Senate Passes Bills to Save People Money, Bolster Behavioral Health Workforce, and Set Students Up for Success

DENVER, CO – The Senate today passed a slate of bipartisan legislation that will save Colorado families money, bolster our behavioral health workforce, and set students up for success.

The Senate passed SB22-182, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator Chris Hansen, D-Denver, that will save Coloradans money through tax filings by providing $4 million to extend the successful Economic Mobility Program, which provides tax filing assistance for eligible Coloradans. Among other things, this program helps people claim federal tax credits they may not know they are eligible for, which can be significant amounts of money.

This legislation is one in a series of bills to invest millions into our state’s economic recovery and deliver urgently-needed relief to Coloradans, and is co-sponsored by Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose.

“Colorado families have been hit hard by rising inflation, which is why we’re doing everything we can to make our state more affordable,” Hansen said. “This legislation will help families better understand and file for the tax credits they are eligible for, allowing them to keep even more of their hard-earned paycheck and get some money back on their tax returns.”

The Senate also passed SB22-181, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, that would direct the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to develop and implement a workforce plan to invest $72 million to bolster, diversify, and stabilize the state’s behavioral health care workforce. The legislation was developed based on recommendations from the state’s Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force, and is co-sponsored by Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa.

“If we want to achieve our goal of transforming Colorado’s behavioral health system, then we need a robust workforce to help us do it,” said Bridges. “With this bill, we’re going to make a significant investment to expand our behavioral health workforce so we can address our workforce shortage, better meet the needs of patients, and improve patient outcomes.”

Finally, the Senate passed SB22-192, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, which will expand stackable credential pathways to help Coloradans seeking to further their education or switch careers get the training and credentials they need to land jobs in high-demand industries. This legislation was developed based on recommendations by the state’s Student Success and Workforce Revitalization Task Force, and is cosponsored by Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa. 

“Expanding stackable credential pathways will set Colorado’s students up for success and help workers upskill and reskill to land the high-paying jobs they are seeking,” Zenzinger said. “Colorado students – adults and youth alike – need efficient and effective pathways to gain the experience and training they need to earn a degree and, ultimately, a good-paying job. This bill will accelerate our economic recovery and help businesses fill the critical gaps in our state’s workforce.”

All three bills now move to the House for further consideration.