Rep. Kenny Nguyen

The act:Allows the department of public health and environment (department) to expend money from the community impact cash fund to provide grants for municipal solid waste landfill methane emission reduction projects;Requires the environmental justice advisory board to prioritize a grant request from a local government that owns or operates a municipal solid waste landfill over a grant request from a private entity that owns or operates a municipal solid waste landfill;Requires an entity that receives money from the department to use the money as supplemental funding only; andAmends the definition of 'disproportionately impacted community'.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law requires that the automated protection order notification system (notification system) include information about whether a restrained person completed and submitted a firearm purchase or transfer application that indicated the restrained person was ineligible to possess a firearm pursuant to state or federal law. The act repeals this provision.     Current law requires the Colorado bureau of investigation to make the information in the notification system available to the division of criminal justice (division) for the purpose of providing the information to a protected person. The act requires the Colorado integrated criminal justice information system program to also make the information available to the division.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the secretary of state to refer a ballot issue at the November 2026 general election to seek voter approval for the state, beginning in the 2026-27 state fiscal year, to retain and spend an amount of state revenue equal to the amount of state public K-12 education funding in excess of the limitation on state fiscal year spending and to increase state public K-12 education funding by up to 2% per year for 10 years.     The act directs legislative council staff to determine the amount of state public K-12 education funding and describes how legislative council staff will make that determination.     The act creates a positive factor to increase state public K-12 education funding. The amount of the positive factor compounds annually for 10 years. The positive factor for the 2026-27 budget year is 2% of the program foundation calculated for the 2025-26 budget year. For the 2027-28 through 2034-35 budget years, it is the sum of 2% of the prior year's program foundation plus the prior year's positive factor. For the 2035-36 budget year and beyond, it is the sum of 2% of the 2034-35 program foundation plus the 2034-35 positive factor.     A district's share of the positive factor is calculated proportionally based on the district's total program under the new school finance formula relative to the statewide total program.     A district may only use its positive factor funding for increasing teacher pay, improving teacher retention, lowering class sizes, and increasing access to career and technical courses.     For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the children's account consists of an amount of money equal to the amount of state revenues that the state retains for a given fiscal year pursuant to voter approval of the act. For state fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2027, the account consists of that same amount minus an amount equal to the total dollar amount of warrants issued by the state treasurer to reimburse local governments for property tax exemptions. Money in the account must first be spent to pay districts their positive factor, then any remaining funds are appropriated for disability services and school services and to increase annual contact hours, and finally to programs prioritizing child care and full-day preschool.     The act directs the state auditor to conduct and publish a report on excess state revenues for each state fiscal year that the state retains and spends state revenues in excess of the limitation on state fiscal year spending. That report must include descriptions of:The amount of state revenues that the state retained and spent that would otherwise have been in excess of the limitation on state fiscal year spending; andHow the state expended the state revenues that the state retained and spent that would otherwise have been in excess of the limitation on state fiscal year spending.     Beginning August 1, 2027, the act requires each local education provider to post, online for free public access in a format that can be downloaded and sorted, its actual expenditures of any positive factor received.     Lastly, the act updates provisions regarding the expanded earned income tax credit, the family affordability tax credit, and the affordable housing financing fund to ensure that voter approval of the act does not adversely impact those programs.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act adds the state board of parole as an entity that may approve an application for early parole for an offender who has successfully completed a specialized program as provided in current law. The offender must have been convicted of a certain predicate felony and committed the felony when they were younger than 21 years old.     The state board of parole can approve or deny the application if the governor has not acted on the application within 60 days after receiving the board's recommendation. If the governor acts on the application within 60 days, the governor's decision is final. If the governor does not act on the application, the state board of parole's decision is final.     Under current law, there is a specialized program for juveniles and young adults convicted as adults that must include components that allow an offender to experience placement with more independence in daily life. The act requires the specialized program to include programming that requires an offender to acknowledge the impact of crime on victims and the ongoing trauma that crime survivors experience, as well as the offender's own trauma.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act renames the Representative Hugh McKean Colorado youth advisory council review committee as the Representative Hugh McKean and Senator Faith Winter Colorado youth advisory council review committee.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires a licensee, nurse, or certified midwife who performs a medical forensic examination to inform the victim-survivor about how to determine when the testing related to the examination is complete and how to obtain the results and records.     The act subjects a cause of action against a person arising from any protected statement by a victim-survivor to a special motion to dismiss unless the court determines that the plaintiff has established that there is a reasonable likelihood that the plaintiff will prevail on the claim.     The act makes a predispute arbitration agreement and predispute joint-action waiver void and unenforceable upon request of an individual who alleges conduct that results in a sexual harassment dispute or a sexual misconduct dispute or upon request of a named representative of a joint action, class action, or collective action that results in a sexual harassment dispute or a sexual misconduct dispute.     The act requires a judge to allow a forensic scientist to testify remotely in a criminal proceeding if a party requests and both parties consent to the remote testimony.     The act authorizes the court to order that the testimony of a victim-survivor of domestic violence, unlawful sexual behavior, stalking, human trafficking for involuntary servitude, or human trafficking for sexual servitude be taken in a room other than the courtroom and be televised by closed-circuit television in the courtroom under certain circumstances.     The act requires peace officer annual in-service training programs to include a 2-hour training to improve a peace officer's understanding of the impact of trauma on victim-survivors of crimes and the optimal way for a peace officer to respond to victim-survivors who are experiencing trauma and includes trauma-informed investigation and response training as a permissible use of peace officer training and support fund money.     The act renames the Colorado sexual assault forensic medical evidence review board as the Colorado sexual assault response review board and adds 4 members to the board.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Existing law requires a county or municipality to publish legal notices in a physical print newspaper. The act requires a newspaper to also publish these notices online, either on its own website or by providing a link on its website to a location where the full text of the notice is available, such as the statewide public notice website. Legal notices published online must be free to access and cannot be kept behind a paywall or subscription. The act also requires the statewide public notice website to include a list of newspapers that meet the requirements to publish legal notices.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

In 2024, the general assembly enacted Senate Bill 24-205, which created consumer protections in interactions with artificial intelligence systems. The act repeals and reenacts those provisions with new requirements regarding the use of automated decision-making technology in consequential decisions.     The act defines an 'automated decision-making technology' (ADMT) as a technology that processes personal data and uses computation to generate output, including predictions, recommendations, classifications, rankings, scores, or other information that is used to make, guide, or assist a decision, judgment, or determination concerning an individual. The act defines a 'consequential decision' as a decision that relates to an individual's access to, eligibility for, or compensation related to education, employment, housing, financial or lending services, insurance, health-care services, or essential government services and public benefits.     The act requires the developer of an ADMT (developer) that is used to materially influence a consequential decision (covered ADMT), starting January 1, 2027, to provide a deployer of a covered ADMT (deployer) with technical documentation describing the covered ADMT's intended uses, categories of training data, known limitations, and instructions for appropriate use and human review. Developers must notify deployers of material updates or modifications to the covered ADMT. Both developers and deployers are required to retain records necessary to demonstrate compliance with the act for at least 3 years.     The act establishes consumer notice requirements, mandating that deployers provide clear and conspicuous notice to consumers at the point of interaction with a covered ADMT. A deployer is required to provide a consumer with a plain language description of a covered ADMT's role within 30 days after the covered ADMT makes a consequential decision that results in an adverse outcome for the consumer. The attorney general must adopt rules to clarify these post-adverse outcome disclosure requirements by January 1, 2027.     Consumers have the right to request personal data and correction of factually incorrect personal data used by a covered ADMT. The act also grants consumers the right to request meaningful human review and reconsideration following a covered ADMT making a consequential decision resulting in an adverse outcome.     The attorney general is directed to enforce the act through the 'Colorado Consumer Protection Act', and a violation of the act is deemed a deceptive trade practice. Before initiating an action before January 1, 2030, the attorney general must provide the developer or deployer with a 60-day notice and opportunity to cure the alleged violation, if a cure is deemed possible. The act does not create a new private right of action but establishes how fault is allocated between developers and deployers in civil actions alleging unlawful discrimination under existing law.     Specified entities are exempted from the requirements of the act to the extent the entities comply with other legal obligations.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis bill is a Senate Joint Resolution that formally recognizes the Colorado Mining Association for its 150th anniversary in 2026. It highlights the organization's historical significance and its role in supporting Colorado's mining industry, which contributes billions to the state's economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs. The resolution acknowledges the association's partnerships with state and federal agencies in promoting safety, environmental stewardship, and responsible mineral development. This measure does not change any laws or policies but serves as an official acknowledgment of the association's contributions to Colorado's history and economy.

Section 1 of the bill requires an employer to ensure the employer's workplace is free from recognized hazards, as interpreted consistent with the federal occupational safety and health administration's interpretation of the general duty clause of the 'Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970' (OSH Act) as of September 1, 2025. Additionally, employers have the general duty to:Ensure that each workplace is constructed, equipped, arranged, operated, and conducted as to provide reasonable and adequate protection to the lives, health, and safety of all individuals employed or working in the workplace; andComply with standards for workplace health and safety adopted by rule by the division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment (division) attorney general.     The bill authorizes the following actions to address workplace health and safety concerns:The attorney general or the division may refer workplace health and safety concerns to relevant state or local authorities;The attorney general, the division, a labor organization, a worker organization, or a person aggrieved by a violation of the bill may file a civil action;For each violation of the bill or of rules adopted pursuant to the bill, a court may order the person an employer that violates the bill or rules to pay statutory damages to a person aggrieved by the violation; andA court may order a person an employer that violates the bill or rules adopted pursuant to the bill to pay a penalty to the attorney general for each violation.     The bill creates the workplace health and safety fund (fund) into which penalties collected pursuant to the bill are credited. The money in the fund may be used by the division attorney general for specified purposes.     The bill authorizes the division attorney general to adopt rules:To replace any requirement of the OSH Act or the 'Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977' that is repealed or revoked; or amended in any manner that results in the federal protections of workers' rights or worker safety becoming less stringent; and      To define standards for workplace health and safety if there is no standard in effect under the OSH Act; andAs necessary to implement the bill.      Section 2 authorizes the attorney general to apply to the appropriate district court for an order for specified relief if a person fails to obey an investigative demand, subpoena, warrant, or other investigative process related to worker and employee protection.      Sections 2 3 through 8 11 make conforming amendments.(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)