The Colorado legislature just held an historic 2023 legislative session that has far-reaching impacts for educators, students, and public schools.
Thanks in no small part to the fierce advocacy of the Colorado Education Association’s 39,000 members, our state made incredible gains in educators’ priorities and core areas of concern including:
INVESTMENT
- Increased funding through the School Finance Act (SB23-287)
- $180 million buydown of the B.S. Factor
- $30 million for rural schools
- $1018 increase in per-pupil spending, a 10.6% increase
- Increased supply for affordable housing
- HB23-1304: Proposition 123 Affordable Housing Programs (Passed)
- SB23-035: Middle-income Housing Authority Act (Passed)
- Additional investment in PERA
- SB23-056: Compensatory Direct Distribution To PERA (Passed)
RESPECT
- The largest increase in educator and public workers rights in a decade
- SB23-111: Public Employees’ Workplace Protection (Passed)
- Solutions to the teacher shortage
- HB23-1064: Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (Passed)
- HB23-1001: Expanding Assistance For Educator Programs (Passed)
- HB23-1212: Promotion Of Apprenticeships (Passed)
- SB23-087: Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program (Passed)
- Modernizing the Accountability System
- HB23-1241: Task Force To Study K-12 Accountability System (Passed)
SAFETY
- Educator inclusion as reporters in the Extreme Risk Protection Order bill
- SB23-170: Extreme Risk Protection Order Petitions (Passed)
- Passage of four additional common sense gun bills
- SB23-168: Gun Violence Victims’ Access To Judicial System (Passed)
- SB23-169: Increasing Minimum Age To Purchase Firearms (Passed)
- SB23-279: Unserialized Firearms And Firearm Components (Passed)
- HB23-1219: Waiting Period To Deliver A Firearm (Passed)
- Establishment of the Office of School Safety, including grant funding for any school that wishes to establish a co-responder model
- SB23-241: Creation Of Office Of School Safety (Passed)
- School lunch programs
- SB23-221: Healthy School Meals For All Program Fund (Passed)
- Increased mental health supports
- HB23-1003: School Mental Health Assessment (Passed)
- SB 23-004: Employment Of School Mental Health Professionals (Passed)
Other legislation we took action on:
Bills we Supported
- Investment
- HB23-1016: Temporary Tax Credit For Public Service Retirees (Failed)
- SB23-099: Special Education Funding (Passed)
- HB23-1115: Repeal Prohibition Local Residential Rent Control (Failed)
- HB23-1171: Just Cause Requirement Eviction (Failed)
- SB23-213: Land Use (Failed)
- SB23-303: Reduce Property Taxes And Voter-approved Revenue Change (Passed)
- Respect
- HB23-1239: Local Innovation For Education Assessments (Failed)
- SB23-061: Eliminate State Assessment In Social Studies (Failed)
- SB23-071: Education Accountability Act (Failed)
- Safety
- HB23-1230: Prevent Assault Weapons (Failed)
- SB23-249: False Reporting Of Emergency (Passed)
Bills we Opposed
- Attacks on LGBTQ+ Students and Staff
- SB23-080: Women’s Rights In Athletics (Failed)
- Guns in Schools
- HCR 23-1003: Constitutional Concealed Carry of a Handgun (Failed)
- HB 23-1044: Second Amendment Preservation Act (Failed)
- “Parents’ Rights”
- HCR 23-1004: Fundamental Rights for Parents (Failed)
- De-Funding Schools
- HB 23-1063: Reduction of State Income Tax (Failed)
- Vouchers
- HB23-1079: Income Tax Credits For Nonpublic Education (Failed)
- HB23-1098: Tax Credit Parental Engagement In Schools (Failed)
