Colorado Youth Advisory Council (COYAC)

Update as of Feb. 21, 2025: Legislators have not yet decided whether to continue, cut, or pause COYAC for the 2025-26 State of Colorado fiscal year (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026). Currently, it is unclear if we will accept 2025 applications or onboard a 2025-26 cohort. We expect to know more in March or April. In 2008, Colorado State Representative Ellen Roberts (HD59-Durango) introduced House Bill 08-1157 to “examine, evaluate and discuss the issues, interests, and needs affecting Colorado youth now and in the future, and to formally advise and make recommendations to elected officials regarding those issues.” The Colorado Legislature passed the bill to create the Colorado Youth Advisory Council (COYAC), giving Colorado’s youth a voice in the lawmaking process. COYAC consists of 40 youth members: - 35 voting members representing each senate district in the state - One voting member representing the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe - One voting member representing the Southern Ute Indian Tribe - Three non-voting at-large members selected to help ensure diversity on the council, with an express concern for adequate rural representation. Youth members serve two-year terms, and they may serve more than one term.