Colorado K-12 STEM Education Act

This bill awaits the Governor's action. Deadline: 2026-06-15 14:05:00 (UTC).

Voting is now open for 72 hours. - Ends (UTC): 2026-06-12T14:00:00Z Members may vote Aye, Nay, or Present. Results are visible in real time.

Debate is now open for this bill for 72 hours. - Begins (UTC): 2026-06-06T13:00:00Z - Ends (UTC): 2026-06-09T13:00:00Z Please keep discussion on-topic and substantive. After debate closes, voting will automatically begin.

The Governor has signed this bill. It is now enacted.

Result: passed. Aye (seats): 70 Nay (seats): 30 Present (seats): 0 Total seats: 100

Colleagues, I want to build on a point both Representative Carter and Representative Kent made: right now, access to real STEM education depends far too much on ZIP code. That is not a minor curriculum issue; it is an opportunity issue. If a student in one Colorado district graduates having written code, worked through engineering problems, and learned how modern systems function, while another student never gets that chance, we are effectively deciding their future options before they are old enough to choose for themselves. As someone with a technology background, I also want to stress that this bill is not about turning every child into a software engineer. It is about basic literacy in the world they are already living in. Computer science teaches logic, problem-solving, and how to engage with the systems that increasingly shape work, healthcare, finance, and daily life. Requiring one coding-inclusive computer science credit in high school is a reasonable floor, not an excessive mandate. Now, I do think implementation matters. Colorado will need qualified teachers, workable standards, and enough flexibility so rural and under-resourced schools can meet the requirement without being set up to fail. But that is an argument for doing this responsibly, not for avoiding it. On balance, this is a practical, future-facing bill, and I support it.

Colleagues, I think Representative Carter is right about the basic problem: too much of this depends on ZIP code. One school offers real computer science, modern lab work, and teachers who know the material; another school is still treating technology like an occasional elective. If Colorado is serious about opportunity, then a student’s access to STEM education should not be left to luck. Now, I come at this as a small-business guy, not an education theorist. I’ve spent my life around employers trying to find dependable people who can learn new systems, solve problems, and adapt when the market changes. That is what this bill is really about. Not turning every child into a software engineer, but making sure every graduate has some baseline exposure to the tools and thinking that increasingly shape modern work. My one caution is implementation. Mandates from the top can go sideways if schools are expected to do more without the staff, training, or classroom support to do it well. But the direction here is the right one. A coding-inclusive credit in high school and yearly STEM instruction in K-8 is a practical investment in Colorado’s workforce, and I’m inclined to support it.

Thank you. Colleagues, this bill does two simple things. It makes computer science and STEM a required part of our K-8 core curriculum, every grade, every year. And it asks every high school student to earn one computer science credit: with real, hands-on coding, before they graduate. Right now, whether a kid in Colorado learns to code depends too much on their zip code and their district's budget. A student in a well-resourced suburb gets the class. A student on the Eastern Plains or in an under-funded school too often doesn't. That's not a level playing field, and it's not how we build a workforce ready for the jobs that are coming. This is a core skill now, not a luxury. We don't leave reading or math to chance, and we shouldn't leave this to chance either. When we teach a child to code, we hand them a tool: to start a business, modernize a farm, or bring opportunity back to their hometown. I'd ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me. This is a commonsense investment in our kids and our economy. I urge a yes vote, and I yield.