#coleg 2020: Ensuring Working Families Have a Seat at the Table
The 2020 legislative session is off to a promising start. Already, a proposal to increase Basic Cash Assistance (BCA) for low-income families has passed out of committee with bipartisan support.
CWEE’s program is infused with opportunities for participants to build leadership skills and advocate for issues that impact their lives.
This week marked a culmination point when CWEE participants went to the State Capitol to meet with lawmakers, highlight issues that impact low-income families, and speak to important issues under consideration.
CWEE’s presence at the Capitol this week – along with partners from the All Families Deserve a Chance Coalition, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, and others – ensures that this momentum will continue.
CWEE participants reacted to the experience at the Capitol:
“Growing up, I always went to the Capitol, but for me to do this as an adult – it’s meaningful. To know that the representatives are there to fight for us and that they heard our stories is powerful.”
“The experience was scary at first, but telling people my story is a weight lifted off my shoulders.”
In addition to increasing the BCA, CWEE’s advocacy priorities for the 2020 session include proposals to:
- Expand tax credits for low-income Colorado families
- Increase support for adult basic education
- Prohibit housing discrimination based on source of income
CWEE’s advocacy work in 2020 follows a recent track record of success. In 2018, 12 CWEE participants testified at the Capitol in favor of a 10% increase to the BCA (currently $500 per month for one adult with two children).
During the testimony, a baby that belonged to one of CWEE’s participants got sick in the hearing room. Without missing a beat, the mom pointed out that the $50 increase per month would allow her to address her child’s needs with a visit to the doctor and a prescription or some new clothes and a fresh box of diapers. “When you live on razor-thin margins,” she said, “anything helps.”
After listening to the testimony of CWEE participants, the 2018 BCA increase passed.
When the voices of the people most impacted are heard, the decision makers find it hard not to listen.