2020 LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
PASSED:
HB20-1009 Suppressing Court Readings of Eviction Proceedings
This bill requires courts to suppress court records related to an eviction proceeding when the eviction is not finalized.
HB20-1053 Supports for Early Childhood Educator Workforce
Actively supported by Clayton team and Raise Colorado Coalition. This bill was amended post-COVID to include pieces from two other EC focused bills – HB20-1006 and HB20-1016 – as well as to take out any provisions that cost money. In the end, the bill: a) codifies the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program run out of OEC; b) changes statute to allow early childhood councils to provide assistance to Level 1 providers to help them improve quality; and c) supports the recruitment of early childhood educators by allowing points to be earned for prior experience or demonstrated competency, reduces the paperwork burden on providers applying for credential/licensing, charges OEC with data collection around the supply of ECE teachers, and supports concurrent enrollment opportunities and career pathways for nontraditional students in earning college credit. Phyllis Lucas, Rachel Schiff, and Christina Walker all read testimony related to these bills.
HB20-1427 Cigarette Tobacco And Nicotine Products Tax
The General Assembly referred a ballot measure to be voted on in November to tax nicotine and tobacco products. The goal is to reduce youth tobacco use and to raise money for public schools, housing supports, and the expansion of the Colorado Preschool Program in 2023.
SB20-126 Allow Home Child Care In Homeowners' Association Community
The bill prohibits an HOA from denying a family child care home to operate within the community. This bill was a direct response from Senate Bill 19-063 process, with which Clayton was actively involved in 2019.
SB20-163 School Entry Immunization
The bill created a common definition of a "nonmedical exemption" for vaccinations. The bill also requires the department of public health and environment to develop an equitable process for persons who want to claim a nonmedical exemption for an immunization for a religious or personal belief in comparison to persons who do report receipt of vaccinations.
SB20-200 Implementation Of CO Colorado Secure Savings Program
This bill creates a secure retirement savings plan run to increase the amount of retirement savings by Colorado's private sector workers.
FAILED:
HB20-1006: Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
HB20-1016: Increase Quality in Early Childhood Education Programs
HB20-1043: Income Tax Credit for Early Childhood Education Fix
HB20-1086: Insurance Coverage Mental Health Wellness Exam
HB20-1203: EITC Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit And Income Definition
SB20-144: Home Visiting Expansion Grant Program
2019 LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES
SB19-063 Infant and Family Child Care Action Plan
Colorado currently has a shortage of licensed and affordable child care options – especially for infants. This shortage issue is exacerbated by the fact that demand for child care is high due to Colorado’s thriving economy and low unemployment rates. This bill directs the state to conduct a thorough analysis, investigating why our state has such limited child care options, and requires the creation of a strategic action plan with recommendations for how the state can remedy this problem.
SB19-188 FAMLI Family Medical Leave Insurance Program
In the first months of life babies need time with parents and other caregivers to develop caring, consistent relationships that foster early brain connections, which form the foundation for all learning and relationships that follow. This bill would direct the state to conduct a study the feasibility of offering a paid family leave program for all workers in Colorado.
HB19-1005 Income Tax Credit for Early Childhood Educators
This bill would establish an income tax credit available to early childhood educators who hold an early childhood professional credential and provide care at an eligible early education program or family childcare home.
HB19-1013 Child Care Expenses Tax Credit for Low Income Families
Low-wage workers have difficulty affording the childcare they need in order to work. This bill would reauthorize the Child Care Expenses Tax Credit for families earning under $25,000, which provides a state tax credit for child care expenses incurred.
HB19-1052 Early Childhood Development Special Districts
This legislation allows for the creation of special districts to fund and deliver services for early childhood development, similar to special districts that exist to support parks and recreation, emergency services, and fire protection.
HB19-1122 Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Maternal Mortality Review Committee
Colorado’s maternal mortality rate has dramatically increased in recent years, with stark disparities for African American/Black and rural populations. Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) are the best way to understand rates of maternal mortality and identify interventions to prevent deaths and other adverse maternal outcomes.
HB19-1164 Child Tax Credit
The Child Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit for working families with children 5 and under. This state-level child tax credit is based on the federal credit and would roughly benefit 200,000 families. The Child Tax Credit is a proven, targeted way to reduce childhood poverty and put money back into the pockets of Colorado families.
HB19-1194 School Discipline for Preschool through Second Grade
Removing a young child from school reflects a failure to address a child’s underlying needs, and can initiate a negative chain reaction that impacts future academic progress and long-term attitudes about school. Given the alarming disproportions in expulsions of boys, children of color, and students with disabilities, these extreme actions cause irreparable harm to children most needing support. This bill would limit such expulsions to only specified circumstances.
HB19-1239 Census Outreach Grant Program
The 2020 Census has been underfunded, under-tested, and behind schedule. An incomplete census could mean fewer federal funds for Colorado for use on anything from healthcare to transportation. Children under age 5 are historically undercounted in the decennial census. This bill sets up a grant program to provide outreach and education on the importance of being counted in the 2020 Census.
HB19-1262 State Funding for Full Day Kindergarten
An abundance of research shows that high-quality Pre-K and full-day kindergarten result in tangible learning benefits for our youngest students, leading to long-term educational success. This bill ensures these early learning opportunities are available to all families and eliminating financial barriers that widen the opportunity gap among Colorado’s children.
HB19-1269 Mental Health Parity Insurance
Every day Coloradans are denied mental health or substance use treatment, put on a wait-list for months without care, or forced to pay out-of-pocket costs — ultimately not getting services that should be covered by their health insurance. State and federal laws require insurance carriers to provide coverage for mental health or substance use disorders that is equal to physical care (these are called parity laws), but these laws only work if they are enforced. This bill aims to remedy this disparity under both private health insurers and the state’s Medicaid plan.
Please click here to download a copy of the Clayton Early Learning 2019 Legislative Wrap-up.
2018 Legislative Activities
In 2018, Clayton Early Learning successfully advocated for six important pieces of legislation being considered by the Colorado General Assembly, each of which was enacted into state law.
