Provides for the payment of expenses of the executive, legislative, and judicial departments of the state of Colorado, and of its agencies and institutions, for and during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, except as otherwise noted.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act acknowledges the human-animal bond as a life-enhancing resource that impacts the length and quality of human life. The act authorizes the health disparities and community grant program (grant program) to award grants to entities that support the human-animal bond if the grant program is appropriated additional funds for that purpose by the general assembly.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under Colorado law, a private property owner is prohibited from retaining more than 5% of a construction contract as retainage if the contract is at least $150,000. The act authorizes a contractor to submit a retainage bond in lieu of withholding retainage, and a private property owner must accept the retainage bond and not withhold the retainage if the retainage bond meets the act's standards. A subcontractor may require the contractor to submit a bond in lieu of retainage for the subcontractor's portion of the retainage. The contractor may require the subcontractor to submit a like bond to the contractor.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act defines critical infrastructure material as any component or part used in covered infrastructure that is made of or contains a commodity metal, the theft of which poses an imminent threat to life or the physical safety of a person, including through serious harm to the basic supply of covered infrastructure to the population or to the exercise of a core function of covered infrastructure. The act adds critical infrastructure materials to regulations in existing law on the sale and possession of commodity metals. The act prohibits an owner, keeper, or proprietor (owner) of a junk shop, junk store, salvage yard, or junk cart or other vehicle, and every collector of or dealer in junk, salvage, or other secondhand property who buys a critical infrastructure material (buyer) from paying cash for the critical infrastructure material unless the seller is paid by means of any process in which a picture of the seller is taken or the transaction is worth less than $300. The act prohibits a buyer from possessing critical infrastructure material without an affidavit from the seller or donator of the commodity metal. Unlawful possession of critical infrastructure materials is a class 2 misdemeanor if the amount is less than $1,000, a class 2 misdemeanor if the amount is $1,000 to $2,000, and a class 6 felony if the amount is $2,000 or more. A buyer who unknowingly takes possession of critical infrastructure material as part of a load of otherwise noncritical infrastructure materials with an affidavit stating they can transfer the noncritical infrastructure material has a duty to notify the appropriate law enforcement agency or municipal code enforcement agency. Failure to report stolen critical infrastructure materials is a class 2 misdemeanor if the amount is less than $1,000, a class 2 misdemeanor if the amount is $1,000 to $2,000, and a class 6 felony if the amount is $2,000 or more. An owner of a junk shop, junk store, salvage yard, or junk cart must make their book or register available to a law enforcement agency or municipal code enforcement agency upon request. The act modifies existing criminal penalties related to the theft of commodity metals so that it is a class 6 felony for any amount that is $2,000 or more.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act defines, and creates requirements for, portable-scale solar generation devices. In addition, the act prohibits a provider of retail electric service or wholesale energy from, among other things, requiring a customer to obtain the provider's approval before installing or using a portable-scale solar generation device. The act also prohibits a person from directly or indirectly unreasonably prohibiting the installation, use, or operation of a portable-scale solar generation device. A covenant or restriction that explicitly or indirectly unreasonably prohibits or restricts the installation, use, or operation of a portable-scale solar generation device is unenforceable and void as a matter of public policy, though a real property owner may require reasonable restrictions. The act clarifies that a portable-scale solar generation device is considered an energy efficiency measure on and after January 1, 2027, and a unit owners' association of a common interest community is therefore not permitted to prohibit the installation or use of a portable-scale solar generation device. However, a real property owner that resides in a common interest community and installs a portable-scale solar generation device may be required to reasonably secure the device to their unit and may be responsible for all liability and costs associated with the device's installation, maintenance, or removal. The act specifies that a provider of retail electric service or wholesale energy is not liable for any damage caused by a portable-scale solar generation device and requires that the installation of a portable-scale solar generation device be in accordance with fire code requirements and applicable building codes that pertain to health and safety. Under current law, a utility that is subject to regulation by the public utilities commission (commission) must allow for customer ownership and use of a meter collar adapter through the utility's interconnection standards. The act requires the commission, on or before December 31, 2026, to revise existing commission interconnection rules to explicitly require commission-regulated utilities to:Maintain a public list of at least one approved meter collar adapter;Have a process for approving a meter collar adapter that is not included in the public list;Approve proposed meter collar adapters that meet certain technical requirements;If the installation of an approved meter collar adapter requires relocation of the meter enclosure or replacement of the meter housing, provide an estimate of costs associated with this work upon request of the customer;Establish and publish a process for a customer to request and install a meter collar adapter; andFacilitate the installation of a meter collar adapter by a registered electrical contractor and require that all electrical work be performed by a qualified party such as a master electrician. In addition, the act states that the revised commission interconnection rules must allow commission-regulated utilities to require that installation work for a meter collar adapter be performed by the commission-regulated utility, a licensed electrical contractor, or a party approved by the commission-regulated utility if the installation of an approved meter collar adapter requires removal of the meter. The act requires cooperative electric associations and customer-generators to comply with the rules adopted by the commission regarding meter collar adapters and with other commission rules regarding production meters. Similarly, the act requires municipally owned utilities to:Maintain a public list of at least one approved meter collar adapter;Have a process for approving a meter collar adapter that is not included in the public list;Approve proposed meter collar adapters that meet certain technical requirements;If the installation of an approved meter collar adapter requires relocation of the meter enclosure or replacement of the meter housing, provide an estimate of costs associated with this work upon request of the customer; andInclude a process for a customer to request and install a meter collar adapter. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires the department of public health and environment (CDPHE) to consider certain criteria as a basis for distributing grants from the nursing home penalty cash fund (fund). The act strikes these criteria and instead requires CDPHE to distribute such grants in accordance with priorities and allowable uses identified by the centers for medicare and medicaid services within the federal department of health and human services (centers). Current law requires the nursing home innovations grant board (board) to make recommendations for the approval of grants from the fund. The act requires such recommendations to be consistent with the processes for grant cycles of, and priorities and allowable uses identified by, the centers. Current law requires CDPHE and the department of health care policy and financing, with the board's assistance, to jointly submit an annual report to the governor and certain legislative committees of reference regarding the expenditure of money in the fund. The act changes the due date of the report from October 1 to January 1. In current law, the term 'benefit residents of nursing facilities' is defined to mean that a grant has a direct impact on the residents of nursing facilities or has an indirect impact on the residents through education of nursing facility staff. The act amends this definition to include training, as well as education, of nursing facility staff. Current law states that a governmental entity may not apply for or receive a grant from the fund unless the entity is a facility that is owned or operated by a governmental agency and licensed as a nursing care facility. The act removes this restriction.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The division of housing in the department of local affairs (division) administers an affordable home ownership program (program) that makes grants to nonprofit organizations, local governments, community development financial institutions, and community land trusts (eligible organizations) and tribal governments to support affordable home ownership, including the development of residential housing units that are described in an eligible organization's funding request (project). Current law specifies that only a household with an income less than or equal to 120% of the area median income is eligible for assistance through the program, but it is unclear whether this requirement applies to housing units constructed by an eligible organization through one of its projects. The act clarifies that only a household with an income less than or equal to either 120% of the area median income of households of that size in the jurisdiction of a local government in which the households are located, or 120% of the statewide area median income of households of that size, is eligible for housing constructed by an eligible organization through one of its projects. In addition, the act requires the program to offer housing that costs not more than 38% of a household's monthly income unless the ownership program is providing a homeowner with assistance for home rehabilitation. The act also requires the program to offer grants and loans to groups or associations of mobile home owners and their assignees to support affordable homeownership for households with income less than or equal to 120% of the area median income of households of that size in the territory or jurisdiction of the local government in which the households are located, and specifies that the monthly housing payment must not cost more than 35% of the monthly household income. The act allows the division to modify the maximum percentage of income that a household may allocate pursuant to the program as applied to a residential unit constructed by an eligible organization as part of an affordable housing project pursuant to a waiver process initiated by an eligible organization if a substantial need for housing the project's target population exists, the unit has been adequately marketed to eligible buyers for purchase for at least 6 months after final completion of the unit, and the unit has not been purchased by an eligible buyer within that 6-month period. For grants from the program to support tribal government programs, the tribe is responsible for establishing limitations on household income and maximum percentage of income that a household may allocate for monthly housing costs and a tribal affordability mechanism in lieu of any state-prescribed use covenant. The tribe shall submit evidence to the division that it has satisfied these requirements but is not required to disclose confidential tribal data, including the specific limitations or mechanisms it sets. The division also administers a land banking program (land banking program) that makes grants to local and tribal governments and loans to nonprofits to acquire and preserve land for the development of affordable housing. For grants made to local governments or loans to nonprofits, the development of affordable housing includes rental housing projects with an imputed income limit by household size not to exceed 60% of area median income. Regulated units in the project must have a gross rent limit that does not exceed 30% of the imputed income limitation applicable to the units. Current law requires that a project provide for-sale housing that may be purchased by a household with an annual income of 100% of area median income. The act changes the income limit to 120% of area median income. For land banking program grants to support tribal government programs, the tribe is required to establish income limits by household size and gross rent limits and is not required to use the limits otherwise required for eligible organizations. The tribal government is required to submit evidence that it has established income and gross rent limits but is not required to disclose confidential tribal data, including what the specific limitations are. The division may issue a waiver with housing cost limits that are different from those requested by an eligible organization if different housing cost limits would better serve needs identified in the community, the project remains financially feasible, and there are eligible buyers that meet the division's requirements. Alternatively, the division may modify the total amount of funding to account for an increase in the sales price of the unit. In lieu of this process, the division may approve an eligible organization's process for determining when to exceed the maximum monthly household income for a unit funded by the program, which shall not require a 6-month marketing period. The division may allow an eligible organization to rent residential units constructed as part of the project. On or before December 31, 2026, the division is required to issue guidance for when units within a project may be rented and develop a process by which rented units may return to the for-sale market. A homeowner may rent a unit funded by the ownership program as long as the unit remains their primary residence.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Based on the findings and recommendations of the committee on legal services, the act extends all state agency rules that were adopted or amended on or after November 1, 2024, and before November 1, 2025.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes a technical revision to language from Senate Bill 25-070, enacted in 2025, to clarify an online marketplace's obligation to alert law enforcement if the online marketplace knows or should have known that a third-party seller is selling or attempting to sell stolen goods to a consumer in Colorado.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act corrects technical defects and incorrect cross-references in certain statutes administered by the department of revenue as follows:Section 1 of the act amends the list of conditions a taxpayer must meet to claim a refundable income tax credit for certain businesses located in the state so that the list of conditions terminates correctly and conforms with standard drafting practices;Sections 2 and 4 correct outdated cross-references in the statute governing the collection of tax on gasoline and special fuels and the statute governing the road usage fee and bridge and tunnel impact fee;Section 3 clarifies the amount that can be claimed for a property tax or rent assistance grant and a heat or fuel expenses assistance grant based on the year the claim was made; andSection 5 removes the definitions for 'battery electric motor vehicle' and 'plug-in hybrid electric motor vehicle' from the statute that creates the high-performance transportation enterprise, as those defined terms do not otherwise appear in the statute.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes the following changes to transportation- and traffic-related statutes:Clarifies tire, chain, and alternate traction device requirements for use on a state highway by removing references to four-wheel and all-wheel drive; Prohibits an individual from stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle in the portion of a roadway designated as a bike lane, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or an official traffic control device;Clarifies that specified officers and authorized employees may move an attended or unattended motor vehicle, vehicle, cargo, or debris that is on a highway right-of-way and that obstructs or impedes traffic or highway maintenance or operations; andUpdates statutory references relating to vehicle or traffic collisions or collisions involving other transportation devices to use the term 'crash' or 'incident' in addition to or in place of the term 'accident' and defines 'crash' to include events involving motor vehicles, vulnerable road users, or other transportation devices.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes changes and clarifications in the provisions related to the department of early childhood (department). The act:Eliminates the scheduled repeal of licensing exemptions for certain in-home child care arrangements in which the children are related to the caregiver, are siblings, or number fewer than five;Updates provisions related to early care and education provider reimbursement for services performed before final eligibility determinations in the Colorado child care assistance program;Lowers the age limit for children served by the early childhood mental health consultation program from 8 years old to 6 years old and adjusts that program's reporting requirements;Clarifies the sources of money appropriated to the universal preschool program;Requires the department to keep confidential identifying records and facts regarding children and their relatives;Clarifies that child care facilities approved, certified, or licensed by tribal governments are exempt from the department's licensing rules; andAdjusts the membership requirements and duties of the early childhood leadership commission and subcommittee membership requirements for the rules advisory council.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
