As the midpoint of the 2020 Colorado legislative session approaches, the Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region has actively supported bills that enhance anti-discrimination laws in Colorado and has opposed bills that sought to curtail Coloradans’ civil rights.
ADL attended a press conference and rally on Feb. 13 in opposition to a slate of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in Colorado. Daniel Ramos, Executive Director of One Colorado, explained why the bills were so dangerous for LGBTQ Coloradans.
ADL joined coalition partners and community advocates in opposing a slate of six anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in the Colorado legislature. One of the bills, House Bill 1033, would have allowed discrimination in all areas of public life by creating broad and undefined religious exemptions. ADL also joined coalition partners and key stakeholders in opposing several bills that would have prohibited abortion in Colorado and severely restricted women’s access to comprehensive reproductive health care.
ADL is working with the Jewish Community Relations Council, lawmakers and an extensive network of coalition partners to introduce a bill that would promote Holocaust and genocide education and awareness in Colorado schools. The bill, being sponsored by Colorado State Representatives Emily Sirota and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, is expected to be introduced soon.
Members of the Black Legislative Caucus of Colorado conducted a community hearing on Feb. 5 to allow individuals who have experienced hairstyle-related discrimination to share their experiences.
In addition to the Holocaust and genocide education bill, ADL is working with coalition partners to support:
▪ House bill 1048 – The Colorado CROWN Act. The bill would prohibit discrimination in education, employment and public accommodations based on an individual’s hairstyle, including styles often associated with an individual’s race.
▪ Senate bill 83 – Prohibit Courthouse Civil Arrest. The bill provides critical protection from civil arrest for individuals accessing Colorado’s judicial system. Civil arrests at courthouses are primarily carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The bill is consistent with longstanding principles of constitutional and common law, is designed to protect fundamental rights by ensuring access to justice and preserves the integrity of Colorado’s system of government.
The ADL Mountain States Region also monitors legislation in New Mexico and Wyoming and mobilizes on key bills. The New Mexico legislative session ended on Feb. 20. Wyoming’s budget session began on Feb. 10 and will end March 6.
To get involved in ADL’s public policy work in the Mountain States Region, contact mountainstates@adl.org. To take action on ADL’s federal legislative priorities, go to ADL’s Action Center: https://www.adl.org/take-action/be-heard-in-congress.