# Colorado SB25-315: Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness Programs

Colorado SB25-315, Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness Programs, is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Barbara Kirkmeyer (Republican), Emily Sirota (Democratic), Jeff Bridges (Democratic) and 1 others; status signed, last action 2025-05-23 (Governor Signed); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-315-2025A
- As of: 2026-10-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Colorado SB25-315
- State: Colorado
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness Programs
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-04-25
- Last action: 2025-05-23, Governor Signed
- Sponsors: Barbara Kirkmeyer (Republican), Emily Sirota (Democratic), Jeff Bridges (Democratic), Shannon Bird
- Cosponsors: 16
- Subjects: Education & School Finance (Pre & K-12)
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 6 (164 yes, 23 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 13

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Students gain college course access support: benefit, medium. Qualified students in grades 9-12 can take college courses tied to apprenticeships or internships, generally without course-number caps. Legal exceptions and technology limits remain; students outside TREP who have unmet graduation requirements need required supports above nine college credits. Sch…
- Schools earn incentives for student achievements: benefit, low. Participating districts, cooperative education boards, and charter schools can receive up to $1,000 per qualifying student. Students must complete an approved industry credential, workplace training program, or Advanced Placement course in the prior budget year. Payments go to education providers,…
- Schools get career program start-up funding: benefit, low. Colorado provides school start-up funding for college credit, job credentials, and work-based learning from 2025-26 through 2027-28. A State Board formula accounts for school and student traits; eligible costs include equipment, staff, training, advising, and college courses. For 2025-26, distribut…
- Schools get ongoing career learning support: benefit, low. Beginning in 2026-27, schools receive ongoing funding based on students' prior-year college credits, credentials, or work-based learning. Students can count in multiple categories, including eligible P-TECH and teacher preparation program participation. The 2026-27 shares are 20% for credits, 40% f…
- Schools receive four-year counseling grants: benefit, low. The education department awards School Counselor Corps grants for four-year terms. Education providers must apply under State Board rules, and awards depend on available appropriations. An advisory board reviews applications and recommends awards and amounts. The department consults counseling and…
- Struggling schools gain career learning grants: benefit, low. The John W. Buckner career-readiness innovation grants begin in 2028-29, subject to yearly appropriations. Providers qualify when they or an authorized school need a priority improvement or turnaround plan this school year or last. The provider or school must also have low career-readiness results…
- Students get annual approved credential lists: benefit, low. State education and workforce officials must publish approved industry credentials by January 30, 2026, and every January 30 afterward. Each list covers the next school year. Listed credentials must meet state quality standards. The list identifies credentials that count in state college and career…
- Schools get higher student funding amounts: benefit, low. The law raises two amounts used in extended high school funding formulas to $10,480, from $9,588 and $6,135. The increase from $6,135 begins in 2025-26 and follows the statewide base-funding adjustment rule. Calculations include TREP, P-TECH, and ASCENT students where specified; the ASCENT amount i…
- Students lose new ASCENT enrollment options: cost, high. For 2025-26, each provider's ASCENT participant designations cannot exceed its 2024-25 number. Beginning in 2026-27, providers cannot designate any qualified students as new ASCENT participants. This ends new designations for that extended high school college-credit program. The section is repealed…
- Required career pathway inventories become narrower: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, required stackable credential inventories no longer expressly include credentials offered by colleges. They also no longer expressly include programs recognized by the Career Development Success Program. Inventories must still cover other listed providers, including high sch…
- College readiness grants face funding cuts: cost, low. For 2025-26, concurrent enrollment expansion and innovation grants lose $1.476948 million from the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund. The Buckner automatic enrollment in advanced courses grants lose $247,914 from the General Fund. Each program's related staffing falls by 0.3 full-time equivalent; General Fun…
- Extended high school funding protections shrink: cost, low. For 2025-26, the law cuts extended high school operating funds from the State Education Fund by $6.703048 million. It removes the requirement to fund every potential TREP teacher preparation participant at the ASCENT per-student rate. This does not end TREP funding. It also removes an old 200-parti…
- Student achievement incentive funding shrinks: cost, low. For 2025-26, required Career Development Success Program funding is $5 million, replacing the annual minimum of $9.5 million. The department can use as much as necessary for direct and indirect start-up funding administration costs. The law also cuts the program's General Fund appropriation by $4.5…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Barbara Kirkmeyer (Republican), Senate
- Sponsor: Emily Sirota (Democratic), House
- Sponsor: Jeff Bridges (Democratic), Senate
- Sponsor: Shannon Bird
- Cosponsor: Andrew Boesenecker (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Alex Valdez (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Eliza Hamrick (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jennifer Bacon (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jacque Phillips (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Lesley Smith (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Michael Carter (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Monica Duran (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Meg Froelich (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mandy Lindsay (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Ryan Gonzalez (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Sean Camacho (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Sheila Lieder (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: James Coleman (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Kyle Mullica (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Tony Exum (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-05-05 | Senate | House amendments: Repass | pass | 33 | 2 |   |
| 2025-05-05 | Senate | House amendments: Concur | pass | 35 | 0 |   |
| 2025-05-02 | House | Third reading: Bill | pass | 50 | 14 |   |
| 2025-05-01 | House | Refer Senate Bill 25-315, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. | pass | 8 | 3 |   |
| 2025-04-30 | Senate | Third reading: Bill | pass | 33 | 2 |   |
| 2025-04-29 | Senate | Refer Senate Bill 25-315, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. | pass | 5 | 2 |   |

## Actions (13)

- 2025-05-23: Governor Signed (House)
- 2025-05-14: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate)
- 2025-05-14: Signed by the Speaker of the House (House)
- 2025-05-14: Sent to the Governor (House)
- 2025-05-05: Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass (Senate)
- 2025-05-02: House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments (House)
- 2025-05-01: House Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole (House)
- 2025-05-01: House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor (House)
- 2025-04-30: Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments (Senate)
- 2025-04-30: Introduced In House - Assigned to Appropriations (House)
- 2025-04-29: Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the Whole (Senate)
- 2025-04-29: Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Appropriations (Senate)

## Bill text

- Engrossed: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83083/download)
- Final Act: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83079/download)
- Introduced: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83084/download)
- Reengrossed: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83082/download)
- Rerevised: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83080/download)
- Revised: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83081/download)
- Signed Act: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/40708/download)

## Related bills

- SB25-279: Colorado Code of Military Justice Updates (signed)
- HB25-1307: Updating Technical References in Education Law (signed)
- HB25-1234: Utility Consumer Protection (signed)
- SB25-167: Invest State Funds to Benefit Communities (signed)
- SB25-163: Battery Stewardship Programs (signed)
- SB25-261: Property Tax Deferral Program Administration (signed)

## Sources
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83083/download)
- [Final Act (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83079/download)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83084/download)
- [Reengrossed (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83082/download)
- [Rerevised (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83080/download)
- [Revised (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/83081/download)
- [Signed Act (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/40708/download)

## Related
- [SB25-279: Colorado Code of Military Justice Updates](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-279-2025A)
- [HB25-1307: Updating Technical References in Education Law](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB25-1307-2025A)
- [HB25-1234: Utility Consumer Protection](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB25-1234-2025A)
- [SB25-167: Invest State Funds to Benefit Communities](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-167-2025A)
- [SB25-163: Battery Stewardship Programs](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-163-2025A)
- [SB25-261: Property Tax Deferral Program Administration](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-261-2025A)
- [Colorado bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/colorado/bills)
- [Colorado state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/colorado)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-315-2025A (as of 2026-10-16).