HB 1205: Colorado State Forest Service Good Neighbor Authority - Colorado

Final Act → Signed Act · 4 edits · Apr 13, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Colorado state law to reflect the federal expansion of 'good neighbor authority' under the EXPLORE Act, allowing the state to partner more closely with federal agencies on forest health and wildfire risk reduction. The changes include correcting the bill's title and sponsor list, updating the legislative declaration to cite the new federal law, and modifying definitions and project requirements to align with the expanded authority. These updates ensure state statutes accurately mirror current federal capabilities and support collaborative efforts for forest management and community safety.

Scope change

The bill's scope is expanded to explicitly incorporate the new federal EXPLORE Act provisions, broadening the legal basis for state-federal partnerships in forest management.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'good neighbor authority' to include the new federal EXPLORE Act (Pub.L. 118-234) alongside previous statutes.

REQUIREMENT

Amended project requirements to emphasize using the expanded good neighbor authority for demonstration projects that improve forest health, resilience, and wildlife habitat.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting errors, typos, and inconsistent capitalization in the bill text, sponsor list, and section headers.

SCOPE

Revised the legislative declaration to explicitly state that the expansion of good neighbor authority supports state goals for wildfire risk reduction and rural economic development.

Rerevised → Final Act · 4 edits · Mar 30, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Colorado state laws to align with new federal rules allowing states to enter 'good neighbor' agreements for forest management. It clarifies that these agreements can now include broader activities like cross-boundary projects and flexible reinvestment of funds, while explicitly naming the federal agencies involved. The changes ensure Colorado can fully utilize expanded federal authority to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risks, and support outdoor recreation.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of 'good neighbor' agreements to include cross-boundary projects and flexible reinvestment of project revenue, and clarifies the specific federal agencies and statutes that authorize these agreements.

DEFINITION

Added specific references to the federal 'EXPLORE Act' and updated the definition of 'good neighbor authority' to include new federal statutes and successor authorities.

REQUIREMENT

Modified requirements for forest health projects to explicitly include cross-boundary project authority and flexible reinvestment of project revenue into good neighbor agreements.

ELIGIBILITY

Added eligibility for demonstration projects that supply forest products to Colorado businesses as part of forest management treatments.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting and capitalization in the list of federal agencies (Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture) and clarified the legislative intent.

Revised → Rerevised · 3 edits · Mar 25, 2026

MINOR

The bill was re-revised to incorporate additional Senate sponsors and update the legislative status to reflect that it has reached the 3rd reading unamended in the Senate. This indicates the bill has progressed further in the legislative process and now includes a broader coalition of Senate supporters.

TECHNICAL

Added four new Senate sponsors (Catlin, Coleman, Kipp, Roberts, Snyder, Wallace) to the bill's sponsorship list, expanding the bipartisan or cross-party support for the legislation.

Updated the version header from 'REVISED' to 'REREVISED' and adjusted the explanatory text to clarify that amendments were adopted in the Second House rather than on Second Reading.

TIMELINE

Added a new header indicating the bill reached the 3rd reading unamended in the Senate on March 25, 2026, marking a specific procedural milestone in the bill's lifecycle.

Reengrossed → Revised · 3 edits · Mar 24, 2026

MINOR

The bill's version status was updated from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect that it now includes amendments adopted on second reading in the Second House. The bill summary date was updated to March 5, 2026, and the committee assignments were slightly adjusted to include the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources committee. No substantive policy changes regarding the bill's content, scope, or eligibility criteria were made in this version.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill status header from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to indicate inclusion of amendments adopted on second reading in the Second House.

Adjusted the summary date and reading status to reflect the 3rd Reading Unamended status for March 5, 2026.

Added the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources committee to the list of Senate committees.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Mar 5, 2026

MINOR

The bill's title and sponsorship list were updated to reflect new co-sponsors and the official status of the bill as 'Reengrossed' after amendments. A new notice was added to indicate that a summary for this specific version will be available on March 5, 2026, while the original summary disclaimer was modified to clarify this timing.

TECHNICAL

Added new co-sponsors to the House sponsorship list.

Changed the bill status from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' to reflect adopted amendments.

Updated the disclaimer text to specify that a new summary applies to the reengrossed version as of March 5, 2026.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 4, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to update its title from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' and add a specific amendment date. The legislative declaration was modified to include 'wildlife habitat' as a goal alongside wildfire risk reduction and economic development. The text also shows the removal of a detailed section defining 'good neighbor authority' and deleting a specific provision regarding demonstration projects, likely due to the bill's progression through the legislative process where sections are often renumbered or consolidated.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's stated goals was expanded to explicitly include wildlife habitat preservation.

DEFINITION

The legislative declaration was updated to add 'wildlife habitat' as a specific goal of the state's recreation and forest management efforts.

A detailed definition of 'good neighbor authority' and a specific section on community watershed restoration demonstration projects were removed from the text.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect the bill's status as 'Engrossed' with all amendments included, and page numbering was adjusted.

Colorado State Forest Service Good Neighbor Authority

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