We are officially a week beyond the end of the legislative session, but I'm still playing a bit of catch up. In addition to catching up on sleep, housework, and daily living, I've been trying to catch up with my two children. As such, this edition of my newsletter is coming to you a few days late. But in light of Mother's Day, I wanted to share with you a few of the bills that we passed this session that will positively impact women and their families.

Bill signing ceremony for HB19-1030 on  Unlawful Sexual Communication,  a bill that will help keep our kids safe

To begin with, SB19-085 the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, was one of the more significant bills passed this session. According to the Colorado Women's Bar Association, "Pay inequity is a real and persistent problem that continues to affect women and their families in Colorado." That's because women are the primary or co-breadwinners in three-quarters of families in Colorado, and the pay gap is a major obstacle to economic security. This bill will  implement measures to help prevent pay disparities. 

Another bill that helps women, especially working moms, is HB19-1013, the Child Care Expenses Tax Credit For Low-income Families. This bill extended the income tax credit for child care expenses for low-income wage earners. I know that when my children were young, finding affordable child care was extremely difficult. According to the Bell Policy Center, "Our state's average cost of child care for one 4-year-old is about $11,000 per year, while infant care is closer to $15,000 annually, which accounts for 19.5 percent of median family income in Colorado." Hopefully this bill will provide a little bit of relief for working moms! 

And lastly, there were a few health care bills that aimed at helping women specifically, such as HB19-1038 Dental Services for Pregnant Women on CHP+, HB19-1122 CDPHE Maternal Mortality Review Committee, and HB19-1301 Health Insurance for Breast Imaging. According to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), w omen are key in maintaining healthy families: " Across her lifespan, a woman's health status matters to herself, her family and to state budgets." 

These are but a few of the bills that will positively impact women in the coming years. From health care to sexual violence and harassment, to environmental concerns, elder rights, and employment law, we saw significant gains this session for women, including working moms, women of color, women with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community.