The state Senate approved a bipartisan childcare bill on Friday that was called a “United Nations conspiracy” by a Colorado Springs church, and was even defended by one of the bill’s opponents.The measure, SB 130, would create a new office and a new division within the state Department of Health Services to oversee child care. But bill-backers were accused by Wellsprings Church of enacting a U.N. agenda in an email to the church’s supporters.“Today, there is an effort to circumvent not only U.S. law, but the fundamental right of parents through the UN via a treaty called the UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD,” the email read, and said SB 130 is a “de-facto implementation” of the policy.

Though Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, blasted the bill as a government invasion of privacy, he defended it against Wellsprings’ charges. Mitchell said during debate that the idea that the bill was a U.N. plot “trivializes the issue.”The bill would reorganize the Department of Human Services so that many of its childcare programs would fall under two new internal agencies.Sen. Linda Newell, D-Littleton, who sponsored the measure, said its designed to streamline childcare services and make them more accessible to families. Two such programs are Early Intervention Services and the Family Resource Center Program.Other senators, from both political parties, also addressed the conspiracy allegation during the debate on the Senate floor. Republican Sen. Nancy Spence, of Centennial, spoke in favor of the bill, and as she began walking away from the podium, she turned back and said into the microphone, “And it is not a United Nations plot.”Newell defended the measure on the floor, and afterwards said the U.N. accusation was “ridiculous.”The debate over the bill lasted more than an hour, with Republicans charging that the measure would grow government and slowly take child care decisions away from families.

“It just empowers government agencies to grow,” said Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs. “What they should do if something doesn’t work is get rid of it.”Sen. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, tried unsuccessfully to get the bill amended to limit its growth, but he failed. Without the amendment, he said, the bill was too broad, and could possibly force the state to ask for more federal money.Democratic Senate Majority Leader John Morse, of Colorado Springs, said he was relieved at how things went.“We successfully avoided the U.N. conspiracy,” he said with a grin.The bill was approved by a voice vote, and must pass one more vote in the Senate before being sent to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.To get to the governor’s desk, the measure must gain approval of a Republican-held committee. One House Republican is a prime sponsor of the measure in that chamber where the GOP has a one-vote majority.