About this Weekly Policy Brief

This brief is your source for the latest updates on legislation and policies impacting the Rocky Mountain Partnership's priorities. It's not just about staying informed – we want to equip you to understand and engage with the legislative landscape. 

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Two bills that RMP have been watching were signed into law:

• SB24-051: Adult Education
• HB24-1210: Higher Education Longitudinal Data System Report Deadline

Join our friends at the Economic Development Council of Colorado for a conversation on the Unintended Consequences of Construction Defects

• Date: March 20, 2024
• Time: 10 - 11:30 AM

Learn More

Learn about policies at the statehouse! See RMP's latest policy overviews:

• SB24-050: Colorado Workforce Demonstration Grants Pilot Program
• SB24-104: Career & Technical Education & Apprenticeships
• SB24-106: Right to Remedy Construction Defects
• SB24-143: Credential Quality Apprenticeship Classification
• HB24-1152: Accessory Dwelling Unites

New Bills We Are Keeping an Eye On

• HB24-1365: Opportunity Now Grants & Tax Credit

Bills Being Heard in Committee Next Week

Monday, March 18

House Education

Time: Upon Adjournment

• HB24-1331: Out-of-School Time Grant Program
• SB24-017: Distribution of State Share of District Total Program
• HB24-1320: Educator Safety Task Force

House Finance

Time: Upon Adjournment

• HB24-1243: Income Tax Owed by Minors on Earned Income
• HB24-1231: State Funding for Higher Education Projects
• HB24-1176: Behavioral Health Grant for Capital Project

Senate Education

Time: 1:30 PM

• HB24-1096: School Psychologist Licensure Interstate Compact

Senate Judiciary

Time: 1:30 PM

• HB24-1122: Protection Orders for Victims of Crimes

Tuesday, March 19

House Health & Human Services

Time: Upon Adjournment

• SB24-073: Maximum Number of Employees to Qualify as Small Employer

House Transportation, Housing & Local Government

Time: 1:30 PM

• HB24-1239: Single-Exit Stairway Multifamily Structure
• HB24-1308: Effective Implementation of Affordable Housing Programs
• HB24-1294: Mobile Homes in Mobile Home Parks

Wednesday, March 20

House Business Affairs and Labor

Time: Upon Adjournment

• HB24-1260: Prohibition Against Employee Discipline
• HB24-1365: Opportunity Now Grants & Tax Credit
• SB24-155: Payment of Family & Medical Leave Benefits

House Transportation, Housing & Local Government

Time: 1:30 PM

• HB24-1168: Equal Access to Public Meetings
• HB24-1158: Homeowners' Association Foreclosure Sales Requirements

Senate Education

Time: 1:30 PM

• SB24-156: College Preparation & Enrichment Program
• SB24-164: Institution of Higher Education Transparency Requirements

Senate Judiciary

Time: 1:30 PM

• HB24-1072: Protection of Victims of Sexual Offenses

Thursday, March 21

Senate Local Government & Housing

Time: Upon Adjournment

• SB24-106: Right to Remedy Construction Defects

Senate Business, Labor, & Technology

Time: Upon Adjournment

• SB24-048: Substance Use Disorders Recovery

House Education

Time: 1:30 PM

• HB24-1364: Education-Based Workforce Readiness
• HB24-1264: Supporting the Educator Workforce
• HB24-1278: Sunset Concurrent Enrollment Advisory Board

Senate Health & Human Services

Time: 1:30 PM

• HB24-1002: Social Work Licensure Compact

Bills That Have Been Postponed Indefinitely

• HB24-1306: Increase Penalty Possession of Synthetic Opiates

Out of Committee and Headed to the Floor

• SB24-001: Continue Youth Mental Health Services Program
• SB24-014: Seal of Climate Literacy Diploma Endorsement
• SB24-119: Term Abandonment for Federal Classification Juvenile (headed to the House floor)
• HB24-1007: Prohibit Residential Occupancy Limits (headed to the Senate floor)
• HB24-1082: First-Generation-Serving Higher Education Institutions (headed to the Senate floor)

• HB24-1230: Protections for Real Property Owners
• HB24-1291: Licensed Legal Paraprofessionals (headed to the Senate floor)
• HB24-1305: Changes for Concurrent Enrollment Students
• HB24-1318: Modify Rental Premises Person with Disability
• HB24-1324: Attorney General Restrictive Employment Agreements

Bills That Have Successfully Passed in One Chamber

• SB24-094: Safe Housing for Residential Tenants
• SB24-104: Career & Technical Education & Apprenticeships
• SB24-125: Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children
• HB24-1107: Judicial Review of Local Land Use Decision

• HB24-1149: Prior Authorization Requirements Alternatives
• HB24-1233: Homeowners' Association Delinquency Payments Enforcement Procedures
• HB24-1259: Price Gouging in Rent Declared Disaster

LEARN

Take a deep dive into the bills that are most meaningful and impactful to you. Click the button below to view RMP's State Bill Tracker.

WRITE

Write a letter sharing your thoughts about the bills most meaningful and impactful to you Click the button below to download our letter template.

SHARE

Talk directly to legislators about the bills most meaningful and impactful to you by testifying at the statehouse. Click the button below to learn more.

Colorado’s gender pay gap closing 3X faster than other states: report

Tuesday was Equal Pay Day, and a report from The Women’s Foundation of Colorado found that pay for women has increased from 78 cents to 85 cents for every dollar paid to a man.

The foundation found that the gender pay gap is closing three times faster in Colorado compared to the nation. The foundation cited the state’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, enacted in 2021, which prevents pay differentials unless it’s based on non-gendered matters, like seniority, merit or travel.

How do we get Colorado students to pursue higher education and work in state?

A new legislative proposal offering income tax credits to encourage students to attend a four-year college is the latest in a growing list of state measures trying to get Colorado students to stay here and eventually take in-demand, good-paying jobs.

Four members of the influential joint budget committee are sponsoring the bipartisan proposal that’s estimated to cost $100 million -- but the incentives are only triggered in years where there is a significant TABOR surplus.

Colorado lawmakers reup effort to recognize colleges serving large share of 1st-generation students

Colorado lawmakers are once again pushing to create a designation for colleges and universities that enroll a higher-than-average proportion of students who are the first in their family to go to college.

House Bill 1082 would allow schools to qualify for the designation if their share of these “first-generation students” matches or exceeds a statewide average of these students enrolled in Colorado institutions. About 36% of students enrolled at Colorado’s public higher education schools in 2021 were the first in their family to go to college.

Colorado transfer students would get help with retaining college credits under new bill

Senate Bill 164 includes three different parts to bolster the state’s transfer system. The bill is a priority of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and is sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

The bill would update the state’s student bill of rights — a list that says what students can expect from colleges — for the first time since 2008. The updates would include a requirement that schools tell students whether their credits transfer and what a transfer to another school entails. They would also have to clarify that students have the right to appeal if an institution decides their credits won’t transfer, and the legislation lays out a process for an appeal.

The Biden-Harris administration’s budget request would call for an unprecedented investment in education, including free preschool

President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for next fiscal year would make education investments, many of them unprecedented, that prioritize the needs of families. The budget blueprint outlines Biden’s policy priorities during a year when he’s on the campaign trail. Congress, however, holds the power of the purse and must draft legislation to set spending levels, a process that in recent years has rarely gotten done on time. The full budget for fiscal year 2024 is still in the works. 

Questions? Reach out to Ashley Edinger, RMP's Senior Director of Institute & Strategic Supports at AshleyEdinger@RMPBackbone.org.

Rocky Mountain Partnership (RMP) is a group of leaders and community members who are WORKING TOGETHER to ensure that every young person across our region has the opportunity to embark on a successful journey toward economic and social advancement. 

Guided by a globally recognized framework and data, we strive to create impactful, large-scale solutions. We break down silos within existing efforts, optimize regional resources, and advance impactful policies and strategies.