The act requires the state auditor to conduct or cause to be conducted performance audits (audits) of the air pollution control division in the department of public health and environment and the division of unemployment insurance in the department of labor and employment (divisions). The audits will determine whether each of the divisions effectively and efficiently performs and fulfills its statutory obligations. In addition, as part of the audits, the state auditor is required to: Determine whether a division complies with statute and its statutory purpose; Assess the impact of a division's processes on providing access to program benefits and, for the labor and employment division audit only, identify any division processes that may be unnecessary, unreasonable, or cause delays; Determine whether a division's staffing and funding levels are sufficient for it to efficiently and effectively perform its statutory duties and responsibilities, which, in for the air pollution control division audit only, must include assessment of how funding or staffing changes made at the state level might impact local governments; and Determine whether a division requested and was appropriated additional resources and whether the approval or denial of such a request impacted program implementation and timing of implementation. The initial audit of the air pollution control division must begin and be completed in calendar year 2026, with an additional audit occurring in calendar year 2031. The initial audit of the division of unemployment insurance must begin and be completed in calendar year 2027, with an additional audit occurring in calendar year 2032. Upon completion of an audit, the state auditor is required to submit a written audit report to the legislative audit committee. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Sponsored bills
The act repeals obsolete references to the teacher residency expansion program (program), which was repealed in 2023. Current law continues to reference the definition for "paraprofessional" as it appeared in the program. The act recreates the definition of "paraprofessional" for the current statutory uses of the term. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act modifies the schedule and amounts of annual transfers from the general fund to the state highway fund as follows: The $100 million transfer to the state highway fund scheduled for July 1, 2025, is reduced to $32.2 million; The $100 million transfer to the state highway fund scheduled for July 1, 2026, is reduced to $50.5 million; The $82.5 million transfers to the state highway fund scheduled for each July 1 from July 1, 2029, through July 1, 2031, are increased to $100 million; A new $64.8 million transfer to the state highway fund is scheduled for July 1, 2032; and The $7 million transfers to the state highway fund for the purpose of providing additional funding for the revitalizing main streets program scheduled for each July 1 from July 1, 2025, through July 1, 2031, are eliminated.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act prohibits residential rental agreements, in relation to a tenant's death, from requiring acceleration of rent beyond the end of the month or more than 10 business days after the dwelling unit is vacated after notice to the landlord of the tenant's death, whichever is later. Further, the act prohibits the enforcement of terms in rental agreements that authorize liquidated damages or other penalties if the rental agreement is terminated before the end of its term due to the death of a tenant. The act authorizes a landlord to take possession of the dwelling unit without filing an eviction action or otherwise obtaining a court order if the personal representative of the tenant's estate notifies the landlord of the surrender of the premises or,30 days after the death of the tenant, rent remains unpaid or substantially all of the tenant's property has been removed. In addition, a landlord may retain a security or damages deposit sufficient to cover costs of damages caused by the death of the tenant. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act imposes requirements related to money appropriated to the department of higher education to be used by the Auraria higher education center (AHEC) in the 2025-26 state fiscal year. Money appropriated for operational costs must be used as agreed upon by the constituent institutions in baseline service level agreements. Any service or performance level agreement that the AHEC enters into using money appropriated for the 2025-26 state fiscal year must: Be executed by all contracting parties no later than September 1, 2025; Clearly describe the services, service and staffing levels, and performance expectations that are contracted for; and Provide that, if costs for services exceed the prices provided for in the contract, those excessive costs will not be assumed or incurred until an additional contract is executed or the original contract is amended. In the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the AHEC shall manage all resources related to baseline service level agreements and goals and shall present quarterly updates to the constituent institutions regarding baseline service level agreements and goals. For other services for the 2025-26 state fiscal year that are not already contracted for in the baseline service level agreements, the AHEC shall establish fee structures, and the constituent institutions may enter into agreements with the AHEC for the provision of those services. The act requires the constituent organizations and the AHEC to contract with an independent third-party entity that shall conduct the Auraria comprehensive study (study). The constituent institutions and the AHEC shall agree upon which independent third-party entity will conduct the study before executing a contract to select the independent third-party entity. If the constituent institutions and the AHEC do not agree upon an independent third-party entity by August 1, 2025, the Colorado commission on higher education shall, no later than December 31, 2025, select the independent third-party entity from options proposed by the constituent institutions. The study must examine the operations of the Auraria campus and the services provided to students by the constituent institutions and by the Auraria board of directors through the AHEC. The study must also examine the money that the general assembly appropriates to the department of higher education that is used in connection with the AHEC; the accounting of such money, and any appropriations or transfers of such money, in accordance with section 20 of article X of the state constitution; and recommendations for future appropriations that will be used in connection with the AHEC. The independent third-party entity shall present a report on the findings of the study; except that, if the independent third-party entity cannot complete the report by December 31, 2025, the independent third-party entity shall notify the constituent institutions and the AHEC and shall present the report no later than January 30, 2026. The study must include: A review of all plans and studies conducted in the past 15 years regarding the mission, vision, and development of the Auraria campus; An evaluation of the statutory design and mission of the Auraria campus; An evaluation of the current governance model of the Auraria campus; An evaluation of the operations and management structures under the current governance model of the Auraria campus; A comparison of the current governance model to alternative governance models which may yield greater efficiencies in service delivery; and An evaluation of the financial supports and structures of Auraria campus governance and operations. The constituent institutions may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purpose of funding the study, and shall enter into a cost-sharing agreement to pay for the study using gifts, grants, and donations. The act reduces the general fund appropriation made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2025-26 state fiscal year to the department of higher education for the college opportunity fund program for fee-for-service contracts with state institutions by $31,435,042. The act appropriates $31,435,042 from the general fund to the department of higher education for use by the AHEC. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act temporarily reduces by $3.70 the road safety surcharge for each vehicle class for any registration period that begins on or after September 1, 2025, but before September 1, 2027. Revenue from the road safety surcharge, along with other fee and surcharge revenue, is credited to the highway users tax fund and allocated to the state highway fund, counties, and municipalities. The act adjusts the allocation of revenue from the road safety surcharge, a daily vehicle rental fee, a supplemental oversize and overweight vehicle surcharge, a supplemental unregistered vehicle fine, and late registration fees, for any registration period that begins on or after July 1, 2025, but before July 1, 2027, by reducing the state share and increasing the county and municipal shares as follows: 56% to the state highway fund (reduced from 60%); 24% to counties (increased from 22%); and 20% to municipalities (increased from 18%).(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the community schoolyards grant program (grant program) in the division of local government (division) within the department of local affairs (department). The grant program is a 2-part grant program that includes: The planning and design grant program (planning program), which awards up to $150,000 to each grant recipient selected by the division for the planning and design of a community schoolyard; and The capital construction and improvement grant program (construction program), which awards up to $850,000 to each grant recipient selected by the division for the capital construction of a community schoolyard. The purpose of the grant program is to address inequities in underserved and underfunded schools and communities, specifically communities socially or economically affected by the development, processing, or energy conversion of minerals and mineral fuels subject to taxation, by: Making community schoolyards accessible to the broader community outside of school hours; Improving physical activity and mental health opportunities for students and community members; and Incorporating natural landscapes, natural playgrounds, and recreational spaces that promote adaptation; sustainability; resilience; and hands-on learning across subject matters, including science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. On or before January 15, 2026, the division shall implement a timeline for the planning program and the construction program (programs), which must include, at a minimum: Announcing each of the programs; Accepting applications from eligible applicants for each of the programs; Selecting the grant recipients for each of the programs; Distributing grant money to the grant recipients for each of the programs; and Establishing reporting timelines and requirements for each of the programs. On or before January 15, 2028, the division shall compile a report summarizing the grant recipient reports from the programs. The division shall submit the report to the education committees of the house of representatives and senate; the house of representatives transportation, housing, and local government committee; and the senate local government and housing committee, or their successor committees. For the 2025-26 and 2026-27 state fiscal years, the department shall use $4 million from the local government mineral impact fund or the local government severance tax fund for the grant program. The division may use up to 5% of the funds it receives for the grant program to pay for the direct and indirect costs of administering the grant program. The division may adopt rules to carry out the purposes of the grant program. The grant program is repealed, effective January 1, 2030. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $50,000 is appropriated to the department for use by the division from the reappropriated funds from the local government mineral impact fund and the local government severance tax fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act extends the Emily Keyes - John W. Buckner organ and tissue donation awareness fund indefinitely. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires the division of administration (division) within the department of public health and environment to report annually to the water quality control commission (commission) and to include in the report any regulatory or legislative recommendations the division may have. The act requires the report to also include: Information on the division's timing in considering and issuing water quality permits (permits); and For the report submitted in 2026, a detailed discussion of how the division has prioritized reducing the permit backlog, implemented recommendations from water quality permittees (permittees) for permitting efficiency, and increased safe drinking water program inspections. The act requires the division, upon receipt of an application to modify a permit, to limit its review and its approval or denial of the application to the scope of the specific requests contained in the application. The act requires the commission to adopt rules on or before December 31, 2026, that establish procedures whereby the division, prior to giving public notice of a complete permit application for an individual permit and the division's preliminary analysis of the application, may provide a period of public notice and review of a preliminary draft prepared by the division. If a period of public notice and review is required by rules of the commission, the period of public notice and review may not exceed 14 days, and the purpose of the review is limited to identifying errors in the division's preliminary draft. On or before December 31, 2027, the division must propose rules to the commission that establish a time frame during which the division will either grant or deny applications for each type of permitting action. On or before June 30, 2028, the commission shall adopt rules based on the division's proposal. The rules must establish the time frames for permitting actions. The act requires the division to consider current debt service on existing local government water infrastructure when developing schedules of compliance for new effluent limits in local government permits. Any schedule of compliance for new effluent limits in local government permits must, consistent with state and federal law, consider the local government's financial capability to repay existing debt on water infrastructure or to fund water infrastructure upgrades before requiring new water infrastructure upgrades. To the extent allowable under federal law, the division may issue compliance schedules in a local government permit for a new effluent limit in excess of 20 years. The act states that, on and after May 1, 2026, after an application for permit modification or permit renewal has been pending before the division for 60 days, or for any application for permit modification or permit renewal that is pending before the division as of May 1, 2026, or if the division informs an applicant that the division will not process an application for preliminary effluent limitations, the applicant and the division may mutually agree to use a qualified and independent nongovernmental contractor (contractor) under the direction of the division to provide the division with technical assistance in completing the permit action. An applicant shall bear the contractor's costs for any technical assistance provided by the contractor and shall pay the contractor for such costs. The division may charge an applicant an additional fee in an amount not exceeding 10% of the contract amount for contract administration, technical review, and additional permit processing, which fee is credited to the clean water cash fund. The act requires the division, upon a permittee's request, to make available to the permittee all documents, data, and information the division relied upon in developing the permittee's permit modification or permit renewal, except to the extent that such materials are protected by an applicable privilege or exception. The act makes the following transfers of money: On July 1, 2025, $111,000 from the water quality improvement fund to the drinking water cash fund; On July 1, 2025, $3,518,564 from the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances cash fund to the clean water cash fund; On July 1, 2026, $3,002,435 from the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances cash fund to the clean water cash fund; and On July 1, 2026, $516,129 dollars from the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances cash fund to the drinking water cash fund. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $2,904,599 to the department of public health and environment. This appropriation consists of $446,315 from the drinking water cash fund and $2,458,284 from the clean water cash fund. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $160,611 to the department of law. This appropriation is from reappropriated funds received from the department of public health and environment. The act also makes and reduces certain appropriations as adjustments to the 2025 general appropriations act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For state fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2025, the act repeals the requirement that the general assembly annually appropriate $3 million from the marijuana tax cash fund (fund) to the board of regents of the university of Colorado for the implementation of the medication-assisted treatment expansion pilot program (program) but allows the general assembly to choose to appropriate money for the implementation of the program. Accordingly, the cash funds appropriation from the fund made in the general appropriation act for the 2025-26 state fiscal year for this purpose is decreased by $3 million. The act also repeals the requirement that the state treasurer transfer $20 million from the fund to the public school capital construction assistance fund on June 1, 2026. Finally, beginning July 1, 2025, the act changes the apportionment of the proceeds collected from the retail marijuana sales tax (tax revenue) between the state and local governments so that local governments receive 3.5% rather than 10% of the tax revenue and the state retains 96.5% rather than 90% of the tax revenue. The 6.5% increase of the tax revenue that the state retains is apportioned to the fund. On or after November 1, 2027, but before April 1, 2028, the joint budget committee is required to review the percentage of the tax revenue that is allocated to local governments to determine whether the percentage continues to be appropriate and recommend any necessary modifications to the general assembly. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)