Capitol Update: Another unanimous vote for a priority bill
Another Children’s Campaign priority bill was unanimously approved by a committee this week! HB23-1186, which would allow people going through the eviction process to participate in hearings remotely via video or teleconference, received all “Yes” votes in the House Finance Committee on Thursday. Families facing evictions are often going through one of the most stressful and traumatic times in their lives, and it is important that they have better access to the legal system. Now one step closer to becoming a law, HB23-1186 will help accomplish just that. We are so proud to work with our partners at the Colorado Poverty Law Project on such an important bill!
The Children’s Campaign also supported several other bills this week. Policy Analyst Hunter Nelson submitted testimony in support of two firearm safety bills – one that would raise the age to purchase firearms and another that would create a public education campaign around the state’s “red flag” law and allow more people, including social workers and health providers, to initiate the process of petitioning for an extreme risk protection order. You can learn more about those bills below.
Our V.P. of Health Initiatives, Erin Miller, also spoke in support of HB23-1224: Standardized Health Benefit Plans. We support this bill because standardized health plans offer important benefits to Coloradans, including copay-free primary care and outpatient behavioral health visits and copay-free pre- and post-natal care.
Our dedicated policy and advocacy team tracks hundreds of bills that impact Colorado kids and families every legislative session. To view the bills we are tracking so far in this legislative session, click here.
Here are this week’s Capitol Highlights:
SB23-169 (Mulica & Danielson/Duran): Increasing Minimum Age to Purchase Firearms
The Children’s Campaign supports this bill because policy solutions restricting access to guns among youth are an essential part of a comprehensive approach to suicide and violence prevention. Evidence suggests that minimum age requirements reduce firearm-related suicides among youth.
SB23-170 (Sullivan & Fenberg/Bacon): Extreme Risk Protection Order Petitions (ERPOs)
As an organization that values maternal health, the Children’s Campaign supports ERPOs and the expansion of who can file these petitions. Evidence suggests the ERPOs and other firearm relinquishment laws have been associated with a substantial reduction in homicides of pregnant and postpartum people.
To learn more about these bills and their journeys through the legislature, visit our Capitol Updates page.
The Children’s Campaign in the news
- New coalition seeks Colorado tax code changes to fund child care, education, nursing, and more, Chalkbeat Colorado, March 3
- Report sheds light on child care capacity gap across the Aspen-to-Parachute region, Aspen Journalism, March 5
- Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse wants to expand health care coverage for children, CBS News, March 6
- Nineteen WINcome Grantees Renewed for Year Two, Women’s Foundation of Colorado, March 7
