---
type: "Bill"
title: "Financial Incentives For Education In Rural Areas"
description: "Current law allows the department of higher education to provide up to 20 financial stipends annually, not to exceed $6,000 each, to teachers in rural schools or school districts (rural schools) who are seeking certification as a national board certified teacher, seeking certification as a concurrent enrollment teacher, or furthering their professional development plan through continuing education, and who commit to employment in a rural school for a minimum of 3 years. The bill increases the number of available stipends to 60 and expands it to include teachers completing an approved alternative licensure program leading to initial licensure and full-time employment in a rural school or school district that serves rural schools and individuals completing the required course work leading to certification and employment in a rural school or a rural school district that serves rural schools."
jurisdiction: "us/states/co"
legislature: "Colorado General Assembly"
session: "2018A"
identifier: "SB 18-085"
citation: "Colorado SB 18-085 (2018A)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Barbara McLachlan", "Nancy Todd"]
version_count: 12
action_count: 23
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2018-01-16T07:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2018-05-24T06:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/2dd4509e-5a6a-4d9f-9dd5-5348b76a9c08"
source_url: "http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb18-085"
source_hash: "767e52097738dfd30ba19cfe4d8d370cc15d74b30016968b31584635dfaf5949"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-co"]
---

# Colorado SB 18-085 (2018A) — Financial Incentives For Education In Rural Areas

Current law allows the department of higher education to provide up to 20 financial stipends annually, not to exceed $6,000 each, to teachers in rural schools or school districts (rural schools) who are seeking certification as a national board certified teacher, seeking certification as a concurrent enrollment teacher, or furthering their professional development plan through continuing education, and who commit to employment in a rural school for a minimum of 3 years. The bill increases the number of available stipends to 60 and expands it to include teachers completing an approved alternative licensure program leading to initial licensure and full-time employment in a rural school or school district that serves rural schools and individuals completing the required course work leading to certification and employment in a rural school or a rural school district that serves rural schools.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Committee Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018a/bills/cr/2018a_sb085_h_app_003.pdf)
2. **Conference Committee (05/15/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_sb18-085cc.pdf)
3. **Engrossed (04/16/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085_eng.pdf)
4. **Final Act (05/17/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085_enr.pdf)
5. **Introduced (01/16/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085_01.pdf)
6. **PA1 (02/02/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085sedu_01.pdf)
7. **PA2 (04/11/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085sedusaap.pdf)
8. **PA3 (04/24/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085ed.pdf)
9. **Reengrossed (04/17/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085_ren.pdf)
10. **Rerevised (04/26/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085_rer.pdf)
11. **Revised (04/24/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085_rev.pdf)
12. **Signed Act (05/24/2018)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/2018a_085_signed.pdf)

## Votes

- ADOPT — **55–10** (pass) · lower
- ADOPT CCR — **35–0** (pass) · lower
- BILL — **28–7** (pass) · lower
- REPASS — **27–8** (pass) · lower
- BILL — **48–17** (pass) · lower
- NOT CONCUR APPT CC — **35–0** (pass) · lower
- COW * — **17–18** (fail) · lower
- CONCUR — **31–3** (pass) · lower
- REPASS — **25–9** (pass) · lower
- REPASS — **50–15** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Barbara McLachlan — primary (person)
- Nancy Todd — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2018-05-24T06:00:00+00:00** Governor Signed `executive-signature`
- **2018-05-17T06:00:00+00:00** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2018-05-17T06:00:00+00:00** Signed by the Speaker of the House
- **2018-05-16T06:00:00+00:00** Signed by the President of the Senate
- **2018-05-08T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Consideration of First Conference Committee Report result was to Adopt Committee Report - Repass
- **2018-05-08T06:00:00+00:00** House Consideration of First Conference Committee Report result was to Adopt Committee Report - Repass
- **2018-05-07T06:00:00+00:00** First Conference Committee Result was to Adopt Rerevised
- **2018-05-01T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Not Concur - Request Conference Committee
- **2018-04-30T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Laid Over Daily
- **2018-04-30T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Reconsider
- **2018-04-27T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass
- **2018-04-26T06:00:00+00:00** House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments `reading-3, passage`
- **2018-04-25T06:00:00+00:00** House Third Reading Laid Over to 04/26/2018 - No Amendments
- **2018-04-24T06:00:00+00:00** House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee
- **2018-04-24T06:00:00+00:00** House Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole `referral-committee, committee-passage`
- **2018-04-23T06:00:00+00:00** House Committee on Education Refer Amended to Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2018-04-18T06:00:00+00:00** Introduced In House - Assigned to Education `introduction`
- **2018-04-17T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments `reading-3, passage`
- **2018-04-16T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor `reading-2`
- **2018-04-13T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
- **2018-04-11T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the Whole `referral-committee, committee-passage`
- **2018-02-01T07:00:00+00:00** Senate Committee on Education Refer Amended to Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2018-01-16T07:00:00+00:00** Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Education `introduction`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/2dd4509e-5a6a-4d9f-9dd5-5348b76a9c08`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Colorado legislature records).