Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg

The bill replaces the July 1, 2018, repeal date for the department of public health and environment's animal feeding operation permit program with a repeal date of July 1, 2025. The bill also extends the fees associated with the program at their current levels. The bill appropriates $14,323 from the animal feeding operations fund to the department of public health and environment for use by the division of environmental health and sustainability for the animal feeding operations program. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Sunset Process - House Transportation and Energy Committee. The bill implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies in its sunset review of the certification of conservation easement holders by: Continuing the certification of conservation easement holders by the conservation easement oversight commission (commission) for 7 years until 2025 (Recommendation 1); and Authorizing the director of the division of real estate (director), in consultation with the commission, to share conservation easement information with a third-party vendor to develop a registry of conservation easements in the state for which conservation easement holders have received tax credits (Recommendation 4) and to annually report on the information as part of its 'State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Act' presentation.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

For income tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2018, the bill reduces both the individual and the corporate state income tax rate from 4.63% to 4.43%. The bill also reduces the state alternative minimum tax by 0.2% for income tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2018. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More

The bill extends the scheduled termination on July 1, 2024, of the state lottery division (division) in the department of revenue to July 1, 2049. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

The bill establishes that leases of public lands by the state board of land commissioners (board) may be assigned by the lessee upon notice to the board and that the board cannot deny an assignment. The board may charge a fee, but the fee must approximate the board's costs in processing the assignment and cannot be used to generate revenue. If the assignment is part of a transaction involving the transfer of other lands or interests, the board does not have authority to examine documents other than those specifically related to the assignment of the lease. In addition, the bill eliminates the requirement that an applicant for a lease give evidence of his or her responsibility to fulfill the terms of the lease. The board is also prohibited from requiring lessees or applicants for leases to report yields, production, income, expenses, or other specific data related to the use of leased or private lands. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More

Current law requires motor vehicles having an empty weight of 16,000 or more pounds or a motor vehicle that weighs 26,001 or more pounds fully loaded to clear a port of entry within 5 miles of its route. The bill exempts motor vehicles using trailers primarily used in the transport of agriculture commodities or livestock. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More

The bill enacts the 'Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Transparency Act'. Federal bankruptcy law provides companies with asbestos liabilities the ability to channel their future liabilities into trusts. Plaintiffs harmed from asbestos exposure may file claims with the trusts and file lawsuits against companies that are still solvent. The bill addresses the disconnect between these separate compensation systems. The bill sets forth requirements for the filing of asbestos trust claims and provides for their admissibility so that juries are informed about all of a plaintiff's exposure to asbestos and can properly determine fault. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More

The bill allows hotel and restaurant, retail liquor store, and liquor-licensed drugstore licensees to apply to the state licensing authority for an off-site service permit. The off-site service permit would authorize the permittee to furnish and serve alcohol beverages for private events at an off-premises location subject to certain conditions. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More

The bill adds millet to the definition of an agricultural commodity in the 'Colorado Agricultural Marketing Act of 1939'. The bill removes the requirement that marketing order issuance, suspension, amendment, or termination be posted in the office of the commissioner of agriculture and published in a newspaper. Instead, the commissioner will determine the manner and time of public announcement of marketing order issuance, suspension, amendment, or termination. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Current law requires an applicant for a water diversion, delivery, or storage facility that requires an application for a permit, license, or other approval from the United States to submit for approval a proposal to the Colorado water conservation board (board), parks and wildlife commission, and the division of parks and wildlife for a fish and wildlife mitigation plan (mitigation plan), which mitigation plan, when approved, is communicated to each federal, state, or other governmental agency from the which the applicant must obtain a permit, license, or other approval. The bill establishes a water court process by which an owner of a water storage right allowing water to be stored in a newly constructed reservoir or an enlarged existing reservoir may comply with the mitigation measures identified in a mitigation plan by contracting with the board to dedicate to the board, pursuant to a water court decree, an amount of water for release into, and protection from diversion and use through, a qualifying stream reach to avoid, minimize, or mitigate the probable impacts that the newly constructed or expanded reservoir has on fish and wildlife resources. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More