by Legislative Liaison Carolyn Martin

This legislative session was especially difficult due to the change of leadership in our government. We went from having a balance of leadership in our legislature and other statewide offices to, instead, giving control of the legislative and executive branches (as well as a monopoly on every statewide office) to just one party. Bills that I and many others have been fighting back for several years sailed through the legislature with no problem.

Join me at the Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference and let’s talk about what happened during the session this year! I will be presenting a Conversation Café on Thursday at 1 pm and we will explore some of the new laws coming our way.

Equality Act

A lot has been going around on social media regarding the “Equality Act” or HR 5 on the federal level. (Check out this article from the Heritage Foundation for more information.) This statutory change to the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 would have far reaching implications on religious liberty across America. The US House passed the bill on May 17th with a vote of 236 for and 173 against with all the Democrats and only 8 Republicans voting for the bill.

I have it on good authority that the bill will not be brought to the US Senate floor anytime soon. But, all that could change with one election. Just as the November 2018 election ushered in a Democratic-controlled General Assembly in Colorado, the 2020 election could alter the makeup of the US Congress and lead to bills like this one becoming law. That’s why it is so important we vote to uphold our values and encourage others to vote.

School Safety Committee

In response to the violence at the STEM school in Littleton, the legislature has formed an interim committee to address school safety. They will be holding public meetings in the Old State Library in the Capitol at 9 am on the following dates: July 11, August 20, September 20, and October 31. Public testimony will be taken, so if you or someone you know has something to add to this discussion, please try to attend one or more of these meetings. You can get more information on the committee here.

Trusting in the mighty power and grace of Jesus,
Carolyn Martin, CHEC Legislative Liaison
carolyn@chec.org

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About the Author: Carolyn Martin

Carolyn Martin serves as CHEC’s Homeschool Legislative Liaison, working for you and other liberty-loving families to protect homeschool freedom, parental rights, and religious liberty at the state capitol. Subscribe to the CHEC blog for Carolyn’s regular updates here, learn more about legal issues in Colorado here, and donate to support Homeschool Freedom here. Contact Carolyn directly at carolyn@chec.org.