Yesterday, a slate of laws that aim to prevent gun violence, improve financial literacy in schools, support the educator workforce, strengthen our state parks, and promote affordable housing all became effective in Colorado.
A complete digest of the 2021 laws that went into effect on September 7, 2021, can be found here.
SB21-078: Lost Or Stolen Firearms, sponsored by Senators Sonya Jaquez Lewis and Jessie Danielson: Lost and stolen guns are responsible for increasing numbers of crimes, both within Colorado and nationwide, and the lack of reporting data makes it difficult to prevent weapons from getting into the hands of people who are otherwise prohibited from owning them. This law seeks to address these issues by enacting a reporting requirement for lost or stolen guns.
“Roughly 380,000 guns are stolen each year in the United States, and roughly 30,000 were stolen in Colorado alone from 2015 to 2019,” said Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D-Boulder County). “Responsible gun ownership starts with knowing where your guns are. Under this law, lost or stolen firearms must be reported swiftly to law enforcement so they can track down and prevent illegally obtained guns from being used by people who are not supposed to have them. This law will save lives.”
HB21-1200: Revise Student Financial Literacy Standards, sponsored by Senator Jeff Bridges: This law directs the State Board of Education to review standards relating to the financial knowledge and skills that a student should acquire in school. Specifically, the law adds that students should be educated with an understanding of credit and debit cards, homeownership and mortgages, retirement plans, the costs of pursuing a degree in higher education, and how to obtain financial aid.
“Making sure our high school graduates know how to handle credit cards, student loans, and saving for retirement is at least as important as pre-calc,” said Senator Jeff Bridges (D-Greenwood Village). “Right now, the majority of Colorado school districts do not include personal finance education in their core curriculum. With this law we’re helping students to make smart financial decisions that will set them up for success for the rest of their lives.”
SB21-185: Supporting Educator Workforce In Colorado, sponsored by Senator Rachel Zenzinger: This law will reduce the teacher shortage in Colorado by empowering local leaders to recruit subject matter experts into the educator workforce, supporting the development of a workforce that more closely reflects the diversity of Colorado’s students, and expanding pathways into the profession.
“We will solve many of our K-12 public education problems by increasing the number of talented teachers who are willing to devote themselves to the profession, and this piece of legislation is designed to make significant inroads toward that goal,” said Senator Rachel Zenzinger (D-Arvada). “The law will make the profession more attractive to a wider group of potential teachers, both young and old, with a greater diversity of experiences. Ultimately, everybody benefits, but especially our children.”
SB21-249: Keep Colorado Wild Annual Pass, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg and Senate President Pro Temp Kerry Donovan: This law ensures that all Coloradans have the opportunity to support our great outdoors and also reduces fees to access our state parks and other public lands. It directs Colorado Parks and Wildlife to create an optional, discounted “Keep Colorado Wild Pass” that will be added when Coloradans register their passenger vehicles, light trucks, motorcycles, and recreational vehicles, starting in 2023.
“Our state parks and public lands represent the very fabric of our state and our people. Increasing Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s capacity to maintain our state’s outdoor resources is essential to building a more vast and accessible parks system for all Coloradans,” said Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg (D-Boulder). “The Keep Colorado Wild Pass will ensure we have the necessary resources to take care of our parks, while giving even more Coloradans the ability to enjoy our great outdoors.”
“After years of looking for ways to protect and support our public lands, today is an exciting day, said Senator Kerry Donovan (D-Vail). “With this new approach, we get to lower the price while creating a long-term funding source to protect the wild places we cherish.”
HB21-1117: Local Government Authority Promote Affordable Housing Units, sponsored by Senators Julie Gonzales and Robert Rodriguez: To help address the state’s affordable housing crisis, this law gives a wider array of tools to local governments to work with developers and other housing providers to develop new affordable housing units.
“We worked hard this session to tackle the escalating housing crisis in Colorado, and giving local governments more tools to build affordable housing is a critical step forward. We look forward to doing even more next session,” said Senator Julie Gonzales (D-Denver). “HB1117 clarifies local governments’ authority to promote construction of affordable units, putting us on a successful pathway toward expanding access to affordable housing for Coloradans in need.”
“As we work to address the affordable housing crisis, we need to tackle it from several different angles, and that’s exactly what we set out this year to accomplish,” said Senator Robert Rodriguez (D-Denver). “This new law will give municipal governments the power to provide localized solutions to housing affordability, advance equity in our communities, and keep Coloradans housed. The work continues!”
A complete digest of the 2021 laws that went into effect on September 7, 2021, can be found here.
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