SB26-080 · Bill · 2026 Regular Session · Colorado

Cradle to Career Grant Program Creation

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Concerning creating the cradle to career grant program.

Official status: Became Law

Prime sponsors

• James Coleman (Senate) — Prime Sponsor
• Cleave Simpson (Senate) — Prime Sponsor
• Meghan Lukens (House) — Prime Sponsor
• Regina English (House) — Prime Sponsor

Progress (from the official record)

Official summary

Official text — shown in English exactly as published by the official source. The official text controls.

The act creates the cradle to career grant program (grant program) in the department of human services (CDHS) to provide grants to a local government, local education provider, state institution of higher education, Indian tribe or tribal organization, or community-based nonprofit or not-for-profit organization (eligible entity) to promote coordinated community-based supports and services that open opportunities for economic mobility from poverty. The grant program must connect children and youth with high-quality educational and extracurricular programming and families with key health and social services in order to improve prenatal and early childhood outcomes, student achievement, workforce readiness, and wealth-building opportunities. The act creates the cradle to career advisory council (council) to approve or disapprove CDHS's potential grant recipients and to collaborate with CDHS to develop grant program guidelines and criteria for awarding grants. Council members must be Colorado residents and must not provide financial support for the grant program. To receive a grant, an eligible entity must submit an application that includes an economic mobility needs assessment and a comprehensive proposal to address the needs within its designated service area. The application must identify prospective community partners and subcontractors. The act caps the amount that CDHS may award in connection with a single grant application at 49% of available grant program money. A grant recipient must comply with various health and safety, financial responsibility, and anti-discrimination safeguards. Each grant recipient must annually report to CDHS addressing the recipient's progress using a set of performance indicators to assess the economic mobility outcomes and impacts associated with the grant award. CDHS must make a related report to the health and human services committees of the general assembly and the governor each year. CDHS may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, and donations for grant-program-related purposes. If CDHS does not receive $900,000 for those purposes on or before December 31, 2028, the grant program is repealed. The general assembly shall not appropriate general fund dollars for grant program operations. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Status timeline

Recorded votes

• 05/12/2026 — House Appropriations: “Reconsider SB 26-080” — the motion passed on a vote of 6–5.
• 05/12/2026 — House Appropriations: “Refer Senate Bill 26-080, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole.” — the motion passed on a vote of 8–3.
• 05/11/2026 — House Appropriations: “Refer Senate Bill 26-080 to the Committee of the Whole.” — the motion failed on a vote of 5–6.
• 05/11/2026 — House Appropriations: “Postpone Senate Bill 26-080 indefinitely using a reversal of the previous roll call. There was no objection to the use of the reverse roll call, therefore, the bill was postponed indefinitely.” — the motion passed on a vote of 6–5.
• 05/07/2026 — House Finance: “Refer Senate Bill 26-080, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations.” — the motion passed on a vote of 7–3.
• 04/30/2026 — House Education: “Refer Senate Bill 26-080 to the Committee on Finance.” — the motion passed on a vote of 7–6.
• 04/10/2026 — Senate Appropriations: “Refer Senate Bill 26-080, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole and with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar.” — the motion passed on a vote of 7–0.
• 02/26/2026 — Senate Local Government & Housing: “Refer Senate Bill 26-080, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations.” — the motion passed on a vote of 6–1.

Full text

• Signed Act version (official PDF), 06/08/2026
• Final Act version (official PDF), 05/18/2026
• Rerevised version (official PDF), 05/13/2026
• Revised version (official PDF), 05/12/2026
• Reengrossed version (official PDF), 04/13/2026
• Engrossed version (official PDF), 04/10/2026
• Introduced version (official PDF), 02/06/2026

Official record

View SB26-080 on leg.colorado.gov

Source: Colorado General Assembly (leg.colorado.gov) · Data as of 2026-10-27