This email blast provides a one-stop-shop for key updates and news around policy and legislation that impacts the Rocky Mountain Partnership's goals.

We've gotta say it: This information is subject to change. In addition, some updates may be sourced from organizations that have read limits or limits on how many articles you can access in a given time period.

The 2023 Colorado State Legislative Session officially ended on May 8, 2023. Among the most hotly contested bills were policies focused on gun control, crime, housing, and tax policy. Learn more about how the bills RMP kept an eye on this session fared below.

600+

Total Bills Introduced

101

Bills in the RMP Tracker

77

Of These Bills Passed

24

Of These Bills Have Become Law

A quick note: Governor Polis has 30 days from the end of the legislative session to sign or veto any bills passed by legislators. If he does not sign them nor veto them in that time frame, they automatically become law.

Key Takeaways

Lawmakers expanded training options for in-demand fields.

• House Bill 1246 opens free college for students training in early childhood, education, law enforcement, firefighting, forestry, construction, and nursing.

• Senate Bill 205 will spend $25 million for scholarships for up to $1,500 for students in the Class of 2024 who attend college, join an apprenticeship, or train in an in-demand job.

• Senate Bill 87 creates an apprenticeship program for teacher candidates.

• House Bill 1212 creates a navigator program to promote apprenticeships to high school students.

Lawmakers are changing how schools are funded.

• Lawmakers approved a budget and school finance act for 2023-2024 that raises per-pupil spending to $10,614. This bill also promises to fully fund K-12 beginning in the 2024-2024 school year, getting rid of the 13-year budget stabilization factor.

• Proposition HH is headed to voters this fall. Proposition HH would ask voters whether property taxes should be reduced and seeks voter approval to retain and spend excess state revenues that will be used to backfill some of the reduced property tax revenue. Advocates say it could change how schools are funded in the future.

How did the other bills fare? View RMP's State Legislative Tracker HERE.

Key Takeaways

Lawmakers worked to address disparities in hiring and retaining diverse talent.

• Senate Bill 58 prevents employers from asking job applicants age-identifying information on an initial application.

• Senate Bill 17 expands how employees can utilize paid sick leave.

• Senate Bill 105 requires the department of labor and employment and employers to implement additional measures to ensure equal pay for equal work.

Lawmakers expanded workforce protections for employees.

• Senate Bill 111 grants certain public employees workforce protections from employer retaliation related to talking about or organizing around workplace conditions.

• Senate Bill 172 puts in place a number of protections for Colorado workers against discriminatory employment practices.

How did the other bills fare? View RMP's State Legislative Tracker HERE.

Key Takeaways

Lawmakers looked at creative solutions for increasing housing access and affordability across the state.

• House Bill 1190 gives local governments a right of first refusal to buy apartment complexes and turn them into affordable housing.

• House Bill 1189 provides a tax credit to employers who provide their employees with monetary assistance in purchasing a home.

• House Bill 1255 preempts any existing local governmental entity housing growth restriction, and forbids the enactment or enforcement of any future local housing growth restriction, unless certain conditions are met.

Lawmakers expanded protections for renters.

• House Bill 1120 puts in place additional eviction protections for renters who receive public assistance.

• House Bill 1095 prohibits certain provisions in rental agreements.

• House Bill 1186 allows for remote participation in eviction hearings.

• Senate Bill 184 prohibits a landlord from considering certain information relating to a prospective tenant's income, establishes a maximum amount that a landlord can require as a security deposit, and allows a tenant to assert as an affirmative defense in an eviction proceeding that a landlord violated anti-discriminatory housing laws.

Several controversial housing bills did not pass, including:

• Senate Bill 213, Governor Polis' land use bill

• House Bill 1171, which would prohibit evictions without just cause

• House Bill 1115, which would allow local governments to enact rent control on private residential properties

How did the other bills fare? View RMP's State Legislative Tracker HERE.

Key Takeaways

Lawmakers worked to improve access to health and behavioral health services.

• House Bill 1009 will create a committee to improve services to help students who need substance use treatment

• Senate Bill 2 allows the department of health care policy and financing to seek federal authorization to provide medicaid reimbursement for community health worker services.

• Senate Bill 124 requires the department of health care policy and financing to provide certain behavioral health services for medicaid recipients who are under 21 years of age.

Lawmakers worked to address shortages in the behavioral health workforce.

• Senate Bill 4 will expedite licensing for counselors, social workers, and other mental health professionals to work in schools. 

How did the other bills fare? View RMP's State Legislative Tracker HERE.

About the Rocky Mountain Partnership

Our Mission

We are cross sector COMMUNITY PARTNERS and COMMUNITY MEMBERS who come together to solve challenging problems that stand in the way of economic and social mobility.

We do this by working together on innovative projects that:

• Break down silos
• Remove barriers
• Support resources and policy to align to the things that work

Our Vision

An inclusive and prosperous region where every community member, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, zip code or circumstance, has the opportunity to earn an income that allows them to take care of themselves and their families, and thrive from cradle to career.

Our Work

Through the Rocky Mountain Partnership, community members and partners work together on innovative projects toward shared goals. These projects:

• Avoid duplicating efforts that are already underway through partner
• organizations or in the region
• Build upon or enhance existing efforts
• Address critical gaps to promote better coordination and cohesion across all efforts

Our Goals

RMP has four shared goals, including:

• Goal 1: Increase the supply of talent to the jobs that are most critical to our region’s economic vitality
•  Goal 2: Employers improve how they hire, retain, and promote diverse talent
•  Goal 3: Increase the availability and accessibility of attainable housing
•  Goal 4: Distribute funding to reduce the impacts of the opioid crisis