SB 25-258: Temporarily Reduce Road Safety Surcharge - Colorado

Revised (04/09/2025) → PA1 (04/01/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill temporarily reduces the Colorado road safety surcharge by $3.70 per vehicle and changes how the resulting revenue is allocated. The most significant change is shifting the effective date of the surcharge reduction from January 1, 2026 to July 1, 2025, allowing drivers to benefit from the lower fee sooner. The bill also adds 'capacity improvements' to the list of allowable highway projects that can be funded by the surcharge revenue.

Scope change

The bill's effective date for the surcharge reduction was moved forward by approximately six months, and the scope of fundable projects was expanded to include capacity improvements.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date for the $3.70 surcharge reduction from January 1, 2026 to July 1, 2025, and the sunset date from January 1, 2028 to July 1, 2027.

FISCAL

Added 'capacity improvements' to the list of highway projects that can be funded by the road safety surcharge revenue.

Reorganized the bill summary and allocation percentages to clarify that 56% goes to the State Highway Fund, 24% to counties, and 20% to cities and towns.

TECHNICAL

Removed references to '3rd Reading Unamended' and 'Amended 2nd Reading' status indicators from the bill header.

Rerevised (04/10/2025) → Revised (04/09/2025) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was updated from a 'Rerevised' version to a 'Revised' version, indicating the bill has been amended and adopted in the Second House. The sponsorship list was modified to remove the name 'Taggart' from the House sponsors, likely reflecting a change in co-sponsorship or a clerical correction. No substantive policy changes regarding scope, funding, or eligibility were identified in the provided diff.

TECHNICAL

Header text was updated from 'REREVISED' to 'REVISED' and the amendment status description was slightly expanded to clarify that amendments were adopted on second reading.

The House sponsorship line was changed by removing the name 'Taggart', reducing the list of co-sponsors from three to two.

The '3rd Reading Unamended' stamp and date (April 10, 2025) were removed, indicating the bill is no longer in its unamended third-reading state.

PA2 (04/08/2025) → Rerevised (04/10/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to include all amendments adopted in the Second House, removing the note that it was an unofficial version with unadopted committee amendments. The substantive text of the bill regarding the temporary reduction in the road safety surcharge and revenue allocation appears unchanged in the provided excerpt.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; only formatting and status indicators were updated.

TECHNICAL

Removed the header note indicating this was an unofficial version with committee amendments not yet adopted on second reading.

Added header indicating this is a rerevised version that includes all amendments adopted in the second house.

Added reading status markers showing the bill was amended at second reading in the House on April 9, 2025, and unamended at third reading in the House on April 10, 2025.

Removed House sponsorship line item that listed 'Taggart' without a comma, likely a formatting correction.

Final Act (05/08/2025) → PA2 (04/08/2025) · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill temporarily reduces the road safety surcharge by $3.70 per vehicle for registration periods between January 1, 2026, and January 1, 2028. To compensate for the lost revenue, the bill increases the share of surcharge funds going to counties and municipalities while decreasing the state highway fund's share. The bill also clarifies that reduced revenue can only be used for highway improvements and not administrative purposes.

Scope change

The surcharge reduction period was extended from September 1, 2025 to September 1, 2027 to January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2028, and the revenue allocation percentages were modified to increase county and municipal shares.

TIMELINE

The temporary surcharge reduction period changed from September 1, 2025 to September 1, 2027 to January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2028.

FISCAL

The allocation percentages for surcharge revenue changed from 60% to state highway fund, 22% to counties, and 18% to municipalities to 56% to state highway fund, 24% to counties, and 20% to municipalities.

REQUIREMENT

Revenue from the reduced surcharge must only be used for highway improvements (construction, safety, maintenance, capacity) and cannot be used for administrative purposes.

Signed Act (06/04/2025) → Final Act (05/08/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill temporarily reduces the Colorado road safety surcharge by $3.70 per vehicle for registration periods between September 1, 2025 and September 1, 2027. The reduction is funded by reallocating surcharge revenues to increase allocations to counties and municipalities during this period, while maintaining the 56% allocation to the State Highway Fund. The bill also repeals certain provisions effective July 1, 2028.

Scope change

The bill applies to all vehicles registered in Colorado during the specified temporary period (September 1, 2025 to September 1, 2027), making the surcharge reduction universally applicable to all vehicle registrations during this timeframe.

TIMELINE

Establishes a temporary surcharge reduction period from September 1, 2025 to September 1, 2027 for any registration period beginning during this timeframe.

FISCAL

Modifies allocation of surcharge revenues to increase allocations to counties and municipalities during the temporary reduction period while maintaining 56% allocation to State Highway Fund.

REQUIREMENT

Adds new surcharge reduction provision of $3.70 per vehicle to the existing surcharge amounts.

Repeals certain provisions in subsection (6.3)(b) effective July 1, 2028.

Reengrossed (04/03/2025) → Signed Act (06/04/2025) · 4 edits · Jun 4, 2025

MODERATE

This bill temporarily reduces the Colorado road safety surcharge by $3.70 per vehicle for registration periods between September 1, 2025, and September 1, 2027. During this reduction period, the allocation of surcharge revenue is modified to increase shares for counties (from 22% to 24%) and municipalities (from 18% to 20%), while the state highway fund share decreases from 60% to 56%. The bill also clarifies that these revenues must be used only for highway improvements and cannot be used for administrative purposes.

Scope change

The bill applies to vehicles registered during the temporary surcharge reduction period (September 1, 2025 through September 1, 2027) and modifies how surcharge revenues are distributed among state, county, and municipal entities during this timeframe.

FISCAL

Road safety surcharge revenue allocation percentages changed during the temporary reduction period: state highway fund receives 56% (down from 60%), counties receive 24% (up from 22%), and municipalities receive 20% (up from 18%).

ELIGIBILITY

Temporary surcharge reduction of $3.70 applies to vehicles registered for periods beginning on or after September 1, 2025, but before September 1, 2027.

REQUIREMENT

Revenues collected during the temporary reduction period must be used only for highway improvements, safety improvements, maintenance, capacity improvements, and other transportation-related projects, with no administrative spending allowed.

TIMELINE

The modified allocation percentages apply only to registration periods beginning between September 1, 2025, and September 1, 2027, reverting to previous allocations on July 1, 2028.

Engrossed (04/02/2025) → Reengrossed (04/03/2025) · 2 edits · Apr 3, 2025

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include all amendments adopted during the House of Introduction, updating the document header and adding a new bill summary dated April 3, 2025. This change reflects the legislative process of incorporating all approved amendments before final passage.

TECHNICAL

Updated document title from 'ENGROSSED' to 'REENGROSSED' to reflect that all amendments have been incorporated.

Added a new bill summary section dated April 3, 2025, indicating the bill is now in its 3rd Reading Unamended status in the Senate.

Introduced (03/31/2025) → Engrossed (04/02/2025) · 3 edits · Apr 3, 2025

MINOR

The bill was amended to change the effective dates for a road safety surcharge reduction from January 2026 to July 2025, and to add a safety clause finding. This allows the surcharge reduction to take effect sooner than originally planned.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains the same regarding which vehicles and funds are affected, but the timeline for implementation has been accelerated.

TIMELINE

The surcharge reduction period was changed from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2028 to July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2027, making the reduction effective six months earlier.

REQUIREMENT

A new safety clause was added to the bill stating it is necessary for public safety and state operations.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and line number adjustments were made throughout the document.

Temporarily Reduce Road Safety Surcharge

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors