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House Education

Thursday, February 5, 2026·2h 16m·▶ Watch / Listen

The House Education Committee sent two bills to Appropriations on party-line votes, advancing a statewide Seal of Biliteracy program and a new 'thriving institution' designation for colleges — both over Republican objections centered on cost to small districts and unresolved fiscal notes.

Key Actions

·Thriving Institution Designations for Higher EducationPassed

+ 1 more action

Notable Quotes

Access and recognition depends on where a student goes to school, not what they do or can do.

Elizabeth Velasco (member, bill sponsor) · witnessThe core rationale for standardizing the Seal of Biliteracy statewide, given that fewer than a third of districts currently offer it.

+ 6 more quotes

Votes

Referred to Committee on AppropriationsAction
Yes (8)Jennifer Bacon, Lindsay Gilchrist, Eliza Hamrick, Jacque Phillips, Katie Stewart, Tammy Story, Matthew Martinez, Meghan Lukens
No (4)Ava Flanell, Lori Garcia Sander, Dusty Johnson, Ron Weinberg
Excused (1)Mary Bradfield
Referred to Committee on AppropriationsAction
Yes (8)Jennifer Bacon, Lindsay Gilchrist, Eliza Hamrick, Jacque Phillips, Katie Stewart, Tammy Story, Matthew Martinez, Meghan Lukens
No (5)Mary Bradfield, Ava Flanell, Lori Garcia Sander, Dusty Johnson, Ron Weinberg
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TranscriptPreview
You will come to order. Mr. Beck, please call the roll. Representatives Bacon. Excused. Bradfield. Here. Flannel. Excused. Garcia. Sander. Present. Gilchrist. Excused. Amrick. Here. Johnson. Excused. Phillips. Yes. Stuart. Kay. Here. Story. Excused. Weinberg. Here. Martinez. Here. Madam Chair. Here. Okay. Today we are hearing two bills. We do have translating services, interpretation services. Thank you. Interpretation services. For those that are interested, we can talk to the gentleman in the back corner. And Today we're hearing two bills, House Bill 1028 and 1506. And our bill sponsors for 1028 are here. Rep. Velasco. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. And thank you, Education Committee. I am very happy and thrilled to bring this bill with Rep. Garcia to address an issue of bilingual students are dealing with. Currently, we have students who clearly meet the skill level for biliteracy or bilingualism, but they cannot access recognition simply because their school doesn't offer it. Colorado serves over 114,000 multilingual students, but only 55 out of 179 school districts offer the seal of biliteracy. Access and recognition depends on where a student goes to school, not what they do or can do. I was very excited to be part of
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