Posted on August 28, 2025
Colorado lawmakers are returning to the State Capitol for a Special Legislative Session, a rare but increasingly common occurrence in recent years. While Special Sessions are allowed by our state’s constitution to address urgent issues, too often they happen to us, not with us behind closed doors, at lightning speed, and without the community input our democracy deserves.
This time, the Special Session was called to address a billion-dollar hole in Colorado’s budget. That hole was created by federal budget decisions that slashed programs like Medicaid, CHIP+, and key immigrant protections, while granting significant tax breaks to billionaires and large corporations. Now, Colorado lawmakers must decide how to respond: Will they protect essential programs, or leave our communities to shoulder the harm?
What is a Special Session?
A Special Session is when the Governor calls lawmakers back to the Capitol outside of the regular session to address a specific issue. They’re fast-moving, high-stakes, and often inaccessible to the public, which is why transparency and accountability matter even more in these moments.
Who Holds the Power and How It’s Used
Part of understanding this Special Session is knowing how different levels of government work together and sometimes against us.
- Federal lawmakers, like members of Congress, decide how much funding flows to states for programs like Medicaid, public education, and immigrant protections. They also decide whether that money comes with strings attached or whether it gets cut entirely.
- State lawmakers, the ones who work at the Colorado Capitol, decide how those dollars are spent here, or how to fill the gap when Congress takes funding away.
When federal lawmakers slash programs, they set the stage for budget shortfalls. Then it’s up to state lawmakers to decide: Will they use their power to protect our communities, or will they pass those cuts on to us? Knowing the difference matters because who we vote for at both levels shapes whether our communities get care or cuts.
Why does this matter to you?
Every decision made under that golden dome shapes our daily lives, our healthcare, housing, education, and rights. And when public trust is already low, rushed decisions made without community voices can deepen the disconnect.
It’s understandable to feel skeptical, especially when calls for “urgency” are not paired with urgency for community-led solutions. That’s why this Special Session is more than just a policy moment; it’s a civic lesson in real time.
Health care should honor our dignity, not determine our worth. That’s why we’re raising $11,000 to power the Latines Deserve Care Without Barriers campaign and protect access to care for our comunidad. Donate to COLOR. This moment, and this movement, have always been bigger than one campaign or one person. But it has always been about us.
Colorado Organization Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) represents and advocates for all Latinxs communities living in Colorado.
