2023 Legislative Session

Working at the Capitol 

Since we started organizing young people back in 2006, a lot has changed (and not just the rise, fall, and rise again of cargo pants). Young people think about organizing and political power differently; young people think about the issues differently, too. They know that protecting the right to vote is connected to criminal justice; that addressing the climate crisis means creating a more just economy where the rich pay their fair share and working people can live where their lives are; and they know that safeguarding reproductive rights is essential to fighting for racial justice. 

That’s why we created the Youth Agenda. The Youth Agenda is more than the shortlist of young people’s top priorities: it’s the goalpost we measure our fights—and our wins—against. 

The 2023 legislative session ended on May 8 and what a wild session it was. Amidst the chaos, we were able to pass progressive policies around our issue priorities this session: reproductive rights and economic justice.

Reproductive Rights: Stopping Deceptive Practices At Anti-Abortion Centers

Since 2016, we’ve organized students on campuses to #SmashTheStigma around reproductive rights and abortion care. We still hear a lot about anti-abortion centers, also known as “fake clinics,” that lurk near college campuses under the guise of offering reproductive care but really are pushing disinformation to advance national anti-abortion agendas. Using deceptive advertising— like omitting, minimizing or obscuring disclaimers that they don’t offer or refer abortion care or emergency contraception while seeming as if they do—, anti-abortion centers target folks looking for reproductive care then provide patients with biased counseling and inaccurate information about abortion and contraception. For many, the result of a visit to an anti-abortion counseling center is shame, confusion, and serious delays to seeking and scheduling reproductive care. 

Some anti-abortion centers purport to offer “abortion pill reversal,” a dangerous, unethical, and unproven practice denounced by respected medical associations. A study conducted on the safety of attempts at so-called “abortion pill reversal” was halted due to safety concerns. 

That’s why New Era Colorado Action Fund and our friends at COLOR led the passage of SB23-190 Deceptive Trade Practice Pregnancy-related Service to regulate the deceptive practices of anti-abortion centers and be the first state in the country to make the “abortion pill reversal treatment” unprofessional conduct. 

This work was not done alone! We worked with our friends in the Colorado Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Coalition to pass the Safe Access to Protected Health Care package which included SB23-190. Other bills included:

  • SB23-188 Protections for Accessing Reproductive Health Care: Colorado needs strong shield legislation to protect patients, providers, and assisters of politically targeted healthcare services, including abortion and gender-affirming care, from interstate criminal threats. This bill will shield legally-protected health care patients, providers, and helpers from criminal prosecution and imprisonment; court summons, subpoenas, and arrests; interstate investigations, divulging information or assistance with investigations; professional de-licensing and other discrimination. The passage of this bill was led by Cobalt Advocates and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and sponsored by: Sen. Julie Gonzales, Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, Rep. Meg Froelich, and Rep. Brianna Titone.
  • SB23-189 Increasing Access to Reproductive Health Care: Reproductive health care is an essential component of primary and preventive care. High deductibles and gaps in coverage create barriers to patient access, even for those who are fortunate to live in Colorado, where reproductive health care is protected and legal. This bill closes several access gaps related to sexually transmitted infections and abortion care. The passage of this will was led by Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Positive Women’s Network, and Colorado Consumer Health Initiative and sponsored by Senators Dominick Moreno and Lisa Cutter, and Representatives Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez.
Reproductive Rights: Stopping Deceptive
Practices At Anti-Abortion Centers

Since 2016, we’ve organized students on campuses to #SmashTheStigma around reproductive rights and abortion care. We still hear a lot about anti-abortion centers, also known as “fake clinics,” that lurk near college campuses under the guise of offering reproductive care but really are pushing disinformation to advance national anti-abortion agendas. Using deceptive advertising— like omitting, minimizing or obscuring disclaimers that they don’t offer or refer abortion care or emergency contraception while seeming as if they do—, anti-abortion centers target folks looking for reproductive care then provide patients with biased counseling and inaccurate information about abortion and contraception. For many, the result of a visit to an anti-abortion counseling center is shame, confusion, and serious delays to seeking and scheduling reproductive care. 

Some anti-abortion centers purport to offer “abortion pill reversal,” a dangerous, unethical, and unproven practice denounced by respected medical associations. A study conducted on the safety of attempts at so-called “abortion pill reversal” was halted due to safety concerns. 

That’s why New Era Colorado Action Fund and our friends at COLOR led the passage of SB23-190 Deceptive Trade Practice Pregnancy-related Service to regulate the deceptive practices of anti-abortion centers and be the first state in the country to make the “abortion pill reversal treatment” unprofessional conduct. 

This work was not done alone! We worked with our friends in the Colorado Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Coalition to pass the Safe Access to Protected Health Care package which included SB23-190. Other bills included:

  • SB23-188 Protections for Accessing Reproductive Health Care: Colorado needs strong shield legislation to protect patients, providers, and assisters of politically targeted healthcare services, including abortion and gender-affirming care, from interstate criminal threats. This bill will shield legally-protected health care patients, providers, and helpers from criminal prosecution and imprisonment; court summons, subpoenas, and arrests; interstate investigations, divulging information or assistance with investigations; professional de-licensing and other discrimination. The passage of this bill was led by Cobalt Advocates and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and sponsored by: Sen. Julie Gonzales, Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, Rep. Meg Froelich, and Rep. Brianna Titone.
  • SB23-189 Increasing Access to Reproductive Health Care: Reproductive health care is an essential component of primary and preventive care. High deductibles and gaps in coverage create barriers to patient access, even for those who are fortunate to live in Colorado, where reproductive health care is protected and legal. This bill closes several access gaps related to sexually transmitted infections and abortion care. The passage of this will was led by Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Positive Women’s Network, and Colorado Consumer Health Initiative and sponsored by Senators Dominick Moreno and Lisa Cutter, and Representatives Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez.
Economic Justice: Affordable Housing

We hear it all across the state: the rents are too damn high. Young people deserve to live where their life is and not spend all of their income on rent (ICYMI: we’re not really homeowners). Young people in Colorado are often forced to choose between keeping a roof over their head and paying their bills, keeping food on the table, or maintaining their health. Saving for the future isn’t an option. 

No matter where we come from, what we look like or how much we earn, we all deserve an affordable, safe and stable place to call home. This is true for rent prices and the eviction process. Right now, landlords rigged the system so they can evict tenants for pretty much any reason. Tenants deserve to feel safe in their homes and stable in the communities where they have historic and cultural ties to. This year, lawmakers and Governor Jared Polis had the chance to give local governments and residents the power to stabilize rents and provide renters with better eviction protections. That is why we supported:

  • HB23-1115 Repeal Prohibition Local Residential Rent Control: It’s time for communities to take their power back from greedy, short-sided corporate landlords. Colorado’s ban on local control of rents is a relic of the past and a major barrier to our state’s affordable future. Local officials and community members want the power to stabilize rents – but our current law forbids them from putting a limit on the skyrocketing cost of rent. This bill would have repealed the ban on rent control and given power back to our local communities to solve the affordable housing crisis.
  • HB23-1171 Just Cause Requirement Eviction of Residential Tenant: Aiming to prevent displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods, decrease evictions, and foster community health and well-being, the proposed bill would have enshrined a tenant’s right to stable housing into law, protect tenants from landlord retaliation, stop self-eviction, and provide options for tenants when evictions happen that aren’t their fault.

Unfortunately both bills did not pass this legislative session but we’re ready and willing to carry this fight into 2024! 

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