Senate Passes a Host of Priority Legislation with Bipartisan Approval

Bills to create the Front Range Passenger Rail District, expand multilingual ballot access, protect victims of child abuse, and invest in early childhood education receive final approval

DENVER, CO - This morning, the Senate passed several priority bills with strong bipartisan support. These policies address a wide variety of issues including transit, ballot access, victim protection, and childhood education. 

SB21-238, sponsored by Senate President Garcia and Senator Zenzinger, would lay the groundwork for an interconnected, high-speed passenger rail system spanning from Trinidad to the Wyoming border – allowing residents all along the Front Range to travel more efficiently and effectively. 

“I have worked on transportation and transit issues for nearly twenty years, and I am incredibly proud to see our bill to create the Front Range Passenger Rail District pass the Senate,” said Senator Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada. “Front Range Rail is a smart solution that helps lower emissions and improves the transit experience for the hundreds of thousands of Coloradans that travel along the Front Range. ”

“Front Range Passenger Rail is a crucial opportunity for us to prioritize the long-term economic health of Southern Colorado,” said President Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo. “A high-speed train will connect Coloradans with new communities, and facilitate stronger investments in areas that have been overlooked. We are one step closer to having a public transit system that addresses our growing population needs and increases mobility throughout regions that have, until now, had limited transit options.”

SB21-236, sponsored by Senators Story & Sonnenberg, is a part of Colorado’s recovery package, and establishes three new grant programs to increase the affordability and availability of early childhood care, and works to improve recruitment, retention, and compensation for educators. Additionally, the bill allocates $8.8 million in state funds and $4.2 million in federal funds to help get these programs up and running.

“Early childhood caretakers and educators are some of the most valuable and influential figures in children’s lives – helping to not only prepare them for K-12, but also shape their critical thinking abilities, social skills, and general wellbeing,” said Senator Tammy Story, D-Evergreen. “Over the last year, the pandemic has disrupted both educators’ ability to teach and children’s ability to learn – making the re-ignition of early childhood care and education an integral component of our recovery.”

HB21-1011, sponsored by Senators Gonzales & Moreno, acknowledges the need for improvement and expansion in supporting Colorado citizens who struggle to speak or read English by requiring certain counties to provide multilingual ballot access. Additionally, the bill tasks the Secretary of State with creating a multilingual ballot hotline that provides translators and interpreters, intended to apply to all general elections beginning for the November 2022 election and for every state-wide odd-year election.

“Even with Colorado’s gold-standard election system, there’s still work to be done so that everyone can make their voice heard,” said Senator Julie Gonzales, D-Denver. “With thousands of Spanish-speaking citizens across the state, it is critical that we provide multilingual ballot options – ensuring that every eligible Coloradan has the resources they need to fully participate in our democracy.” 

“Colorado has some of the most free, fair, and open elections in the country, however, we cannot confuse eligibility with access,” said Senator Moreno, D-Commerce City. “This common-sense legislation will enfranchise countless voters and ensure our governing institutions more accurately reflect the will of the people.”

SB21-088, sponsored by Senators Danielson & Fields, seeks to clarify existing law to protect survivors of child sexual abuse and hold bad actors accountable in an effort to provide necessary protections for children and deter instances of sexual abuse for happening in the future. 

“We have a duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves, but for decades, victims of child sexual abuse have been denied justice. It’s time for that to change,” said Senator Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge. “This vitally important bill will ensure that we hold abusers and their enablers accountable. We know that the healing process is long and hard – providing additional time for survivors to disclose their abuse will give us a greater opportunity to stop predators from causing additional harm and empower victims to find closure on their own terms.”

“Current law serves as a barrier to survivors of sexual abuse,” said Senator Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora. “The window for disclosing abuse is incredibly limited, which ends up benefiting predators and hurting survivors. This bill rebalances the scales of justice by allowing survivors to report the abuse they experienced when they are ready to come forward versus forcing them to comply within an arbitrary time frame that is often misaligned with their healing journey.” 

All four bills now head to the House chamber, either for passage or concurrence. To read the bills and find updates regarding their status, visit leg.colorado.gov/bills.