Colorado Catholic Conference

Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila offered the opening prayer over the Colorado House of Representatives today during Catholic Lobby Day hosted by the Colorado Catholic Conference!

Please join us in praying for our legislators and all who serve in public office, that the Holy Spirit may guide their work in promoting the dignity of every human person and the common good.

Listen to CCC Associate Director Nathan Fisher discuss HB26-1292 Scholarship Granting Organizations on Dan Caplis! Come testify against this terrible bill to protect faith based schools and education opportunity for Colorado students. Hearing is on March 12 at 1:30pm.

HB26-1292 requires all private schools that enroll students on the federal tax credit scholarship program to abide by the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) requirements, including not “discriminating against” s*xual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. This includes: admissions, enrollment, academic performance, access and participation in services, and retention. Schools in violation are subject to injunction. Schools will be required to publish their non-discrimination compliance on their website. This bill restricts the religious integrity and autonomy of faith based schools that do not adhere to the state definition of gender ideology. By doing so, it restricts education opportunity for thousands of Colorado children who would otherwise be able to choose a Catholic or faith based school with their privately funded school choice scholarship.

HB26-1292 is a gross overreach of the state and violation of the First amendment protections of speech and expression. In Espinoza v. Montana (2020), the U.S. Supreme Court already ruled that a state cannot discriminate against a faith based school in their tax credit scholarship program. Furthermore, in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra (2018), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of California could not compel the speech of crisis pregnancy centers by forcing them to disclose abortion information on their websites. HB 1292 forces schools to publish non-discrimination code that violates their sincerely held belief. It therefore contradicts U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the constitution, and parental rights.

HB26-1292 is a direct response to the new federal tax credit created by Congress in HR1 last July. Gov. Polis supports the adoption of the tax credit, which could generate potentially hundreds of millions of dollars for Colorado students that will go directly to support the student.