A look at the 2020 legislative session - Western Colorado Alliance for Community Action

The 2020 Legislative Session is off and running and it looks to be a busy one. Just a few days into the 2020 Colorado legislative session, the Western Colorado Alliance Legislative Committee was already tracking over 30 bills that center around our mission. Now, more than 450 bills have been introduced and some of the “big agenda” ones are still yet to come.
These include some hot topic issues like public option insurance, paid family medical leave for employees, lowering the cost of higher education, and of course, the continual need to fix and maintain Colorado roads.
Whether or not lawmakers can overcome the deep partisan divides that marked the 2019 session to make progress on these critical issues remains to be seen.

Amidst the partisan bickering and 2020 election theatrics impacting the Colorado Capitol, our Alliance is focusing on what makes a healthy, self-reliant, and livable future for everyone. This session, we are prioritizing bills centered on clean energy and sustainable resource responsibility. Our top priorities include:

House Bill 20-1064 which would enact a 2020 study through the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to take a close look at Community Choice Energy. Community Choice Energy (CCE) is a concept currently implemented in numerous states, under which local municipalities could choose to purchase electricity at wholesale through a supplier other than the local investor-owned electric utility.

CCE has the potential to enable communities to purchase renewable energy and save money without disrupting the local utility’s current status as a sole supplier of transmission, distribution, and customer service functions.

House Bills 20-1162 and 20-1163 take on reduction and responsibility through polystyrene and single-use plastics bans and management. Well-thought-out, and with exemptions for hospitals, assisted living facilities, etc., these two bills would implement a statewide reduction for single-use items across Colorado.

HB20-1162 would prohibit restaurants from sending patrons home with polystyrene boxes for leftovers, and HB20-1163 would prohibit stores and restaurants, from providing single-use plastic carry-out bags, stirrers, and straws.

On the heels of the TriState Generation announcement to shut the Craig Station Power Plant and its corresponding mines and its pending impact on Western Slope economies (see HOMEGROWN PROSPERITY, page 6), we are also closely tracking three rural economic development bills:

House Bill 20-1003 proposes to expand partner eligibility under the Rural Jump-Start Zone Act, which provides a tax nudge to incentivize new businesses and new hires to open their doors in distressed communities.

Senate Bill 20-054, the Rural Development Grant Program, to help incubate early-stage small businesses with goods and export potential in rural areas.
Senate Bill 20-002 shores up funding for Rural Economic Development Initiative grants, one of Colorado’s most powerful tools for economic
diversification in small towns.

All of these bills are being championed by Western Slope lawmakers and have bipartisan support. While these bills may be overlooked on a statewide level, they can make all the difference toward strengthening our communities in Western Colorado. We owe a huge thanks to our legislators representing us on the Western Slope for joining forces for their constituents.

West Slope Youth Vote

And we can’t forget our West Slope Youth Vote interns, who, between voter registration events at their local high schools, have also turned their attention toward the Capitol. They’re impressed with several bills that could have a direct impact on West Slope youth and want to encourage their legislators to support them.

These bills include ones which would expand excused absences in school to cover mental health days (SB20-014), a grant program to support shelters focused on youth experiencing homelessness (HB20-1122), and an anti-discrimination policy to protect students from in-school and out-of-school discrimination based on cultural and race traits, including hairstyles (HB20-1048).

It can be kind of hard to see from way over here, but all eyes should be on the Colorado Capitol. And if you’d like a closer look, and maybe a conversation or two, join us for our 2020 People’s Lobby Trip! We’re heading to Denver on Monday, February 24 and will be back on February 26.

Members of Western Colorado Alliance, including some of our West Slope Youth Vote interns, will meet with our legislators to discuss all these bills and more. If you’re interested in attending, send me an email at jeriel@westerncoloradoalliance.org.

About the author

Jeriel Clark

Jeriel joined the Western Colorado Alliance staff in February 2017 (back when we were still Western Colorado Congress), but you may remember her as our Canvass Director for the successful Minimum Wage ballot initiative in 2016! In her young career, Jeriel has worked with engaged citizens across Colorado on issues ranging from veterans' affairs, healthcare and women’s rights. Jeriel has called Grand Junction and the Western Slope home for 16 years, and enjoys running, hiking, biking and crafting with her daughter Emma.