The capitol building advisory committee (advisory committee) has been charged with evaluating and making recommendations to the capital development committee and, in some cases, the governor regarding proposals for the gift or loan of art and memorials to be placed on a permanent or temporary basis in the capitol building or on its surrounding grounds. The act adds the public areas of the capitol building annex and its surrounding grounds and the public areas of the legislative services building and its surrounding grounds to the advisory committee's purview in connection with such proposals. The act also allows art, memorials, furniture, and architectural fixtures that are original to the capitol building and that were previously permitted to be removed only temporarily and only for conservation to be temporarily or permanently removed for conservation, loan, exhibit, research, or disposition with the approval of the advisory committee. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act directs the Colorado department of public health and environment (CDPHE), in coordination with the department of revenue (DOR) and the department of regulatory agencies (DORA), to collect information and data related to the use of natural medicine and natural medicine products, including data on the following topics: Law enforcement incidents involving the use of natural medicine and natural medicine products; Adverse health events involving the use of natural medicine and natural medicine products; Impacts on health-care facilities, hospitals, and health-care systems related to the use of natural medicine and natural medicine products; Consumer protection claims related to natural medicine and natural medicine products; and Behavioral health impacts related to the use of natural medicine and natural medicine products. CDPHE and other relevant state departments shall also request and collect relevant data and information related to the health effects of the use of natural medicine from sources that may include all-payer claims data, hospital discharge data, peer-reviewed research studies, and other sources as determined by CDPHE. The data and information collected by CDPHE must be de-identified and not include the personal identifying information of any individual. CDPHE must provide the data and information collected to DOR for use in DOR's annual report concerning the implementation and administration of Colorado's natural medicine program. The act establishes the pilot data collection program, which requires CDPHE to create and maintain a database consisting of data and information collected by from facilitators and healing centers (database). Facilitators must provide data and information to CDPHE regarding health outcome data, demographic information, information related to the outcome of a participant's administration session, information concerning natural medicine services provided by the facilitator, and other relevant information as determined by DORA. Healing centers must provide data and information to CDPHE concerning demographic information of individuals who use regulated natural medicine services, outcome data related to an individual's participation in regulated natural medicine services, and any other information as determined by DOR. All data collected from facilitators and healing centers must be de-identified and not include the personal identifying information of individuals and is not subject to the "Colorado Open Records Act", subpoena, or discovery and is not admissible as evidence in any private civil action. The collection of data and information by CDPHE, DOR, and DORA and the maintenance of the database is subject to the acceptance of gifts, grants, or donations by CDPHE, and CDPHE is not required to collect the data and information or maintain the database as required by the act if there is not sufficient funding. The act requires CDPHE, in consultation with the natural medicine advisory board, DOR, and DORA, to conduct a review to determine whether there is sufficient funding available for the collection of data and information and the maintenance of the database prior to the repeal of the statute on September 1, 2030, and submit that determination to the general assembly. The act clarifies certain statutory provisions related to the issuance of owner licenses and employee licenses for natural medicine businesses. The act removes the fingerprinting requirement to obtain a license, but requires an applicant for a license to complete a name-based judicial record check. The act permits the state licensing authority to adopt rules regarding the types of regulated natural medicine products that can be manufactured and requires the state licensing authority to adopt rules related to product labels for regulated natural medicine and regulated natural medicine products, including rules prohibiting: Labels that are attractive to individuals under 21 years of age; The use of colors, pictures, and cartoon images on a label; The use of the word "candy" or "candies" on a label; and A label that is likely to cause confusion as to whether the regulated natural medicine or regulated natural medicine product is a trademarked food product. The act permits the governor to grant pardons to a class of defendants who were convicted of the possession of natural medicine. The money appropriated to the regulated natural medicines division cash fund made in the general appropriation act for the 2025-2026 state fiscal year to the department of revenue is decreased by $78,287. $208,240 is appropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology. The appropriation is from money received from gifts, grants, and donations received by the department of public health and environment. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Colorado law allows a local government to establish local minimum wages in excess of the statewide minimum wage established in the state constitution. A local government that enacts a minimum wage must provide a tip offset for tipped employees in an amount equal to the tip offset amount described in the state constitution, which is $3.02. The act states that on and after January 1, 2026, a local government that has enacted a code or an ordinance imposing a minimum wage that exceeds the state minimum wage may increase the amount of the tip offset associated with the local minimum wage; except that a local government shall not impose a tip offset in an amount that allows a tipped employee to earn less than the state minimum wage minus $3.02. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires a metropolitan district that is a party to a lease or rental agreement that was effective as of January 1, 2025, or later and was filed with the county assessor's office in support of a claim for a property tax exemption based on the use of the property for purposes of the metropolitan district to file with the county assessor's office a statement (statement) describing: The metropolitan district's use of the leased property; The metropolitan district's authority to use the leased property for the metropolitan district's purposes; Any use of the leased property by a private person for private purposes; and Any disclosure filed by a member of the board of directors of the metropolitan district in accordance with certain laws that govern disclosures of conflicts of interest. If the statement includes a disclosure that relates to the leased property and is filed by a member of the board of directors of the metropolitan district in accordance with certain laws that govern disclosures of conflicts of interest, the county assessor shall, within 14 days of receipt of the statement, submit the statement to the metropolitan district's governing body. Within 63 days of receipt of the statement, the governing body shall issue a written decision including findings of fact and a conclusion as to whether the leased property is used for a public purpose. If the governing body concludes that the leased property is not used for a public purpose, the leased property is not exempt from taxation, and the county assessor shall implement the governing body's decision. The decision of the governing body is not subject to appeal and does not give rise to any private right of action. The act clarifies that a leasehold interest in real or personal property that is owned by a private person and that has been leased to the state or a political subdivision of the state, the use and possession of which has been leased back to a private person for private purposes, is taxable to the owner. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The office of legislative workplace relations (OLWR) was established in 2019 as an entity within the office of legislative legal services to provide services to the general assembly, its members and employees, and the legislative services agencies. Specifically, the OLWR is directed to provide services related to employee relations, training, compliance, workplace culture, and workplace harassment, including investigations of complaints under the general assembly's policies on workplace expectations and workplace harassment. The act rebrands the OLWR as the legislative human resources division and directs the division to provide human resource services to the legislative branch, which includes the existing services required by law and additional services, such as benefits administration, compensation and classification, hiring and recruitment, and new employee onboarding, within available resources. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates a civil cause of action for a peace officer if the peace officer reports or discloses conduct that is in violation of, or the peace officer reasonably believes is in violation of, any law or policy and the report or disclosure is a contributing factor in the employer of the peace officer's decision to take adverse employment action against the peace officer. A peace officer may seek the following damages: Reinstatement; Back pay with interest; Any other equitable relief the court deems appropriate; Compensatory damages for other pecuniary losses, emotional pain and suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and other nonpecuniary losses; and Reasonable attorney fees and costs. The act creates an affirmative defense to the action if the peace officer's employer would have taken the action that forms the basis of the suit against the peace officer based on a legitimate nonretaliatory basis. The action is not subject to the "Colorado Governmental Immunity Act". The statute of limitations to bring the action is 2 years. The act does not apply to an employee who provides false information or who does not follow internal reporting and administrative procedures related to whistleblower conduct. All law enforcement agencies shall provide a training to employees or a workplace posting, or both, regarding the requirements of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes the owner of a trailer to register the trailer for as long as the owner owns the trailer. The trailer must be class B or class D personal property. To register the trailer, the owner must pay: 2 years of annual specific ownership tax; and $55.82 to cover fees. Upon the transfer of ownership of the trailer, the owner is required to notify the department of revenue of the transfer. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The division of water resources in the department of natural resources (division) is responsible for administering water rights and issuing water well permits, among other duties. Under current law, after having received a permit to appropriate designated groundwater or construct a well outside the boundaries of a designated groundwater basin, a permit holder is required to construct the well within one year after the date of issuance of the permit. If the well is not constructed within one year, the permit expires; except that the ground water commission (commission) in the division or the state engineer, as applicable, may grant a single one-year extension. The act extends the time frame for construction of a well to 2 years, eliminating the need for the commission or the state engineer to approve a one-year extension to the initial one-year construction time frame, except for permits issued for federally authorized water projects. The act also removes the requirement that the commission or state engineer must mail a certified letter to the permit holder before a permit can be formally expired. The act allows the commission or state engineer to reinstate an expired permit if the applicant for reinstatement of the permit can show that the well was completed in a timely manner and submits a $30 fee. Under current law, the division engineer of each water division is required to decennially present to the water court a list of water rights that meet the criteria for abandonment. The act splits this decennial abandonment process into 2 batches, grouped by water division and spaced 5 years apart, beginning with 2030 and 2035. The act maintains the requirement that the abandonment process be performed every 10 years in each water division. The act extends certain time frames relating to the well permitting process. Lastly, the act eliminates final permitting requirements for non-Denver Basin bedrock aquifer wells in the designated basins. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires a school district, a charter school, an institute charter school, a board of cooperative services, or the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind (local education provider) to satisfy certain requirements concerning installation, inspection, and maintenance of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in schools if the local education provider undertakes HVAC infrastructure improvements using money from the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" cash fund. The requirements established in the act concern: Ventilation verification assessments, which include assessments of an HVAC system's filtration, ventilation exhaust, economizers, demand control ventilation, air distribution and building pressurization, general maintenance requirements, and operational controls ; The preparation of HVAC assessment reports; The review of HVAC assessment reports by mechanical engineers, who make recommendations regarding necessary repairs and improvements, suggest pathways to reduce emissions, and estimate associated costs; HVAC adjustments, repairs, upgrades, and replacements; and The preparation of HVAC verification reports, which must be maintained for at least 5 years and made available to the public upon request. The act establishes mandatory criteria that an HVAC contractor must satisfy in order to perform work described in the act. A local education provider that undertakes HVAC infrastructure improvements using money from the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" cash fund must do so using only contractors on the certified contractor list established by the department of labor and employment, unless the local education provider determines that there were no responsive, eligible subcontractors available to fulfill the mechanical, electrical, or plumbing portions of the contract. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Starting January 1, 2027, the act prohibits an electrical employer or plumbing employer that employs an apprentice in the state (employer) from registering an apprentice with the employer's respective governing board (board) unless the apprentice is enrolled in an apprenticeship program training the apprentice for an occupation officially recognized by the United States department of labor as an electrical occupation for an electrical apprenticeship or a plumbing occupation for a plumbing apprenticeship. On or before July 1, 2027, if existing resources are available or if the department of regulatory agencies (DORA) receives sufficient gifts, grants, or donations, the act requires the state apprenticeship agency and DORA to establish data-sharing agreements and policies to enable the entities to determine if there are apprentices registered with a board who are enrolled to be trained for occupations other than electrical or plumbing occupations and who are therefore ineligible for registration with the board. If the board cannot verify that an apprentice is eligible to be registered as an apprentice within 60 days after notice of noncompliance, the board shall remove the apprentice's registration with the board, and the noncompliant apprentice shall not perform work as a plumbing or electrical apprentice in the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)