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HB26-1301, Hospital Funding, will put up a tax on alcohol and retail marijuana to fund a new mental health hospital in Aurora with 50 to 70 beds and long-term commitments to the hospital in Mesa County.
The state is notoriously short of mental and behavioral health beds. This .42 percent increase for sales and excise taxes on "harmful substances" will go into effect in January 2027. Voters must approve this sales and excise tax increase. The bill suggests that this revenue stream makes sense based on its origins and the sources and causes of many behavioral and mental health issues among Colorado's residents.
| |  | SB26-125, Disability Rights Protection in Public Schools, will replace lost protections from the federal civil and disabilities rights protections in the US Department of Education. The Trump administration has eviscerated staff and application of civil rights protections for children in public schools. This bill will put the state at the heart of enforcing civil rights protections for disabled students. The bill requires school districts to continue the requirements from federal statute including making free public school education appropriate to disabled students, providing reasonable modifications, and assuring protection from bullying and harassment. The bill establishes remedies through the Colorado Department of Education. | |
