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< Back Jennifer Bacon Assistant Majority Leader Representative Jennifer Bacon is Assistant Majority Leader and represents House District 7, which includes the Denver International Airport and Denver’s far northeast neighborhoods. Assistant Majority Leader Bacon serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Education Committee. Lifelong advocate for youth, educational access and criminal justice reform, Assistant Majority Leader Bacon’s policy spanwide and prioritize making our state more equitable for all. During the 2023 legislative session, Assistant Majority Leader Bacon championed a law to extend Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) in Colorado to reduce gun violence. Other legislative highlights include extensive legislation to reduce air pollution, equal pay for equal work, improving workplace conditions, judicial reform, combating youth recidivism, and extended education programs to help all students succeed. Assistant Majority Leader Bacon is the Chair of the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado.

< Back April 28, 2023 SIGNED! LANDMARK LEGISLATION TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE COLORADO’S RED FLAG LAW BOLSTERED ERPO POLICY WILL HELP DE-ESCALATE EMERGENCY SITUATIONS AND SAVE LIVES DENVER, CO – Governor Jared Polis today signed into law landmark legislation that will expand and strengthen Colorado’s “Red Flag” law. SB23-170 , sponsored by Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, and Senator Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, and House Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, and Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, will expand who is eligible to file for an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO), which will allow more qualified individuals to intervene before gun violence has a chance to occur. “Red Flag laws are one of the most effective tools we have to prevent gun violence, but unfortunately Colorado’s Red Flag law is tragically underutilized,” Fenberg said. “This new law will strengthen our state’s Red Flag law and increase the number of individuals who can file for an extreme risk protection order, which will create more opportunities for community members to recognize when something is wrong and intervene in a way that will prevent further gun violence and save countless lives across our state.” “This expansion of Colorado’s Extreme Risk Protection Order will improve one of the best tools we have to help prevent more Coloradans from being a victim of the next gun violence tragedy,” Bacon said. “Now, more qualified individuals will be able to file a petition if they believe someone poses a serious threat to the community. This law brings us one step closer to keeping guns out of the hands of those who would do harm to themselves or others.” “Our Red Flag law has already saved lives in Colorado, and this commonsense law will strengthen it so that it can be even more effective,” Sullivan said. “Expanding and improving our Red Flag law will create more opportunities for qualified individuals to assess the danger and act appropriately to prevent further violence and ultimately save more lives.” “Since Colorado passed the Red Flag law in 2019, it has been an effective yet underutilized tool to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals,” Weissman said. “Teachers, licensed mental health professionals, district attorneys, and medical professionals throughout our communities often have insight into the potential dangers that someone poses, making them essential in Colorado’s fight against gun violence. With this bill being signed into law today, we’re improving awareness of this tool and expanding eligibility to file a petition so we can reduce deaths by suicide and protect more Coloradans from the threat of gun violence.” Originally passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Polis in 2019, the Zackari Parrish III Violence Prevention Act is a tool used to temporarily remove firearms from a person who a judge determines is a threat to themselves or others. Currently a petition for removal can only be filed by a family member or a law enforcement officer. SB23-170 will expand the list of individuals eligible to file an ERPO to include District Attorneys and other law enforcement officials, licensed health care providers, mental health professionals, and educators. According to the Associated Press , Colorado has one of the lowest use rates of its Red Flag law. Colorado issued only 3.3 protection orders per 100,000 adult residents through 2021, ranking the sixth lowest among 19 states that have Red Flag laws. In comparison, Florida issues 33.6 protection orders per 100,000 adult residents. Researchers have found that for every 10 to 20 protection orders, one suicide might be averted. Previous Next

< Back May 12, 2020 JOINT RELEASE: JBC DEMS PRIORITIZING EDUCATION, HEALTH & SAFETY AS STATE FACES $3.3B SHORTFALL DENVER, CO – Democratic members of the Joint Budget Committee today released the following statements after the Legislative Council and the Office of State Planning and Budgeting delivered revised economic forecasts, both of which project significantly lower General Fund revenue compared to earlier estimates. Both estimates forecast General Fund shortfalls next fiscal year of more than $3.3 billion. “Colorado is facing what may be the most dire budget situation in our state’s history, but I know that we will join together and meet this challenge,” said JBC Chair Rep. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “The JBC has been working hard to protect vulnerable Coloradans and soften the impact of these cuts, as we prioritize education and critical health and safety services. We’re exploring every possible option for how we can best support our state’s recovery, but it’s critically important that Congress provide additional aid if we are to minimize the impact of these cuts on our schools and essential services.” “Colorado’s economy has a long road to recovery, and today’s forecast assures that there will be difficult cuts,” said JBC Vice-Chair Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City. “We are prepared to meet these challenges head-on to prioritize our education and health care systems. Our task is not an enviable one, but we will work tirelessly to protect the vital programs and services that our communities depend on.” “Today’s budget forecast is stark. Coloradans are strong and resourceful, and I am confident that we will step up to the enormous challenge that COVID-19 has presented,” said JBC Member Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “We will continue to look for ways to address our state’s pressing public health concerns and minimize the impact from this crisis on education and critical public health and safety services. We are going to work as hard as we can to deliver a budget that eases the pain of these cuts, supports our recovery and helps Coloradans regain their footing through this crisis.” “This forecast confirms what we have anticipated for some time: there will certainly be painful decisions ahead,” said JBC Member Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada . “We must figure out how to do more with much less. Nevertheless, we remain steadfast in our convictions to ensure anticipated cuts do not fall disproportionately on our students, schools or health and safety programs.” The updated forecast from Legislative Council staff (LCS) estimates a $895.8 million General Fund deficit at the end of FY 2019-20, a reduction of $900.1 million than what was projected in the March forecast. Revenues will fall by 11.6 percent in FY 2020-2021 from the current fiscal year, a figure that was revised down from 1.4 percent growth in the March forecast. General Fund revenues are now expected to be $892.8 million less in FY 2019-2020 and $2.42 billion less in FY 2020-2021 than anticipated in the March revenue forecast. LCS anticipates lawmakers will have $10.3 billion available for the general fund next year, a 25.3 percent drop from FY 2019-2020, and $4 billion less than estimated in the December forecast. The forecast from the governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting anticipates General Fund revenues will fall by 7.5 percent in FY 2020-2021 over the current fiscal year, a drop from 3.3 percent projected growth in the March forecast. General Fund revenue forecasts relative to the March estimate are down by $1.1 billion for FY 2019-2020, $2.4 billion in FY 2020-2021 and $2 billion for FY 2021-22. The OSPB estimates that $11 billion will be available for the General Fund next year, $1.9 billion less than FY 2019-2020. The LCS estimate indicates there is downside risk to the forecast from a prolonged economic recovery or a double dip recession due to the resurgence of COVID-19 this fall or “vicious cycle.” There is upside risk to the estimate from a faster economic recovery. Previous Next

< Back September 15, 2020 ESGAR NAMED ALLIANCE’S LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR PUEBLO, CO– Today, on Tuesday, September 15 at 1:30 PM, Representative Daneya Esgar will be awarded Alliance’s Legislator of the Year Award during a ceremony held at Pueblo Diversified Industries. She will be recognized for her “consistent and thoughtful leadership to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families.” Alliance members voted unanimously to present her with this award, citing her work on attempting to end the IDD waitlist, her sponsorship of the 2020 IDD Awareness Day Tribute, and her efforts to ensure that crucial programs, like the Children’s Extensive Supports and Supported Living Services waivers, were fully funded through a difficult budget year. In advance of receiving the award, Representative Esgar released the following statement. “I am immensely proud and truly humbled to be receiving this award today,” said Rep. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families have been at the forefront of my mind since I became a policymaker. This was a difficult year for all of our budget priorities, and while I’m proud of the work we did to maintain crucial funding for many programs that benefit the IDD community, I know that we have a great deal of work left to do. Receiving this award has only invigorated me to continue my partnership with Alliance and our work to improve the lives of countless Coloradans living with disabilities.” Alliance is a nonprofit, statewide association of Community Centered Boards (CCBs) and Program Approved Services Agencies (PASAs) that is dedicated to strengthening services and supports for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Alliance members provide services to over 20,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Colorado and employ thousands of people to support them in every Colorado community. Visit their website: www.alliancecolorado.org Previous Next

< Back April 19, 2023 House Advances Property Insurance of Last Resort, Pathways for Thermal Energy Technology DENVER, CO – The House today advanced legislation on a preliminary vote to s upport Coloradans seeking homeowners insurance in wildfire prone areas and promote the development of clean, thermal energy technology. “Wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive in Colorado, and we need to ensure our neighbors and communities are protected,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, sponsor of HB23-1288. “Through this legislation, we’re creating a FAIR insurance plan especially for Coloradans living in wildfire prone areas to insure their homes, businesses and livelihood. Property owners are already struggling to find insurance, and we are hearing from constituents that some may not be able to purchase insurance at all. We’re committed to doing everything we can to help property owners insure their structures as climate change continues to drive increasingly destructive natural disasters.” “In Colorado, we’re taking big steps to not only mitigate wildfires, but make it possible for homeowners in disaster prone areas to purchase property insurance,” said Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, sponsor of HB23-1288. “Unfortunately, many homeowners living in wildfire or flood prone areas are struggling to purchase insurance that will protect their home or business – this legislation fixes that by creating the FAIR insurance plan. We need to prepare for potential impacts to the insurance market from the next big fire, and our bill steps up to fill potential gaps in insurance coverage so Coloradans always have an option to insure their properties.” Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan Association: HB23-1288 would create a nonprofit, unincorporated legal entity, to ensure Coloradans with homes and commercial properties located in wildfire zones can receive homeowners or commercial insurance. As destructive wildfires become more frequent in residential areas, many Coloradans struggle to find a private insurer that will cover their property at all. This bill would make sure Coloradans can find a carrier to insure their homes and commercial spaces as wildfires grow in frequency and destruction across Colorado. “ Thermal energy heating and cooling systems are already being used across Colorado, and this bill creates a pathway so more Coloradans and businesses can take advantage of this cost-saving technology,” said Rep. Sheila Lieder, D-Littleton, sponsor of HB23-1252. “This legislation would make it easier to develop, expand and deploy clean, reliable thermal energy technology, creating good paying jobs, saving money on energy bills and helping to improve our air quality.” “Thermal energy is the heat beneath our feet, and it can play an important role in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels,” said Rep. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, sponsor of HB23-1252. “Our legislation works to expand avenues for thermal energy technologies in homes and businesses across the state, saving Coloradans’ money and creating new jobs in emerging fields. Attracting and adopting clean technologies like thermal energy is key to helping Colorado reach its climate goals.” Including Thermal Energy As A Clean Heat Resource: HB23-1252 would continue Colorado’s work to reduce emissions from gas utilities by providing a pathway for wider adoption of thermal energy as a clean heat resource. This bill aims to assist in the transition away from expensive fuel commodities like natural gas and lower utility costs for Coloradans. Thermal energy systems heat and cool buildings by circulating non-combustible fluids through a pipe network. Defining thermal energy as a clean heat resource allows the state to expand its usage, create new job opportunities, decrease greenhouse gas emissions and save Coloradans money on their utility bills. Previous Next

< Back March 29, 2021 AFTER GEORGIA’S JIM CROW 2.0, DEMS BEAT BACK “BIG LIE” INSPIRED ELECTION BILLS DENVER, CO — The House State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs committee today defeated multiple GOP bills based on “the big lie,” which raised baseless conspiracies about the security and integrity of elections across the country, and here in Colorado. “Colorado’s elections system is a national model for facilitating record turnout and constantly improving voter access while ensuring safety, integrity and security,” said House State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs Chair Rep. Chris Kennedy, D-Lakewood. “These bills are dangerous attempts to make it harder to vote and undermine faith in our elections based on conspiracies and the ‘big lie,’ which have been repeatedly debunked. In fact, there wasn’t a single piece of evidence presented that anyone voted who wasn’t supposed to or that anything went wrong with our voting systems. Our system has been lauded by both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state, county clerks and recorders, and officials in both parties for nearly a decade.” “From Georgia to Colorado, we are seeing an onslaught of GOP efforts across the country to restrict access to the ballot and make it harder for Americans to exercise their right to vote,” said committee vice chair Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver. “We won’t stand for these attacks on our democracy in Colorado. We should be looking for ways to increase participation and make it easier to vote, not casting doubt on the best elections system in America.” Dismantle Vote by Mail (HB21-1086 – Luck): This bill would severely limit voter access by requiring voters to submit proof of citizenship in-person at their county clerk and recorder’s office, dismantling our convenient and secure mail-in voting system. Instead of automatically receiving a ballot in the mail, each registered voter would have to go in person to submit additional documents. Voter fraud is extremely rare in the United States, and noncitizen voting is even more rare. This bill is not only a solution in search of a problem, it’s a reckless piece of legislation that would set back our progress and disenfranchise countless Coloradans. Among those directly affected would be military and overseas voters who cannot possibly get to their county clerk’s office in-person. The bill was postponed indefinitely at the request of the sponsor, although two Republicans voted against the motion and to move it forward instead. Redundant And Unnecessary Audits (HB21-1088 – Pico): This bill would require the state auditor to conduct a completely unnecessary and redundant annual audit of the voter registration system. The Secretary of State’s office and county clerks across the state conduct risk-limiting audits, regarded nationally as the gold standard, in every election and have not found any substantial evidence of fraud. Giving Political Party Chairs Influence Over Election Equipment Recommendations (HB21-1170 – Geitner): This bill creates an advisory committee made up of partisan appointees from the state’s two major political party chairs to make recommendations on how to change the state’s voting systems, which are the safest and most secure in the country. Colorado already has a bipartisan commission of experts made up of county clerks, election officials, lawmakers, and voting access and integrity advocates that shouldn’t be usurped by a commission made up only of political party appointments. After they spent months trying to undermine the security of our elections, it would be disastrous to allow partisan GOP political operatives a greater say in how we run them. Commission to Guide Redundant and Unnecessary Audits (HB21-1176 – Holtorf): This bill would create yet another commission to offer recommendations on how to audit Colorado’s elections, despite the fact that the state already has a Bipartisan Election Advisory Commission and already conducts the nationwide gold standard for election audits. By offering bills to fix problems that don’t exist, Republicans continue their efforts to undermine faith in Colorado’s elections. Endless and Meritless Recount Requests (HB21-1053 – Williams): This bill would allow any registered elector in the political subdivision where the election was held to request an electoral recount when one is not otherwise required. Under this bill, the voter requesting an recount could go so far as to specify that the recount be conducted manually, leaving the door open for all kinds of abuse of the recount mechanism. Under current law, recounts are automatically triggered when the margin falls within 0.5 percent of the vote and can be requested by any candidate or their affiliated party within 28 days of an election. Previous Next

< Back March 10, 2021 HOUSE ED ADVANCES SCHOOL FUNDING FIX Bill would help ensure fair and sufficient public school funding in every Colorado community DENVER, CO — The House Education Committee today passed HB21-1164, sponsored by Majority Leader Esgar and Speaker Garnett, which would correct an error in Colorado’s property tax system to help ensure fair, equitable and sufficient public school funding across the state. “This is the year we start to correct our broken education funding system to ensure that every child in our state has access to the education they need to thrive,” said Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “All Colorado students and taxpayers deserve a fair and sufficient share of our public education budget. By passing this bill, we can correct an error that reversed the will of voters and which led to enormous inequities in how we fund public schools. This bill sets us on a long overdue path to ensure that every school district has the resources they need to offer the quality education every student deserves.” “It’s past time to fix some of the structural inequities in Colorado’s K-12 school finance system,” said Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver. “Our current school district mill levies were misapplied and don’t comply with the will of the voters to invest in their local schools. Year after year, this error has forced the state to backfill disproportionately more funding to our wealthiest districts while many districts struggle to appropriately fund education. By fixing this mistake, we can slowly make school district funding more fair and bring it in line with what voters have approved.” HB21-1164 forms the basis of a constitutional question to be sent to the Colorado Supreme Court as an interrogatory. The purpose is to align Colorado’s property tax system with original voter intent in local school districts’ “de-Brucing” elections. Between 1994-2002, taxpayers across the state voted to get out from under TABOR imposed caps on school district revenue. Despite the will of the voters to support their local schools, the Colorado Department of Education incorrectly interpreted TABOR and artificially required school districts to collect less revenue. In fact, in 2009, the Colorado Supreme Court held that these mandated reductions were erroneous in its ruling in Mesa Board of County Commissioners v. State . The result has been escalating inequities in school funding across the state, and precious state dollars used to backfill wealthy districts while the system overall is severely underfunded. The 2020 School Finance Act (SFA) took the first step to correct this error. The 2020 SFA aligned statute with the Mesa ruling, treating past tax rate reductions as a mistake if they were enacted to comply with the TABOR limit after local voters had waived that limit. This action reset all district total program mill levies to the rate in place at the time of the successful de-Brucing election, while enacting mill levy “credits” at 100 percent of the difference between the old levy and the corrected levy in order to negate potential impacts to taxpayers during the COVID pandemic. HB21-1164 directs CDE to implement a correction plan for the erroneous reductions in total program mill levies by beginning to incrementally phase out mill levy credits starting in FY 2021-22. This timeline was chosen intentionally to ensure no district has to phase out credits faster than 1 mill per year. Previous Next

< Back April 16, 2019 HOUSE APPROVES BIRD-TITONE BILL TO BOOST AFFORDABLE HOUSING (Apr. 16) – The House approved Rep. Shannon Bird and Rep. Brianna Titone’s bill today to boost the supply of affordable housing in the state by expanding the Affordable Housing Tax Credit, which helps leverage private funding for affordable housing projects across the state. “We need to help people access affordable housing and grow the middle class and this bill is a proven and effective method to help,” said Rep. Bird, D-Westminster. “There is such a high demand for these grants across the state, so there is absolutely a need to expand this tax credit to accommodate the high demand.” The Affordable Housing Tax Credit supports key affordable housing needs such as workforce housing, homeless housing, and senior housing across Colorado and is one of the state’s most effective tools for increasing affordable housing available across the state. Colorado’s Affordable Housing Tax Credit raises private sector equity needed to support the development and preservation of affordable rental housing. It currently is authorized to allocate only $5 million; HB 19-1228 would increase the available tax credits to $10 million in 2020-24. “We need to help ease the housing crunch. This bill will help seniors and hardworking people across our state,” said Rep. Titone, D-Arvada. “Access to affordable housing can help grow the middle class and our economy which will give back to Colorado in a lot of different ways. This bill has no district boundaries. Affordable housing is needed everywhere across the state.” Between 2015-2018, the program supported 4,796 affordable rental units. The development of these homes is estimated to have generated over $1.9 billion in economic impact in Colorado. HB19-1228 passed on a bipartisan vote of 43-20 and now heads to the Senate. Previous Next

< Back March 11, 2024 House Passes Bipartisan Bill To Encourage Healthy Social Media Use Among Youth DENVER, CO – The House today passed legislation that would encourage healthy social media usage among youth under 18. HB24-1136 would require social media platforms to display pop-up warnings and create a resource bank for schools, students and families related to the mental health impacts of excessive social media use. “Excessive social media usage among teens can increase their chances of anxiety, depression and emotional distress,” said Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder. “This bill works to give parents and teens the resources they need to make informed decisions about excessive social media usage, especially the dreaded ‘doom scroll’. We’re working to encourage healthier social media habits among our youth by giving them the tools they need to make smart decisions about their own social media usage and prompting our kids to take a break from their phones.” HB24-1136 , also sponsored by Assistant Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs, passed the House by a vote of 54 to 7 and would create a resource bank of evidence-based, research-informed materials related to the mental health impacts of social media use. It also would require social media platforms display a pop-up warning to users under 18 who are on the platform for certain lengths of time. A 2023 Gallup survey found over half (51%) of U.S. teens (ages 13-19) spend a minimum of four hours daily on social media, at an average of 4.8 hours every day on social media. HB24-1136 aims to limit unhealthy social media use by youth and combat ‘doom scrolling’, a common practice of excessive engagement with negative content where users often lose track of time. Previous Next

< Back April 14, 2023 SIGNED! Bill to Protect Reproductive Health Care Patients and Providers, Ensure Access to Critical Care Becomes Law DENVER, CO – Governor Jared Polis today signed into law legislation sponsored by Senators Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and Sonya Jaquez Lewis, D-Longmont, and Reps. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood, and Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, that establishes protections from criminal prosecutions for receiving, providing, or assisting with legally-protected health care – including abortion and gender-affirming care – ensuring these overreaching interstate actions will not be recognized by the state of Colorado. SB23-188 also prevents Colorado from recognizing or enforcing civil lawsuits concerning protected health care that are penal in nature or without jurisdiction, and prevents Colorado state employees from participating in or assisting with interstate investigations or divulging information concerning protected health care. “The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade unleashed a wave of anti-abortion legislation across the country, and it’s putting Coloradans' ability to access critical reproductive and gender-affirming care in jeopardy,” Gonzales said. “Any barrier to health care in our state is unacceptable and puts lives at risk. This new law will protect the people who both seek and provide that care in our state, and will ensure that Coloradans can continue to access the life-saving care they need to thrive.” “We’ve seen nationwide attacks on our fundamental reproductive freedoms, but here in Colorado, we protect those seeking or performing legal, reproductive health care, including abortion,” said Froelich. “This law codifies important protections for legally protected health care services to make sure our patients, providers, and assistors are shielded from interstate prosecution, retaliation, and imprisonment. We’re making it clear – Colorado will never extradite a provider or patient to another state because Colorado respects bodily autonomy, privacy and the right to make your own medical decisions.” "We must do everything we can to protect vital health care professionals in Colorado,” said Jaquez Lewis. “As a pharmacist, if I dispense certain drugs that are considered abortion care medication in repressive states, I could be extradited, charged with homicide and fined hundreds of thousands of dollars. I am proud to champion this new law that ensures health care experts will feel safe making medically necessary decisions." “Anti-trans bills in other states and other egregious attempts to limit who we are will not stand in the way of our legal right to access gender-affirming and reproductive health care in Colorado,” said Titone. “Our law not only affirms the right to protected health care, but prevents other states from enforcing their regressive anti-abortion and anti-trans laws on people seeking treatment or living in Colorado. Research proves having access to gender-affirming care is validating and life-saving. I’m proud to champion a law that prioritizes patients and providers, protects our privacy and upholds your fundamental rights to reproductive and gender-affirming health care.” Previous Next

< Back May 25, 2023 SIGNED! Victim Protections in Assault, Domestic Violence Cases Becomes Law Four bills improve judicial processes in abuse and domestic violence cases DENVER, CO - Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera today signed four bills into law to improve victim protections in the justice system. HB23-1107 provides funding to services and programs that support crime survivors, including survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. HB23-1222 improves court procedures and victim protections for domestic violence cases in municipal courts. HB23-1108 better equips the judicial system and judicial personnel with the tools needed to understand the complex issues faced by victims of crimes like sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. “I know firsthand how crucial it is to improve protections for survivors of domestic violence and abuse, and with these bills becoming law today, Colorado is making huge strides toward a safer environment for survivors while they navigate the judicial system ,” said Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, sponsor of HB23-1107, HB23-1108, and HB23-1222 . “With these new laws, we’re boosting funding for victim services, improving training for judicial personnel that work on crime victim cases, and improving victim protections in municipal court proceedings. Passing these laws has been one of my top priorities as a legislator, and I’m proud that Colorado will better support victims of crime.” HB23-1107 , sponsored by Majority Leader Monica Duran, Assistant Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, and Senators Bob Gardner and Faith Winter, designates $3 million to the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program inside the Department of Human Services. This program directly funds community-based domestic violence and sexual assault programs statewide. These programs provide critical services for victims and survivors of crime including shelter, counseling, safety planning, and support for medical appointments. “I’m proud to be a part of multiple pieces of transformative legislation to strengthen autonomy and outcomes for survivors of intimate violence,” said Senator Faith Winter, D-Westminster. “These bills help ensure that survivors are safe during their court proceedings, and have community-based support systems to help them get back on their feet. Today’s signing signals our commitment to furthering support for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Colorado.” In many Front Range cities, domestic violence cases can be heard by municipal courts, which handle these cases as lower level offenses, unlike county courts. HB23-1222 , sponsored by Majority Leader Duran, Representative Mike Weissman, and Senators Dylan Roberts and Faith Winter creates new requirements for municipal courts for domestic violence cases so these cases are treated as seriously as they are in county court. The law ensures provisions of the Victims’ Rights Act are applied in municipal courts, instructs judges to check a defendant for prior charges before issuing a verdict, and ensures all cases in municipal courts have the same resources and safety precautions available that they would in a county court, among other requirements. “This bill will improve how domestic violence cases are handled in municipal court to guarantee Victim Rights Amendment protections apply as they do in county courts," said Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, sponsor of HB23-1222. “Our new law requires municipal courts to provide the same protections and apply equivalent sentencing requirements as county courts so all Coloradans can expect equal treatment under the law.” “Since the pandemic, domestic violence cases have surged across the United States, including here in Colorado,” Senator Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, said. “Previously, county and municipal courts weren’t held to the same procedural standards for domestic violence cases, which allowed perpetrators and survivors to fall through the cracks. This new law will improve the way municipal courts handle domestic violence cases – ensuring survivors are given the protections they deserve while creating a safer state for all Coloradans.” HB23-1108 , sponsored by Majority Leader Duran, Representative Gabe Evans, and Senators Chris Hansen and Bob Gardner, creates a task force in the Office for Victims Programs to examine current victim and survivor awareness and responsiveness trainings for judicial personnel. The task force will report their findings and make recommendations on how to improve trainings for judicial personnel to better serve victims and survivors of crimes including sexual assault, harassment, and domestic violence. “For victims and survivors of crime, seeking accountability through the justice system can be difficult and retraumatizing,” said Senator Chris Hansen, D-Denver. “This legislation gives judges and other judicial personnel the tools needed to approach domestic violence and sexual assault cases with care and a deeper understanding of those crimes. As the bill moved through the legislative process, we were also able to secure new supports for Colorado families by establishing a working group of experts that will make recommendations on how to best improve judicial trainings and programs for folks working on family cases. I’m proud to see this critical policy signed into law which will lead to better, safer outcomes for Coloradans seeking justice.” Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera also signed HB23-1178 , sponsored by Representative Meg Froelich and Senator Faith Winter, into law. The bill improves protections for Colorado children by adopting a federal law that requires judges and court personnel to receive training about child abuse, child sexual abuse, and domestic violence, in addition to considering certain evidence when determining custody decisions. The bill directs the task force created in HB23-1108 to study the federal training requirements in Kayden’s Law for a judge or magistrate who presides over family law cases and study current judicial training that is exercised successfully across the country. The bill also requires certain court personnel to complete ongoing trainings regarding domestic violence and child abuse issues. “When judicial personnel do not take child abuse and child sexual abuse allegations seriously, abusers gain custody of their children,” said Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood, sponsor of HB23-1178. “We are sending a message that in Colorado we intend to keep children safe from family violence, and are proud to be the first state to enact a state version of Kayden’s Law. To avoid the tragic consequences we have seen in Colorado and across the country, all judicial personnel, including judges, need to be trained to recognize domestic violence, child abuse and child sex abuse.” Congress passed Kayden’s Law in March 2022 after a seven-year-old girl was killed by her father after a judge awarded partial, unsupervised custody despite a lengthy history of violence and a pending restraining order from the mother. This federal law offers financial incentives to states to adopt child safety legislation including testimony requirements and evidence-based training requirements for judicial personnel. Local concern over child custody laws arose in 2022 when a Colorado family court custody evaluator was suspended after he was quoted questioning the legitimacy of 90% of the child abuse allegations he evaluated. Previous Next

< Back June 7, 2020 EDUCATION COMMITTEE PASSES SCHOOL FINANCE ACT AND BILL TO TEMPORARILY WAIVE STANDARDIZED TESTING REQUIREMENTS DENVER, CO — The House Committee on Education today passed HB20-1418 , the School Finance Act, sponsored by Speaker KC Becker. The bill passed on a bipartisan vote of 9-4. “This is not the School Finance Act that I wish I could sponsor,” said Speaker Becker, D-Boulder. “In one of the most dire budget years in our state’s history, we did what we could to prioritize K-12 amidst major cuts across the rest of the budget, as well as reprioritizing various grant programs towards core education funding and using federal dollars to help schools with costs due to the pandemic. But we are still facing major shortfalls in education funding. We will need to use every tool in the toolbox to protect K-12 this year and next.” HB20-1418 is the annual School Finance Act, which sets funding levels for all of Colorado’s school districts and charter schools. This year’s proposal shields K-12 from the worst of budget cuts, reducing funding for all districts by $378.6 million from the prior year amidst a $3 billion revenue shortfall. However, with $510 million in federal CARES Act funding and $37 million in additional federal funding for at-risk students intended to help address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, total school funding increases by at least $168 million overall. While the federal funds are not an offset for cuts due to the revenue shortfall, they go a long way to help schools minimize impacts during this unprecedented situation. The School Finance Act pulls funds from marijuana taxes, school capital construction, and various grant programs and cash funds in order to put dollars where they are most needed – core education funding. The bill also makes various changes to reflect COVID-19’s impacts to the school system. It delays the timeline for school districts to adopt their budgets, since the Long Bill was delayed. It also codifies the suspension of various accountability-related provisions to reflect the Governor’s executive orders and directs the Department of Education to convene a stakeholder group to assess the impact of the COVID pandemic on the 19-20 school year and whether additional changes to accountability systems are needed for the 20-21 school year. Another major provision in this year’s School Finance Act corrects an issue with how local school funding levels are set, which has contributed to the underfunding of our schools over the last 25 years. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in Mesa v. State that local school funding is set incorrectly in many districts and violates our own statutes, due to districts lowering their mill levies contrary to voter approval. This School Finance Act corrects this violation without impacting anyone’s property taxes by restoring the mill levy in each district to the rate that was adopted by voters or up to a certain limit, and requires credits to offset any increases to property owners. The committee also passed Rep. Cathy Kipp’s bill, HB20-1407 , which would respond to the challenges presented by COVID19 by temporarily giving publicly funded colleges and universities the option to waive standardized testing as a requirement for admission for high school students graduating in 2021. The bill passed the committee unanimously. “COVID19 has presented unique and complex challenges to our students and educational institutions,” said Rep. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins. “Many Colorado students lost the opportunity to take their standardized tests as scheduled during the height of the pandemic. This bill will level the playing field for them by allowing publicly funded institutions of higher education to consider their other academic credentials, like GPA and leadership positions, when making admissions decisions. This is a win-win for students and universities alike.” Previous Next