Rep. Jacque Phillips

Maddy summaryHJR 1002 is a commemorative resolution honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It does not create new laws or policies. The resolution recognizes Dr. King's legacy through historical context about his civil rights leadership, his "I Have a Dream" speech, and his role in key legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It specifically acknowledges Colorado's history of observing MLK Jr. Day, noting that Colorado became the 50th state to recognize the holiday in 2000. The resolution serves only to formally commemorate Dr. King's life and work, with no direct effect on citizens or new government requirements.

Maddy summarySJR 3 is a procedural resolution scheduling a joint meeting of Colorado's Senate and House of Representatives on January 16, 2026, to hear a message from representatives of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council and Southern Ute Tribal Council. It directs the appointment of a six-member committee (three from each chamber) to escort tribal representatives to the session. The resolution recognizes the tribes' historical and cultural contributions to Colorado but does not create new laws or policies. This is a formal procedural step to facilitate the tribal message, not a substantive legislative change.

The state allows a student pursuing higher education who satisfies statutorily specified eligibility criteria to claim an income tax incentive for amounts paid for tuition and fees for qualifying academic semesters or terms that the student completes. The act clarifies the statute that provides for the income tax incentive to improve the administration, including data tracking and reporting, of the incentive. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $135,446 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of revenue for use by the taxation business group to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act repeals obsolete references to the teacher residency expansion program (program), which was repealed in 2023. Current law continues to reference the definition for "paraprofessional" as it appeared in the program. The act recreates the definition of "paraprofessional" for the current statutory uses of the term. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act prohibits residential rental agreements, in relation to a tenant's death, from requiring acceleration of rent beyond the end of the month or more than 10 business days after the dwelling unit is vacated after notice to the landlord of the tenant's death, whichever is later. Further, the act prohibits the enforcement of terms in rental agreements that authorize liquidated damages or other penalties if the rental agreement is terminated before the end of its term due to the death of a tenant. The act authorizes a landlord to take possession of the dwelling unit without filing an eviction action or otherwise obtaining a court order if the personal representative of the tenant's estate notifies the landlord of the surrender of the premises or,30 days after the death of the tenant, rent remains unpaid or substantially all of the tenant's property has been removed. In addition, a landlord may retain a security or damages deposit sufficient to cover costs of damages caused by the death of the tenant. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act incorporates the federal "Uniform Code of Military Justice" (federal code) into the "Colorado Code of Military Justice" (state code), including specifically the punitive articles and general article of the federal code, which describe punishable offenses, and the statute of limitations that applies to charges brought pursuant to the state code. The act repeals sections of the state code that are duplicative of the incorporated federal code. Additionally, the act: Applies the state code to a member of the state military forces (member) at all times, except when the member is ordered to active federal service pursuant to title 10 of the United States Code; Clarifies a commanding officer's authority to impose nonjudicial punishment under the state code; Makes changes to the procedures that govern courts-martial, the punitive authority of courts-martial, and the review of the decisions of courts-martial; and If concurrent civilian and military jurisdiction exists over the same offense and a district attorney has filed felony charges against a member for the offense, requires the state military forces to defer felony prosecution of the member to the district attorney.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the community schoolyards grant program (grant program) in the division of local government (division) within the department of local affairs (department). The grant program is a 2-part grant program that includes: The planning and design grant program (planning program), which awards up to $150,000 to each grant recipient selected by the division for the planning and design of a community schoolyard; and The capital construction and improvement grant program (construction program), which awards up to $850,000 to each grant recipient selected by the division for the capital construction of a community schoolyard. The purpose of the grant program is to address inequities in underserved and underfunded schools and communities, specifically communities socially or economically affected by the development, processing, or energy conversion of minerals and mineral fuels subject to taxation, by: Making community schoolyards accessible to the broader community outside of school hours; Improving physical activity and mental health opportunities for students and community members; and Incorporating natural landscapes, natural playgrounds, and recreational spaces that promote adaptation; sustainability; resilience; and hands-on learning across subject matters, including science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. On or before January 15, 2026, the division shall implement a timeline for the planning program and the construction program (programs), which must include, at a minimum: Announcing each of the programs; Accepting applications from eligible applicants for each of the programs; Selecting the grant recipients for each of the programs; Distributing grant money to the grant recipients for each of the programs; and Establishing reporting timelines and requirements for each of the programs. On or before January 15, 2028, the division shall compile a report summarizing the grant recipient reports from the programs. The division shall submit the report to the education committees of the house of representatives and senate; the house of representatives transportation, housing, and local government committee; and the senate local government and housing committee, or their successor committees. For the 2025-26 and 2026-27 state fiscal years, the department shall use $4 million from the local government mineral impact fund or the local government severance tax fund for the grant program. The division may use up to 5% of the funds it receives for the grant program to pay for the direct and indirect costs of administering the grant program. The division may adopt rules to carry out the purposes of the grant program. The grant program is repealed, effective January 1, 2030. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $50,000 is appropriated to the department for use by the division from the reappropriated funds from the local government mineral impact fund and the local government severance tax fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Section 1 of the act requires, in addition to othr existing uses, that interest and income earned on the investment of the money in the public school fund to be used to pay for the costs of administering a newly created shared equity down payment assistance program. Section 2 requires at least one member of the public school fund investment board (board) to have expertise in community investments, requires the board to direct the state treasurer to securely invest money deposited in the public school fund in a manner that prioritizes specified new investment objectives, and authorizes the board to enter into contracts with investment advisors or other investment professionals to provide advice on community investments. Section 3 extends the time frame under which the state treasurer may make up a loss of principal to the public school fund by taking actions which lead to gains in the fund from 18 to 24 months. Section 4 creates a new community investment portfolio (portfolio) within the public school fund, and requires the state treasurer to invest at least 20% of the public school fund's value into the community investment portfolio by July 1, 2032. Money in the portfolio must be invested in community investments, and allowable community investments include: Bonds issued by Colorado school districts and charter schools; Certificates of participation issued by Colorado school districts and charter schools; Mortgage pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations secured by residential real estate, the majority of which is owned by public school employees; Loans to the Colorado middle income housing authority for a revolving loan fund that funds rental housing developments that include preferences for public school employees; Bonds issued by the middle income housing authority that fund rental housing developments which include preferences for public school employees; Bonds or mortgage-backed securities issued by the Colorado housing and finance authority that fund rental housing developments that include preferences for public school employees or mortgages secured by residential real estate, the majority of which is owned by public school employees; Mortgage revenue bonds that support public school employee mortgages with interest rates of 3% or less; Loans to community development financial institutions or nonprofits with a history of providing affordable home ownership financing that fund: Housing that includes preferences for public school employees; or Low-interest mortgages secured by residential real estate that is owned by public school employees; Down payment shared appreciation products secured by residential real estate that is owned by public school employees; and Other investments that support public purpose of the portfolio. The educator first home ownership program (program) is created within the portfolio. Subject to a specified limitation, the treasurer shall invest the following amounts in the program by the following dates: By July 1, 2028, the greater of 6% of the fund's value or $100 million; and By July 1, 2030, the greater of 12% of the fund's value or $200 million. The treasurer shall aim to invest a target of 75% of the money in the program into the shared equity down payment assistance program for public school employees. The shared equity down payment assistance program must be established by July 1, 2026. Once the shared equity down payment assistance program is established: The public school fund investment board shall purchase from the program manager the mortgage products created through the shared equity down payment assistance program; and The public school investment board may provide notice of any discontinuation of future investments that the program manager has not already committed to the shared equity down payment assistance program, which notice must be provided at least 6 months prior to discontinuation. The treasurer shall aim to invest a target of 25% of the money in the program into allowable community investments. The program manager shall establish underwriting criteria and other guidelines for the shared equity down payment assistance program so that the shared equity down payment assistance program: Prioritizes first-time home buyers that use the home as a primary residence; Provides shared equity down payment assistance to public school employees and aims to help as many public school employees as possible achieve affordable home ownership; and Allows appreciation-sharing between the shared equity down payment assistance program and the borrower. Unless investments in the shared equity down payment assistance program have been discontinued and there is no fund money invested in the shared equity down payment assistance program, the program administrator shall present an annual report to the board on program outcomes. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, section 5 appropriates $375,900 from interest or income earned on the investment of the money in the public school fund to the department of the treasury. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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.)

Current law states that rules adopted by the marijuana enforcement division (division) may include certain subjects. The act states that: Rules concerning record keeping may include certain information and must include certain other information; and The rules may require medical marijuana products manufacturers or retail marijuana products manufacturers to use an approved licensed premises and approved equipment to manufacture and prepare products not infused with regulated marijuana for the purpose of quality control and research and development in the formulation of regulated marijuana products. If a license holder is required to maintain books and records in the seed-to-sale inventory tracking system, the license holder need not maintain duplicate copies of the books and records. If a license holder violates regulatory requirements, the division may require the license holder to maintain additional records. The act states that the division may adopt rules concerning identification cards for controlling beneficial owners, passive beneficial owners, or individuals who handle or transport regulated marijuana on behalf of license holders. Current law requires all applicants for an employee identification card to obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history check. The act requires only controlling beneficial owners and passive beneficial owners to obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history record check, and other employees must merely obtain a name-based judicial record check. The act requires that rules adopted by the division concerning video recording requirements must include rules to address specific aspects of such surveillance. The act authorizes the division to notify license holders by digital communication of their license expiration date. Current law authorizes marijuana cultivation facilities and marijuana products manufacturers to provide research and development units (R-and-D units) to managers and sets standards for the practice. The act reforms these standards with regard to labeling, testing, packaging, and tracking. The act also prohibits a facility or manufacturer from committing certain acts involving R-and-D units and requires the division to adopt rules concerning the issuance of R-and-D units to occupational licensees. The act repeals provisions that prohibit a person from: Having a controlling beneficial ownership, passive beneficial ownership, or indirect financial interest in a license that was not disclosed; Having day-to-day operational control over the business if the person isn't a Colorado resident; and Engaging in transfer of ownership without prior approval. The act authorizes the division to set and collect a fee to fulfill requests for copies of a license application. Current law requires a person that accepts a court appointment as a receiver, personal representative, executor, administrator, guardian, conservator, trustee, or any other similarly situated person for a medical marijuana business to notify the state and local licensing authorities of the appointment and apply for a finding of suitability. Current law also prohibits a person from possessing, operating, managing, or controlling a medical marijuana business on behalf of another except by court appointment . The act applies these laws to retail marijuana businesses. The act provides that on July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026, the state treasurer will transfer $300,000 from the general fund to the marijuana entrepreneur fund. The appropriation to the division from the marijuana cash fund in the annual general appropriation act for the 2025-26 state fiscal year is decreased by $25,883 if certain conditions apply. The appropriation to the Colorado bureau of investigation from the Colorado bureau of investigation identification unit fund made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2025-26 state fiscal year is decreased by $252,645 if certain conditions apply. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)