After 120 days, prime sponsoring of 29 bills and massive progress for Colorado, I am proud of all that we accomplished during the 2026 Legislative Session. This session tested us fiscally, but we rose to meet the challenge, working across the aisle to deliver bipartisan solutions on the issues that matter most to the Western Slope.

The work we accomplished this year reflects the priorities you shared with me in town halls, emails and conversations from one end of our district to the other. 

Supporting Our Students

As a teacher and now Chair of the House Education Committee, funding our schools is my top priority every session.

This year’s School Finance Act delivers across the board. It keeps the student-centered formula in place and drives $180.79 million more to our public schools, increasing per-student funding by $449, and bringing total school per-pupil funding to $12,325.

I am especially proud that, even in this difficult budget year, we were able to preserve or increase funding for the vast majority of Colorado school districts, with rural communities benefiting the most from the student-centered formula. This builds on the landmark changes we made two years ago, including eliminating the budget stabilization factor and updating the school funding formula for the first time in 30 years.

In fact, since the 2020-2021 academic year, we have increased total program funding from $7.2 billion to $10.2 billion for the upcoming year despite a declining enrollment environment. To break it down even further, per-pupil funding has increased from $8,100 to more than $12,300 in that time as well.

While the successes of this year’s School Finance Act are a step in the right direction, Colorado still has one of the most underfunded education systems in the nation. That is why we also passed SB26-135, which would give voters the opportunity to invest in Colorado’s students and teachers.

This referred measure would ask voters a simple question: should public school funding grow alongside Colorado’s economy or continue to be constrained by the TABOR cap?  If approved, the measure would increase K-12 funding that would be used for boosting teacher pay, improving retention, reducing class sizes and expanding access to career and technical education.

I also sponsored education-specific bills to streamline reporting burdens on schools, help districts fill teaching vacancies faster by accepting out-of-state licensure, and connect students with pathways into public service careers. In addition, we passed legislation to strengthen civil rights protections in schools, expand biliteracy programs and bolster resources for at-risk students.

Colorado’s $65.8 billion outdoor recreation economy depends on healthy public lands, and this session, we took important steps to protect them.

The Colorado Outdoor Opportunities Act formalizes Colorado Parks and Wildlife as the lead agency for implementing the state’s Outdoor Strategy and directs closer coordination with local communities, tribes, landowners and partner agencies. Managing the growing demand on our public lands while protecting wildlife requires a synchronized approach, and this law puts that proactive framework in place.

Protecting Our Natural Resources

Other legislation I sponsored bans the discharge of plastic pellets into Colorado’s land and waterways, modernizes fuel quality standards for rural communities, updates irrigation equipment standards to reduce water waste and lower costs for farmers and ranchers, and strengthens Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s ability to address human-bear conflicts. Each of these laws is essential to keeping our environment and agricultural systems healthy and productive.

Keeping Our Communities Safe

Keeping our kids safe online is a top priority, which is why I sponsored HB26-1058. This law ensures that children featured in online content, referred to as kidfluencers, have financial protections, earnings trusts and the right to have content removed. The law also establishes civil penalties for those who sexualize minors online. There is a growing number of children on social media, and their lives are increasingly documented and monetized in the digital economy. I am thankful we were able to establish reasonable guardrails to protect them.

EMS is a lifeline for rural Colorado, but we need to do more to ensure this essential service is available to everyone who needs it. HB26-1238 designates emergency medical services as an essential state service. This is an especially critical change for rural Colorado, where hospitals are few and distances to care are vast. The designation unlocks new public funding mechanisms for ambulance providers and ensures that EMS coverage is reliable in every community, regardless of population or income. I also sponsored HB26-1305, which allows remote psychiatric facilities to operate under an existing hospital’s license, expanding access to mental health beds in underserved areas.

Building a Stronger Economy

Northwestern Colorado’s coal communities are navigating a monumental economic change, and the Coal Transition Community Investment Act preserves the local workforce at the heart of this shift. It gives hiring preference to coal transition workers in impacted communities and allows local governments to invest settlement funds more flexibly, so those dollars can better benefit the community. These workers powered our state for generations, and this legislation ensures they are not left behind.

Beyond my own bills, I supported legislation to expand homeowner’s insurance access, slash utility costs for lower-income Coloradans, unlock workforce housing development on qualifying properties and make it easier for Coloradans to use portable solar devices.

Thank You

None of this work happens alone.  I am grateful to the constituents, local leaders, educators and community members across House District 26 who took the time to share their perspectives and help shape the legislation I championed on your behalf.

I am equally grateful for colleagues on both sides of the aisle who approached this session’s challenges with seriousness and a shared commitment to the people of Colorado. Please do not hesitate to reach out at meghan.lukens.house@coleg.gov.