by Colleen Enos
In the 1950s, there was a popular television show that aired for many years called Father Knows Best. It was a wholesome program about a typical American family in the Midwest. Today, if we created a show about the state of Colorado, it would be called “Government Knows Best.” This is because our state government has never met an area of life that they don’t want to regulate or control.
Education is one of those areas that is funded and controlled by our state. This also extends to part-time homeschool enrichment funding, which has become more popular to use due to the growing number of publicly provided and publicly funded programs across our state. Alarmed at the number of families taking advantage of these programs, resulting in increasing funding, the legislature has passed a bill to require the Colorado Department of Education to produce a report by November 2026 giving detailed information on part-time homeschool enrichment programs, including numbers of students, types of programs, and recommendations for controlling costs and improving oversight in the future.
HB26-1428, Administration of Publicly Funded Education Programs, has initially passed both chambers and is awaiting repassage due to the differences between the Senate and the House versions before it is sent to the Governor for his signature. The clear purpose of the bill is to gather evidence for potential future policy or budget changes regarding funding and oversight of these programs. Taking government money always comes with a price.
“Government Knows Best” regarding God’s biological truth and our sincerely held religious beliefs as well. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision in Chiles v. Salazar overturning Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” counseling for minors as blatantly unconstitutional, just two days later, the Colorado House debated and passed another Conversion Therapy bill. HB26-1322, Civil Actions for Conversion Therapy Survivors, continues the anti-faith rhetoric by removing the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits against a “licensed mental health professional” who counsels regarding sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts. If a counselor doesn’t agree with the state-sanctioned view of gender, then they can be sued into never providing biblical counseling again.
Continuing the bias against people of faith, Vice Chair Senator Sullivan berated two representatives of the Colorado Catholic Conference for giving a faith-centered response to HB26-1309, Abuse in Cases of Separation, after their testimony in the Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee last Thursday, May 7. Senator Sullivan said that he was “ashamed” of their testimony and would not permit them to respond to him.
Last, “Government Knows Best” when crafting the budget and crawling out of a $1.2 billion self-inflicted hole. The massive $46.8 billion budget is roughly a $2.6 billion increase from last year’s budget. There are consequences to creating or expanding programs with temporary COVID money, since temporary is supposed to mean temporary. Extending healthcare benefits through Cover All Coloradans to illegal immigrants has serious financial ramifications.
While the majority party is quick to blame HR1, the One Big Beautiful Bill, and the Trump administration for the consequences of their own bad decisions, the real problem runs deeper than any policy or political opponent: they refuse to submit to the truth that God knows best. Scripture is unflinching on this point. “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV). Until our leaders are willing to bow to that truth, no amount of political maneuvering will set our state on a healthy course. Real hope for our state will not come from a change in talking points or a shift in power; it will come as parents answer the call to disciple the next generation of leaders, raising up sons and daughters who live, lead, and legislate with the unwavering conviction that God knows best!
In Him,
Colleen Enos
CHEC Director of Government Relations
Colleen@CHEC.org
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