The Colorado state legislature recently passed 10 bills to help families and businesses. Governor Polis called for a Special Session due to inaction by the federal government (read more here.)
After three days, the special session adjourned on December 2, 2020. During this Special Session, 34 bills were introduced, and ten bills were passed. All of the bills specifically target economic relief for Coloradans affected by the pandemic. You can see all the bills and resolutions here.
Of the bills that passed, most of them had bipartisan support. The bills allocated over 300 million dollars to; child care, food pantries, technology grants for schools, rent/mortgage support, sales tax relief, energy assistance, and small business support.
The bills passed are all meant to help Coloradans and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These bills are a small component of the relief that Coloradans need. We hope to see more done to help families during the pandemic and the recovery through legislation in the 2021 legislative session. The Regular Legislative Session will convene on January 13, 2021.
If you have stories to share about how the pandemic has impacted you, your family, community, or business, reach out to your state representative and state senator to help inform the bills they are drafting now for the regular legislative session. There are also opportunities to testify during bill hearings, and your legislators can help facilitate. You can find your legislator here.
Here are the bills that were passed during the special session:
HB20B-1001: Provides $20 million to the Department of Education to increase internet access for students and staff.
HB20B-1002: Designates $45 million to create a grant program to support child care in Colorado.
HB20B-1003: Provides $5 million to support food pantries in Colorado.
HB20B-1004: Permits restaurants and bars to retain state sales tax.
HB20B-1005: Allows municipalities and counties to limit the fee that third-party food delivery services may charge to a restaurant.
HB20B-1006: Makes changes in insurance premium estimated taxes.
SB20B-001: Provides $57 million in direct aid, grants, and annual fee waivers to small businesses, including arts and cultural organizations and minority-owned businesses.
SB20B-002: Directs $60 million to housing initiatives to help Coloradans stay in their homes. Both landlords and tenants can find information and apply here.
SB20B-003: Provides $5 million to help Coloradans, including those living in rural areas who use propane, firewood, etc., who are struggling to pay their utility bills.
To qualify for the funds: