As we ring in the new year, we at Illuminate Colorado are marking the start to the 2026 Colorado legislative session, which kicked off yesterday, January 14th. Every year, the Colorado General Assembly, Colorado’s state representatives and senators, come together for 120 days to introduce, hear, vote on, and pass legislation to make changes to Colorado state laws. Through early May, many bills that impact Colorado children and families will make their way through the legislative process. We’re excited to actively engage throughout the legislative session to ensure family strengthening is prioritized at the capitol.

Illuminate’s 2025-2028 Policy Priorities

In 2024, Illuminate reviewed reports and research, held conversations with Illuminate staff and other subject matter experts, including lived experience experts, and measured progress and momentum toward past policy priorities to set new and renewed multi-year priorities. In the 2026 state legislative session, we at Illuminate will continue to work toward our 2025-2028 policy priorities:

• • Advance an aligned and comprehensive family strengthening ecosystem
  • Establish clear and family-centered systems of support for families with infants in order to ensure Colorado infants have the best start possible
  • Foster family financial well-being and independence by increasing pathways to economic security for families
  • Promote strengths-based information and support for families impacted by substance use including those impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
  • Establish and connect long-term funding pathways to sustain and scale Illuminate Programs

Challenges and Opportunities in 2026

As the 2026 legislative session commences, legislators and advocates are navigating many challenges and opportunities to defend and expand policies that strengthen families. One of the largest hurdles faced this year is Colorado’s continued budget crisis. Due to the constraints that TABOR puts on state spending of collected tax revenue paired with inflation, Colorado’s allowable spending limit has not adequately risen with the cost of goods and services to the state. This is especially true as the Joint Budget Committee and other key legislators consider strategies to reduce Medicaid spending, which has risen exponentially with inflation, while maintaining needed services for Medicaid members. Colorado also continues to navigate the challenges imposed by H.R.1, which, among other concerns, resulted in higher state-level administrative costs to administer public benefits, including Medicaid and SNAP. To learn more about the impact of H.R.1 on Colorado children and families, you can visit our blog on the topic.

As Colorado navigates budget challenges, many advocates and legislators are exploring opportunities to expand federal matching funds and pursue opportunities to bring additional federal funds into the state to cushion Colorado’s budget deficit. In addition, policymakers will continue to face federal shifts head on by engaging in creative policy strategies to ensure Colorado remains a safe state for all Coloradans to thrive.

Advocating for Children and Families Under the Dome

At Illuminate, we are working to continue to pursue opportunities to inform legislation and policy conversations with evidence, the perspectives of lived experience experts, and data-driven family strengthening frameworks in alignment with our policy priorities. Additionally, we are engaging in more focused conversations to explore opportunities to expand supports, promote child safety, and reduce fear and stigma for families impacted by substance use.

To stay up to date on our policy work and opportunities to join us in advocating for children and families, sign up to receive our blogs and quarterly newsletters directly to your inbox and follow us on social media. You can learn more about the Colorado legislative process and how to engage by visiting our Advocacy Resources web page.

Related Posts

This November, Illuminate Colorado is celebrating voter support of family strengthening measures and the overwhelming success of Propositions LL & MM. Across the state, Coloradans turned out to vote on local and state ballot issues, showing their continued commitment to building a Colorado where all children and families can thrive. To better understand the impact of this November’s election results, we at Illuminate are considering how measures that passed promote Strengthening Families Protective Factors.

Need a refresher on the Protective Factors? Learn more here.

Propositions LL & MM Passed! 

Props LL & MM are strong family strengthening measures that promote concrete support, one of five research-informed protective factors to prevent child maltreatment. Healthy School Meals for All (HSMA) is a statewide program that provides all K-12 public school students in Colorado with free breakfast and lunch, reducing food insecurity and financial stress on families, while promoting health and nutrition for all children regardless of income.

With the passage of Props LL & MM, experts anticipate that HSMA will be fully funded, enabling the program to serve all public school students and be fully implemented to include purchasing from local farms and increased wages for school cafeteria workers. In addition, due to the passage of SB25B-003, any excess revenue can be utilized to fund components of SNAP to further reduce food insecurity in Colorado. To learn more about these ballot initiatives, voter perspectives, and what lead advocates have to say about the passage of Props LL & MM, you can read Colorado Public Radio’s news coverage.

While HSMA and the success of Props LL & MM are vital building blocks to ensure families have access to food and nutrition, it is important to highlight that uncertainty and lack of access to SNAP and other challenges imposed by H.R.1 and the federal government shutdown are leaving families feeling heightened financial stress and without adequate access to food and other basic needs. Our partners at Hunger Free Colorado, Nourish Colorado, Provecho Collective (formerly Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger), and Feeding Colorado have created a regularly updated resource document that includes timely updates about SNAP freezes and information about food and nutrition resources in Colorado.

Promoting Protective Factors through Local Ballot Initiatives

In addition to statewide ballot measures, Coloradans voted on initiatives across the state that promote family strengthening protective factors. Voters in Chaffee, Custer, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Hinsdale, Larimer, Lincoln, Ouray, and Pitkin counties had the opportunity to vote on local ballot initiatives that each sought to expand funding for affordable child care, another concrete support. Although final ballot results have not yet been announced, current results show that these initiatives are successfully passing in Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Hinsdale, Larimer, Ouray, and Pitkin counties, showing the power of local communities to build and pass innovative solutions to statewide barriers to affordable child care for families with young children.

In Denver, voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots in support of Denver Ballot Issue 2C, which, among funding other projects, will allocate $10 million to Denver Child Advocacy Center (DCAC), which offers age-appropriate child sexual abuse prevention education to children and families, as well as prevention and trauma-informed response trainings to family-serving professionals. DCAC also promotes healing by providing supportive services, including medical and mental healthcare, case management, and legal advocacy to children who are victims and survivors of trauma and their families. The work of DCAC and other child advocacy centers across the state promote several protective factors, including Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development and Social & Emotional Competence of Children.

Other local ballot initiatives across the state promoted protective factors by asking voters to decide on ballot issues that focused on public transportation, public safety, affordable housing, physical and behavioral healthcare, community recreation facilities, and more. Check out your local county clerk website or local news outlet to learn about what passed in your community.

What’s Next for Colorado?

Now that Election Day is over, we at Illuminate are preparing for the upcoming Colorado legislative session, which starts on January 14th and will run through May 13th. During this time, the Colorado General Assembly, Colorado’s state representatives and senators, will introduce, hear, debate, and pass legislation. Subscribe to Illuminate’s blogs to stay up-to-date with Illuminate’s policy work and learn about pending legislation that strengthens Colorado children and families.

Related Posts