CCLP testifies on unifying higher ed and workforce development

CCLP testifies on unifying higher ed and workforce development

by Charles Brennan| Apr 6, 2026

Education, Family Economic Security, Legislative Updates, Programs, Public Benefits, Research and Policy Analysis, Testimony, Workers, Workforce

On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, Charles Brennan, Income and Housing Director at CCLP, provided testimony on House Bill 26-1317, Unified Postsecondary Talent Development System. The bill would create a postsecondary talent development committee to merge the Department of Higher Education with workforce development programs. CCLP is in an amend position.

Chair and members of the committee,

My name is Charles Brennan, and I serve as the Director of Income and Housing Policy for the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, an antipoverty organization advancing the rights of every Coloradan.

At CCLP, we work at the intersection of income support programs and workforce development. We advocate for Coloradans who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)-and we have seen firsthand how these same individuals are being served by our state's workforce development system, allowing them to gain the skills or employment opportunities they may need to improve their economic security.

We are excited to see Colorado undertake this effort to unify higher education and workforce development into a single department. While we are in an amend position on HB26-1317, we are grateful to Speaker McCluskie, Representative Taggart, and the Senate sponsors for being open to our feedback. The amendments being introduced today address many of our concerns and we thank the sponsors for their willingness to incorporate our suggestions.

We remain in an amend position because we hope the bill can go further in directing the Transition Advisory Committee to develop recommendations on the new department's role in helping Coloradans connect to employment or training opportunities that allow them to fulfill work requirements for public benefit programs. This matters now more than ever due to HR-1, which significantly expanded existing SNAP work requirements and created an entirely new set of work requirements for Medicaid.

Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) administers SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T), which helps connect SNAP clients subject to work requirements to job training and employment supports. There is no equivalent program for Medicaid. Coloradans who must meet Medicaid work requirements to keep their health coverage have few places to turn except a state workforce center. In counties where SNAP E&T is unavailable, SNAP clients face that same reality.

The bill's legislative declaration call for connecting all Coloradans, including underserved populations, to education, training, and employment. The people most affected by HR-1 work requirements are precisely that population-and this new department will be on the front lines of serving them.

The bill currently says the Transition Advisory Committee may consider whether SNAP and TANF align with the new department. We hope to see that evolve. In our vision, this department would not just receive referrals from human services programs-it would actively coordinate with CDHS and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing to reduce barriers and ensure that meeting a work requirement is a genuine opportunity to build skills and economic security, not an administrative obstacle that costs someone their benefits. We hope the committee will support HB26-1317 and look forward to working with the sponsors to address our lingering concerns. Thank you.

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