Colorado Bills

passed both · Colorado · Senate Apr 16, 2025

SJR 25-016: Colorado and Taiwan Sister-state Relations

Senate Joint Resolution 25-016 is a commemorative resolution from the Colorado General Assembly expressing strong support for strengthening the sister-state relationship between Colorado and Taiwan. It reaffirms the 42-year relationship and advocates for enhanced trade relations and academic exchanges between the two entities. The resolution also calls for the signing of a U.S.-Taiwan agreement on avoiding double taxation to promote bilateral investment. Additionally, it supports Taiwan's meaningful inclusion in various international organizations.

Shannon Bird (D) Nick Hinrichsen (D) Tony Hartsook (R) Larry Liston (R) · 64 co-sponsors

in committee · Colorado · House Apr 16, 2025

HB 25-1178: Ban Student Seclusion

The bill prohibits the use of seclusion on a student of a school district, district charter school, or institute charter school on certain property or while the student is participating in an off-campus, school-sponsored activity or event. The bill requires the state board of education (state board) to promulgate or amend existing rules to reflect the prohibited use of seclusion. The bill amends existing reporting requirements to ensure that incidents of seclusion are reported.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · Colorado · House Apr 16, 2025

HB 25-1331: Marijuana Special Event & Hotel Delivery

The bill authorizes a social equity license holder to deliver regulated marijuana to a hotel located within the city and county of Denver if the license holder has: A medical marijuana delivery permit; A medical marijuana transporter license; A retail marijuana delivery permit; or A retail marijuana transporter license. In order for marijuana to be delivered, the following requirements must be satisfied: The hotel must be registered with the city and county of Denver to receive deliveries; The local jurisdiction must have authorized the delivery of marijuana in accordance with current law; The hotel must have authorized the delivery of marijuana to its premises; The social equity license holder must not deliver to premises licensed to serve alcohol; and The social equity license holder must comply with marijuana law. The state licensing authority, in coordination with the city and county of Denver, must create a registry of hotels that have authorized the delivery of marijuana to their premises. The state licensing authority may adopt rules necessary for the secure storage and management of deliveries. The bill authorizes special event permits for the holder of a social equity license and a marijuana hospitality business license. Other retail license holders may partner with a qualified license holder to hold a special event. The state licensing authority or a local licensing authority may set special event permit fees in an amount that offsets the direct and indirect cost to the state or local licensing authority of implementing the bill. The marijuana enforcement division (division) or a local licensing authority may deny the issuance of a special event permit upon the grounds that the issuance would be injurious to the public welfare because of the nature of the special event, its location within the community, or the failure of the applicant in a past special event to conduct the event in compliance with applicable laws. Public notice of the proposed permit and the procedures for protesting issuance of the permit must be posted at the proposed location for at least 10 days. The state licensing authority or a local licensing authority is required to adopt appropriate rules, ordinances, or resolutions for applying for a special event permit and for protesting an application for a special event permit. If an applicant is denied, a hearing must be set. The application must be approved or denied within 90 days after the application is filed. The permit must specify the location and the time when it is valid. A license holder may be issued a permit for no more than 15 days a year. If a violation occurs during a special event and the responsible license holder cannot be identified, the division may send written notice to every license holder identified on the relevant permit applications and may fine each the same dollar amount, not to exceed $25 per license holder or $200 in the aggregate. A joint fine does not apply to the revocation of a license. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

passed both · Colorado · Senate Apr 15, 2025

SJR 25-010: Colorado Aerospace Day

SJR 25-010 designates March 17, 2025, as "Colorado Aerospace Day" to recognize the state's leadership in the aerospace industry. The resolution highlights Colorado's status as the nation's top aerospace employment hub (with 33,000 direct jobs and 240,000 supporting jobs), home to major companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and key military space operations. It does not create new laws but serves as a symbolic declaration urging federal support for space exploration and celebrating the industry's economic and educational contributions. This resolution is addressed to state and federal officials, educational institutions, and aerospace organizations.

in committee · Colorado · Senate Apr 14, 2025

SB 25-201: Require Age Checks for Online Sexual Materials

On and after July 1, 2026, the bill requires certain internet websites that knowingly and intentionally publish or distribute material that is harmful to children (covered platforms) to: Perform one or more reasonable age verification measures to verify the age of each individual who attempts to access such material; Prevent children from accessing such material; and Arrange for annual independent audits of the results of the covered platform's reasonable age verification measures. On and after July 1, 2026, a covered platform must offer each user at least one option by which the covered platform may verify the user's age without the user having to disclose the user's identity. For this purpose, a covered platform must employ commercially available technologies that are independently certified to be highly effective in establishing that an individual is not a child. A covered platform may not rely solely upon the geographical registration of an internet protocol address to determine a user's location and must apply extensive due diligence based on available technology before concluding that an individual is not located in Colorado. A covered platform must ensure that each reasonable age verification measure that the covered platform employs includes a means by which a potential user of the covered platform may appeal a determination concerning the potential user's age. A covered platform that acquires personal data for the purposes of age verification must destroy the personal data as soon as reasonably possible after a potential user's age is checked for age verification. In acquiring and retaining personal data, a covered platform must otherwise comply with the requirements of the "Colorado Privacy Act". (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Topics ✓ Technology

in committee · Colorado · House Apr 14, 2025

HB 25-1323: Division of Parks & Wildlife Outdoor Recreation

The bill clarifies that the division of parks and wildlife in the department of natural resources (division) is the primary entity responsible for outdoor recreation management and infrastructure planning in the state. The bill requires the division to support the planning, development, and maintenance of infrastructure and access projects to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities in the state. In doing so, the division is required to balance and integrate outdoor recreation efforts with statewide conservation efforts. In collaboration with federal, local, and tribal partners, the division is tasked with developing regional outdoor recreation and conservation plans that will, among other endeavors, consider sustainable and climate-resilient strategies for outdoor recreation and conservation planning and employ data-driven management of public lands and regional outdoor recreational resources. The bill also requires the division to develop a river recreation program. To implement the river recreation program, the division is required to, in collaboration with the Colorado water conservation board, the outdoor recreation industry office, and other state agencies or stakeholders: Build a statewide coalition of river recreation, stewardship, and safety managers; Coordinate with river basin roundtables, local governments, and other appropriate stakeholders to align river recreation efforts with existing water management strategies; Align river recreation management with state and regional water planning efforts regarding conservation to address the impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems; Identify high-priority rivers and recreation areas to support improvements; Enhance river data collection, mapping, and public access to information; and Promote river safety and stewardship opportunities through initiatives such as hazard removal, signage improvements, and collaborative partnerships. Under current law, the parks and wildlife commission (commission) is responsible for establishing a state trails system. The bill requires the division to consult and cooperate with appropriate entities to establish a nonmotorized and a year-round motorized trails program to support the planning, development, and stewardship of trail systems that are designed for nonmotorized and motorized use, respectively. The division is required to establish and operate the nonmotorized and motorized trails programs in a manner that protects, preserves, enhances, and manages the natural, scenic, and recreation areas of the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

in committee · Colorado · House Apr 14, 2025

HB 25-1158: Digital Education Materials

A public school contracting entity (entity) that executes a contract on or after July 1, 2026, with a vendor or provider of a curated digital research collection (collection) shall include in the terms of the contract a termination clause stating that the contract is materially breached and that grounds for termination exist if the collection contains advertisements, promotions, or embedded links or uniform resource locators (URLs) and when notified of the advertisement, promotion, or URLs the vendor does not remove the items within 3 days after receiving the notice. All vendors must certify that collections are free of advertisements, promotions, or embedded links or URLs. If a vendor violates the terms of the contract, the entity is entitled to reimbursement and may pursue remedies for breach of contract. A public school employee, contractor, or volunteer shall report, and students, parents, guardians, legal custodians, or community members (interested parties) may report if a collection is found to contain advertisements, promotions, or embedded links or URLs. The report must include the name of the digital collection and the title of the document, the reference number, or keywords used to access the collection. The entity shall notify the vendor or provider and the department of education (department) of each reported incident. The vendor or provider shall remove the advertisements, promotions, or embedded links or URLs within 3 business days after receiving notice. The bill requires public schools to annually notify interested parties of the reporting procedures. Public schools shall include the annual notification on their websites. Public schools may include information on their websites regarding how to make a report. If a public school contracts or enters into an agreement with a public library that promotes a collection, the public school shall annually disclose the details of the contract or agreement by email to the local school district board of education and parents, guardians, or legal custodians of students enrolled in the public school. If any material changes to the contract or agreement occur, the public school shall send an email notification to the local school district board of education, parents, guardians, or legal custodians of students enrolled in the school. The department is required to annually report to the general assembly on the number of reports that occur each year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Technology

in committee · Colorado · House Apr 10, 2025

HJR 25-1023: Require General Assembly TABOR Constitutionality Lawsuit

This resolution authorizes Colorado's General Assembly to file a lawsuit challenging whether the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR), specifically Section 20 of Article X in the state constitution, violates the guarantee of a "republican form of government" under the state constitution and U.S. Constitution. It directs the Committee on Legal Services to hire legal counsel (excluding those involved in prior TABOR litigation) to sue in state district court, seeking a court determination on TABOR's constitutionality regarding legislative authority over taxes and spending. The suit focuses solely on whether TABOR undermines the General Assembly's role as a representative legislative body.

signed · Colorado · Senate Apr 10, 2025

SB 25-059: Supports for State Response to Mass Shootings

The act requires the division of criminal justice (division) in the department of public safety to apply for and accept and expend federal or other available grant money to improve the state's response to mass shootings, including grant money to support services for victims of mass shootings. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Colorado · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 25-1027: Update Disease Control Statutes

The act amends various statutes governing the operations of the department of public health and environment (department) regarding disease control. Specifically, sections 1 through 9 of the act: Repeal the governor's expert emergency epidemic response committee (GEEERC); Direct the state board of health to review and amend, as necessary, the department's emergency response and recovery plan every 3 years; and Require the executive director of the department or, if the executive director is not the chief medical officer, the chief medical officer to convene a group of subject matter experts to develop crisis standards of care to be used in responding to a public health emergency. Sections 10 through 18 modify school immunization provisions as follows to: Allow the records of a physician assistant to be used to create an official certificate of immunization for a student; Extend the period within which a student whose certificate of immunization is not up to date to comply with immunization requirements to attend school from 14 days after notice of noncompliance is received to 30 days after receipt of the noncompliance notice; Extend from February 15 to April 15 the deadline for a school to distribute the annual letter to parents specifying the school's aggregate immunization rates and the immunization requirements applicable for the next school year; Direct the state board of health, in adopting rules establishing immunization requirements, to take into consideration, as appropriate and in addition to the recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices, the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Physicians; For purposes of out-of-state campers attending a licensed children's residential camp, allow the camp to maintain an out-of-state immunization record for an out-of-state camper, rather than the state's official certificate of immunization; Remove gendered pronouns and replace them with gender-neutral language; and Repeal the requirement for schools to notify the department and the local public health agency when a student is suspended or expelled from school for noncompliance with immunization requirements. Section 19 extends from July 15 to September 15 the date by which the department is required to submit to the general assembly an annual report summarizing health-care-associated infections data received from health facilities in the state. Section 20 repeals the requirement for certain health-care providers to offer a hepatitis C screening test to individuals born between 1945 and 1965 and instead directs the state board of health to adopt standards, consistent with recommendations from the federal centers for disease control and prevention, for hepatitis C screening tests. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

signed · Colorado · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 25-1173: Advisory Board Serving Office of School Safety

Under current law, the office of school safety (office) oversees the school safety resource center (center) and 2 separate units that assist schools with crisis management and safety-related grant funding, respectively. There is an advisory board that recommends the policies of the center. The act broadens the scope of the advisory board's work to include policy recommendations for the entire office. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

passed · Colorado · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 25-1151: Arbitration of Health Insurance Claims

The bill makes changes to the arbitration requirements for out-of-network health insurance claims by requiring the arbitration process to include a batching process, by which multiple claims may be considered jointly and under the same arbitration fee as part of one payment determination in alignment with federal law. The commissioner of insurance is required to adopt rules that specify the information each insurance carrier is required to submit to a provider with the initial payment of a claim.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Bill results