Colorado 2024 Regular Session

Colorado Senate Bill SJR008 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Second Regular Session
2	2		Seventy-fourth General Assembly
3	3		STATE OF COLORADO
4		-	~~REVISED~~
	4	+	ENGROSSED
5	5
6	6
7	7		LLS NO. R24-0846.01 Jessica Wigent x3701
8	8		SJR24-008
9	9		Senate Committees House Committees
10	10		SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 24-008
11	11		C
12	12		ONCERNING FUNDING TITLE X PROGRAMS IN COLORADO.101
13	13		WHEREAS, Enacted in 1970 with strong bipartisan support, Title1
14	14		X of the federal "Public Health Service Act" created the National Family2
15	15		Planning Program, the first and only program to provide to millions of3
16	16		Americans nationwide comprehensive reproductive health-care services,4
17	17		from blood pressure evaluations and important examinations to free and5
18	18		low-cost contraception and counseling; and6
19	19		WHEREAS, Like the bipartisan support that created this essential7
20	20		program, bipartisan support for family planning has made Colorado a8
21	21		leader in reproductive health; and9
22	22		WHEREAS, Title X funding helps ensure access to reliable and10
23	23		effective family planning services, including contraception, and helps11
24	24		families and communities throughout the state by allowing Coloradans to12
25		-	HOUSE
26		-	Final Reading
27		-	March 1, 2024
28	25		SENATE
29	26		Final Reading
30	27		February 16, 2024
31	28		SENATE SPONSORSHIP
32	29		Marchman and Buckner, Coleman, Cutter, Exum, Fields, Gonzales, Hansen, Hinrichsen,
33	30		Kolker, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Roberts, Rodriguez, Sullivan, Winter F., Zenzinger
34	31		HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
35		-	Lukens and Willford, Amabile, Bacon, Bird, Boesenecker, Brown, Clifford, Daugherty,
36		-	deGruy Kennedy, Duran, Froelich, Garcia, Hamrick, Hernandez, Herod, Jodeh, Joseph, Kipp,
37		-	Lindstedt, Mabrey, Marvin, Mauro, McCluskie, McCormick, Ortiz, Rutinel, Sirota, Story,
38		-	Titone, Velasco, Vigil, Weissman, Young
	32	+	Lukens and Willford,
39	33		Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
40	34		Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
41	35		Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law. choose if, when, and how they start their families; and1
42	36		WHEREAS, Family planning services reduce rates of unintended2
43	37		pregnancies and maternal and infant mortality and morbidity; providing3
44	38		access to these vital services helps people attain a higher level of4
45	39		education and employment, reducing their economic insecurity, and this5
46	40		access has been linked to better mental and physical health outcomes for6
47	41		children and families; and7
48	42		WHEREAS, In Colorado, Black birthing people are two times8
49	43		more likely, and American Indian and Alaska Native birthing people are9
50	44		three times more likely, to die during childbirth or within one year10
51	45		postpartum compared to their white counterparts; equitable access to11
52	46		family planning services is essential for these communities in light of the12
53	47		health risks associated with giving birth due to systemic racism and13
54	48		discrimination; and14
55	49		WHEREAS, Colorado's Family Planning Program, which is15
56	50		funded by Title X and run by the Colorado Department of Public Health16
57	51		and Environment, also known as CDPHE, provides comprehensive17
58	52		reproductive health care to Coloradans at 80 clinics across the state and18
59	53		prioritizes individuals who are uninsured and have lower incomes; and19
60	54		WHEREAS, According to the federal Office on Women's Health,20
61	55		"teen mothers and their infants are at increased risk for lifelong health21
62	56		problems and social and economic challenges"; between 2009 and 2020,22
63	57		the birthrate for females in Colorado between the ages of 15 to 19 fell by23
64	58		64%: This is important progress that Colorado must continue to build on;24
65	59		and25
66	60		WHEREAS, Since the United States Supreme Court overturned26
67	61		Roe v. Wade in 2022, in a landmark case now known as the Dobbs27
68	62		Decision, communities across the country are experiencing a significant28
69	63		decrease in access to reproductive health care, including family planning29
70	64		services, and Colorado has stepped up to provide timely care for all who30
71	65		need it; and31
72	66		WHEREAS, However, even before the Dobbs Decision, Title X32
73	67		program funding was not where Colorado needed it to be; available33
74	68		funding only allowed health-care providers across the state to serve fewer34
75	69		than half of the more than 93,000 women in Colorado who CDPHE has35
76	70		estimated need access to its services, and this means that 50,00036
77	71		008
78	72		-2- Coloradans go without these vital reproductive health services, an1
79	73		estimated $20 million in unmet needs; and2
80	74		WHEREAS, The increased need for services in Colorado3
81	75		following the Dobbs Decision has placed more strain on our reproductive4
82	76		health-care safety net; providers, clinics, and communities statewide are5
83	77		struggling to meet this need, and, without additional funding, access to6
84	78		family planning services will continue to be out of reach for many,7
85	79		especially for people of color and those who live in rural areas; and8
86	80		WHEREAS, CDPHE estimates that it needs $404 to serve each9
87	81		family planning client; research has shown that this investment in each10
88	82		client saves millions of dollars in federal programs like Medicaid; the11
89	83		Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP; the Special12
90	84		Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or13
91	85		WIC; and others; and14
92	86		WHEREAS, By investing additional funding into this proven15
93	87		program, Colorado can continue to improve maternal and infant health,16
94	88		avoid significant costs to Medicaid, maintain the Title X program's17
95	89		success in decreasing unintended pregnancies, and ensure that Coloradans18
96	90		across the state have access to the care they need; now, therefore,19
97	91		Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fourth General20
98	92		Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives21
99	93		concurring herein:22
100	94		23
101	95		That Colorado declares the state's commitment to adequately24
102	96		funding the Title X program in order to provide comprehensive25
103	97		reproductive care to Coloradans across the state and to decrease the26
104	98		number of unintended pregnancies statewide, leading to better health and27
105	99		economic outcomes for our children, families, communities, and state.28
106	100		Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent29
107	101		to the Colorado Children's Campaign; the Colorado Department of Public30
108	102		Health and Environment; COLOR Latina, the Colorado Organization for31
109	103		Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights; Denver Health; and Planned32
110	104		Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.33
111	105		008
112	106		-3-