Results from the Special Session
By Representative Meghan Lukens.
Standing Strong for Colorado: Results from the Special Session
When Congressional Republicans passed a budget last month that handed out massive tax cuts to corporations, it created a billion-dollar hole in Colorado’s state budget. H.R. 1 threatens Medicaid services, cuts SNAP food assistance for hundreds of thousands of Coloradans, and causes health insurance premiums to spike by nearly 40 percent on the Western Slope. For families in House District 26, this will make health insurance unaffordable for many of our neighbors. When Washington Republicans chose to slash federal funding that Colorado families depend on, Colorado state legislators did not sit back and hope for the best. Instead, we came together in a special legislative session to pick up the pieces and protect the services our Western Slope communities rely on.
Rural Healthcare Hanging in the Balance
Congress’s failure to extend enhanced premium tax credits will hit Western Slope families hard, with individual market premiums set to increase by nearly 40 percent in our communities. Here in Colorado, we have worked tirelessly through our reinsurance program to bring down healthcare costs for families. We have proven that smart investments can make healthcare more affordable. During our special session, we passed HB25B-1006 to invest additional resources in reinsurance to keep premium increases down to around 20 percent statewide. We also restored access to Medicaid services at Planned Parenthood for over 10,000 patients whose appointments were cancelled when federal legislation immediately removed reproductive health providers from the Medicaid program. This ensures that Coloradans can continue accessing cancer screenings, family planning consultations, and STI testing from the providers they trust. From regular checkups to emergency care, our rural hospitals and clinics are vital to the health and safety of our communities. If rural hospitals close, families will have to drive hours for basic care, and our community would lose good-paying local jobs. This year, I sponsored HB25-1085 to help our county hospitals run more efficiently and HB25-1223 to study what our rural hospitals need to stay strong. That is how you support healthcare – through thoughtful investments, not reckless cuts that put hospitals at risk.
Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes, Not Cutting Services
In order to protect hardworking Coloradans from Washington’s irresponsibility, we took a balanced approach that made corporations pay their fair share. We passed multiple bills that collectively close corporate tax loopholes that have allowed companies to dodge nearly $1 billion in taxes they owe Colorado. HB25B-1002 cracked down on offshore tax havens and foreign bank accounts that let companies avoid Colorado taxes, and stopped giving Colorado tax breaks to corporations for investments they make in other states rather than here at home. HB25B-1003 ended special tax breaks for insurance companies that were not actually creating jobs in our state – the State Auditor found that most companies were actually eliminating jobs while claiming these special breaks and HB25B-1001 limited excessive tax breaks for higher-earning business owners. These were not cuts to essential services – these were smart decisions to ensure that corporations benefiting from federal tax cuts also contribute fairly to the Colorado communities where they do business.
Supporting Families and Students
When Republicans cut SNAP food assistance, it put over 600,000 Coloradans at risk of going hungry – including more than 300,000 low-income families with children, older adults, and people with disabilities who depend on this program to put food on the table each month. Rather than allowing Congress’s cuts to stand, we took action with SB25B-003, which adjusts Proposition MM, a ballot measure we are putting before voters this November. If it passes, Proposition MM will raise up to $95 million per year by limiting state income tax deductions for households earning over $300,000. These new revenues will first ensure that our successful Healthy School Meals for All program continues to provide free, nutritious meals to all public school students across Colorado, and then any remaining funds can help support SNAP to keep vulnerable families fed.
A Pragmatic Approach That Works
This special session, I sponsored SB25B-005, which makes a practical adjustment to wolf program funding. This legislation reallocates the $264,268 originally set aside in this year’s budget for importing additional wolves from Canada to instead help make health care more affordable for all Coloradans. All existing funding for wolf management, conflict mitigation, and livestock compensation remains in place. It simply requires that any future wolf procurement come from funding sources outside of taxpayer dollars, recognizing that our wolf population is growing successfully on its own.
The Colorado Way Forward
This special session showed our commitment to putting families first over corporate interests. We protected essential services, closed unfair tax loopholes, and made strategic investments in healthcare affordability and food security. I remain committed to bringing our community’s pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach to the State Capitol. Whether it’s supporting our rural hospitals, helping families afford health insurance, or finding practical solutions to complex challenges, I will continue advocating for the investments our Western Slope communities need. As always, I want to hear from you about the issues that matter most to our communities. Please reach out to me at meghan.lukens.house@coleg.gov with your thoughts or ideas. Together, we will continue building a stronger future for House District 26.
Onward!
Meghan Lukens represents Colorado House District 26 which includes Routt, Moffat, and Rio Blanco counties and part of Eagle County.