Second Regular Session
Seventy-fourth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
ENGROSSED
LLS NO. R24-0846.01 Jessica Wigent x3701
SJR24-008
Senate Committees House Committees
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 24-008
C
ONCERNING FUNDING TITLE X PROGRAMS IN COLORADO.101
WHEREAS, Enacted in 1970 with strong bipartisan support, Title1
X of the federal "Public Health Service Act" created the National Family2
Planning Program, the first and only program to provide to millions of3
Americans nationwide comprehensive reproductive health-care services,4
from blood pressure evaluations and important examinations to free and5
low-cost contraception and counseling; and6
WHEREAS, Like the bipartisan support that created this essential7
program, bipartisan support for family planning has made Colorado a8
leader in reproductive health; and9
WHEREAS, Title X funding helps ensure access to reliable and10
effective family planning services, including contraception, and helps11
families and communities throughout the state by allowing Coloradans to12
SENATE
Final Reading
February 16, 2024
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Marchman and Buckner, Coleman, Cutter, Exum, Fields, Gonzales, Hansen, Hinrichsen,
Kolker, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Roberts, Rodriguez, Sullivan, Winter F., Zenzinger
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Lukens and Willford,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law. choose if, when, and how they start their families; and1
WHEREAS, Family planning services reduce rates of unintended2
pregnancies and maternal and infant mortality and morbidity; providing3
access to these vital services helps people attain a higher level of4
education and employment, reducing their economic insecurity, and this5
access has been linked to better mental and physical health outcomes for6
children and families; and7
WHEREAS, In Colorado, Black birthing people are two times8
more likely, and American Indian and Alaska Native birthing people are9
three times more likely, to die during childbirth or within one year10
postpartum compared to their white counterparts; equitable access to11
family planning services is essential for these communities in light of the12
health risks associated with giving birth due to systemic racism and13
discrimination; and14
WHEREAS, Colorado's Family Planning Program, which is15
funded by Title X and run by the Colorado Department of Public Health16
and Environment, also known as CDPHE, provides comprehensive17
reproductive health care to Coloradans at 80 clinics across the state and18
prioritizes individuals who are uninsured and have lower incomes; and19
WHEREAS, According to the federal Office on Women's Health,20
"teen mothers and their infants are at increased risk for lifelong health21
problems and social and economic challenges"; between 2009 and 2020,22
the birthrate for females in Colorado between the ages of 15 to 19 fell by23
64%: This is important progress that Colorado must continue to build on;24
and25
WHEREAS, Since the United States Supreme Court overturned26
Roe v. Wade in 2022, in a landmark case now known as the Dobbs27
Decision, communities across the country are experiencing a significant28
decrease in access to reproductive health care, including family planning29
services, and Colorado has stepped up to provide timely care for all who30
need it; and31
WHEREAS, However, even before the Dobbs Decision, Title X32
program funding was not where Colorado needed it to be; available33
funding only allowed health-care providers across the state to serve fewer34
than half of the more than 93,000 women in Colorado who CDPHE has35
estimated need access to its services, and this means that 50,00036
008
-2- Coloradans go without these vital reproductive health services, an1
estimated $20 million in unmet needs; and2
WHEREAS, The increased need for services in Colorado3
following the Dobbs Decision has placed more strain on our reproductive4
health-care safety net; providers, clinics, and communities statewide are5
struggling to meet this need, and, without additional funding, access to6
family planning services will continue to be out of reach for many,7
especially for people of color and those who live in rural areas; and8
WHEREAS, CDPHE estimates that it needs $404 to serve each9
family planning client; research has shown that this investment in each10
client saves millions of dollars in federal programs like Medicaid; the11
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP; the Special12
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or13
WIC; and others; and14
WHEREAS, By investing additional funding into this proven15
program, Colorado can continue to improve maternal and infant health,16
avoid significant costs to Medicaid, maintain the Title X program's17
success in decreasing unintended pregnancies, and ensure that Coloradans18
across the state have access to the care they need; now, therefore,19
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fourth General20
Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives21
concurring herein:22
23
That Colorado declares the state's commitment to adequately24
funding the Title X program in order to provide comprehensive25
reproductive care to Coloradans across the state and to decrease the26
number of unintended pregnancies statewide, leading to better health and27
economic outcomes for our children, families, communities, and state.28
Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent29
to the Colorado Children's Campaign; the Colorado Department of Public30
Health and Environment; COLOR Latina, the Colorado Organization for31
Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights; Denver Health; and Planned32
Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.33
008
-3-