Rep. Alex Valdez

Maddy summaryThis bill designates Monday, January 27, 2025, as "Colorado 4-H Day" to recognize the Colorado 4-H Youth Development program. It is a symbolic resolution honoring 4-H's work with youth aged 5-19, including its role in community engagement, leadership development, and STEM education through Colorado State University Extension. The resolution has no legal effect or new requirements - it simply encourages public acknowledgment of the program. (HJR 25-1006, passed by both chambers on January 27-30, 2025)

Maddy summaryThis bill (HJR 25-1007) is a commemorative resolution designating a specific segment of Interstate 25 in Colorado - southbound from mile marker 199.4 and northbound from mile marker 194.8 - as the "Firefighters Memorial Hwy in Memory of Chief Troy Jackson." It honors Troy Jackson, a 30-year firefighter with South Metro Fire Rescue who developed cancer prevention programs for first responders before passing in 2019. The resolution allows the Colorado Department of Transportation to accept donations for signage and coordinate with Arapahoe and Douglas counties for sign maintenance. As a naming resolution, it has no policy or funding changes beyond this memorial designation.

Maddy summarySJR 25-004 designates January 22 of each year as "Reproductive Rights and Justice Day" in Colorado. This symbolic resolution does not create new laws or policies but commemorates the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision (January 22, 1973) and acknowledges Colorado's legislative actions to protect reproductive rights, including the Reproductive Health Equity Act and the Safe Access to Protected Health Care Package. The designation serves as a formal observance without imposing legal obligations or altering existing rights.

Maddy summaryHJR 25-1003 is a procedural resolution that schedules a joint session of the Colorado General Assembly for January 16, 2025, to hear a message from representatives of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Southern Ute Indian Tribe tribal councils. It directs the appointment of a committee consisting of three House members and three Senate members to escort tribal representatives to the session. The resolution does not create new laws or alter policies but formalizes a ceremonial meeting to recognize the tribes' historical and cultural contributions to Colorado. This is a standard procedural step for legislative recognition events, not a substantive policy change.

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.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HR 25-1002) is a procedural measure concerning House officers and employees. The provided context includes no bill text, summary, or specific provisions describing its content or effects. Without the actual text or a substantive description of the bill's requirements, mechanisms, or who it directly affects, a factual summary cannot be generated. The recent actions (introduced, passed, signed) only confirm procedural steps, not the bill's policy content.

The act amends consumer protection laws regarding ticket sales and resales for events. The act requires operators and resellers to guarantee refunds to purchasers of tickets under certain circumstances; prohibits an operator from denying an individual access or revoking an individual's valid ticket to an event because the individual's ticket was bought through a reseller; and clarifies that an operator may revoke or restrict tickets for reasons relating to a violation of venue policies that are available in writing, for safety of patrons, or to address fraud or misconduct. The act establishes that it is a deceptive trade practice when, in the course of a person's business, vocation, or occupation, the person: Uses an internet domain name or subdomain name in an operator or reseller's URL if the domain name or subdomain name used contains the name of the place of entertainment, name of the event, name of individual or entity scheduled to perform at the event, or a name that is substantially similar to those names without prior written authorization; Uses, without prior written authorization, an internet website to display a text, image, graphic, design, or internet address that is substantially similar to an operator's internet website that could mislead a potential purchaser; Sells a ticket to an event without disclosing the total cost of the ticket, including the cost of any service charge or other fees that must be paid, or displays service charges and fees less prominently than the total price of the ticket; Makes a false or misleading disclosure of subtotals, fees, charges, or any other component of the total ticket price; or Increases the price of a ticket after the first time the price is displayed to the purchaser, with certain exceptions. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates 2 tax incentives to support the development of the quantum technology ecosystem in the state. Neither of the tax credits created in the act are allowed to any qualified applicant unless a Colorado-based entity receives a multi-million dollar federal grant from the economic development administration for the regional technology and innovation program or a comparable federal grant program. Section 2 of the act creates a 100% refundable income tax credit for qualifying investments in fixed capital assets as part of a coordinated plan to create a shared quantum facility (facility credit) for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025, but before January 1, 2033. The amount of the facility credit is equal to the amount of the qualifying investment made by a qualified applicant for an eligible project; except that the maximum aggregate amount of all facility credits is $44 million. In addition, the maximum aggregate amount of facility credits that may be claimed in the taxable year in which the eligible project is placed in service is $24 million. If qualified applicants are issued more than an aggregate of $24 million in facility credits, the qualified applicants may claim the credits in future taxable years, subject to a specified limit on the amount of the credit that may be claimed in a single taxable year. A qualified applicant may be a consortium of entities that are jointly participating in creating a shared quantum facility. An eligible project is a project to create a shared quantum facility, which is a primary place in the state where an applicant performs activities and provides the economic benefits related to quantum business and that is approved as an eligible project by the office of economic development (office). The act details a process for claiming the facility credit that requires: The submission by a qualified applicant to the office of an application for a facility credit reservation; Preliminary and final review of the application and approval of the request for a facility credit reservation by the office; Issuance of a facility credit reservation to the qualified applicant by the office; Completion of the eligible project and certification by the qualified applicant of the qualified applicant's qualifying investments; Review of the eligible project and qualifying investments by the office; Issuance of a tax credit certificate by the office; Filing of the tax credit certificate with the department of revenue with the qualified applicant's tax return or informational return; and Recapture of the credit if the eligible project is not used for a use that makes it an eligible project during a specified compliance period. Section 3 creates a 100% refundable income tax credit to offset losses incurred by a qualified applicant in connection with a registered loan to a quantum company (loan loss credit) for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2026, but before January 1, 2046. A qualified applicant is a commercial bank, depository institution, private lending fund, or other entity that makes loans for commercial purposes to a quantum company that satisfies certain income and other criteria (eligible loan). The administrator of the loan loss credit (administrator) may be the office, or the office may contract with a third-party program administrator to administer the credit. The administrator is required to determine the method by which the loan loss credit will be distributed to qualified applicants. The distribution method may be on a first-come, first-served basis or based on a competitive lender selection process where the administrator chooses which lenders are eligible to apply for the loan loss credit. A qualified applicant is required to register any loan that is the basis of a loan loss tax credit with the administrator and is not eligible to claim the loan loss credit until the qualified applicant has incurred a loss in connection with a registered loan. The amount of the loan loss credit is an amount up to 15 cents for every dollar of an eligible loan that the qualified applicant has made or will make; except that the maximum aggregate amount of all loan loss credits is $30 million. In addition, subject to specified requirements and, if the administrator is not the office, the approval of the office, the administrator may establish policies and procedures to set the amount of the loan loss credit below 15 cents for every dollar loaned, change the amount of the loan loss credit from time to time, or cap the total amount of loan loss credits issued to a qualified applicant. Each qualified applicant that is issued more than one loan loss credit certificate is required to hold all the loan loss credit certificates that were issued to the qualified applicant in a pooled loan loss reserve. A qualified applicant may use all or any portion of the loan loss credit certificates issued to that qualified applicant to offset any loss incurred by that qualified applicant in connection with one or more registered loans. The act details a process for claiming the loan loss credit that requires: Submission of an application for a loan loss credit certificate and a request that the administrator register an eligible loan; Preliminary and final review of the application and registration of eligible loans by the administrator; Issuance of a loan loss tax credit certificate to a qualified applicant; Periodic updates to the administrator by a qualified applicant that was issued a loan loss credit certificate regarding the status of each of the qualified applicant's registered loans; Application to the administrator for a registered loan loss certificate after a qualified applicant incurs a loss in connection with a registered loan; Review of information regarding the loan by the administrator and issuance of a registered loan loss certificate to the qualified applicant; and Filing the loan loss credit certificate and the registered loan loss certificate with the department of revenue with the qualified applicant's tax return or informational return. The administrator of the loan loss credit may impose a registration and issuance fee on a qualified applicant or on the borrower to which a qualified applicant made an eligible loan. The administrator is required to credit any fee revenue to the quantum business loan loss reserve cash fund, which is created in the act and is exempted, in section 3, from the restriction on the statutory amount of authorized cash fund reserves. The office and the administrator are required to annually report to the general assembly regarding the facility credit and the loan loss credit and may, after soliciting advice from the department of revenue and quantum industry participants, create and modify policies and procedures as necessary to implement the facility credit or the loan loss credit, as applicable. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $90,255 is appropriated to the office of the governor from the general fund for use by economic development programs for the implementation of the act. APPROVED by Governor May 28, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 28, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

On or after January 1, 2026, but before February 1, 2026, an investor-owned electric utility (utility) with more than 500,000 customers must make at least 50 megawatts of inclusive community solar capacity available, and a utility with 500,000 or fewer customers must make at least 3.5 megawatts of inclusive community solar available. Before February 1, 2027, a utility with more than 500,000 customers must make an additional 50 megawatts of inclusive community solar capacity available, plus any unclaimed capacity left over from the previous allocation cycle, and a utility with 500,000 or fewer customers must make an additional 3.5 megawatts of inclusive community solar available. Under current law, a utility customer may subscribe to a portion of a community solar facility. The customer then receives a bill credit on the customer's monthly utility bill in an amount proportional to the customer's share of the community solar facility output. Current law establishes limits on the amount of output from community solar facilities that a utility may purchase. The act requires a utility to acquire the entire output of a community solar facility that is allocated capacity on or after January 1, 2026, (new facility) and apply community solar bill credits to that new facility's subscribers. The act requires a new facility to: Not exceed 5 megawatts of capacity, measured in alternating current; Interconnect with a utility's distribution system; Comply with applicable requirements of the "Colorado Energy Sector Public Works Project Craft Labor Requirements Act"; Reserve at least 51% of its capacity for income-qualified subscribers; Not allocate more than 40% of the new facility's capacity to a single subscriber; and Supply to a subscriber of the new facility no more than 120% of the expected average annual total consumption of electricity by the subscriber; except that no more than 200% of the expected annual total consumption of electricity may be provided to an income-qualified subscriber. The act affords certain protections for subscribers of new facilities. Subscriber organizations and subscription coordinators are prohibited from: Using credit scores, customer scores, or any utility deposit requirements to deny prospective residential subscribers; Charging a sign-up or termination fee to residential subscribers; Engaging in misleading conduct or making false representations toward prospective subscribers; and Preventing a subscriber from transferring a subscription within the utility's service territory if the subscriber moves residences. A subscriber organization shall provide an income-qualified subscriber of a new facility with a subscription discount of at least: 25% of the value of the community solar bill credit; 30% of the value of the community solar bill credit if the new facility receives federal tax credits from the federal "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" for the specific purpose of being located in an energy community; and 50% of the value of the community solar bill credit if the new facility receives federal tax credits from the federal "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" specifically for providing income-qualified households with utility bill assistance. The public utilities commission (commission) must also adopt a standardized form that contains relevant information and disclosures that subscriber organizations and subscription coordinators must provide to prospective subscribers. The act also directs a utility to: File with the commission information that establishes cost-sharing mechanisms for new facilities that are connecting to the utility's distribution system, in which the new facility is required to pay only for its proportional share of system upgrades; and Provide information to the commission related to the utility regarding cost-sharing mechanisms and the cost-effectiveness of the utility's interconnection of new facilities when submitting a distribution system plan. The act authorizes the commission to approve cost recovery for prudently incurred costs, including energy purchases, administrative costs, and information technology expenses, by a utility. The act also requires a utility with more than 500,000 customers to acquire 50 megawatts of distributed generation paired with energy storage by June 1, 2026, and an additional 50 megawatts of distributed generation paired with energy storage between January 1, 2027, and June 1, 2027. The act appropriates $116,505 for the 2024-25 state fiscal year to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the commission. The appropriation is from the public utilities commission fixed utility fund. APPROVED by Governor May 22, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 22, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act establishes permitting procedures for electric vehicle (EV) charging systems for counties with a population of 20,000 or more (covered county) and municipalities with a population of 10,000 or more (covered municipality). On or before December 31, 2025, a board of county commissioners of a covered county or the governing body of a covered municipality must do one of the following: Adopt an ordinance or resolution that incorporates the same standards and permitting process or less restrictive standards and permitting process as the standards and permitting process described in the Colorado energy office's EV charger permitting model code that the office is required to publish on or before March 31, 2025; Adopt an ordinance or resolution that establishes the covered county's or covered municipality's own objective standards and administrative review process to be used by the covered county or covered municipality permitting agency in the agency's review of EV charger permits, which ordinance or resolution must comply with certain requirements; or Adopt an ordinance or resolution that establishes that the covered county or covered municipality does not intend to adopt the EV charger model code or adopt the standards and administrative review process required by the act, but instead will continue to utilize the covered county's or covered municipality's existing permitting review process for EV charging systems. If a covered county or covered municipality establishes its own objective standards and administrative review process, the covered county or covered municipal permitting agency must provide a checklist to prospective applicants of all requirements that must be included in an application for an EV charger permit. The covered county or covered municipality may deny an application if the application does not comply with the objective standards for EV charging systems set forth by the covered county or covered municipality or for health or safety reasons. A covered county or covered municipality must also notify an EV charger permit applicant of the covered county permitting agency's or covered municipal permitting agency's decision to approve, conditionally approve, or deny an applicant within 3 business days after the date the agency makes such determination. The Colorado energy office, in addition to developing the model code regarding the approval of EV charger permits, is required to provide covered counties and covered municipalities technical assistance in developing and administering the expedited EV charger permitting process. If a board of county commissioners of a covered county or governing body of a covered municipality adopts the model code, it is not subject to the other requirements specified in the act. APPROVED by Governor May 21, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)