Speakers Addressed Rising Student, Credit Card, Auto, and Medical Debt and Highlighted a Medical Debt Bill Moving Through the Colorado Legislature
October 14, 2026 | DENVER, CO — On Wednesday, October 14, 2026, dozens of community members met to hear elected officials and Colorado organizations discuss the ballooning debt and affordability crisis, and how they are confronting it. Community members shared stories about how their families are struggling to keep up with rising costs and growing debt. Speakers shared their state- and local-level efforts to combat the crisis, including a medical debt bill and research on debt collection in Colorado, and offered resources. Protect Borrowers also shared fact sheets quantifying the debt crisis for Coloradans, including skyrocketing student loan debt, credit card debt, auto loan debt, and utility debt. Panelists included:
- CO State Representative Javier Mabrey
- David Seligman, Towards Justice
- Josh Thompson, teacher with the Denver Classroom Teachers Association
- Sophia Hennessy, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
- Lois Lupica, Community Economic Defense Project
See attached quote sheet from the event.
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About New Era Colorado
New Era Colorado Foundation is the state’s leading youth political organization and one of the country’s premier youth organizing groups. We organize across the state on issues our generation cares about so young people can participate in the political process, develop as leaders, and find a political home.
About Community Economic Defense Project
Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) is a Colorado nonprofit led by a team of lawyers, housing advocates, legal experts, and policy professionals working to build an economy where people can stay housed, and economic abuse does not go unchecked. We provide rental assistance, legal assistance and representation, and resource navigation for people facing eviction, foreclosure, and other threats to housing stability. We also advocate for policies that protect tenants, homeowners, and mobile homeowners while delivering immediate relief and advancing long-term economic and racial justice.
About Colorado Consumer Protection Coalition
The Colorado Consumer Protection Coalition is made up of thirty organizations that advocate for laws and policies that increase public safety by establishing accountability for individual and corporate misconduct and protect Coloradans from falling prey to fraudulent or deceptive practices, services, and products.
About Protect Borrowers
Protect Borrowers (formerly Student Borrower Protection Center) is a nonprofit organization led by a team of experts, lawyers, and advocates fighting to build an economy where debt doesn’t limit opportunity. We investigate financial abuses, take predatory companies to court, and push for policies to protect working people from debt traps. We aim to deliver immediate relief to families while building power, driving systemic change, and fighting for racial and economic justice.
Learn more at protectborrowers.org or follow us on social @BorrowerJustice.