Senate Democrats Waste No Time Getting To Work

Lawmakers finish first legislative day back having introduced more than 80 bills for consideration

DENVER, CO – Today, Colorado lawmakers reconvened at the State Capitol to begin the majority of their work for the 73rd Session of the General Assembly. This year’s agenda for the Senate Democrats prioritizes responding to urgent needs, restoring community pillars, and reimagining our future. There were a myriad of bills introduced today aimed at accomplishing these goals, a selection of which are listed below:

SB21-013: Reversing COVID-related Learning Loss, sponsored by Senator Fields.

• Throughout the chaos of the last year, public schools have navigated the ever-changing needs of students and teachers – having to redesign methods of instruction, address technology needs, and provide social, emotional, and food support for students. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, our K-12 students are now somewhere between 3-9 months behind, and it’s even worse for our students of color and lower socioeconomic status. This bill seeks to fill in these gaps by directing the Department of Education to prioritize reversing student learning loss, which will urgently address our children’s educational needs and make sure no student is left behind.

SB21-016: Protecting Preventative Health Care Coverage, sponsored by Senators Moreno & Pettersen.

• Although preventative healthcare screenings can significantly increase life expectancy and potential insurance savings, many screenings aren’t covered by typical health plans, leaving consumers to bear the burden of cost. This bill requires the addition of several preventative health care services – including screenings for osteoporosis, urinary incontinence, and STIs – to be covered by health plans so that everyone can get the preventive care they need.

SB21-026: Restoration Of Honor Act, sponsored by Senator Moreno.

• Anyone who serves this country should be able to return home and be provided with all the resources we can muster to improve and enhance their lives after service. However, due to a legal flaw, LGBT+ veterans may not have been discharged honorably from the US Military due their sexual orientation or gender identity, and thus have not had access to the same benefits as their peers. This is unacceptable. This bill establishes the status of “discharged LGBT veteran” for the purposes of Colorado law, which will ensure that no veteran is denied benefits unjustly.

SB21-029: Colorado American Indian Tribes In-state Tuition, sponsored by Majority Leader Fenberg.

• Historically, America has not only marginalized, neglected, and disregarded our nation’s indigenous peoples, but we have swept these atrocities under the rug. To continue our work on the long road of rectifying injustices toward Native Americans, this bill will require Colorado universities and colleges to offer in-state tuition to members of Native American tribes with historical ties to Colorado.

SB21-039: Elimination Of Sub-minimum Wage Employment, sponsored by Senators Zenzinger & Hisey.

• While politicians in Washington, DC and around the country debate the merits of raising the minimum wage, we must remember that there is still a sub-minimum and simply unlivable wage being paid to employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our intellectually and developmentally disabled residents are a valuable asset to our community and our workforce, and it is unconscionable that we would pay them anything below the minimum wage. This bi-partisan bill will require businesses in Colorado to phase out the sub-minimum wage allowance and pay all employees what they deserve, regardless of their disability.

SB21-062: Jail Population Management Tools, sponsored by Senator Lee.

• America incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. From petty crimes, to municipal offenses, to racial profiling – our citizens are arrested and imprisoned more than anywhere else on the planet. Additionally, cash bail policies are broken, resulting in an unjust system that penalizes the poor versus the rich. This bill seeks to address this issue by allowing police officers to issue a summons or a complaint in lieu of an arrest for minor crimes. Additionally, the bill prohibits the unjust practice of cash bail for these same minor crimes.

SB21-072: Public Utilities Commission Modernize Electric Transmission Infrastructure, sponsored by Senator Hansen.

• When it comes to electricity generation and transmission, utility companies want to maximize profit, environmental advocates want clean, zero-carbon energy, and ratepayers want low electricity bills and customer choice. Though these differing priorities may appear to be in conflict, there is a pathway forward that satisfies all three: regionally coordinated transmission organizations. This bill works to transition Colorado toward such organizations, and in doing so enhance grid reliability and interconnectivity, decrease costs for providers and ratepayers, grow capacity for renewable energy and help us reach our statewide greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.

“I’m pleased to be back in the Capitol with my colleagues, and I’m excited about the work ahead of us this session,” said Senate President Leroy Garcia (D-Pueblo). “Responding to the urgent needs of Coloradans remains our top priority, but we must also work to rebuild our economy and our community in a way that ensures everyone can live with dignity and security.”

“As we build back from this pandemic, we will work to reimagine a future stronger than before,” said Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg (D-Boulder). “Beyond providing immediate relief to Coloradans, we must redesign our economy in a way that works for everyone. We must create a healthcare system that puts people first. And we must protect our planet from the crisis of climate instability. Together, we will use this pandemic as a springboard to a stronger future.”

Introduced bills will begin to make their way through Senate committees during the next several weeks. Updates and progress regarding the legislative process can be found at leg.colorado.gov.