Sen. Byron Pelton

Maddy summaryThis bill encourages Colorado public employees to improve their retirement readiness by seeking financial education and recommends adding lifetime income options to certain retirement plans. It specifically targets the Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA), which serves over 226,000 public employees across more than 400 government agencies. The resolution suggests that the General Assembly consider expanding lifetime income choices in the PERA defined contribution plan and voluntary savings plans to provide guaranteed retirement income similar to the existing defined benefit plan. The bill also recognizes the economic importance of retirement security for Colorado residents and directs copies to relevant state committees for review.

The bill authorizes legislative leave and job protection for qualified members of the general assembly (qualified members) who are engaged in employment outside of their duties related to the general assembly. More specifically, the bill states that , beginning January 1, 2027 :A qualified member can take a leave of absence from their outside employment during regular and special legislative sessions;A qualified member's outside employer has discretion to grant legislative leave as paid, unpaid, or partially paid;A qualified member's outside employer cannot terminate the qualified member's outside employment on the basis that the qualified member requests or takes legislative leave; andWhen a qualified member returns to their outside employment following legislative leave, the qualified member is entitled to be restored to the same or an equivalent employment position.     The bill excepts that qualified members actively serving a 4-year term at the time the bill takes effect are only eligible to take legislative leave beginning January 1, 2029.(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.)

The act prohibits a person from:Identifying an agricultural product as being produced in the state when selling, marketing, advertising, or distributing the product unless the product is grown in the state; andUsing the Colorado proud designation or logo unless authorized by the department of agriculture.     A violation of these prohibitions constitutes a deceptive trade practice. There is no private right of action to enforce a violation of the prohibitions.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The fire and police pension association (association) provides disability retirement and survivor benefits (disability and survivor benefits) for eligible members of the association (members) who become disabled or die. The act recodifies and reorganizes the disability and survivor benefits statutes, removes outdated provisions, and clarifies ambiguous language. In addition, the act makes the following modifications to the disability and survivor benefits statutes:Removes the current requirement that the association require every member who applies for disability retirement benefits to have 3 independent medical exams and instead authorizes the board of the association (board) to appoint a medical advisor to assess the needs of each applicant for disability retirement benefits;Authorizes the board to adopt rules to streamline the appeal process for disability retirement benefit applicants who are denied benefits;Allows the association to require a member who is occupationally disabled to participate in a rehabilitation and retraining program to help the member gain additional skills and knowledge so the member can earn a wage doing a job other than being a police officer or firefighter;Clarifies that a member who is a total disability retirement benefit recipient will begin receiving a cost of living adjustment when the member starts receiving a total disability retirement benefit;Clarifies eligibility for a member to apply for disability retirement benefits; Repeals the statute that makes an employer liable for the payment of disability retirement benefits if a member's disability existed at the commencement of employment, the employment was not ordered by a court, and the employer failed to require the member to complete and file a health history form prior to commencing employment; andRequires members to fill out a health history form, which notifies the association of any preexisting health conditions, prior to employment.     The act does not change the amounts of disability retirement and survivor benefits or the length of time a member must be employed to be eligible for a benefit, nor does it require additional money from the state, employers, or members.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis bill urges the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Farmers Market Association to maintain and strengthen their partnership to support farmers' market managers across the state. It recognizes that most market managers are volunteers who need expertise, training, and resources to handle tasks like event planning, food safety, and vendor coordination. The resolution aims to help sustain local farmers' markets that provide fresh produce to communities and support small-scale producers who rely on these venues for sales.

Maddy summaryHJR 1017 is a joint resolution urging the federal government to fulfill its obligations under the 1986 Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement. It specifically calls for action to address infrastructure gaps affecting two tribes: the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, who have settled water rights but cannot access or use them due to missing pipelines (e.g., from Lake Nighthorse) and deteriorating irrigation systems (like the PRIIP, requiring $126 million in repairs). The resolution highlights federal failures to fund operations, maintain infrastructure, and enable tribes to utilize their legally secured water for agriculture, municipal use, and economic development. As a procedural resolution, it does not create new law but formally requests federal action to resolve these longstanding barriers.

March 31 is currently known as 'Cesar Chavez Day' and may be voluntarily observed as a state legal holiday. The act repeals 'Cesar Chavez Day' and changes this voluntary legal holiday for March 31, 2026, and March 31, 2027, to instead be known as 'Farm Workers Day'.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires operators of certain websites, online services, online applications, or mobile applications (covered platforms) to ensure that each covered platform provides a streamlined process to allow Colorado law enforcement agencies to contact the covered platform at all times. The process must, at a minimum, make available a staffed hotline for Colorado law enforcement agencies 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 Colorado law enforcement agency.     An operator must comply with a search warrant within 72 hours after receiving the search warrant if certain conditions apply. A court may reasonably extend this time if the court makes a written finding that the operator or covered platform has shown good cause for the extension and that an extension would not cause an adverse result. The failure of an operator or a covered platform to comply with the requirements of a court-ordered search warrant supports a finding of contempt of court.     The attorney general or a district attorney with jurisdiction may enforce the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

As defined in the 'Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act', a 'paid solicitor' is a person that, for monetary compensation, performs a service in which contributions are solicited in Colorado for a charitable purpose or for the benefit of a charitable organization.     The act excludes from the definition of 'paid solicitor' an auctioneer who provides auctioneer services to a charitable organization. As a result, the auctioneer is exempted from the requirements of the 'Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act' for paid solicitors. The exemption applies regardless of whether the auctioneer is contracted or paid to provide their auctioneer services to the charitable organization or is volunteering their auctioneer services to the charitable organization without compensation. However, for the exemption to apply, an auctioneer who provides auctioneer services to a charitable organization may not directly receive or handle contributions or charitable funding on behalf of the charitable organization for which the auctioneer is contracted or volunteering.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis bill officially designates a specific section of Arapahoe Road in Boulder County, Colorado, as the "Road of Remembrance" to honor local World War I veterans. It authorizes the Colorado Department of Transportation to accept donations for placing commemorative signs along the road and to explore agreements with Boulder County for maintaining those signs. The legislation also acknowledges the historical significance of the nearby stone pillars, known as the Gateway, which were originally built in 1928 to mark the entrance to a planned memorial roadway that was never fully completed.