2014 Public Policy Advocacy

Legislative Recap

During the 2014 Colorado legislative session, we supported five bills designed to help women reach their full potential.  For more information on these bills, see below and/or download our 2014 legislative session handout. All legislation supported by The Women’s Foundation of Colorado was successfully passed and funded in the budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

Senate Bill 14-003 - Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

The Women's Foundation of Colorado accomplished its number one policy priority of passing an effective and implementable pilot program to allow counties to ease the Cliff Effect facing families utilizing the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program.  SB14-003 has been sent to the Governor for his signature. This bill is fully funded in the 2014-15 budget and several counties are committed to establishing pilots.

Thanks to the Legislature's work in 2012 on the passage of SB12-22, we strengthened the awareness of the impact of the Cliff Effect. The passage of SB14-003 will move us one more important step toward achieving the goal of eliminating the Cliff Effect. 

Why is this so important for Colorado families? Colorado families headed by single women with children have the lowest median family incomes of all family types at $26,705, and the cost of child care can be nearly half of their income. This is considerably lower than the self-sufficiency standard, or the income needed to support a family without public or private assistance. 

Other legislation supported by The Women’s Foundation makes strides in adult education and literacy, standards for quality child care in CCCAP and financial support for low-income families to assist with child care expenses.  

House Bill 14-1022 – Child Care Assistance Eligibility Periods 

The bill clarifies that, if a child is enrolled in the Colorado child care assistance program, the duration of the child care authorization notice, which authorizes payment of child care costs, is the same as the period for which the child's family is eligible for child care assistance.

House Bill 14-1072 – Income Tax Credit for Child Care Expenses

The bill creates a new state child care expenses tax credit for residents with federal adjusted gross incomes of $25,000 or less.  Currently, if a resident is allowed a federal tax credit for childcare expenses, a state credit may also be claimed and is a percentage of the federal credit.  Since the federal credit is not refundable, a resident’s state tax credit may be limited by their federal tax liability.  The new state credit created by this bill is not based on the federal credit claimed and is refundable, so if the credit amount exceeds the income taxes due for a resident, the remaining amount is refunded to the resident. 

House Bill 14-1085 – Adult Education and Literacy Programs

The bill creates the Adult Education and Literacy Act of 2014. Under this new act, the office within the department of education that is responsible for adult education (office) will administer the adult education and literacy grant program to provide state moneys to adult education and literacy programs that provide basic literacy and numeracy skills programs and that are members of workforce development partnerships that provide additional education to enable students to achieve a postsecondary credential and employment.

House Bill 14-1317 – Colorado Child Care Assistance Program Changes

The bill makes several changes to the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP), including addressing the Cliff Effect by establishing a tiered copayment schedule that increases gradually as participants’ incomes approach self-sufficiency levels.  The comprehensive bill also includes changes to increase access to and affordability of child care and to streamline the system for both parents and child care providers. 

Senate Bill 14-003 – Colorado Childcare Assistance Program Cliff Effect 

The bill makes several changes to the statute that created a pilot program to address the cliff effect that occurs when working parents in the Colorado child care assistance program (CCCAP) receive a minor increase in their income that makes them ineligible for child care assistance and the increase in wages is not enough to cover the costs for child

Join Us

WFCO invites you to join us in leading systemic change on behalf of women and their families. Through a unified voice we can influence positive community outcomes. Stay tuned for updates before, during, and after the session, and in the meantime, here's how you can help support our advocacy efforts!

• The Womanifesto. Download and share our nonpartisan voter handbook.
• Help inform the conversation. Share WFCO’s recent research that is informing our advocacy work.
• Vote and advocate. Read our civic engagement guide to learn how you can make a difference, from voting to how to contact your legislators.
• Join us to learn more. Attend an upcoming community education event and sign up for our eNewsletter to receive information and updates.
• Follow and share. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for policy updates throughout the year.
• Share your ideas with us. Let us know when you see a challenge in your community that could be improved by a policy change, email us at wfco@wfco.org.