At the time of writing, Western Colorado Alliance’s West Slope Youth Voice (WSYV) is in the last hours of our Alliance’s first-ever WSYV Lobby Days trip! Wish them safe travels as they return from meetings with Governor Polis and other lawmakers, primarily in support of House Bill 23-1003, the School Mental Health Assessment bill, which was selected by the students as a bill of special interest for them this year. (And we were thrilled to see Governor Polis highlight his visit with the WSYV students on his official Instagram account yesterday!)

Meanwhile, our Legislative Committee continues to track, research, and act on bills making their way through the statehouse. Here are the big updates and shoutouts for this last week of February!

SB23-006 | Creation Of The Rural Opportunity Office

A West Slope star contingent of Sen. Dylan Roberts, Sen. Janice Rich, Rep. Marc Caitlin, and Rep. Barbara McLachlan are working to codify the Rural Opportunity Office. They’re tasking it with consolidating access to our state’s many disparate programs for rural areas policy, grants, and technical assistance on almost every issue area imaginable. And they’re telling it to do what’s needed to help coal transition communities get the state partnership they need. This bill is endorsed by our Legislative Committee. 

SB23-092 | Agricultural Producers’ Use Of Agrivoltaics

This bipartisan bill, including Western Colorado Rep. Matt Soper as sponsor, unlocks several big policy barriers to bringing agricultural-integrated solar energy to Colorado. Grants for research and demonstration projects are created, as is a feasibility study of floating solar panels on canals and reservoirs. The bill also studies the potential of “dry digesters” for climate pollution reduction and carbon sequestration in agriculture. Our current Legislative Committee has worked on the agrivoltaics ideas since last year and endorses this bill. 

SB23-059 | State Parks And Wildlife Area Local Access Funding

State parks and wildlife areas are great, but they often incur costs for local governments — think roads, infrastructure, safety, and staff — that aren’t reimbursed. This bill from a 3/4 Western Slope contingent of Sen. Dylan Roberts, Rep. Marc Caitlin, and Rep. Barbara McLachlan creates the state park and wildlife area access grant program, which reimburses local governments for some of the costs resulting from people visiting state parks and wildlife areas. This bill is endorsed by our Legislative Committee. 

HB23-1011 | Consumer Right to Repair Agricultural Equipment

This bill from Pueblo State Senator Nick Hinrichsen and colleagues seeks to fix the sometimes monopolistic control of agricultural equipment repair as part of a broader legislative movement to empower consumers with a right to repair devices including smartphones and electronics. This bill is endorsed by our Legislative Committee. 

Another Lobby Trip This Week!

Hot on the heels of our youth lobby trip this week, 15 Western Colorado Alliance adult members will depart on Sunday for our next People’s Lobby Trip from March 5-7. (There will be a third and final lobby trip in April for another group of students.) We’ll be chatting about the bills above and more with our legislators. Wish us luck! 

Our Alliance’s legislative efforts will also be highlighted in our first “Alliance 101” event coming on March 15. See the information below on what you can expect and how to register for that free online event!