By Carolyn Martin (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

Keeping Secrets

A controversy arose this fall in the Jefferson County School District when parents found out their children were being asked to fill out surveys about their preferred names and pronouns. Despite parents trying to work with the school district throughout last year to remove the surveys, the teachers’ union encouraged teachers to keep secrets from parents concerning any requests to call children a name that differed from their given name. A bill, HB24-1039 Non-Legal Name Changes, to enshrine this practice was introduced in the legislature in January.

The bill essentially does two things: 1) it requires teachers, administrators, and staff in the public school to use a child’s preferred name and pronoun or be charged with discrimination, and 2) it sets up a task force to create guidelines for communicating with parents when children don’t want them to, procedures around parental notification, and a process for keeping and updating “unofficial” education records. The recommendations from the task force will be presented to the legislature where new laws around those guidelines will be put forward. (Read more on where this bill came from here.)

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By Carolyn Martin (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

Rough Beginnings & More

Several times during the special session, work on the House floor was disrupted by pro-Hamas protestors. In much the same way, protestors prolonged the opening day proceedings of the current legislative session. During the speeches over the first few days, not unexpectantly, leadership laid out their aggressive plans for more government programs and more government intrusion into our lives in the name of the ‘common good.’ What was unexpected was a bill being scheduled for committee before it was even introduced. The bill repealed and reenacted a law passed during the special session that is the subject of a lawsuit by one of the House members, bringing some very contentious debate during the committee meeting and the floor debate.

After watching the quarrelsome beginnings of the session and reviewing the first round of bills introduced, it became clear that we wouldn’t see the usual election-year fluff bills and collaboration. This is going to be a rough year for the people’s liberty!

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By Carolyn Martin (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

And So It Begins, Again

The march toward more government programs, more government control over our families and our livelihoods, and more restrictions on our inalienable rights has begun. Last year was bad enough, but despite this being an election year, those who run our government have not finished implementing their complete transformation of our beautiful state. And so it begins, today is the first day of the 2024 legislative session.
 
Parental rights have been exchanged for a child’s rights. Religious liberty has been dwarfed by special rights given to presumably oppressed people groups. What about homeschooling? So far, we have been able to keep the dam from breaking on our freedom to educate our children how we see fit. Yet, there is much opposition coming from many directions. State alphabet soup agencies, departments, and boards. School choice and anti-homeschool advocates. Local school officials and boards. Legislators on both sides of the aisle.
 
There is no way I can withstand them alone. I rely greatly on God’s help to see and understand these attacks. But each of you also plays an integral part. First and foremost, this is a spiritual battle. God’s enemies hate what He has created – especially children, the family, and the church. Homeschooling is a lifeboat for the preservation of our families and our faith. It is essential that you stay true to His call to raise your families in the admonition of the Lord, or everything I do is meaningless. Pray to God for His protection and provision for me and every homeschooling family in this state.

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By Carolyn Martin (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

Laws, Rules, and Guidance

Lawmaking authority resides solely with the legislature. Rules of how to implement and enforce those laws are set by Executive Branch departments or agencies. They, then, use their rules to create guidance on how to follow the rules and comply with the law.

Over the past several years, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has been working on revising the rules around public school financing. Broad rulemaking authority has been given to the State Board of Education (BOE) to promulgate rules around part-time programs (CRS 22-54-103(10)(e.5)). The BOE, an elected body, will be reviewing and voting on these rules in February. Some part-time public-school programs utilized by homeschoolers will be impacted by these changes.

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By Carolyn Martin (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

TABOR Saved From Destruction … for Now

Prop HH was defeated on election day, November 7, 2023. It was a hard-won fight to educate people about the bait and switch being pulled on the public with this legislative initiative. It was defeated by an approximately 60% vote against it and TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) was saved from the greedy hands of the government … for now.

The battle against Prop HH really began in the legislature at the end of the last session. Essentially, it was the governor, through the Democrats in the legislature, who placed the question on the ballot. The Republican minority had no say in the crafting of the legislation. Even as the legislation was being rammed through on the fast track, the minority began asking for a special session to deal with the issue of the horrendous residential property tax increases the people of Colorado were seeing in their mailboxes. Property taxes were rising as much as 81% in some counties, mostly due to the repeal of the Gallagher Amendment in 2020.

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