Colorado Catholic Conference 2026 Priority Legislation

The 2026 Legislative Session kicked off on January 14. Lawmakers exceeded their allowable threshold of submitted bills (500 total bills for 100 total members), continuing a recent years-long trend. The General Assembly adjourned on May 13, 2026.

Among the bills submitted are those consistent with Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and others that violate our most fundamental freedoms.

Bills consistent with CST include those that extend tax credits to serve homeless and vulnerable youth and that promote the sanctity of life and the family. While many were defeated, several important bills made their way through the legislative process to be passed, including an extension in Colorado’s Safe Haven laws to ensure newborns are protected and policy to combat child human trafficking and care for victims.

Among the problematic bills introduced this session, several passed that will infringe upon the sanctity of life of pre-born children, First Amendment protections for speech and expression for individuals and institutions, and even bills that would strip parental custody rights for parents who disagree with their child’s gender ideology. Fortunately, one harmful bill to decriminalize prostitution was defeated early in the session, but it is one bill among many that continue to undermine the value of life and persecute the faithful in Colorado.

This legislative session is most characterized by the deceptive bills that worked in conjunction with others or hid legislative intent to the detriment of all Coloradans, including HB26-1309, HB26-1141, HB26-1322 and HB26-1335, all of which passed and await Governor Polis’ signature.

Although lawmakers claimed they had fixed the budget crisis in 2025, Colorado continues to face a large deficit. The state deficit grew to $1.5 billion this year and will continue to grow next fiscal year. Lawmakers attempted to cut programs to address the deficit. One reduction to the state budget included funding for programs that assist the most vulnerable populations, including adults with disabilities. There was a major reduction in need-based aid for students attending private colleges and universities. Yet, despite the funding crisis, harmful appropriations, such as abortion and so-called “gender affirming care,” continue to be funded by millions of dollars from Colorado taxpayers each year. 

Please ask Governor Polis to veto HB26-1141, HB26-1309, HB26-1322 and HB26-1335 here: https://www.cocatholic.org/take-action/action-alerts.

Here is a list of the priority bills the Colorado Catholic Conference (CCC) engaged this 2026 General Session and where they are in the process of becoming law:

SUPPORT

1.              HB26-1004 Continuation of Childcare Contribution Tax Credit — Passed

HB26-1004 extends the Childcare Contribution tax credit through 2038. The CCC has previously supported the creation of this credit, which provides grants to charities such as Catholic Charities to assist families in need. The principle of subsidiarity supports policies that empower local charities to care for those most in need — that is what the Childcare Contribution tax credit does for childcare facilities and low-income families.  

2.              HB26-1015 Colorado Homeless Contribution Tax Credit Extension — Passed

HB26-1015 extends the Colorado Homeless Contribution tax credit, set to expire in 2026, through 2030. The tax credit is available to those who donate to non-profits in Colorado focused on homelessness, including Catholic Charities and Christ in the City. In its first year, the credit generated over $24 million with over 8,000 donors claiming the tax credit, which assisted numerous homeless persons in Colorado.

3.              HB26-1024 Raising Age of Voluntary Relinquishment of Child — Enacted

HB26-1024 extends the current Colorado Safe Haven Law to allow for a mother in distress to relinquish her newborn within the first 30 days of the child's life. This is an expansion beyond the current 72-hour window, which is far below the national status quo of 30 days. Newborn safety devices provide a compassionate, secure option for mothers in crisis who are unable to care for their newborns. Since Colorado passed its Safe Haven Law in 2000, 96 babies have been saved. However, in the last five years, 58 babies were illegally abandoned outside of the 72-hour time limit in Colorado and tragically found deceased in dumpsters and other places. Extending the timeframe saves babies’ lives and helps women in need. This is consistent with the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of the life of the newborn child and care for the mother.

4.              HB26-1243 Dept. of Public Health and Environment Regulation of Abortion Clinics — Defeated

HB26-1243 would have required that abortion clinics be held to the same regulatory standard as other comparable surgical institutions, like ambulatory surgical centers and hospitals, because emergency care may be needed. Currently, abortion clinics have no state oversight, which puts women at risk. This bill would have added regulations and license standards within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) for abortion clinics. In 2025, a Planned Parenthood in Fort Collins fell under scrutiny because a young woman lost her life due to an abortion complication with a delayed emergency response by Planned Parenthood. These situations could be mitigated with proper emergency response regulations. This is commonsense legislation to ensure the safety of women in Colorado.

5.              HB26-1389 Comprehensive Human Sexuality Grant Appropriation — Passed

HB26-1389 eliminates funding for the 2019 Comprehensive Human Sexuality Grant Program as part of this year’s budget cuts. The program prohibits "implicitly or explicitly" teaching human sexuality outside of the state’s gender ideology definitions. This means that any implicit or explicit teaching of human sexuality consistent with Catholic Social Teaching or what the program defines as "traditional gender norms and stereotypes" is prohibited. Cutting the program funding is good policy because the program discriminates against the religious freedoms of Coloradans regarding human sexuality and the teaching of children. 

6.              SB26-015 Commercial Sexual Activity with a Minor — Passed

SB26-015 updates state statute regarding child prostitution to a crime of "commercial sexual activity with a child," adds mandatory minimums of a level 3 or 4 felony depending on the role played in the trafficking process and adds "knowingly soliciting a child for sexual activity." It also makes internet luring of a child for sex trafficking a class 3 felony. This is consistent with Church teaching on the sanctity of life for the child, as well as on restorative justice for the victim and due justice for the perpetrator. This bill is similar to the 2026 Protect Kids Colorado human trafficking of a child ballot initiative.

7.              SB26-075 Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Activity Offenses — Defeated

SB26-075 sought to modify sentencing for human trafficking and certain pimping offenses. It would have mandated specific sentencing ranges for such offenses, including class 3 felonies related to trafficking, ensuring alignment with existing laws concerning societal harm risks. Additionally, it would have updated the terminology and legal definitions relating to crimes involving commercial sexual activity with minors, changing references of “child prostitution” to “commercial sexual activity with a child.”

OPPOSE

8.              HB26-1141 Discriminatory Practices in Public Schools — Passed

HB26-1141 defines "acts of discrimination based on disability, race, creed, sex, gender identity and gender expression" as unlawful. It specifies "grievance procedures" for students and employees who are accused of committing "acts of discrimination," including verbally professing their religious or sincerely held beliefs about human sexuality and marriage on public and private education K-12 or higher education campuses. The bill also empowers the Colorado Civil Rights Commission to file charges against schools and individuals who violate this law. The bill introduced a mediation procedure for resolving disputes and mandates ongoing monitoring by the Commission for compliance.

HB26-1141 underwent a rewrite in the House Appropriations committee, where it expanded its definitions to apply to “education institutions,” directly referring to Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) §§ 24-34-601, which may include private K-12 and higher education schools. The amendments also added “pregnancy” and “parental status” to the protected classes under the harassment section for colleges and universities. This means organizations such as Students for Life, Justice for All and Turning Point USA may be prohibited from speaking on abortion and human sexuality on college campuses if their positions oppose the state definition. Pro-life organizations also may not be allowed to promote life-affirming alternatives to abortion on college campuses.

This is important with the passage of HB26-1335, which will stockpile dangerous abortion drugs on college campuses and provide no alternatives to young women in crisis pregnancies. Furthermore, expanding the definition of “education institutions” to include private schools suggests that HB26-1141 could impact the religious integrity and autonomy of all Colorado privately-run faith-based schools that disagree with the state definition of gender ideology or abortion. It certainly means that faith-based groups on public K-12 campuses or students or staff who profess a belief in human sexuality, marriage or the life of a preborn child could be subject to the penalties outlined in HB26-1141.

Additionally, the final bill’s Sec. 1, II states, the Colorado civil rights division of the department of regulatory agencies and the Colorado civil rights commission may consider “federal nondiscrimination law as persuasive but nonbinding authority. State law governs in the case of a conflict between applicable state and federal law.” This is extremely important because federal civil rights law does not list protected classes of “sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression” because that conflicts with First Amendment rights of religion and speech and expression. Colorado law does have this expansion of nondiscrimination law and would presumably be held to a higher standard in state court for violations of HB26-1141 based on this section.

9.              HB26-1292 Scholarship Granting Organizations — Defeated

HB26-1292 would have required all private schools that participate in a scholarship-granting organization (SGO) to adhere to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) requirements, including not “discriminating against” “sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression” in their admissions, enrollment, academic performance, access and participation in services (including sports) and retention. Schools in violation would have been subject to injunctions, including faith-based schools whose well-founded religious beliefs contradict the state’s definition of human sexuality and marriage. Additionally, schools would have been required to publish their non-discrimination compliance on their website.

This bill would have restricted education opportunity for thousands of Colorado children who would otherwise be able to choose a Catholic or faith-based school with their privately funded school choice scholarship. It therefore would have contradicted U.S. Supreme Court precedent in Espinoza v. Montana (2020) and National Institute of Life Advocates v. Becerra (2017), as well as the Constitution and parental rights. HB26-1292 was a direct response to the new federal tax credit (H.R. 1) passed by Congress in July 2025. Governor Jared Polis supports adopting the tax credit, which could generate hundreds of millions of dollars for Colorado students and go directly to support them. In committee, sponsors, Representatives Goldstein and Hamrick, lamented the defeat of HB26-1292 but stated they will pursue efforts to add “guardrails” to the education freedom scholarships through regulations before the scholarships are enacted in January 2027.

10.           HB26-1309 Abuses in Cases of Separation — Passed

HB26-1309 addresses good changes to domestic violence statutes in family court proceedings, but includes bad policy concerning parental rights and sanctity of life. HB26-1309 defines coercive control as “a pattern of behavior that takes away the individual’s liberty or freedom and strips away the individual’s sense of self, including the individual’s bodily integrity and human rights.” It applies this definition to a parent monitoring their child’s “access to services.” This means a parent who does not affirm their child’s professed trans identity or has a disagreement with their child over normal parenting decisions could have parental custody rights removed. For instance, HB26-1309 could prohibit parents from stopping their children from hanging out with bad influences, monitoring their child’s bank account to ensure good financial habits, using “find my phone” to ensure they know where their child is located to ensure safety, or using a “screen time” app to protect their child from negative internet exposure. In 2025, nearly 700 Coloradans opposed HB25-1312 over its “coercive control” provision that would have removed parental rights if the parent disagrees with their minor child on gender ideology. HB26-1309 does the same thing and also inserts the government into everyday parenting decisions.

11.           HB26-1322 Civil Actions for Conversion Therapy Survivors — Passed

HB26-1322 creates a private cause of action against therapists who offer compassionate counseling and therapy for individuals, including minors, suffering from gender dysphoria. On March 31, the Supreme Court of the United States offered an opinion in Chiles v. Salazar rejecting Colorado’s previous ban on so-called “conversion therapy,” and the violation of freedom of speech of counselors and therapists who assist people with gender dysphoria. HB26-1322 ignores the U.S. Supreme Court precedent in Chiles and attempts to circumvent it by allowing therapists protected by that precedent to be sued in civil court for their practice and free speech.  

12.           HB26-1335 Abortion Medication Access on College Campuses — Passed

HB26-1335 will require colleges and universities to provide on-site abortion pill access through their student health center, pharmacy or other campus location that provides access to any medication — a violation of the sanctity of life of preborn children. In 2023, the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute reported that 63% of all documented abortions were done through abortion pills. In 2025, the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) study on the adverse effects of the abortion pill showed that nearly 11% of women who take the abortion pill mifepristone experience adverse effects, including sepsis, infection and hemorrhaging, within 45 days of taking the pill. Requiring colleges and universities to stockpile abortion pills will destroy more human life and cause serious physical, emotional and mental harm to many young women. Additionally, HB26-1335 violates the religious freedom of insurers who do not cover abortion.

13.           SB26-018 Legal Protections for Dignity of Minors — (amended) Passed

In its introduced version, SB26-018 would have removed parental custody from parents who do not affirm their child's professed trans identity. This same concern about parental rights brought 700 people to the Capitol in 2025 to oppose HB25-1312, and the language was stripped from the bill. SB26-18 attempted to do this again, and the public outcry was just as large, leading to the language being removed from the bill. However, the senate sponsor reintroduced it this session in HB26-1309. SB26-018 remains bad policy, as it allows courts to seal a minor’s name change to be consistent with their professed trans identity. This is concerning for the protection of the child and the community, particularly if the sealed name-change option is being abused to conceal criminal activity.

14.           SB26-097 Decriminalize Adult Commercial Sexual Activity — Defeated

SB26-97 was defeated by public outcry. The bill would have decriminalized prostitution in the state of Colorado. Decriminalized prostitution is inherently harmful, dehumanizing and a driver of the modern-day slavery of sex trafficking. Prostitution is inextricably linked to human trafficking, exploitation and unplanned pregnancies, resulting in an increase in abortions and the destruction of human life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (2355) states that prostitution injures the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing them to an instrument of sexual pleasure and paying for sex is a grave sin that violates the chastity promised in Baptism.

Other bills we took positions on included:

Support

HB26-1014 Extend Colorado Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit — Passed

HB26-1018 Long-term Care Services for Nursing Home Residents — Defeated

HB26-1023 Political Party Liability for Accessibility Requirements — Passed

HB26-1028 Second Language Educational Program for High School Students — Passed

HB26-1049 Prohibit Use of Personally Identifying Feature — Defeated

HB26-1058 Protections for Minors Featured in Digital Content — Passed

HB26-1064 Youthful Offender System Updates — Enacted

HB26-1082 Children Are Not for Sale Act — Defeated

HB26-1083 Protect Female Sports Act — Defeated

HB26-1087 Safeguard Minors from Sex-Altering Interventions — Defeated

HB26-1096 Colorado Medicaid Access to Primary Care Services — Defeated

HB26-1105 Discuss Adoption Information with Pregnant Persons — Defeated

HB26-1122 Mandatory Coverage Hormone Replacement Therapy — Defeated

HB26-1123 Preventing Sexual Abuse in Jails — Passed

HB26-1130 Public Restroom Baby Diaper Changing Station

HB26-1139 Use of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care — Passed 

HB26-1202 Strategy to Reduce & Prevent Homelessness — Passed

HB26-1240 State Earned Income Tax Credit Age Limit — Defeated

HB26-1254 Audit Enforcement — Defeated

HB26-1256 Procedures & Data Individual’s Release from Department of Corrections — Passed

HB26-1298 Background Checks for Child Welfare Placements — Passed

HB26-1391 Safe Drinking Water in Child Care Centers & Schools — Passed

HB26-1407 State Money Used to Refinance American Rescue Plan Money — Defeated

SB26-008 Mental Health Access — Defeated

SB26-026 Weight for Vehicles with Child Restraint System — Passed

SB26-027 Parental Equality & Child Empowerment Act — Defeated

SB26-029 Health Savings Account Tax Credit — Defeated

SB26-103 At-Risk Public School Program & Public School Accountability — Passed

SB26-111 Protections Against Child Rape — Defeated

SB26-115 Post-Conviction Relief for Certain Offenders — Passed

HCR26-1002 Require Age Verification for Pornographic Material — Defeated

HCR26-1004 Person’s Rights Related to Their Children — Defeated

SR26-007 April 2026 Second Chance Month — Enacted

Oppose

HB26-1382 Support of Coloradans with Disabilities (removes support) — Passed

Monitor

HB26-1007 Improve Customer Use Distributed Energy Resources — Enacted

HB26-1013 Ratio Utility Billing Systems — Enacted

HB26-1044 Measures to Improve Black Maternal Health Equity — Enacted

HB26-1066 Tax Exemptions Low Income Rental Property Development — Defeated

HB26-1107 Health Care in Regulated Facilities — Passed

HB26-1142 Child Advocacy Centers — Passed

HB26-1428 Administration of Publicly Funded Education Programs — Passed

SB26-005 Rights Violation in Immigration Enforcement Remedy — Passed

SB26-020 Child Care Provider Licensing & Quality — Passed

SB26-022 Challenges Meeting 2030 Emissions Reduction Goals — Defeated

SB26-135 State Public K-12 Education Funding — Passed

SB26-158 Youthful Offender Early Parole Procedure — Passed

Amend

HB26-1040 Sterilization Rights of Persons with Disabilities — Enacted (with amendments)