WFCO Supports 20+ Bills During Legislative Session
Your Action Is Needed to Reshape Systems, Ease Women’s Economic Burdens Caused by COVID-19
With only weeks to go in Colorado’s 2021 legislative session, WFCO anticipates a frenzy of activity and opportunities to advocate for Colorado women. We are supporting more than 20 bills this session. They address issues ranging from Black maternal health and Medicaid expansion for family planning services to affordable housing and gender identity discrimination.
WFCO has put lobbying resources behind three that address historic and systemic barriers while also easing the economic setback the pandemic caused for women, especially women of color. Your action is needed to keep these bills moving forward.
HB21-1311 Income Tax & HB21-1312 Insurance Premium Property Sales Severance Tax
As we shift to economic recovery from the pandemic, we can put money in the pockets of tens of thousands of Colorado workers, small business owners, and families who are still struggling financially. Tax credits are proven as an effective anti-poverty measure.
The expansion of the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the funding of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) ensures that people with low wages have access to more resources to support their families.
Status: Action is needed! Identify and call your House representative to let them know you stand behind tax credits for families with low wages. The bill will be heard this week. Your voice can help lawmakers know its importance!
To make a call, feel free to use this formula:
Introduction: Introduce yourself as a constituent and include your affiliation with The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, as well as your professional affiliation or role in the community.
What issue you’re calling about and why: The expansion of the earned income tax credit (EITC) and the funding of the child tax credit (CTC).
Personalize: Share that our economy hasn’t been recovering evenly. While those at the top recover more quickly, too many people who earn low incomes—a disproportionate number of people of color—have been the most likely to be laid off or risk their health working on the front lines. Encourage your legislator to honor their sacrifices and make the tax code fairer for everyone. If you have a personal story to share, or a story of a woman you know, share it.
SB21-027 | Emergency Supplies for Colorado Babies and Families
The Women and Families of Colorado (WFCO) Relief Fund disbursed grants to 102 organizations throughout Colorado in 2020. Many grantees reported that accessing basic needs, including diapers and wipes and diaper creams, was a major concern for women. In many cases, diaper needs cause more anxiety than food or housing because public supports such as WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) cannot be used to purchase them.
Sponsored by four women policymakers, SB21-027 establishes a grant program for nonprofit entities to administer diaper distribution centers throughout the state.
Status: Exciting news! With your support, this bill has already passed through the Senate. Next, it will go a House committee to be heard. Your voice can help lawmakers know its importance!
To make a call, feel free to use this formula:
Introduction: Introduce yourself as a constituent and include your affiliation with The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, as well as your professional affiliation or role in the community.
What issue you’re calling about and why: Support of Emergency Supplies for Colorado Babies and Families.
Personalize: Let your House representative know that according to the National Diaper Bank Network, it costs $80/month to diaper a child. For women with low wages, this is nearly impossible. No woman should have to choose between food and diapers. If you have a personal story to share, or a story of a woman you know, share it.
SB21-236 | Increase Capacity Early Childhood Care & Education
Before the pandemic, Colorado’s early care and education sector had a shortage of qualified workers. The pandemic significantly worsened the problem. According to Early Milestones Colorado, 10% of Colorado’s child care providers closed their businesses. Think it’s just a problem for working parents? Everyone relies on someone who relies on child care. To get more people into child care careers and rebuild the sector, it’s going to take multiple strategies.
One bill creates four new grant programs to increase the capacity for early childhood care and education, improve recruitment and retention rates for early childhood educators, and increase salaries for educators. According to National Women’s Law Center, typical annual wages for a woman working full time, year round in the child care industry were $29,900, or approximately $14.38 per hour.
Status: The Senate Appropriations Committee passed this bill on May 7 with several amendments. Next, it will go the floor of the Senate for a vote. Stay tuned for future action needed.
See the complete list of bills we’ve taken positions on, where they stand, and register for our Advocating for Impact trainings for May 19 and June 16.
