JOINT RELEASE: New Laws to Protect Coloradans’ Rights Amid Federal Rollbacks Go Into Effect
Legislation will insulate nonprofits, shore up protections in education and housing
DENVER, CO – On August 12, three new laws to shore up Coloradans’ rights as the federal government rolls back key protections will go into effect.
SB26-009, sponsored by Senators Marc Snyder, D-Manitou Springs, and William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield, and House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, and Representative Rebekah Stewart, D-Lakewood, will ensure that nonprofit organizations that have lost their federal tax-exempt status for politically motivated reasons remain exempt from state sales tax.
“Nonprofit organizations in our state are cornerstones of their communities, supporting countless Coloradans through difficult times,” said Snyder. “Chaos in the federal government threatens to upend these organizations’ ability to serve their communities. This new law offers much-needed stability and dependability to charitable groups across our state.”
“Trump’s politically motivated attacks are threatening the ability of non-profits in Colorado to serve and support their communities,” said McCluskie. “Our new law protects nonprofits, ensuring that they continue to benefit from tax exemptions in our state, no matter what changes at the federal level. From safeguarding reproductive rights to creating affordable housing opportunities, nonprofits in Colorado deeply benefit our communities, and with this law, we have their back.”
“H.R. 1 slashed our state budget in favor of corporate tax breaks, which means the services and support nonprofits offer are now more important than ever to our communities,” said Stewart. “Nonprofit organizations are under threat from the federal government, and this law makes sure Colorado’s nonprofits do not lose their tax-exempt status.”
“Political retribution from the federal government could throw essential nonprofit organizations and the Colorado families who rely on them into chaos and financial distress,” said Lindstedt. “This legislation will fulfill our state’s responsibility to offer stability to valid charitable organizations amidst federal turbulence.”
SB26-009 will ensure that valid 501(c)(3) organizations maintain their state tax exemption if the federal government removes their federal tax-exempt status for political reasons. It will also ensure that the state maintains its authority to deny tax exemption for organizations that have lost their federal nonprofit status for legitimate reasons.
Since January 2025, Colorado nonprofits have increasingly struggled to navigate frenzied federal actions that call into question their budgetary futures and ability to serve their communities.
HB26-1045, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, and Senator Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, and Representatives Chad Clifford, D-Centennial, and Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins, will protect equal housing opportunity for Coloradans with disabilities.
“After the federal government repealed existing protections for Coloradans with disabilities, we’re stepping in to reinstate those protections,” said Kipp. “Tenants who rely on service animals deserve equal access to housing, and this new law ensures that access remains in Colorado.”
“Plain and simple: Coloradans with disabilities deserve equal access to housing,” said Clifford. “In contrast to the Trump Administration’s continued attacks, our law protects tenants who rely on service animals by making sure they are not turned away from housing opportunities. Service animals provide life-saving support to Coloradans with disabilities, and this law protects tenants.”
“Every Coloradan deserves equal access to housing,” said Danielson. “One of my top priorities during my time in the legislature has been to strengthen protections for Coloradans with disabilities. This new law is a continuation of that work, ensuring that those who depend on service animals do not face discriminatory barriers to housing.”
“Colorado Democrats are stepping up to strengthen protections for Coloradans with disabilities from Trump’s continued attacks,” said Zokaie. “Relying on a service animal should not jeopardize your housing, which is why our new law protects Coloradans from certain housing discrimination. Everyone deserves to have a safe, comfortable place to call home and our law protects Coloradans.”
HB26-1045 establishes the presumption that live-in service animals are a reasonable accommodation for tenants with disabilities, and a complete prohibition of live-in service animals by landlords is a discriminatory housing practice. Under the law, landlords will be entitled to an interactive accommodation process to ensure dialogue between tenants and landlords. The law will also define “assistance animal” and “emotional support animal” to provide clarity for housing providers and Coloradans with disabilities and to reduce litigation.
In May 2026, the Trump Administration formally narrowed the definition of an “assistance animal” allowed to live with disabled tenants. The definition was effective immediately.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rescinded federal guidelines that outlined the rights that people with disabilities have regarding service animals under the Fair Housing Act. These guidelines also helped landlords, property managers and tenants understand how to distinguish between service animals and Emotional Support Animals. The repeal of these guidelines has created confusion regarding the rights of Coloradans with disabilities and what reasonable accommodations housing providers must provide.
HB26-1141, sponsored by House Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, and Senators Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, and Chris Kolker, D-Centennial, will prevent discrimination in public schools based on disability, race, sexual orientation and other protected classes.
“In Colorado, we believe that students deserve protections if they experience discrimination based on their skin color, sexual orientation and disability,” said Bacon. “As the Trump Administration slashes funding for the federal Office of Civil Rights, the time is now to strengthen civil rights protections to protect students in Colorado. Our schools should be a safe place for students to learn and grow, and together we’re creating a positive learning environment for all students.”
“Colorado students are as diverse as the state itself, and that diversity is a strength that we must protect, especially in the face of ongoing threats to the federal Office of Civil Rights,” said Marchman. “With this new law, we are following through on that commitment by ensuring equal treatment for protected classes – which now includes those who are pregnant – in school and after-school programs.”
“Students, faculty, and families deserve to know with complete certainty that if they experience discrimination in public schools, Colorado stands behind them, even if the federal government will not,” said Kolker. “This new law is a part of our holistic, 360-degree approach to supporting students of all backgrounds and ensuring that Colorado is a place where all students can learn and grow in a safe environment.”
HB26-1141 prohibits public K-12 schools, higher education institutions and their employees from discriminating based on a protected class, like disability, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and national origin. The law also adds pregnancy and prenatal status to the definition of “harassment and discrimination" in K-12 public schools.
The law outlines discrimination in K-12 schools and higher education institutions as denying a person the full and equal enjoyment of a public accommodation when the school:
Excludes a student from participating in school programs or activities,
Denies educational services, benefits, or opportunities to a student without a legitimate, non-discriminatory basis and treats the student differently than a similar student, and
Fails to take prompt and effective steps to address a complaint that they have created a hostile environment based on a protected class.
The Colorado Civil Rights Division is able to create rules specifically for how to address these types of complaints.
Higher education institutions, including community and technical colleges, will be required to establish a discrimination complaint process. They will also be required to designate a Title VI coordinator to ensure compliance with the law and Title VI, educate students and employees about the complaint process, manage and respond to grievances and publish data on violations.
Since Trump started his second term, he has slashed the US Department of Education’s workforce by nearly 50 percent, including firing half of the staff in the Office for Civil Rights and closing seven of the 12 regional offices, costing taxpayers over $28 million. The Office of Civil Rights leads investigations of discrimination at schools and higher education institutions across the country. He also moved oversight of special education and civil rights to other agencies.
Assistant Majority Leader Bacon and Senator Marchman previously passed a law that clearly defines what is considered harassment and discrimination in Colorado’s K-12 public schools. They also passed a law in 2024 that ensures that schools and educators have trauma-informed resources to support youth against harassment and discrimination.
All three bills join a host of actions Colorado Democrats have taken to protect Coloradans’ way of life amid federal threats.