by Colleen Enos
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of bills and hearings. Sadly, the Colorado State Senate passed the harmful SB26-004, Expand List of Petitioners for Protection Order, which could result in homeschool families that exercise their second amendment rights being targeted as “a danger” by schools where they participate in part-time or extracurricular programs. The actual school, district or even a health care facility can petition for a Red-Flag order against the parents and remove their firearms according to the bill. It would actually incentivize families to avoid getting necessary healthcare for fear of being targeted. It is now scheduled to be heard in the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on March 2.
The Promoting Immunization Access bill, SB25-032, elicited intense debate on the Senate floor but still resulted in passing the Democrat version that declares Colorado doesn’t like the new administration and anything they do. It gives both the Colorado Board of Health and the ACIP immunization schedule recommendations. The bill is currently scheduled to be heard in the House Health and Human Services Committee on February 25.
Unfortunately, SB26-027, Parental Equality and Child Empowerment Act, which would have given parental equality in child custody decisions and HB26-1082, Children Are Not for Sale Act, which would have raised the penalty for human trafficking a minor for sexual servitude to a Class 1 felony, both were killed in their respective committee hearings. All Colorado parents and families were among those who would have benefitted from the pair of bills.
Last, because Colorado can’t get enough of controversy and woke, SB26-018, Legal Protections for Dignity of Minor, was recently scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee today, February 18. This bill brings back a controversial section of last year’s HB25-1312, Legal Protections for Transgender Individuals, that was removed. It instructs judges determining child custody arrangements to use whether the parents recognize the child’s gender identity as a factor in allocating parenting time. The language in the current bill refers to the newly updated Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA), which defines discrimination as including Gender Identity and Gender Expression.
The CADA revisions, that apply in every place of “public accommodation” in Colorado, and the rest of HB25-1312, are currently being litigated in Defending Ed v. Sullivan, Director of Colorado Civil Rights Division. In the legal filing, Defending Ed and the other plaintiffs “challenge the constitutionality of Colorado law HB 25-1312, which punishes Coloradans for their speech and compels them to use language endorsing the State’s views on the highly contested and highly political matters of sex and gender” according to their website. Clearly, this law and the current bill, SB26-018, are both violations of the first amendment protections of free speech and freedom of religion. See our Legislative Alert from 2-16-2026 here.
Parents and people of faith who believe in biology and truth are being targeted again. Let’s speak up loud and clear and tell our legislators that it is time to stop.
What you can do
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Call and email your state representative and state senator: Ask them to oppose SB26-018, Legal Protections for Dignity of Minor.
In Him,
Colleen Enos
CHEC Director of Government Relations
Colleen@CHEC.org
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