Colorado lawmakers passed two bills Sunday during the legislature's special session to protect access to certain safety-net programs. Both measures now await Gov. Jared Polis' signature.
One bill would boost state funding for SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The other would guarantee coverage for Medicaid patients who use Planned Parenthood services.
The bills are part of Democrats' response to Congressional Republicans' federal tax and spending package, known as the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which President Trump signed into law this summer. The law rolled back federal support for SNAP and barred Planned Parenthood patients from receiving federal Medicaid reimbursements.
Gov. Polis convened lawmakers for the special session to close a billion-dollar budget shortfall created by tax cuts in the federal legislation. He also directed Colorado lawmakers to shore up access to SNAP and Planned Parenthood services.
State funding for SNAP
The federal spending bill made several changes to the SNAP program, an initiative that helps low-income people and families buy food.
Some of the most impactful changes are expanded work requirements to qualify for the program and cuts to how much money the federal government gives states for SNAP implementation and management on the local level. Specifically, it reduces the federal contribution from 50% of SNAP administrative costs to 25%, leaving states on the hook for the difference.
The change is predicted to cost Colorado $50 million starting next year to fully fund the program and ensure it continues to serve Coloradans at its current level.
To cover the extra costs, Democrats want to repurpose some of the revenue the state collects for Healthy School Meals for All, Colorado's free school meal program, by tweaking a pair of ballot initiatives headed to voters in November.
The two ballot initiatives, Proposition MM and Proposition LL, would raise more money for school meals by increasing taxes on Coloradans who earn more than $300,000 per year and would allow the state to retain and spend extra revenue it collects for the program, rather than return it to taxpayers.
Democrats passed Senate Bill 25B-003 over the weekend to amend the ballot measures so they would also allow leftover funds to be used for SNAP beginning next summer. Lawmakers had to pass the bill during the special session to meet the September 4 deadline for making changes to this November's ballot measures.
"People rely on SNAP for just daily bread," said bill sponsor Sen. Dafna Michaelson-Jenet, Democrat from Commerce City. "SNAP is not glorious, SNAP is not overspending, it is so that the least amongst us can live a little better. And that food makes a difference between life or death."
Under the ballot measure changes, the state would have to fully fund the free school meal program before any of the money could be spent on SNAP administration and outreach. Only then could the remaining revenue also go to SNAP administration, outreach, and community-based nutrition education.
"We believe fully that just because you're living in poverty does not mean that you shouldn't be able to eat," said Denver Democrat and bill sponsor Rep. Lorena Garcia.
If voters approve the ballot initiatives with the new changes, they are projected to raise an additional $95 million for the state, which the bill's sponsors said would be enough to fully fund both Healthy School Meals for All and SNAP.
If the state doesn't come up with the money to fully fund SNAP, some of the most significant impacts would fall on the county workers who are responsible for administering the program on the local level, including reviewing Coloradans' applications for the program.
"Processing eligibility and enrollment is very labor-intensive, with very complicated rules and technical requirements," said Heather O'Hare, Director of the Larimer County Department of Human Services, during testimony in support of the bill last week. "Any reduction in administrative funding will absolutely have a direct impact on the service delivery and the ability of counties to maintain service levels to these vulnerable Coloradans."
Democrats, who hold a majority in both the state House and Senate, passed the SNAP funding bill without any GOP votes. Republicans said it's too soon to rely on ballot measures that haven't passed.
"The assumption, potentially that those are going to pass and therefore we should move dollars out of that, is beyond premature," said Grand Junction Republican Rep. Rick Taggart. "We don't even know what is coming out of those ballot items. That's not a good use of our time."
Instead, Republicans argue the state could come up with the money needed for the program by cutting other areas of the budget.
Medicaid coverage for Planned Parenthood
Alongside the SNAP bill, lawmakers passed a measure to ensure Medicaid coverage for patients at Planned Parenthood and similar reproductive health providers.
A provision in the big, beautiful bill bars federal Medicaid reimbursements to large nonprofit health providers that also offer abortions. Planned Parenthood isn't named directly, but it effectively cuts off funding for the organization. Although the provision is currently paused while it faces legal challenges, Colorado Democrats are moving ahead with legislation to keep services funded if the restriction is upheld.
Senate Bill 25B-002 directs the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to use state Medicaid dollars to reimburse funding for services like cancer screenings, birth control consultations, and STI testing.
Jack Teter, Vice President of Government Affairs for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, says the uncertainty created by Congressional Republicans' federal tax bill has already disrupted care and forced thousands of appointments to be canceled across the state.
"Since the Fourth of July, we've had to cancel patient appointments, resume them, cancel them again, resume them again. That is not a sustainable way for our patients to be able to access healthcare," Teter said. "This bill gives us stability as those cases move through the federal courts to make sure that we're not turning care on and off again."
Teter adds that Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains sees more than 10,000 Coloradans on Medicaid every year, and he hopes the new bill acts as a model for other states to replicate.
Republicans argue the state shouldn't backfill the funding and that other health providers could step in to offer the same services.
But Rep. Jenny Willford, a Northglenn Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors, says that's unrealistic.
"Where do they want money to come from? Because you can't take a provider that has roughly 10,000 Medicaid patients and just expect other providers to pick up those patients," Willford said. "That is a huge stress not only on our continuum of health care, but also on providers and patients."
While federal law has long prohibited the use of Medicaid funds for abortion services, Colorado voters recently approved a constitutional amendment that permits state dollars to fund abortion care.
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