The Rocky Mountain Partnership is committed to advancing the economic and social mobility of the individuals and families who live and work in our community. This work complements regional economic development efforts by focusing on innovative, collaborative projects in areas that impact community members’ ability to thrive.
This email blast provides a one-stop-shop for key updates and news around policy and legislation that impacts the Rocky Mountain Partnership’s shared goals.
State Legislative Session Updates
Below you will find any updates related to state legislation impacting RMP’s shared goals.
By the Numbers
| 403
Total Bills Introduced |
67
Bills in the RMP Tracker |
4
Of These Bills Passed |
Bills Headed to the Governor’s DeskThis week, four bills RMP is keeping an eye on made it to the final step of their journey towards becoming law. This means they passed both the House and the Senate, and are now waiting for Governor Polis to sign them into law! |
New Bills We Are Keeping An Eye On
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Bills Being Heard in Committee
These are bills that legislators are taking a deeper dive into, making amendments to, hearing from the public about, and figuring out if they should be sent back to the larger group to vote on.
Tuesday, February 211:30 PM
2:00 PM |
Wednesday, February 22Upon Adjournment
1:30 PM
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| x | |
Thursday, February 231:30 PM |
Click the button below to learn how you can listen in and/or participate in these hearings.
Bills Out of Committee and Headed to the Floor
These are bills that a committee of legislators said should go back to the larger group to discuss and vote on.
- HB23-1037: Department Of Corrections Earned Time For College Program Completion
- HB23-1095: Prohibited Provisions In Rental Agreements
- HB23-1115: Repeal Prohibition Local Residential Rent Control
Bills That Passed Their First Chamber
To send a bill to the Governor to sign into law, bills have to be heard in and pass both the House and the Senate. The bills below have passed either the Senate or the House and are headed to the other chamber.
- SB23-004: Employment Of School Mental Health Professionals
- HB23-1093: Higher Education Staff Sabbaticals
Keep an Eye on State Legislation Using RMP’s Legislative Tracker
Over 400 bills have been introduced since the kickoff of the state legislative session.
As in past years, the RMP Backbone Team is keeping an eye on legislation impacting the network’s shared goals through our state legislative tracker. Relevant legislation will be lifted to RMP’s leadership tables to determine where education and awareness is needed to support decision makers.
Check out some of the bills introduced so far impacting these areas below.
Click the button to view RMP’s state legislative tracker in a new window.
Additional News and Updates Updates
Below you will find additional news and updates impacting RMP’s shared goals.
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Goal 1: Increase the supply of talent to the jobs that are most critical to our region’s economic vitality |
Colorado remains highly educated but lost ground during the pandemic, report finds |
Incarcerated Coloradans could get released early by going to college |
| Colorado remains one of the most educated states in the country despite losing some ground during the pandemic, according to a new report.
More Black and Hispanic Coloradans report having a degree or other postsecondary credential than did two years earlier, a small sign of progress in a state with large gaps in educational opportunity. The survey compared residents ages 25 and older in 2021 with 2019. |
People incarcerated for nonviolent offenses in Colorado could earn time off their sentence if they get a college degree or credential.
Supporters of House Bill 1037, which the House Judiciary Committee approved 11-2, say it will help incarcerated Coloradans find new opportunities and make it less likely they reoffend after release while also saving the state money. |
| Learn More | Learn More |
In new strategic plan, Colorado wants residents to find the value in higher education |
Colorado adults who never finished high school could get more help toward a diploma |
| Colorado’s higher education system ideally not only would ensure students get jobs, but also would pave the way for them to earn back what they spent on their education and increase their lifetime earnings, according to a new strategic plan released Thursday.
The plan prods Colorado to focus on the value higher education can bring to individuals and the state — rather than only on whether Coloradans are earning a degree. |
Colorado would boost adult high school diploma programs and also ensure students learn digital literacy skills under two bipartisan bills in the state legislature.
Both bills would meet critical needs for Coloradans and also for the state — to produce more educated workers and to train more people for jobs that have been stubbornly hard to fill. Historically, Colorado has ranked at the bottom among states in funding adult education. |
| Learn More | Learn More |
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Goal 3: Increase the availability and accessibility of attainable housing |
Colorado Democrats are turning 2023 into the year of housing. But should the state wade into local land decisions? |
| Lawmakers may limit local land-use directives to promote housing density. Also on the docket: rent control, eviction limitations and transit-oriented development.
Cities and towns are grappling with ways to protect local control as some of their power to make zoning decisions seems to be on the chopping block. |
| Learn More |