Category: Capitol Week in Review

Yesterday marked the end of a busy and exciting 2023 legislative session. We are thrilled to update you on the policy priorities we shared prior to the legislative session focused on advancing educational equity, youth and racial justice in Colorado, and making our schools and communities safer and more supportive.

Before we jump into the policy, we want to thank the many advocates that engaged throughout legislative session – from participating in listening sessions to identify needs and policy solutions, to engaging with lawmakers, to testifying before committees or sharing experiences with members of the media. Hundreds of you sent thousands of emails to policymakers and 27 advocates shared their lived experiences in testimony before committees nearly 60 times.

These impactful policy changes will mean more and better support for Colorado students and educators. They represent steps toward safer and more supportive schools and communities for all Coloradans.

Legislative Update

Updates on our 2023 top policy priorities:

• Expand funding for the Ninth Grade On-Track and Expelled and At-Risk Student Services (EARSS) grant programs. 
  • HB23-1231, Math in Pre-Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade, will support math educators with evidence-based training and interventions to help K- 12th-grade students struggling in math. Importantly, this bill includes $1.6 million for the Ninth Grade Success Grant program to help ensure that more Colorado students finish their 9th-grade year on track and graduate high school prepared for post-secondary success.   Status: Awaiting signature by the Governor.

• Remove barriers to support teaching candidates, expanding and diversifying the educator workforce. 
  • HB23-1001, Expanding Assistance For Educator Programs, a continuation of HB22-1220, expands eligibility for financial assistance and offers loan forgiveness to a larger pool of educators who qualify for state programs. Status: Awaiting signature by the Governor.
    
  • HB23-1064, Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, creates a compact to make it easier for active-duty military spouses to transfer their teaching licenses without further testing, thereby allowing them to teach in Colorado classrooms faster. Status: Awaiting signature by the Governor.
    
  • SB23-087, Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program, creates a teacher degree apprenticeship program as an alternative route to teacher licensure and helps to alleviate the educator shortage. Status: Awaiting signature by the Governor.

• Ensure equitable school funding.
  • SB23-099, increases Special Education Funding by $40,203, 671. Status: Awaiting signature by the Governor

• Eliminate the, currently allowable, practice of lying to juveniles during interrogation. 
  • HB23-1042, Admissibility Standards For Juvenile Statements, increases funding for interrogation training for law enforcement, as well as improves the general reliability of confessions by requiring all juvenile interrogations to be recorded. Status: Awaiting signature by the Governor.

• Cap the cost of phone calls from prison or jail. 
  • HB23-1133, Cost Of Phone Calls for Persons In Custody, mandates that the Department of Corrections (DOC) provide communications services to persons in DOC custody in a correctional facility or private prison. Status: Awaiting signature by the Governor.

Other Key Bills We Worked to Advance

HB23-1003, School Mental Health Assessment, which creates the sixth through twelfth-grade mental health assessment program, is awaiting signature by the Governor.  

HB23-1168, Legal Representation and Students with Disabilities, which requires CDE to create and maintain a list of attorneys qualified to represent a parent in a due process complaint and creates a fund to pay attorneys defending parents against due process complaints filed by an education provider, is awaiting signature by the Governor. 

HB23-1233, Task Force to Prioritize Grants Target Population, which creates a task force to establish shared goals and guidelines for entities to utilize in prioritizing new and existing grant money to reduce youth violence, suicide, and delinquency risk factors was passed by the Senate 23-12 and is awaiting signature by the Governor.   

HB23-1249, Reduce Justice Involvement for Young Children, which funds the expansion of existing local Collaborative Management Programs (CMP) statewide to serve 10-12-year-old children that come into contact with law enforcement and child victims with support from the Department of Human Services passed by the Senate and is off to the governor’s desk for signature    

HB23-1263, Translating Individualized Education Programs, which permits the multidisciplinary team that creates an individualized education program (IEP) for a child, who may be eligible for special education services, to translate the IEP draft documents into the dominant language spoken in the home of the child’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian, is awaiting signature by the Governor. 

HB23-1290, Proposition EE Funding Retention Rate Reduction, refers a ballot issue to the voters at the November 7, 2023, statewide election to allow the state to retain and spend state revenues that would otherwise need to be refunded. If voters approve the ballot measure: the money set aside will be transferred to the preschool programs cash fund and the general fund and the nicotine tax will stay at the rates required by proposition EE. The bill is awaiting signature by the Governor.   

HB23-1291, Procedures For Expulsion Hearing Officers, is awaiting signature by the Governor. This bill addresses due process rights for students by mandating the sharing of evidence during an expulsion hearing, prohibiting conflicts of interest for the hearing officer, as well as requiring annual training regarding student development, restorative justice, and special education and the law. 

SB23-004,  Employment Of School Mental Health Professionals, which authorizes a school district to employ health professionals, who are not licensed by the Colorado Department of Education but hold a Colorado license for their profession was signed into law by the Governor.     

SB23-039, Reduce Child And Incarcerated Parent Separation, which requires the Department of Human Services to prioritize and facilitate communication and family time between children and their parents who are incarcerated, is awaiting signature by the Governor. 

SB-23-287, Public School Finance, which increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2023-24 budget year by $598.25 (to account for inflation) and creates a public-school finance task force, is awaiting signature by the Governor.  

Capitol Week in Review brings you news of bills we are tracking around our priorities of advancing educational equity and racial justice in Colorado and making our schools and communities safer and more supportive.  

Legislative Update

HB23-1003, School Mental Health Assessment, which creates the sixth through twelfth grade mental health assessment program was passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee 6-3 and was laid over until May 1.

HB23-1042, Admissibility Standards For Juvenile Statements, which increases funding for interrogation training for law enforcement, as well as improves the general reliability of confessions by requiring all juvenile interrogations to be recorded is headed to the Governor for signature.   

HB23-1133, Cost Of Phone Calls for Persons In Custody, which mandates that the Department of Corrections (DOC) provide communications services to persons in DOC custody in a correctional facility or private prison, was passed by the House. It is expected to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee May 1.  

HB23-1168, Legal Representation and Students with Disabilities, which requires CDE to create and maintain a list of attorneys qualified to represent a parent in a due process complaint and creates a fund to pay attorneys defending parents against due process complaints filed by an education provider, is headed to the Governor for signature. 

HB23-1231, Math in Pre-Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade, was passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee 7-0 and will be considered by the full Senate next. This bill will support math educators with evidence-based training and interventions to help K- 12th-grade students struggling in math. The bill also includes $1.6 million for the Ninth Grade Success Grant program to help ensure that more Colorado students finish their 9th-grade year on track and graduate high school prepared for post-secondary success.   

HB23-1223, Task Force to Prioritize Grants Target Population, which creates a task force to establish shared goals and guidelines for entities to utilize in prioritizing new and existing grant money to reduce youth violence, suicide, and delinquency risk factors is scheduled to be heard May 3 by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.  

HB23-1249, Reduce Justice Involvement for Young Children, which changes the minimum age – from 10 to 13 – of children who are subject to prosecution in juvenile court; except in the case of homicide, was passed 4-3 by the Senate Appropriations Committee and will be considered by the full Senate next.   

HB23-1263, Translating Individualized Education Programs, which permits the multidisciplinary team that creates an individualized education program (IEP) for a child, who may be eligible for special education services, to translate the IEP draft documents into the dominant language spoken in the home of the child’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian, passed by the Senate Education Committee on a vote of 5 – 2 . 

HB23-1290, Proposition EE Funding Retention Rate Reduction, refers a ballot issue to the voters at the November 7, 2023, statewide election to allow the state to retain and spend state revenues that would otherwise need to be refunded. If voters approve the ballot measure: the money set aside will be transferred to the preschool programs cash fund and the general fund and the nicotine tax will stay at the rates required by proposition EE. The bill was passed by the House and will be considered by the Senate Finance Committee on May 2.  

HB23-1291, Procedures For Expulsion Hearing Officers, was passed by House Appropriations Committee 10-1 and will be considered by the full House next. This bill addresses due process rights for students by mandating the sharing of evidence during an expulsion hearing, prohibiting conflicts of interest for the hearing officer, as well as requiring annual training regarding student development, restorative justice, and special education and the law. 

SB23-039, Reduce Child And Incarcerated Parent Separation, which requires the Department of Human Services to prioritize and facilitate communication and family time between children and their parents who are incarcerated, is headed to the Governor for signature.   

SB23-087, Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program, which creates a teacher degree apprenticeship program as an alternative route to teacher licensure and helps to alleviate the educator shortage, is headed to the Governor for signature.  

SB23-099, Special Education Funding, which increases special education funding by an additional $40,203, 671, unanimously passed the House and is headed to the Governor for signature.  

SB-23-287, Public School Finance, which sets school funding levels, passed the House Appropriations Committee 10 – 1 and was referred to the Committee of the Whole of the House. The bill increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2023-24 budget year by $598.25 (to account for inflation) and creates a public-school finance task force.    

Stand Day at the Capitol

We want to take a moment to thank the twelve parents, educators and community leaders who joined our team for a day at the Capitol this week. These advocates were briefed on the latest on key policy moving through the Capitol, listened to Senate floor debate (and were even invited to sit on the Senate floor), got a tour of the Capitol, and shared their policy priorities. We deeply believe that policy making is most effective when the voices of those impacted are at the center of decision making and are thrilled to have so many advocates join us at the Capitol.  

Read reflections from some of the participants on our blog.  

Our Take

Take Action

HB23-1249, Reduce Justice-involvement For Young Children, will end the prosecution of children 12 years and younger and empower alternative child-serving systems, including mental health, education, and child welfare agencies, to address the behavior, deliver treatment and family supports instead of prosecution.  Ask your Senator to support HB23-1249 today! 

What We’re Reading

Parents who don’t speak English would have more access to translated documents under Colorado bill 

How a new law will help incarcerated Coloradans reduce their sentence through a college education 

Colorado special education gets long-awaited funding boost 

Expulsion hearing officers would get more training under Colorado bill 

Chalkbeat’s Education Bill Tracker 

Capitol Week in Review brings you news of bills we are tracking around our priorities of advancing educational equity and racial justice in Colorado and making our schools and communities safer and more supportive.  

Legislative Update

HB23-1042, Admissibility Standards For Juvenile Statements, which increases funding for interrogation training for law enforcement, as well as improves the general reliability of confessions by requiring all juvenile interrogations to be recorded was passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee and is expected to be considered by the full Senate this weekend.   

HB23-1100, Restrict Government Involvement In Immigration Detention, was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee and full Senate. For years, Colorado taxpayers have been picking up the bill of the federal government by allowing the state to contract a private company to detain individuals for federal immigration purposes. This bill would prevent any such further contracts and begins a review process of these contracts over the next two years. 

HB23-1168, Legal Representation And Students With Disabilities, which requires CDE to create and maintain a list of attorneys qualified to represent a parent in a due process complaint and creates a fund to pay attorneys defending parents against due process complaints filed by an education provider, passed the Senate and is headed to the Governor for signature.   

HB23-1231, Math in Pre-Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade, will be heard by the Senate Education Committee April 24th. This bill will support math educators with evidence-based training and interventions to help K- 12th-grade students struggling in math. Importantly, this bill includes $1.6 million for the Ninth Grade Success Grant program to help ensure that more Colorado students finish their 9th-grade year on track and graduate high school prepared for post-secondary success.   

HB23-1235, Technical Modification To Department Of Early Childhood, makes technical changes HB22-1295, which created Colorado’s universal preschool program. This bill would allow the Department of Early Childhood to enter into contracts for early literacy programming and whole-child services and ensures policy is aligned with current state and federal standards and was passed by the Senate. 

HB23-1241, Task Force To Study K-12 Accountability System, which creates a task force to study academic opportunities, inequities, practices in schools, and improvements to the accountability and accreditation system, is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Education Committee April 26th.  

HB23-1249, Reduce Justice Involvement for Young Children, which changes the minimum age – from 10 to 13 – of children who are subject to prosecution in juvenile court; except in the case of homicide, was passed by the House.

HB23-1263, Translating Individualized Education Programs, which permits the multidisciplinary team that creates an individualized education program (IEP) for a child, who may be eligible for special education services, to translate the IEP draft documents into the dominant language spoken in the child’s home, is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Education Committee April 24th.  

HB23-1291, Procedures For Expulsion Hearing Officers, was passed by House Education Committee and referred to the House Appropriations Committee. This bill addresses due process rights for students by mandating the sharing of evidence during an expulsion hearing, prohibiting conflicts of interest for the hearing officer, as well as requiring annual training regarding student development, restorative justice, and special education and the law. 

SB23-004, Employment Of School Mental Health Professionals, which authorizes a school district to employ health professionals, who are not licensed by the Colorado Department of Education but hold a Colorado license for their profession is headed to the Governor for signature.   

SB23-087, Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program, which creates a teacher degree apprenticeship program as an alternative route to teacher licensure and helps to alleviate the educator shortage, passed House on second reading and is awaiting a final vote.   

SB23-099, Special Education Funding, which increases special education funding by an additional $40,203, 671, unanimously passed the House on second reading and is awaiting a final vote.  

SB23-158, Sunset Colorado Commission On Criminal And Juvenile Justice, which continues the Commission until September 1, 2028, will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee April 24th.  

 
SB23-258, Consolidate Colorado Educator Programs In Colorado Department of Education, which consolidates the review and approval process for educator preparation programs under the Department of Education and the State Board of Education passed the Senate Education Committee and was referred to the Appropriations Committee and will be heard April 27th.  

SB-23-287, Public School Finance, which sets school funding levels, passed the Senate Education Committee and was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2023-24 budget year by $598.25 (to account for inflation) and creates a public-school finance task force.  

Our Take

Monday, the Senate Education Committee is considering HB23-1231, Math in Pre-Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade a bill to support math educators with evidence-based training and interventions to help K- 12th-grade students struggling in math. The bill includes $1.6 million for the Ninth Grade Success Grant program to help ensure that more Colorado students finish their 9th grade year on-track and graduate high school prepared for post-secondary success.  

Decades of research shows that ninth grade students who are on-track at the end of their first year of high school are as much as four times more likely to graduate from high school than their off-track peers. Ninth graders who earn at least a quarter of the credits required for graduation and receive no more than one “F” are on-track to graduate. Schools and districts implementing ninth grade success strategies are showing tremendous results. Implementing a focused 9th grade success approach is changing the trajectory for Colorado students. 

Take action

Please email members of the Senate Education Committee and ask them to support Colorado educators in preparing the next generation of students.

What We’re Reading

Colorado school finance act boosts K-12 spending, steers clear of formula changes

Colorado bill would add protections for students facing expulsion 

Chalkbeat’s Education Bill Tracker