Coloradans age 21 and up could soon earn a high school diploma in person free, if a bill unanimously advanced by the Senate Education Committee is passed into law.

Senate Bill 3 seeks to create the Colorado Adult High School Program, providing a free high school education and free industry certificates or college credits to hundreds of residents. The bill would also require the high school to provide free on-site child care and transportation assistance for students.

Bill sponsor Sen. Janet Buckner, D-aurora, said the school would help some of the more than 300,000 adults in Colorado who do not have a high school diploma to unlock better opportunities. Those diploma-less Coloradans are more than twice as likely to live in poverty and eight times as likely to be incarcerated compared with their counterparts who graduated high school.

“All the data points represent real live people,” Buckner said. “Mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. Together, we can do something to help those individuals and give them the tools to succeed.”

Under the bill, the Colorado Department of Education would select a community-based nonprofit organization to operate the high school, including providing the facility, funding and educational courses. The state would provide $2 million annually to help fund the program and must contract with the chosen nonprofit by Dec. 31.

The school would enroll up to 400 students at a time, offering adult-specific classes in addition to normal curriculum, such as life coaching, tax support and financial literacy. The location of the school would be determined by the state and the school’s hours of operation would depend on the needs of the majority of students.

The high school created by the bill would be the first of its kind in Colorado, as the current state statute does not allow for in-person high schools for adults, Buckner said. This forces Coloradans over 21 to turn to online-only courses.

“We know that some adults benefit from and have a strong desire to earn their diploma while attending school in an in-person environment,” said Sen. Bob Gardner, R-colorado Springs, who also sponsored the bill.

“This bill is going to help us meet the needs of more adult learners in our state.”

The Senate Education Committee approved the bill, 7-0, Wednesday, sending the bill to the Appropriations Committee.

Seven organizations also registered or spoke in support of the bill — including Goodwill of Colorado, the Colorado Children’s Campaign, the city of Aurora and the Colorado Community College System — and no one testified in opposition.

The bipartisan bill was praised by Republicans and Democrats for its potential to bolster Colorado’s workforce by providing industry credentials and college credits in addition to a high school diploma. This comes as Colorado continues to struggle through a talent shortage, with the state having two job openings for every available worker, Gov. Jared Polis said last week in his State of the State address.

“I really love the idea,” said Sen. Mark Baisley, R-woodland Park, who voted in support of the bill. “I think it’s good utility to help create more productivity, give people some confidence in their lives and kind of restart. It’s a reasonable and good effort for us.”