Section 1 of the bill requires state agencies to prioritize awarding grants that satisfy a list of criteria described in the bill. Sections 2 and 3 require, beginning January 1, 2025, upon updating a county or municipal master plan, a county or municipality (local government) to include a climate action element in its master plan. A climate action element must include climate-related goals, plans, or strategies and a description of any money from the federal, state, or a local government that a local government has received for the implementation of any of the plans or goals described in the climate action element. The bill requires a local government to provide the Colorado energy office (office) with the climate action element and then requires the office to deliver a copy of any climate element it receives to the department of local affairs, the Colorado department of transportation (CDOT), and any other state agency that the office determines. Section 4 requires CDOT to coordinate with metropolitan planning organizations to establish criteria that define growth corridors and identify these growth corridors. Having identified these growth corridors, the department and metropolitan planning organizations shall coordinate with local governments to develop transportation demand management plans for these growth corridors. Section 5 makes 2 changes related to the statewide transportation plan. First, the bill requires the statewide transportation plan to include: An examination of the impact of transportation decisions on land use patterns; The identification of highway segments where promotion of context-sensitive highway permitting and design can encourage the development of dense, walkable, and mixed-use neighborhoods in transit-oriented centers and neighborhood centers; and An emphasis on integrating planning efforts within CDOT to support multimodal transportation, neighborhood centers, and transit-oriented centers in infill areas as well as growth corridors through the associated transportation demand management corridor planning. Second, the bill requires CDOT to conduct a study in connection with the statewide transportation plan that identifies: Policy barriers and opportunities for the implementation of context-sensitive design, complete streets, and pedestrian-bicycle safety measures in locally-identified urban centers and neighborhood centers; and The portions of state highways that pass through locally identified transit-oriented centers and neighborhood centers that are candidates for context-sensitive design, complete streets, and pedestrian-bicycle safety measures.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Property tax revenue limit. Beginning with the 2025 property tax year, section 1 of the act establishes a limit on qualified property tax revenue, as defined by the act, for local governments (limit). This limit does not apply to local governments that are home rule municipalities, school districts, have not received voter approval to exceed the statutory 5.5% property tax revenue limitation, or have not received voter approval to collect, retain, and spend the majority of their property tax revenue without regard to the limitations in section 20 of article X of the state constitution. The limit is equal to the local governmental entity's base year qualified property tax revenue increased by 5.5% for each year since the base year including the relevant property tax year. A local government may seek voter approval to waive the limit. A local governmental entity's base year qualified property tax revenue is: For a local governmental entity that had qualified property tax revenue for the 2023 property tax year, the local governmental entity's qualified property tax revenue for the 2023 property tax year, plus any money the local governmental entity received from the state to compensate the local governmental entity for reduced property tax revenue in the 2023 property tax year; For a local governmental entity that did not have qualified property tax revenue for the 2023 property tax year, the local governmental entity's qualified property tax revenue for the first year that the local governmental entity has property tax revenue; or If applicable, the local governmental entity's qualified property tax revenue for the most recent property tax year for which the local governmental entity's voters approved temporarily waiving the limit. If a local government's qualified property tax revenue would otherwise exceed the limit, the local government shall either establish a temporary property tax credit equal to the number of mills necessary to prevent the local government's qualified property tax revenue from exceeding the limit or temporarily reduce its mill levy. Nonresidential real property valuation reductions. Under current law, for nonresidential property, the valuation for assessment (valuation) is 29% of the actual value of the property. However, certain categories of nonresidential property had temporarily reduced valuations for property tax 2023. Section 2 extends these temporarily reduced valuations to property tax year 2024. Section 2 also permanently reduces the valuations for commercial and agricultural property as follows: For property tax year 2025, the valuation is 27% of the actual value of the property; and For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2026, the valuation is 25% of the actual value of the property. Residential real property valuation reductions. For the 2024 property tax year, section 4 makes 2 reductions to residential real property valuation by continuing the 2023 property tax year reductions to residential real property valuation: For multi-family residential real property, section 4 reduces the valuation from 6.8% of the actual value of the property to 6.7% of the amount equal to the actual value of the property minus the lesser of $55,000 or the amount that causes the valuation for assessment of the property to be $1,000 (alternate amount); and For all other residential real property, section 4 reduces the valuation from an estimated 7.06% of the actual value of the property to 6.7% of the amount equal to the actual value of the property minus the lesser of $55,000 or the alternate amount. For the 2025 property tax year, section 4 modifies residential real property valuation so that the valuation for all residential real property is: For the purpose of a levy imposed by a school district, 7.15% of the actual value of the property; and For the purpose of a levy imposed by a local governmental entity that is not a school district, 6.4% of the actual value of the property. For the 2026 property tax year and all future property tax years, section 4 also reduces the valuation for all residential real property from 7.15% of the actual value of the property. For all residential real property, the valuation is: For the purpose of a levy imposed by a school district, the lesser of 7.15% of the actual value of the property or a percentage of the actual value of the property determined by the property tax administrator pursuant to section 7; and For the purpose of a levy imposed by a local governmental entity that is not a school district, 6.95% of the amount equal to the actual value of the property minus the lesser of 10% of the actual value of the property or $70,000 as adjusted for inflation in the first year of each subsequent reassessment cycle. Qualified-senior primary residence residential real property. Senate Bill 24-111 created a new residential real property subclass: qualified-senior primary residence residential real property. In addition to the other reductions for resdiential real property made in section 4, section 4 makes the following valuation reductions for qualified-senior primary residence residential real property: For property tax year 2025, for the purpose of a levy imposed by a local governmental entity that is not a school district, 6.4% of the amount equal to the actual value of the property minus either 50% of the first $200,000 of that actual value plus the lesser of 10% of the actual value of the property or $70,000 or the alternate amount; For property tax year 2026, for the purpose of a levy imposed by a local governmental entity, 6.95% of the amount equal to the actual value of the property minus either 50% of the first $200,000 of that actual value plus the lesser of 10% of the actual value of the property or $70,000 or the alternate amount; and For property tax year 2025, for the purpose of a levy imposed by a school district, 7.15% of the amount equal to the actual value of the property minus either 50% of the first $200,000 of that actual value or the alternate amount. Adjustable residential real property valuation. Section 7 requires legislative council staff to notify the state board of equalization of the first year after 2026 in which the local share of total program is equal to or greater than 60% of the total program determined pursuant to the "Public School Finance Act". For every property tax year after that year, the valuation for assessment for all residential real property, for the purpose of a levy imposed by a school district, is equal to the lesser of: 7.15% of the actual value of the property; or The percentage of the actual value of the property necessary for statewide school district property tax revenue divided by weighted total program to equal 0.6. Reimbursement of local governments. The state reimbursed local governmental entities for property tax revenue lost as a result of the reductions in valuation enacted in Senate Bill 22-238 and Senate Bill 23B-001. Section 9 establishes a reimbursement mechanism for certain local governmental entities other than school districts to account for property tax revenue lost as a result of the reductions in valuation in the act for the 2024 property tax year. The reimbursement mechanism requires the state to reimburse local governments in an amount equal to the decrease, if any, in assessed value between the 2022 and 2024 property tax years multiplied by the local governments' mill levy rate from the 2022 property tax year. Section 9 creates a fund out of which the state makes the reimbursements and requires the state treasurer to transfer to the fund $10,311,233 from the sustainable rebuilding program fund. Property tax deferral program. The existing property tax deferral program allows any person to defer the payment of the portion of real property taxes on the person's homestead that exceeds the tax-growth cap, which is an amount equal to the average of the person's real property taxes paid for the preceding 2 property tax years for the same homestead, increased by 4%. Beginning with the 2025 property tax year, section 10 removes the 4% tax-growth cap. Accordingly, beginning with the 2025 property tax year, a person may defer the payment of the portion of real property taxes on the person's homestead that exceeds the average of the person's real property taxes paid for the preceding 2 property tax years for the same homestead. Appropriation for state share of districts' total program funding. Beyond the appropriations in the act necessary for the administration of this act as outlined in sections 12 and 13, section 11 appropriates $378,861,731 to the department of education from the state education fund to cover the increases in the state share of districts' total program funding resulting from the assessed value reductions set forth in the act. APPROVED by Governor May 14, 2024 EFFECTIVE upon the date of the official declaration by the governor NOTE: This act does not take effect if either or both of the following occur at the next general election: An initiative that reduces valuations for assessment is approved by the people; An initiative that requires voter approval for retaining property tax revenue that exceeds a limit is approved by the people. If this act takes effect then this act takes effect upon the date of the official declaration of the vote for the general election held on November 5, 2024; except that section 3 of this act takes effect only if Senate Bill 24-111 does not become law, sections 4 and 8 of this act take effect only if Senate Bill 24-111 becomes law, section 6 of this act takes effect only if House Bill 24-1448 does not become law, and section 7 of this act takes effect only if House Bill 24-1448 becomes law. Senate Bill 24-111 was signed by the governor May 14, 2024. House Bill 24-1448 was signed by the governor May 23, 2024.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill requires all private insurance companies to provide coverage for the treatment of the chronic disease of obesity and the treatment of pre-diabetes, including coverage for intensive behavioral or lifestyle therapy, bariatric surgery, and FDA-approved anti-obesity medication. No later than January 2025 The bill requires the department of health care policy and financing (department) to seek federal authorization to provide treatment for the chronic disease of obesity and the treatment of pre-diabetes. Within existing appropriations and upon receiving federal authorization, the department is required to notify medicaid members in writing about the availability of the treatment. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
This bill eliminates the state severance tax exemption currently granted to stripper wells, which are low-producing oil and gas wells that extract fifteen barrels of oil or ninety thousand cubic feet of gas per day or less. By removing this exemption, the legislation requires operators of these wells to pay the same severance tax rates as higher-producing wells, with the collected revenue distributed between the state and local governments. The measure also adjusts related tax credits to ensure that stripper wells no longer receive preferential treatment under Colorado's existing tax code.
The bill creates a special license plate to honor first responders who have a permanent occupational disability (first responder). A first responder may obtain a special license plate without paying taxes or fees for the plate or the vehicle. For additional vehicles, a first responder must pay the standard motor vehicle fees plus 2 one-time fees of $25. One fee is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other fee is credited to the licensing services cash fund. An individual may obtain the license plate with the identifying figure that allows the use of reserved parking for people with disabilities.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill enacts the "Violence Prevention in Health-care Settings Act", applicable to hospitals, freestanding emergency departments, nursing care facilities, assisted living residences, and federally qualified health centers, and the "Violence Prevention in Behavioral Health Settings Act", applicable to comprehensive community behavioral health providers. Both acts require each of these facility types to: Establish a workplace violence prevention committee to document and review workplace violence incidents at the facility and develop and regularly review a workplace violence prevention plan (plan) for the facility; Adopt, implement, enforce, and update the plan; Provide training on the plan and on workplace violence prevention; Submit biannual workplace violence incident reports to the department of public health and environment or the behavioral health administration, as applicable; and If a workplace violence incident occurs, offer post-incident services to affected staff. The bill specifies the required components of facility plans. Facilities are prohibited from discouraging staff from contacting or filing an incident report with law enforcement. The bill also prohibits retaliation, discipline, or discrimination against a person who reports a workplace violence incident in good faith, who advises a staff member of the right to report an incident, or who chooses not to report an incident. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Wildfire Matters Review Committee. The bill assists local governments with disaster-related programs in 2 ways. First, section 1 of the bill establishes by establishing the slash removal pilot program (pilot program) under the wildfire mitigation incentives for local governments grant program, which is administered by the forest service. The pilot program supports county efforts to efficiently and effectively remove slash through methods other than burning . The forest service must establish the policies and procedures by which it will select counties for the pilot program and implement the pilot program. Second, section 2 requires the division of homeland security and emergency management in the department of public safety to provide guidance to local governments on the following issues concerning debris removal: Negotiating debris removal program terms with the federal emergency management agency to provide predictability for homeowners and ensure that there are not duplicate payments for debris removal; Developing standard right of entry forms that include opt-in and opt-out provisions and clear insurance assignment of benefit language; Establishing right-of-way cleanup procedures, including the removal of private vehicles, for public roadways; Considering the removal of hazardous materials and other safety and environmental concerns; and Ensuring that local debris removal programs are limited to residential debris removal and do not include commercial debris removal. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill establishes the electronic smoking device recycling strategies advisory group (advisory group). The advisory group is tasked with conducting an analysis of methods and strategies for the recycling of single-use electronic smoking devices (devices). The advisory group shall develop a report that: Evaluates the extent of pollution caused by the disposal of devices; Reviews existing practices and capacity for the recycling of devices; Considers methods and strategies for recycling devices that are protective of the public health and environment; Considers whether Colorado should establish a deposit and recycle program that charges consumers a fee for recycling devices; Recommends any state or local government policies related to the recycling of devices; and Identifies any existing state or federal grant programs or other programs that may be available to assist in the development of strategies for the recycling of devices. The advisory group must submit the report to the general assembly, the department of public health and environment, and the governor's office on or before October 31, 2025. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates a legislative interim committee (committee) to study cell phone connectivity in the state and make legislative recommendations concerning how to improve cell phone connectivity. The committee consists of 6 voting members of the general assembly and 6 nonvoting members, including 4 members of the cell phone industry, a representative of the department of transportation, and a representative of the department of public safety. The committee must begin meeting no later than September 30, 2024, and may hold up to 6 meetings in the 2024 legislative interim and up to 6 meetings in the 2025 legislative interim. During each legislative interim, the committee may recommend up to 3 bills. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Current law requires the pipeline safety rules of the public utilities commission (commission) to address the mapping of all pipelines within the commission's jurisdiction. The bill clarifies current law by requiring the commission's mapping requirements for all pipelines within its jurisdiction to be available at a scale of 1 to 6,000 or greater. On or before December 31, 2024, the commission must adopt rules that require: An owner or operator of a transmission line, a distribution system, or a gathering line to use advanced leak detection technology in accordance with certain requirements; An owner or operator of a transmission line, a distribution system, or a gathering line or an investor-owned natural gas utility (owner or operator) to repair grade 1 gas leaks immediately upon detection, grade 2 gas leaks no later than 60 days after detection, and grade 3 gas leaks no later than one year after detection; and That all pipeline road and railroad crossings are inspected with advanced leak detection technology on a monthly basis for damage caused from traffic. The bill also requires a section of pipeline that has not been used for 2 or more years to be removed or abandoned in place. An owner or operator may abandon a section of pipeline in place only in certain circumstances. If an owner or operator intends to remove a section of pipeline or abandon a section of pipeline in place, the owner or operator must notify the commission no less than 30 days before the owner or operator commences the removal or abandonment in place. The commission may review a notice of abandonment in place to determine whether the proposed abandonment in place is less impactful than removal. The bill also requires the commission to develop a user-friendly, public-facing website (website) for pipeline safety data in the state. The website must include the location, date, and owner or operator for the following data: Reportable safety events; Violations; Compliance actions; Pipeline inspection data; and How to access the mapping of pipelines within the commission's jurisdiction. Current law provides that any person that violates certain pipeline safety laws is subject to a penalty of up to $200,000 dollars per violation. The bill changes this maximum penalty to $500,000 per violation. The amount of the penalty must also be no less than $5,000 for each day of a violation and, in the event that the commission deems that the penalty is necessary for the protection of public health, safety, welfare, the environment, or wildlife resources, no less than $15,000 per day of a violation. Beginning in 2026, the commission is required to adjust the penalty amounts for inflation every 2 years. Current law allows the commission to reduce penalties based on certain metrics and factors (factors). The bill changes current law to allow the commission to also increase penalties based on the factors and adds additional factors that the commission must consider. Except with respect to an owner or operator of a distribution system serving fewer than 1,000 customers in the state, the commission is prohibited from reducing a penalty based on the factors by more than 15% and the violator is required to conduct certain compliance actions before a reduction occurs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under current law, the air quality control commission (commission) consists of 9 members. As of October 1, 2024, section 2 of the bill increases the membership of the commission to 11 members to include: One member who represents a disproportionately impacted community and the interests of communities of color and who does not derive income from an entity that the commission regulates; and One climate scientist employed by an organization that does not derive income from an entity that the commission regulates. Under current law, the commission is required to adopt rules regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the industrial and manufacturing sector (sector). Section 3 requires the commission to adopt rules, to be implemented by January 1, 2025, that: Prohibit GHG emissions from the sector from increasing in the near term and require sector-wide emissions not to exceed 97 million metric tons of total carbon dioxide equivalent cumulatively between 2025 and 2030; Prohibit a sector source from complying with GHG emissions compliance obligations by making a payment unless the payment is made in exchange for GHG credit that is surrendered as part of a GHG credit trading program; and Establish source-specific GHG emission reduction requirements that must be met through direct reductions of GHG emissions for a sector source that adversely affects a disproportionately impacted community. Section 3 also clarifies the definition of "GHG credit", as applied to the requirement for commission rule-making, to include an allowance to emit one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent of GHG by a regulated source.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Section 1 of the bill, on and after January 1, 2027, prohibits the sale and distribution of certain air conditioners that are manufactured on or after January 1, 2027, (covered HVAC) unless the covered HVAC complies with certain technical standards (technical standards). On or before January 1, 2029, and again on or before January 1, 2034, the executive director of the department of public health and environment (executive director) must assess compliance with the technical standards. On or before February 1, 2029, and again on or before February 1, 2034, the executive director must prepare a report of the assessments. Before January 1, 2027, the executive director must establish a secure process that allows an individual to make an anonymous report of a violation of the technical standards. In the case of the first 2 violations of the technical standards, the executive director must send a warning letter to the alleged violator. In the case of a third or subsequent violation, the attorney general may bring a civil action to seek a civil penalty of no more than $2,000 per ton of cooling and certain other remedial actions. Section 3 , on or before January 1, 2026, and every other January 1 until January 1, 2034, requires the Colorado energy office (energy office) to conduct a market study or literature review to estimate the average cost difference for certain income-qualified households and income-qualified housing providers between installing a covered HVAC that meets the technical standards and installing a covered HVAC that does not meet the technical standards (study). On or before January 1, 2027, the energy office shall establish a program to offer certain financial incentives to certain income-qualified households and income-qualified housing providers to cover the average cost difference described in the energy office's most recent study. For income tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2024, but before January 1, 2034, section 4 creates a refundable, assignable state income tax credit that a home builder or an HVAC contractor that installs certain cold-climate heat pumps or ground-source heat pumps (eligible heat pump) can claim in the tax year that the eligible heat pump is placed into service. The amount of the tax credit is $5,000 per installation of an eligible heat pump, but the amount claimed may be increased based on certain criteria. A home builder or an HVAC contractor must provide certain verification information to the department of revenue to qualify for the tax credit. Section 5 : Makes certain changes to definitions; Changes the state income tax credit amounts that may be claimed for the installation of certain other heat pumps; and Requires the energy office to post information about the tax credit on the energy office's website. Section 6 makes certain changes to definitions. Section 8 , on or before April 1, 2025, requires a public utility that provides electricity to submit to the public utilities commission a proposal for a specific voluntary rate or rates for electricity supplied to residential customers who utilize a heat pump as their primary heating source. Section 9 requires, on and after January 1, 2025, recipients of state financial assistance for new building construction projects that include energy-consuming products covered by the Energy Star program (covered energy-consuming products) to use covered energy-consuming products certified by the Energy Star program (requirements). On and after January 1, 2025, a state agency that provides or administers state financial assistance for a new building construction project (state agency) must include certain requirements in the state agency's criteria for receiving state financial assistance and request an affidavit signed by the recipient of the state financial assistance that declares that the requirements have been or will be followed or that the recipient is requesting a waiver from the requirements. A state agency may issue a waiver from the requirements based on certain evidence and an attestation from a licensed professional engineer or design professional. On or before December 1, 2024, the energy office must distribute and periodically update certain guidance and forms related to the requirements. If the attorney general has probable cause to believe that a recipient of state financial assistance has violated the requirements, the attorney general may bring a civil action to seek a civil penalty of up to the total amount of state financial assistance received by the violator. Current law prohibits a person from selling or leasing new residential windows, residential doors, and residential skylights in the state on and after January 1, 2026, unless the product satisfies certain criteria under the Energy Star program. Section 10 changes current law to require new residential windows, residential doors, and residential skylights to instead satisfy certain standards in the International Energy Conservation Code.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
