Rep. Scott Bottoms

Maddy summaryHJR 25-1005 is a ceremonial resolution encouraging Colorado communities to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20, 2025 - the 41st anniversary of the state holiday. It does not create new laws or alter existing policies but urges cities, schools, counties, and local governments to hold commemorative events. The resolution honors Dr. King’s legacy, noting Colorado’s early adoption of the holiday in 1985 and its ongoing observance through events like the annual Marade. This is a non-binding call for community engagement, not a substantive legislative change.

The bill establishes the "Battling to Restore, Advocate, and Vanquish Exploitation (BRAVE) Act of 2024" (BRAVE act). The purpose of the BRAVE act is to authorize qualified nonprofit organizations (nonprofits) that work to combat human trafficking in Colorado or provide aftercare services to survivors of human trafficking to initiate civil litigation against human traffickers. Nonprofits are given legal standing in human trafficking cases in which they were involved. The office of the attorney general has the responsibility for purposes of notice and oversight. The Colorado human trafficking council is responsible for developing victim-centered and trauma-informed training. The bill creates the human trafficking prevention and aftercare services fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill creates the "Abortion Pill Reversal Information Act" (act). The act requires a physician or other qualified medical professional assisting a physician to provide state-prepared information concerning abortion pill reversal, including a telephone number and website address where a pregnant woman can seek resources to obtain abortion pill reversal, to any woman seeking an abortion through the use of an abortion-inducing drug. The physician or other qualified medical professional must provide the information at least 24 hours before the physician prescribes or administers the abortion-inducing drug or induces the abortion. The department of public health and environment is required to maintain the state-prepared information on its public-facing website. The act makes it a deceptive trade practice to fail to provide the required information concerning abortion pill reversal. The act also includes civil penalties and professional discipline for failure to comply with the requirements in the act and allows the general assembly to appoint members to intervene in any lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill defines "person" to include a living unborn human child at any stage of development, from fertilization at the fusion of a human spermatozoon with a human ovum, as "person" relates to a private right of action and neglect provisions and current homicide and assault provisions. The bill declares that any existing state law relating to prenatal neglect, homicide, or assault, or regulating abortion or abortion facilities, is superseded to the extent it conflicts with or is inconsistent with the bill. The bill states that the defense of duress is available for an offense of murder in the first degree if the victim is a living unborn human child and the defendant is the child's mother. The bill authorizes the state to disregard any federal court decision that purports to enjoin or void the bill and subjects a Colorado judge to impeachment or removal if the judge purports to enjoin, stay, overrule, or void the requirement. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

For income tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2025, the bill reduces both the individual and the corporate state income tax rates from 4.40% to 4.0%. The bill also exempts the rate reductions from the existing statutory requirements that tax expenditure legislation include a tax preference performance statement in a statutory legislative declaration and repeal after a specified period of tax years. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act creates the "In God We Trust" license plate for motor vehicles. In addition to the normal fees for a license plate, a person must pay 2 additional one-time fees of $25 for the issuance of the plate. One of these fees is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other fee is credited to the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account. To implement the act, $31,212 is appropriated to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles. The appropriation consists of $4,293 from the general fund and $26,919 from the license plate cash fund. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill defines a "person" to include an unborn child at all stages of gestation, from fertilization to natural death, as it relates to a private right of action and current homicide and assault provisions. The bill declares that any existing state law relating to prenatal homicide or assault or regulating abortion or abortion facilities is superseded to the extent it conflicts or is inconsistent with the provisions of the bill. The bill authorizes the state to disregard any federal court decision that purports to enjoin or void this requirement and subjects a Colorado judge to impeachment or removal if the judge purports to enjoin, stay, overrule, or void the requirement.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill creates the "Abortion Pill Reversal Information Act" (act). The act requires a physician or other qualified medical professional to provide state-prepared information concerning abortion pill reversal, including a telephone number and website address where a pregnant woman can seek resources to obtain abortion pill reversal, to any woman seeking an abortion through the use of an abortion-inducing drug. The physician or other qualified medical professional must provide the information at least 24 hours before the physician prescribes or administers the abortion-inducing drug or induces the abortion. The department of public health and environment is required to maintain the state-prepared information on its public-facing website. The act makes it a deceptive trade practice to fail to provide the required information concerning abortion pill reversal. The act also includes civil penalties and professional discipline for failure to comply with the requirements in the act and allows the general assembly to appoint members to intervene in any lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

For income tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2024, the bill reduces both the individual and the corporate state income tax rates from 4.40% to 3.5%. The bill also exempts the rate reductions from the existing statutory requirements that tax expenditure legislation include a tax preference performance statement in a statutory legislative declaration and a repeal after a specified period of tax years. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill prohibits the governor from renewing a state of disaster emergency declared beyond 30 days. Instead, the bill authorizes the general assembly, upon the written request of the governor and by adopting a joint resolution, to extend the state of disaster emergency for up to 30 additional days. The general assembly may continue, at the written request of the governor and by adopting a joint resolution for each extension, to extend a state of disaster emergency for periods of up to 30 days for as long as it deems it necessary to do so. If the general assembly is not scheduled to convene in a regular session when a state of disaster emergency will end as required by the bill, the governor or a two-thirds majority of the members of each house of the general assembly, in accordance with applicable state constitutional provisions, may call the general assembly into an extraordinary session to consider extending the state of disaster emergency.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)