The bill requires the general assembly, starting in state fiscal year 2027-28, to appropriate certain amounts to the wildfire resilient homes grant program cash fund, which amounts must be based on the amount of money in the wildfire mitigation capacity development fund that is used to fund grants in the prior state fiscal year. In awarding home hardening grants through the wildfire resilient homes grant program, the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety is required to prioritize homeowners who are income qualified or who lack the ability to perform the home hardening work because of age, disability, or illness.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under current law, a court is required to release a person on a personal recognizance bond if the person was charged with an offense for a violation with a maximum penalty that does not exceed 6 months' imprisonment and the court cannot require the person to give security of any kind for their appearance for trial other than their personal recognizance, unless certain conditions exist. The bill clarifies that these provisions apply in both state and municipal courts. The bill adds to the conditions for which a person may be required to give security that the defendant previously failed to appear in court 2 or more times in the present case.Existing law prohibits a court from imposing a monetary condition of release for a defendant charged with a traffic offense, petty offense, or comparable municipal offense, or a municipal offense for which there is no comparable state misdemeanor offense, with specified exceptions. The bill adds exceptions for:A petty offense for theft, criminal mischief, or arson, or a comparable municipal offense, or a municipal offense involving threats of violence, injury, or property damage, if the defendant has previously failed to appear in court 2 or more times in the present case; andAny other petty offense, traffic offense, or a comparable municipal offense, or a municipal offense for which there is no comparable state offense, if the defendant has previously failed to appear for a court proceeding 2 or more times in the present case and has another pending charge for the same offense in the same jurisdiction.The bill states that if a defendant's counsel is present at a court proceeding as required by a court and the defendant is not present, with the exceptions of trial, arraignment, contested hearings, and hearings in which a witness or victim is testifying before the court, the defendant's absence may not be considered a failure to appear. The bill applies the exceptions involving previous instances of a defendant's failure to appear for a municipal court proceeding only when, prior to issuing a warrant for the arrest of the defendant for the previous failure to appear, the court conducted a search to determine whether the defendant was being held in a correctional facility or county jail, and at the time of the previous failure to appear, the court had certain processes in place governing failures to appear.The bill requires municipal courts to not consider a person's absence from a place and time specified in a summons or summons and complaint as a failure to appear if the person's counsel is present on their behalf.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
This bill reappoints Kerri L. Hunter as Colorado's State Auditor for a five-year term from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2031. The reappointment follows a unanimous recommendation from the Legislative Audit Committee, which reviews candidates for the position based on qualifications and experience. Under Colorado law, the General Assembly appoints the State Auditor, and this resolution formally approves Hunter's continued service after her initial term ended in 2026. The measure directly affects the State Auditor's office by extending its leadership while maintaining the existing appointment process.
This Senate Resolution designates March 21 as "Single Parent Day in Colorado" to honor single parents who raise children alone due to divorce, death, or other circumstances. The measure directly affects single-parent households in the state, which include over 10 million households nationally and represent nearly a quarter of families with children under 18. The resolution contains no new laws or funding, serving instead as a symbolic gesture to recognize the dedication and challenges faced by single parents. It was signed by the Senate President and sent to Janice S. Moglen, a longtime Colorado advocate for Single Parent Day.
The bill increases overtime protections for agricultural employees by requiring that agricultural employees be paid at an overtime rate for any work performed in excess of:40 hours per workweek;12 hours per workday; or12 consecutive hours.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Current law requires county revitalization authorities and urban renewal authorities to, in certain instances, submit impact reports that detail the potential impacts of a proposed urban renewal or county revitalization plan on local services and infrastructure. The bill requires taxing entities that would be subject to tax increment financing pursuant to a proposed urban renewal or county revitalization plan to file either a certification of or a technical rebuttal to an impact report. If a taxing entity does not file either a certification or a technical rebuttal within 45 days after a county revitalization authority or urban renewal authority's submission of an urban renewal or county revitalization impact report, the impact report is presumed certified. The bill also requires taxing entities that would be subject to tax increment financing pursuant to a downtown development authority's proposed plan of development to file either a certification of or a technical rebuttal to a downtown development authority's impact report.On or before October 1, 2027, and on or before October 1 of each year thereafter, the legislative council staff is required to prepare a report or issue brief on the impact of tax increment financing on the state and local shares of education funding.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill establishes requirements for landlords, unit owners, and associations governing common interest communities (association) for billing a tenant for utility service. A landlord, a unit owner, or an association may individually bill a tenant using a submeter or bill a tenant through a ratio utility billing system, which is a system that allocates utility service costs among individual tenants based on a unit's square footage, occupancy, or other physical characteristics.Starting on January 1, 2027, all new residential construction must install individual submeters for each individual unit to measure water consumption for each unit. A tenant's utility bill for water utility service must be calculated based on the individual submeter reading.For existing residential properties and other types of utility service other than water service, the landlord, unit owner, or association may use a ratio utility billing system if they meet certain requirements.A landlord, a unit owner, or an association shall disclose to a tenant in the tenant's rental agreement the method by which the tenant's utility bills will be calculated. If a landlord, a unit owner, or an association uses a ratio utility billing system, they must deduct at least 10% of the total utility service bill before allocating individual costs to tenants in order to account for utility service to common areas of a residential premises.If a landlord, a unit owner, or an association is found in violation of the provisions of the bill, the aggrieved tenant may file a civil action in court and, if the tenant prevails, recover actual damages from utility bill overages, additional damages in an amount not to exceed 25% of the utility bill overages, and any attorney fees or court costs.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Current law permits a court to sentence a sex offender to probation for an indeterminate period that can range from 10 years for a class 4 felony and 20 years for a class 3 felony to a maximum of the sex offender's natural life.The bill prohibits a court from sentencing to probation a sex offender convicted of:Class 4 felony sexual assault on a child;Class 4 felony sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust; orClass 3 felony sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust when the child is under 15 years old.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill is a referred measure that will, if approved by the voters of the state at the 2026 general election, increase the excise tax on liquor by:$0.0733 per gallon, or the same per unit volume tax applied to metric measure, on all malt liquors and hard cider;$0.08 per liter on all vinous liquors except hard cider; and$0.6026 per liter on all spirituous liquors.This excise tax must be collected on the respective beverages not otherwise exempt from the tax, sold, offered for sale, or used in the state. The bill, if approved by the voters of the state at the 2026 general election, would also increase the state retail marijuana sales and excise taxes each by 0.42 percentage points. The bill requires the treasurer to transfer an amount equal to the tax revenue raised as a result of the bill to the hospital support account that is created in the capital construction fund. The department of human services may expend money from the hospital support account in the following priority order:First, to fund the construction of the Colorado mental health institute at Aurora created in section 2 of the bill (institute);Second, to fund the operational expenses associated with the institute; andThird, to fund the operational expenses associated with long-term civil commitment facilities in Mesa County. Section 2 creates the institute, the construction, operation, and maintenance of which is funded by money in the hospital support account. The institute is a state institution for the treatment of persons with mental health, behavioral health, or substance use disorders. The institute operates under the control and supervision of the department of human services (department). The head of the administrative division overseeing the institute is permitted to appoint or employ necessary administrators, physicians, nurses, attendants, and other personnel required for the proper conduct of the institute. The administrative division head is permitted to contract with the board of regents of the University of Colorado health sciences center or other state-supported institutions of higher education to provide necessary medical services. Section 2 establishes criteria for access to inpatient civil beds at the institute.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
This bill designates March 8, 2026, as International Women's Day in Colorado and acknowledges the historical and ongoing contributions of women to society. It recognizes women's achievements across various fields, including politics, business, and social movements, while highlighting Colorado's early history of women's suffrage and female leadership in state government. The resolution encourages continued celebration of this day and commits the legislature to supporting policies that promote gender equality and women's empowerment.
Beginning on July 1, 2026, the bill directs state-level permit fees and supplemental surcharges for oversize and overweight vehicles and longer vehicle combinations to the freight cash fund (fund), which is newly created in the office of freight mobility and safety (office) in the transportation development division of the department of transportation (department). The fund is appropriated for use by the office for the following main purposes:For funding freight-related projects; andTo support the office in functions related to freight projects, movement, and infrastructure, including the administrative costs of the office.In funding freight-related projects from the fund, the office is required to attempt to direct money in a manner that is proportional to the amount of freight routes and the impact of freight traffic in the affected community or region of the state.The office may also use money in the fund to create and maintain a centralized online permitting system for oversize permits, overweight permits, and other types of freight or transport permits issued by the department, the Colorado state patrol, or any local government. The centralized permitting system must allow a person to apply for and be issued all necessary state and local permits for a route in a single transaction and pay for all associated permit fees and surcharges for that route in a single transaction. By September 1, 2027, the office is required to conduct a feasibility study relating to the centralized permitting system and must report to the transportation legislation review committee during the 2027 legislative interim on the completed feasibility study and any progress toward implementing the centralized permitting system. The office is required to implement the centralized permitting system by July 1, 2029, either by creating a new online permitting system or by modifying an existing online permitting system.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates three enterprises (enterprises) in the behavioral health administration; the:Beer, cider, and apple wine impact and recovery enterprise;Spirits impact and recovery enterprise; andWine impact and recovery enterprise.The enterprises collect a fee from licensees that are manufacturers and wholesalers that distribute alcohol in Colorado, and use the fee for services described in the bill.The bill creates an alcohol impact and recovery enterprise board that governs the enterprises.The bill requires the state auditor to conduct an audit of the enterprise in the 2032-33 state fiscal year and each fourth state fiscal year thereafter.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
