Rep. Elizabeth Velasco

The bill limits the number of forcible entry and detainer (eviction) actions that a county court schedules on one business day.     The bill prohibits including a minor defendant as a named defendant in an eviction complaint when a parent or adult guardian is also listed as a defendant on the same complaint.     The bill prohibits a court from entering judgment without a trial or a hearing when a tenant's answer to an eviction complaint expresses an intent to cure nonpayment.     The bill specifies that the following reasons excuse a tenant from filing a timely written answer to an eviction complaint: A hospitalization, a sickness or injury, a reasonable accommodation request for a disability, a lack of proper service, a transportation issue, a complication related to electronic filing that was reasonably outside of the tenant's control, and a court issue that was reasonably outside of the tenant's control.     When a tenant in an eviction action asserts that they were affected by one of the specified reasons, the bill requires a court to:Relieve a tenant from final judgment, vacate any judgment or writ of restitution that was issued, and provide the tenant with a reasonable amount of time to file an answer;Permit additional and amended pleadings; andExtend the trial date.     The bill repeals appeals bond in eviction cases.     The bill extends the time for executing a writ of restitution in an eviction action from 48 hours to 30 days, except in cases involving substantial violations.     The bill prohibits the execution of writs in eviction actions during inclement weather.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill prohibits the taking of beavers on public land for a recreational purpose or commerce in beaver fur, parts, or products. The parks and wildlife commission may adopt rules to implement the prohibition and, if the commission adopts rules, the rules must ensure that the role of beavers in the wildfire resiliency of public land is protected. A violation of the prohibition carries certain penalties.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill increases overtime protections for agricultural employees by requiring that agricultural employees be paid at an overtime rate for any work performed in excess of:40 hours per workweek;12 hours per workday; or12 consecutive hours.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill prohibits local and state law enforcement officers from concealing their identity while interacting with the public, with certain exceptions.The bill clarifies state criminal jurisdiction to cover criminal conduct committed by a federal law enforcement officer in the state, even if the officer was acting under color of federal authority. Federal criminal immunity or defense from prosecution does not prohibit state criminal prosecution of a federal law enforcement officer.The bill requires the peace officer standards and training board (P.O.S.T. board) to deny certification to an individual who has previously been employed or who is currently employed by the United States immigration and customs enforcement agency or the United States customs and border protection agency.The bill requires the P.O.S.T. board to prescribe a training for all current and future peace officers regarding immigration law, a peace officer's duty to intervene, excessive force policies, and a peace officer's jurisdictional limit.A peace officer is required to intervene to prevent a federal law enforcement officer from using excessive force.The bill expands the conduct that can constitute the crime of impersonating a peace officer to include a person performing a law enforcement act while concealing the person's identity.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill establishes ownership rights of agricultural data and requirements for transactions involving agricultural data. There are 2 types of agricultural data: Raw agricultural data and transformed agricultural data. Raw agricultural data is defined as unprocessed information and data generated from agricultural production operations, agricultural equipment operations, or agricultural land that consists of factual observations and measurements and that has not been converted to transformed agricultural data. Transformed agricultural data is defined as raw agricultural data that has been analyzed or otherwise transformed through the application of algorithms or analytical methods to produce information that could be considered intellectual property.The bill establishes that an agricultural producer (producer) that generates raw agricultural data from the producer's agricultural operations retains ownership of the raw agricultural data and is entitled to sell that data to a data service provider and receive fair compensation for that raw agricultural data. The bill also establishes that a producer that provides raw agricultural data to a data service provider that then converts the raw agricultural data to transformed agricultural data still retains ownership of the transformed agricultural data and may copyright, distribute, license, or sell the transformed agricultural data. A producer may also enter into agreements with multiple data service providers regarding the use of the producer's raw agricultural data and transformed agricultural data.The bill establishes limits on what a data service provider may do with a producer's transformed agricultural data. A data service provider must not:Prevent a producer from monetizing the producer's transformed agricultural data;Limit or restrict the markets for transformed agricultural data that a producer may participate in;Impose contractual provisions that grant the data service provider exclusive rights to the producer's data without fair market value compensation; orDiscriminate or retaliate against a producer based on the producer's decisions regarding the monetization of the producer's data.The bill establishes an excise tax on transactions involving transformed agricultural data that occur within the state or transactions involving transformed agricultural data generated by producers in the state. On and after July 1, 2027, an excise tax of 3% of the net taxable sales from a data transaction will be collected on data transactions, unless the transaction meets certain exceptions. The money collected from the excise tax will be deposited into the Colorado agricultural future loan program cash fund, which supports young producers in Colorado. The bill contains certain provisions related to how the department of agriculture will collect, implement, and enforce the excise tax. The excise tax will be referred to voters for approval at the statewide election held in November 2026.The bill authorizes the attorney general or a district attorney to enforce the provisions of the bill as an unfair and deceptive trade practice under the "Colorado Consumer Protection Act".(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Maddy summaryThis bill approves specific updates to eligibility lists for two Colorado water funding programs. It adds new drinking water projects (like Delta County's distribution system) and modifies existing entries (such as adding "green infrastructure" to Loveland's project), while deleting completed projects (like Kiowa's). These changes determine which local water districts, municipalities, and property associations can access financial assistance from the Drinking Water Revolving Fund and Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund. The bill does not create new funding rules but formally adopts the Commission's proposed list adjustments.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Joint Resolution expresses Colorado's legislative support for maintaining national public lands under federal stewardship and opposes efforts that would reduce public access or weaken environmental review laws. The resolution specifically targets potential erosion of bedrock federal laws like NEPA and FLPMA, which require public input and balanced resource management. It calls on state and federal officials to defend statutory safeguards that ensure public lands serve broad public benefits rather than narrow special interests. This non-binding resolution does not change any laws but serves as a formal statement of legislative intent and values regarding public land management.

Under current law, poultry owners may be required to destroy or depopulate their entire flock of poultry when one of their birds tests positive for a disease. Effective July 1, 2029, the bill prohibits an owner of poultry from using ventilation shutdown and ventilation shutdown plus, which methods kill poultry by gradually inducing fatal hyperthermia or heat stroke, as methods of depopulating their poultry.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution honors Bob Holder, a wildlife manager from Colorado who has dedicated 50 years to protecting wildlife resources in southern Colorado. The measure formally recognizes his contributions to conservation efforts, including his work with black bear education, wildlife enforcement, and habitat preservation through land acquisitions and conservation easements. The resolution expresses gratitude for his service and directs that a copy be sent to Holder as a token of appreciation upon his retirement.

The bill imposes certain requirements on persons engaged in campaign consulting services, which are professional services to promote the election, retention, recall, or defeat of a candidate. Campaign consultants and consulting firms are not allowed to knowingly:Represent an interest adverse to their client without first obtaining the written consent of the client after full disclosure; Provide campaign consulting services in support of opposing candidates in the same election without first obtaining the written consent of both candidates after full disclosure; or Disclose, to provide material benefit to an opposing candidate in the same election, confidential information that relates to a candidate on behalf of whom the consultant or consulting firm provided campaign consulting services and that was gained in the course of the campaign consulting for that candidate.     An aggrieved person may file a civil suit alleging a violation of these requirements.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)