman, D-Aurora . “This legislation would reduce the headache of having to install greener solutions down the road, which makes sense for anyone in Colorado who is interested in reducing their carbon footprint or the cost of their bills.” “To protect the Colorado way of life, we need to do all we can to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Rep. Valdez, D-Denver . “Withthis legislation, Coloradans can take part in moving towards carbon-free homes while saving money in the process.” HB20-1155 requires single-family home builders to make a non-mandatory offer to install or pre-wire homes for electric vehicle charging, electric heating, or electric water appliances. The home buyer would pay for the installation, and the bill does not mandate that a builder build or install anything that a buyer doesn’t want. Current law asks home builders to offer, if a buyer wants, to pre-wire for solar or thermal systems. This would expand that to electric vehicle charging, heating and water. It is less expensive to install or pre-wire for energy efficient appliances and vehicles when a home is being built than to retrofit a new home after it’s been purchased. Homebuyers can save money on electric vehicle charging if it’s installed when they build their homes. Together, these options will lead to more homes having energy efficient appliances, reducing the direct use of fossil fuels. ### Previous Next

SB24-189 adds gender identity and gender expression to Colorado’s bias-motivated crimes and harassment laws < Back June 28, 2024 Legislation to Protect More Coloradans from Bias-Motivated Crimes Goes Into Effect DENVER, CO – Legislation that will protect more Coloradans from bias-motivated crimes goes into effect on July 1. SB24-189 , sponsored by Senators Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, and Chris Hansen, D-Denver, as well as Representative Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, improves protections for Coloradans by adding gender identity and gender expression to the classes included in Colorado’s bias-motivated crimes and harassment laws. “Every Coloradan deserves to feel secure in their community, but far too many folks have been targeted because of who they are or how they identify,” Fields said. “As trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive folks face increasing threats across the country, we will continue fighting to make our state safer for all Coloradans and provide better protections against bias-motivated crime and harassment.” "Sadly hate crimes are on the rise in Colorado and the need for protections for LGBTQ+ Coloradans is very clear," Weissman said. "This new law bolsters protections for our transgender community by clarifying transgender identity as a protected class in our bias crime laws. We are working hard to protect all Coloradans from crimes that target them just because of who they are." “Colorado has been a national leader when it comes to advancing equality and protections for our LGBTQ+ neighbors,” Hansen said. “This bill will help protect Coloradans from violence or harassment based on their gender identity or gender expression, and will help ensure perpetrators of bias-motivated crimes are held accountable for their actions. I’m pleased to champion this legislation that will help more Coloradans feel secure and keep people in our communities safe.” The bill also redefines "sexual orientation" as used in our bias-motivated crimes and harassment statutes. Previous Next

Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Representative Brianna Titone today released the following statements as the United States Supreme Court begins hearing oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar. < Back October 7, 2025 Titone, Michaelson Jenet Release Statements on SCOTUS Conversion Therapy Hearing DENVER, CO – Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Representative Brianna Titone today released the following statements as the United States Supreme Court begins hearing oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar . Senator Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City: “In 2019, after years of work and repeated legislative attempts, I sponsored and successfully passed a law to prohibit the life-threatening and inhumane practice of conversion therapy. While writing the bill and fighting for its passage, my co-sponsors and I had meetings with parents, children, child psychology experts, and doctors. We heard gut-wrenching personal testimony, research and data about the lifelong consequences of conversion therapy, and even stories of suicide. The evidence was overwhelming: conversion therapy is deeply and often permanently harmful to youth. “Now, the Supreme Court is taking up a case that challenges these fundamental protections in yet another attack against the LGBTQ+ community. No matter what happens in this case, I will always fight for Colorado youth to grow up happy, healthy, and with the freedom to be themselves.” Representative Brianna Titone, D-Arvada: “In Colorado, we trust the science and medical professionals. Conversion therapy is harmful and ostracizes our LGBTQ+ youth. The research is clear: conversion therapy does not work, and it leads to negative outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth that put their lives at risk. This SCOTUS case is another attempt by MAGA loyalists to demonize the LGBTQ+ community and harm LGBTQ+ youth. We strongly urge the Court to uphold this law and protect children across the country. ” In 2019, Colorado Democrats sponsored legislation to ban conversion therapy for minors. Conversion therapy is a debunked treatment intended to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity through harmful interventions. The vast majority of medical and mental health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, are opposed to conversion therapy. In 2009, a task force at the American Psychological Association published a report conducting a systematic review of conversion therapy and concluded that “...efforts to change sexual orientation are unlikely to be successful and involve some risk of harm, contrary to the claims of SOCE practitioners and advocates.” More than 20 states , including Colorado, New York and Utah, have banned conversion therapy for minors. Previous Next

The House today passed legislation on a preliminary vote to prevent child labor violations. < Back March 17, 2023 House Advances Bill to Prevent Child Labor Violations DENVER, CO - The House today passed legislation on a preliminary vote to prevent child labor violations. “Currently, underage employees are only able to pursue legal action for workers compensation violations, meaning that victims of child labor violations like dangerous working conditions and illegal working hours can’t seek accountability in court,” said Rep. Sheila Lieder, D-Littleton. “Teens across the state find part-time work for many reasons, such as gaining work experience or saving for college expenses. This bill expands legal options for underage workers to hold their workplace accountable for child labor violations and unsafe working conditions that no child should be subjected to.” Current Colorado law only allows a child worker to pursue legal action against a company for workers’ compensation. HB23-1196 amends language in the Colorado Youth Employment Opportunity Act of 1971 to expand the legal action that a child, or a parent of a child, can take to hold a company accountable for breaking child labor laws. The bill is in response to many recent child labor law violations, including a food sanitation corporation with Colorado facilities that was fined $1.5 million in penalties. Teens have twice the risk of nonfatal on-the-job injuries than older workers, making it especially necessary for this legal expansion for underage workers. Previous Next

Speaker Julie McCluskie and Senator Dylan Roberts today presented to the Frisco Town Council and highlighted recent legislation to make Colorado more affordable. < Back July 23, 2024 McCluskie Highlights Affordability Measures at Frisco Town Meeting FRISCO, CO – Speaker Julie McCluskie and Senator Dylan Roberts today presented to the Frisco Town Council and highlighted recent legislation to make Colorado more affordable. “Everyone in the high country should be able to live, work and learn in the places they love, but the cost of living in our communities is way too high,” said Speaker McCluskie, D-Dillon. “We have focused on making housing, health care and child care more affordable. I’m proud that the successful reinsurance program I helped create has saved Coloradans over $2 billion on health insurance, and this year, we delivered bipartisan property tax relief that will lower taxes for families and small businesses.” Speaker McCluskie sponsored the bipartisan property package that will permanently reduce property taxes for families and small businesses. She also sponsored the legislation to create the successful reinsurance program, which is saving people money on health insurance and has had a drastic impact on lowering costs in the high country. McCluskie has also sponsored legislation to responsibly encourage more housing to reduce the cost of living in resort communities, authored successful laws to boost child care affordability , and referred a measure to voters to establish Colorado’s free universal preschool program. She also sponsored the new public school finance formula, which will result in a projected 12 percent increase for Summit County schools, over the next six years. Previous Next

< Back April 4, 2022 BILL TO ENHANCE COLORADO'S AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE WINS COMMITTEE APPROVAL DENVER, CO – The House Agriculture, Livestock & Water Committee today passed legislation to better inform agricultural workers and employers of their rights to improved working conditions and other educational resources. HB22-1308 would create a multilingual online portal for workers to access critical labor resources and provide grants to employers for workplace improvements. “We’re taking the necessary steps to build a safer, healthier Colorado through improving agricultural workplaces and resources for employees,” said Rep. Karen McCormick (D-Longmont). “This bill is designed to build a stronger workplace relationship between employers and employees by centralizing critical workplace information, including mental health resources and updated labor regulations. Agriculture is a critical industry for Colorado and our goal is to streamline the outreach process so employers and employees can work together to build safer workplaces for everyone.” HB22-1308 passed committee unanimously and would create an online resource portal for agricultural employees to access workplace resources, technical assistance and education. Examples of workplace resources include mental health resources, injury prevention, unemployment assistance and training. Employees would also be able to report workplace misconduct and abuse including discrimination, harassment and labor law violations. The second portion of this bill would create a grant program for workplace improvements, changes or modifications to infrastructure or programming. Employers could use grants for in-person training, workforce housing improvements and building structures for sun protection, among other improvements. Previous Next

< Back April 12, 2022 HOUSE PASSES BILLS TO SAVE COLORADANS MONEY ON TUITION AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DENVER, CO – The House today passed two bills that will save Coloradans money on higher education tuition and behavioral health services. HB22-1155 passed by a vote of 41-19 and is sponsored by Representatives Perry Will and Julie McCluskie. The bill would expand in-state tuition to more Colorado students and families. Under current law, students must reside in Colorado for at least three years before they are eligible for in-state tuition. This bill changes the requirement to allow any student who graduates from a Colorado high school and has resided in the state for one year to receive in-state tuition. “The bill we passed today will save families and students money as they pursue their higher education degrees,” Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, sponsor of HB22-1155. “Every Coloradan should have access to higher education opportunities that will set them up to thrive, and our workforce needs in the high country and across Colorado are significant. By reducing the cost of higher education, we’ll prepare more students for success and open the door for more high school graduates to access the education they need to secure better paying jobs and address our workforce shortage.” HB22-1278 passed by a vote of 46-14 and is sponsored by Representatives Mary Young and Rod Pelton. The bill will improve Coloradans’ access to behavioral health services and save Coloradans money. This bipartisan bill is designed to streamline behavioral health care access for Coloradans through the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA). “This legislation takes the next step to stand up Colorado’s new Behavioral Health Administration, which will work to make mental health care and substance use disorder treatment less expensive and easier to access,” said Rep. Mary Young, D-Greeley, sponsor of HB22-1278. “The pandemic has only exacerbated the long standing challenges Coloradans have faced when trying to access the behavioral health care they need to thrive. This bill will boost access to the care Coloradans need and cut the red tape that prevents too many people from getting the help they need.” The bill would establish a comprehensive, accountable behavioral health safety net system available in every region of Colorado. This includes 15 different critical behavioral health services including substance use, crisis services, criminal justice diversion, trauma informed care, youth services and more. The BHA will reduce bureaucracy by consolidating fragmented behavioral health networks into one behavioral health administrative services organization (BHASO) per region. The push for this legislation stems from patient frustration surrounding disjointed behavioral health care services. With this bill, patients would be able to more easily access behavioral health services in their community. Previous Next

Two bipartisan laws to allow Coloradans who are incarcerated to earn time off their sentence by pursuing higher education and to expand access to DNA testing after being convicted of a felony are now in effect. < Back October 3, 2023 JOINT RELEASE: Bipartisan Laws to Reduce Recidivism and Expand Post-Conviction DNA Testing Go Into Effect DENVER, CO – Two bipartisan laws to allow Coloradans who are incarcerated to earn time off their sentence by pursuing higher education and to expand access to DNA testing after being convicted of a felony are now in effect. “Education is a proven tool to reduce recidivism and improve public safety because it creates strong, post-sentence pathways for formerly incarcerated Coloradans to thrive after completing their sentence,” said Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista, sponsor of HB23-1037 . “It is exciting to see higher education institutions from across the state sign on to work with the Department of Corrections to offer courses to Coloradans who are incarcerated. This bipartisan legislation will help Coloradans have the skills and higher education credits they need to secure a good-paying job after their time is served.” “Colorado owes incarcerated people more, which is why I am proud to have championed these bills that will help folks in prison prove their innocence and better prepare them for life outside prison,” Senator Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, Sponsor of HB23-1037 and HB23-1034 said. “Enabling petitioners to access post-conviction DNA testing will help folks prove their innocence and allow them to reclaim their freedom, while expanding educational opportunities will reduce recidivism rates and better prepare Coloradans to find good-paying careers once they’ve left prison. I am happy to see these important new laws go into effect, and I look forward to the transformational changes they will bring to incarcerated Coloradans.” “Wrongful convictions ruin the lives of innocent people across our nation and can lead to cycles of poverty and incarceration that devastate families and perpetuate injustice,” said Rep. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada, sponsor of HB23-1034 . “When someone is wrongly convicted, that means the real perpetrator is likely still on the street. This important law makes it easier for those convicted of certain crimes to access post-conviction DNA testing, which can help prove their innocence and identify the actual perpetrator. This law will lead to safer communities and a more just and trusted legal system for Coloradans.” HB23-1037 , sponsored by Representatives Matt Martinez and Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs and Senator Julie Gonzales, allows people who are incarcerated and sentenced for a nonviolent felony offense to reduce their sentence by completing an accredited degree or other credential awarded by an accredited higher education institution while the person is incarcerated in the Department of Corrections. Specifically, people who are incarcerated can receive 6 months of earned time for an earned credential or a 30 credit hour certificate, one year of earned time for a bachelor's or associate's degree, 18 months of earned time for a master’s degree, and two years for a doctoral degree. Five Colorado Universities will offer select courses and certificate programs to people who are incarcerated including Adams State University, Trinidad State University, Pueblo Community College, Colorado State University Pueblo and Regis University. HB23-1034 , sponsored by Representatives Lindsey Daugherty and Matt Soper, R-Delta, and Senators Julie Gonzales and Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, aims to help end wrongful convictions by expanding the use of post-conviction DNA testing. Specifically, this law expands the eligibility for people to access DNA testing after being convicted of a felony to include those on parole or probation, registered sex offenders, those charged with a felony but not convicted by reason of insanity and those who have completed their felony prison sentence. Previous Next