Rep. Tammy Story

Senate Bill 26-016, enacted in 2026, prohibits a person from disposing of preproduction plastic materials at a location that does not have federal interim status, a federal permit granted pursuant to the federal 'Solid Waste Disposal Act', or a state permit for the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste at a hazardous waste site.     The act removes this prohibition and instead prohibits the disposal of preproduction plastic materials at a location that is not a solid wastes disposal site and facility with a certificate of designation.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires a volunteer lobbyist to register and file a registration statement attesting they are not being compensated. The act exempts volunteer lobbyists from registration fees.     The act provides that the judicial department may designate one individual for the judicial department and one individual for each independent agency in the judicial department who may lobby on behalf of the judicial department or an independent agency in the judicial department (judicial lobbyist). A person designated by a principal executive department to be responsible for lobbying a state official or employee on behalf of the department (legislative liaison), a judicial lobbyist, or an individual who lobbies on behalf of the offices of the governor or lieutenant governor as a member of the governor's cabinet or as a personal staff employee in the offices of the governor or the lieutenant governor (governor's lobbyist) must register with the secretary of state annually.     In addition to annually registering with the secretary of state, a legislative liaison, judicial lobbyist, or a governor's lobbyist must file a monthly disclosure statement with the secretary of state (disclosure statement). The act provides that a legislative liaison, judicial lobbyist, or a governor's lobbyist must indicate on the disclosure statement the bill number of any legislation for which they have lobbied or will lobby a covered official and their position regarding the legislation. The legislative liaison, judicial lobbyist, or a governor's lobbyist must update their position on the disclosure statement within 72 hours of a change in position.     The act prohibits a statewide elected official or member of the general assembly from being a legislative liaison or governor's lobbyist for a period of 2 years following vacation of office.     $91,000 is appropriated from the department of state cash fund to the department of state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, the title board must set a ballot title for an initiative petition that is brief, does not conflict with another title for an initiative petition filed for the same election, and is in the form of a question that may be answered 'yes/for' or 'no/against' and that unambiguously states the principle of the provision sought to be added, amended, or repealed by the initiative. The act adds a requirement that the title board write a ballot title using accessible language, which means plain language that is understood by the widest possible audience. In determining whether a ballot title is written using accessible language, the title board may consider whether the title:Avoids using legal, technical, or specialized terminology when possible;Clearly identifies the principal change in law or policy proposed by the proposed statutory or constitutional amendment;Avoids unnecessary qualifiers, double negatives, and overly complex phrasing;Organizes clauses so that the effect of a 'yes/for' or 'no/against' vote is readily understood; andPresents necessary information within the ballot title in a logical and readable order.     In addition, current law requires that specific language appear in the ballot title for certain initiatives that increase or reduce tax revenue. For initiatives that reduce state tax revenue or local district property tax revenue through a tax change, this required language must appear at the beginning of the ballot title. For initiatives that increase tax revenue for any district through a tax change, this required language must appear directly after language required by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. The act modifies these statutory provisions so that the required ballot title language must only be substantially similar to the specific statutory language and may appear anywhere in the ballot title.     The act applies to initiative petitions submitted to the secretary of state for title setting on or after the effective date of the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act defines school zones as all roadways within at least 1,000 feet of a school property boundary, except state highways unless they are designated as part of a school zone with the written approval of the Colorado department of transportation, and including school zones established before August 12, 2026, that are 200 feet or more from a school property boundary. A school zone must have appropriate signs posted indicating it is a school zone and that the penalties and surcharges within the school zone will be doubled.     The act allows a local government that has jurisdiction over a school zone to reduce the size of a school zone after first holding a public hearing, but the act does not allow a school zone to be reduced to less than 200 feet from a school property boundary. Additionally, the act does not prohibit local governments from expanding school zones to beyond 1,000 feet from a school property boundary.     The act limits requirements the state, a county, a city and county, or a municipality must complete regarding placing and using an automated vehicle identification system along a safe route to school.     The act allows a local government to designate a portion of a roadway immediately adjacent to a school property boundary as a school street and requires the local government to post signs indicating it is a school street if the local government has jurisdiction to do so. The local government may close a school street to traffic. If there is traffic on the school street, the maximum speed limit is 10 miles per hour and vehicles must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, bicyclists, or micromobility users. The local government may suspend additional traffic provisions on the school street that endanger pedestrians, bicyclists, or micromobility users.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act extends the implementation dates for capping family copayments for child care at 7% of family income, for paying child care providers in advance of the provision of services, and for utilizing grants and contracts to improve access to child care for underserved populations to August 1, 2028.     The act modifies existing reporting requirements to include the total amount of child care assistance program (CCCAP) allocation that is spent by the department and each county on administrative expenses, county indirect expenses, program implementation costs, and direct service expenses.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act increases funding for county child abuse prevention services and programs by changing the source of reimbursement money transmitted to the Colorado child abuse prevention trust fund (trust fund) from money received for all prevention services and programs identified in the federal Title IV-E clearinghouse (prevention services clearinghouse) to money received by the Colorado department of early childhood and identified in the prevention services clearinghouse.     The act continues the trust fund and Colorado child abuse prevention board indefinitely.     For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the general assembly anticipates that the department of human services will receive $150,000 in federal funds to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act prohibits the Colorado lottery or any licensed lottery retailer from selling lottery tickets or instant scratch game tickets produced by the lottery for sale to the public on a credit basis.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act eliminates the requirement for the department of education (department) to administer a state assessment in social studies to elementary school students and specifies that the department is only required to administer a state assessment in social studies to students enrolled in seventh grade in a public school.     The act also eliminates the requirement that the department administer a state assessment in social studies in a representative sample of public schools each year.     The act reduces by the appropriation made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of education from the state education fund for the statewide assessment program by $302,835.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

In 2022, the general assembly enacted, and the governor subsequently signed into law, House Bill 22-1358 ('Concerning measures to eliminate the presence of lead in the drinking water of certain facilities where children are present, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation'), which required child care centers, family child care homes, and each public school that serves any of grades preschool through eighth grade to:Test its drinking water sources by having a state-certified laboratory measure the lead content of water drawn from each drinking water source; andSatisfy other requirements concerning the provision of safe drinking water.     House Bill 22-1358 also created the school and child care clean drinking water fund (fund) to help schools, child care centers, and family child care homes comply with House Bill 22-1358.     House Bill 22-1358 included a repeal date of June 30, 2026, for its provisions. The act extends the provisions, with amendments, until June 30, 2029. The act also adds high schools (i.e., schools that serve grades 9 to 12) to the scope of House Bill 22-1358, which means that high schools may receive grants from the fund and must satisfy certain requirements on or before dates specified in the act.     The act requires the department to adopt rules establishing how a child care center shall demonstrate compliance with the requirements concerning the testing for the presence of lead in drinking water.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires an operator of a social media platform (operator) to ensure that its social media platform provides a streamlined process to allow law enforcement agencies to contact the social media platform. The process must be available to law enforcement agencies at all times and make available a staffed hotline for the purposes of:Receiving and responding to questions about search warrants;Acknowledging the receipt of a search warrant within 8 hours after receipt; andProviding status updates on search warrant compliance to a requesting law enforcement agency.     With certain exceptions, an operator must comply with a search warrant within 24 hours if certain conditions apply. A court may reasonably extend this time if the court makes a written finding that the operator or social media platform has shown good cause for the extension and that an extension would not cause an adverse result. The act sets forth enforcement options for the attorney general and district attorneys regarding operators' compliance with search warrants.     The act requires an operator to report to a social media platform user's (user's) local law enforcement agency within 24 hours if the operator's social media platform takes any one of certain described adverse actions against a user. A violation of the reporting requirement is a violation of the 'Colorado Consumer Protection Act'.     In current law, 'social media platform' is defined as an internet-based service, website, or application that satisfies certain criteria, including having more than 100,000 active users in Colorado. The act removes this criterion.     The act makes conforming amendments as necessary to Senate Bill 26-011, as enacted in the 2026 regular legislative session, to have Senate Bill 26-011 conform with the provisions of the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)