Legislative Session in Review

What We Believe

Colorado’s 2026 legislative session has recently concluded. This year’s session was defined by a $1.5 billion budget deficit, continued efforts to weaken the protections of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), and multiple attempts to undermine Colorado’s citizen-led ballot initiative process.

Though an array of progressive bills made it out of the Capitol, there were a few good reforms that occurred as well. Lawmakers reached bipartisan solutions surrounding mental incompetency, harsher penalties for child traffickers, and took steps toward cutting red tape harming businesses. And though they were grappling with significant fiscal challenges, largely of their own making, lawmakers managed to pass a budget without cuts to school districts’ education funding.

The 2026 Legislative Review highlights the good, the bad, and the ugly bills as they relate to Advance Colorado’s Policy Agenda, and what citizens should be aware of.

Elizabeth Caven

Elizabeth serves as the Outreach Director and Policy Analyst at Advance Colorado. She previously worked for the Colorado House of Representatives for nearly three years as a legislative aide, where she assisted in policy work across a range of issue areas for the caucus. Elizabeth earned dual undergraduate degrees in Politics and Philosophy from Colorado Christian University. While at CCU, she served as President of the Philosophy Club, participated in First Liberty’s D.C. Fellowship Program, and worked with the Centennial Institute. She and her husband, Jason, live in Littleton.

Kristi Burton Brown

Kristi is the Executive Vice President at the Advance Colorado Institute. She is also a member of the State Board of Education, representing Congressional District 4. Kristi is the former Chairwoman of the Colorado Republican Party – the first woman to be elected in 40 years and the youngest Chair in Colorado Republican history. Kristi is a constitutional attorney, focusing on First Amendment and Equal Protection issues and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court where she has submitted briefs in a number of landmark decisions, including Loper v. Raimondo (the case that overturned the Chevron Doctrine). She is a guest host for the Dan Caplis Show on 630 KHOW. Kristi lives with her family in Douglas County where she and her husband homeschool their children with a classical Christian education.

At Advance Colorado, we believe in an education system that puts Colorado parents and students first through a system that emphasizes:

At the heart of Colorado’s school system is school choice, in which our state has been a national trailblazer for decades. – a system that has enjoyed deep, bipartisan support.

What We Do

We craft cutting edge policies that empower parents, taxpayers, and teachers and push back on the status quo interests that resist reform.

Our 2024 Policy Agenda includes several important education reform priorities. Read it HERE

This year, we are leading the charge to protect the school choice rights we currently have – rights that are annually under siege from the education establishment groups that want to eliminate your right to choose the best school for your children. We can secure our rights into the future through a school choice amendment to the Colorado Constitution.

Read our policy brief on this important issue HERE.

What You Can Do

We help citizens become advocates and leaders.

Whether you are a concerned parent, grandparent or taxpayer, Advance Colorado can equip you with the knowledge and tools to be an effective advocate for high quality, accountable schools. Learn more about our ambassador program.

And if you are interested in running to become a member of your local school board, you can apply to participate in the Advance Colorado Academy New Leader program. LINK If you are a current school board member, you can enroll in our “You’ve Won, Now What?” program. Learn more about our “You’ve Won, Now What?” program.