by Colleen Enos (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

While there was much controversy going on at the Capitol over the past two weeks, I wanted to start out with a bright spot. Meet Your Legislator Day was a smashing success, with 12 legislators and several aides joining CHEC and homeschool families for coffee and donuts in the West Foyer at 8:00 am. The weather was challenging, but we still had a great time getting to know the legislators, taking pictures, and even getting a guided tour of the Dome thanks to Representative Anthony Hartsook! Building relationships is worth the time and effort, so thanks to everyone who came.

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by Colleen Enos (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

While the state is trying to balance the budget by cutting approximately $1 billion in spending, Colorado’s baseline funding for schools must increase every year by at least the rate of inflation according to the previously passed Amendment 23. During the SMART Act hearings for the combined Senate and House Education Committee, Senator Lundeen asked a salient question regarding per pupil funding: “Is money the solution?” He pointed to the ranking of the United States in student test scores, which is currently below the world average, according to The Balance last July. Of course, home educators know that the answer to this question is no. We have been educating our children with dedication and love, and receiving student results far above those of the average public school-educated student for years.

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by Colleen Enos (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

As the 2025 legislative session was gaveled in, the newly elected and returning legislators faced a daunting task: balancing the Colorado budget with a nearly one-billion-dollar deficit. Governor Polis laid out a plan to address the deficit in a variety of ways, including funding adjustments to Medicaid and the Department of Education, and privatizing the Public Employee Retirement Association. This is a hard pill to swallow for a Democrat-majority legislature that believes in an ever-expanding government and regulatory system. However, many opening speeches included a reaffirmation of Colorado’s commitment to opposing President Trump’s immigration stance and supporting the funding of illegal immigrants’ needs, to the tune of $356 million in Denver alone last year.

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by Carolyn Martin

After this past election, major changes are expected to come to our national government, which will have an impact on our state legislature. Unfortunately, the Colorado General Assembly remains in the hands of people who do not affirm God’s order and design for government. During their caucus meetings to elect new leadership, the majority party indicated that their priorities to push agendas that ultimately grow dependence on government and lessen our ability to live free remains the same.

It is clear that the leaders of the legislature are very concerned about what funding might be stripped from Colorado due to the newly-elected President’s policy plans around immigration, healthcare, education, and climate change, to name just a few. Even as this year comes to a close, the state is looking at an almost $1B budget deficit, which means they will have to find ways to cut spending or create new fees in an attempt to circumvent TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) limits and balance the budget.

During the first few days of session, which begins on January 8th, we will see the Governor and the leaders of the House and Senate lay out their plans for Colorado. Plans that hinge on Governor Polis’ desire to fundamentally transform Colorado – which he has been touting and implementing since his first year in office. Before any bills begin moving through the process, Executive Branch Departments and Agencies will go before various committees of reference to give brief reports on their activities and financial needs. If you go to the legislative website and follow the schedule, you can listen in and hear for yourself what they mean when they say they want to create a ‘Colorado for all’.

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by Carolyn Martin

Unalienable Rights

The founders of our country believed in the existence of self-evident truths that cannot be denied – truths that are rooted outside of man, in God Himself. They wrote about how “our Creator endowed us with certain unalienable rights.” The right to home educate your children rests solidly on parental and conscience rights, both of which are unalienable, God-given rights. Conscience rights are enshrined in the 1^st Amendment to the US Constitution. Not so with parental rights, and a storm is brewing.

From the beginning, God organized people into families, giving parents the authority and responsibility to guide and nurture their offspring. Our founders did not foresee a time when we would allow our government to grow so large as to intrude in our family lives, nor did they foresee a time when forces would try to destroy the nuclear family, but we are in that time. Every day at the state legislature, the family is under attack, and parental rights are being stripped away.

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