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.)
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The act requires that, immediately after a railroad notifies the state's watch center in the department of public safety (watch center) of an emergency involving a train, the watch center must notify the public utilities commission (commission) and the office of rail safety (office) of the incident. The commission is required to submit a report to specified committees of the general assembly on the information reported by railroads regarding an emergency involving a train. A crew member of a train operated by a railroad may communicate with first responders during an emergency situation after notifying the railroad dispatch. A crew member has discretion in determining the appropriate response to the emergency situation, including cutting the railroad crossing. A railroad employee or a crew member is immune from civil liability and is not liable in civil damages for actions taken in good faith in the course of a response to an emergency situation involving a train. The act eliminates the shared authority that the commission, the department of public safety, and the department of transportation had to inspect and investigate railroads and grants the commission alone the authority to engage in inspection, investigation, and enforcement activities regarding the following railroads: A class I railroad; A railroad operating on any line that was used by class I railroads as of July 1, 2024; and A passenger railroad. The act requires the office to gather, analyze, and assess information, including: Data to create a more comprehensive understanding of railroad safety; Wayside detector information; Information regarding blocked public crossing locations; Information regarding railroad maintenance activity; An assessment of the state's ability to respond to a large-scale release of hazardous materials from railroad transportation; The best practices for ensuring financial responsibility for response, cleanup, and damages from major rail events, including reviewing best practices from other states; and Communication issues impacting railroad lines in the state. Beginning on or before July 1, 2027, a railroad regulated by the commission is required to pay a fee to cover the costs incurred by the commission and the office in relation to the act. The commission shall determine a methodology for calculating the fee by rule, and the commission may include specified criteria in the calculation. The total amount collected pursuant to the annual fee must not exceed $2,900,000 in a calendar year. A railroad regulated by the commission must pay the fee in equal quarterly installments and is subject to penalties and interest if they fail to timely pay the fee. (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.)
Section 1 of the act requires, in addition to othr existing uses, that interest and income earned on the investment of the money in the public school fund to be used to pay for the costs of administering a newly created shared equity down payment assistance program. Section 2 requires at least one member of the public school fund investment board (board) to have expertise in community investments, requires the board to direct the state treasurer to securely invest money deposited in the public school fund in a manner that prioritizes specified new investment objectives, and authorizes the board to enter into contracts with investment advisors or other investment professionals to provide advice on community investments. Section 3 extends the time frame under which the state treasurer may make up a loss of principal to the public school fund by taking actions which lead to gains in the fund from 18 to 24 months. Section 4 creates a new community investment portfolio (portfolio) within the public school fund, and requires the state treasurer to invest at least 20% of the public school fund's value into the community investment portfolio by July 1, 2032. Money in the portfolio must be invested in community investments, and allowable community investments include: Bonds issued by Colorado school districts and charter schools; Certificates of participation issued by Colorado school districts and charter schools; Mortgage pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations secured by residential real estate, the majority of which is owned by public school employees; Loans to the Colorado middle income housing authority for a revolving loan fund that funds rental housing developments that include preferences for public school employees; Bonds issued by the middle income housing authority that fund rental housing developments which include preferences for public school employees; Bonds or mortgage-backed securities issued by the Colorado housing and finance authority that fund rental housing developments that include preferences for public school employees or mortgages secured by residential real estate, the majority of which is owned by public school employees; Mortgage revenue bonds that support public school employee mortgages with interest rates of 3% or less; Loans to community development financial institutions or nonprofits with a history of providing affordable home ownership financing that fund: Housing that includes preferences for public school employees; or Low-interest mortgages secured by residential real estate that is owned by public school employees; Down payment shared appreciation products secured by residential real estate that is owned by public school employees; and Other investments that support public purpose of the portfolio. The educator first home ownership program (program) is created within the portfolio. Subject to a specified limitation, the treasurer shall invest the following amounts in the program by the following dates: By July 1, 2028, the greater of 6% of the fund's value or $100 million; and By July 1, 2030, the greater of 12% of the fund's value or $200 million. The treasurer shall aim to invest a target of 75% of the money in the program into the shared equity down payment assistance program for public school employees. The shared equity down payment assistance program must be established by July 1, 2026. Once the shared equity down payment assistance program is established: The public school fund investment board shall purchase from the program manager the mortgage products created through the shared equity down payment assistance program; and The public school investment board may provide notice of any discontinuation of future investments that the program manager has not already committed to the shared equity down payment assistance program, which notice must be provided at least 6 months prior to discontinuation. The treasurer shall aim to invest a target of 25% of the money in the program into allowable community investments. The program manager shall establish underwriting criteria and other guidelines for the shared equity down payment assistance program so that the shared equity down payment assistance program: Prioritizes first-time home buyers that use the home as a primary residence; Provides shared equity down payment assistance to public school employees and aims to help as many public school employees as possible achieve affordable home ownership; and Allows appreciation-sharing between the shared equity down payment assistance program and the borrower. Unless investments in the shared equity down payment assistance program have been discontinued and there is no fund money invested in the shared equity down payment assistance program, the program administrator shall present an annual report to the board on program outcomes. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, section 5 appropriates $375,900 from interest or income earned on the investment of the money in the public school fund to the department of the treasury. (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.)
For state fiscal years 2023-24 through 2026-27, current law requires the state treasurer to credit to the decarbonization tax credits administration cash fund (fund) oil and gas severance tax revenue equal to the amount attributable to the decreased severance tax credit allowed for oil and gas production for tax years 2024 through 2026. For state fiscal years 2024-25 and 2025-26, section 2 of the act specifies that the amount of oil and gas severance tax revenue credited to the fund shall not exceed the net revenue from the oil and gas severance tax collection. Section 3 requires the state treasurer to transfer $2,500,000 from the energy and carbon management cash fund to the fund on June 30, 2025. Section 1 requires the state treasurer to transfer $2,500,000 from the fund to the energy and carbon management cash fund on January 1, 2026. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state treasurer to transfer the following amounts from the license plate cash fund (fund) on June 30, 2025: 40% of the unexpended and unencumbered balance of the fund to the general fund; and 40% of the unexpended and unencumbered balance of the fund to the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the regional planning roundtable commission (commission) within the department of local affairs (department). The commission is a 21-member appointed board with members who serve 3-year terms; except that specified members serve initial terms of 2 years. After an initial meeting to elect a chair and establish its procedures and operation framework, the commission will only meet when a local government requests assistance in addressing a regional opportunity or challenge. In so meeting, the commission shall: Define a region for purposes of establishing a regional roundtable to assist in addressing the regional opportunity or challenge; Considering local expertise, suggest who should serve on the regional roundtable established in connection with addressing the regional opportunity or challenge; and Identify state resources available to assist in addressing the regional opportunity or challenge. The commission may also assist in establishing an integrated planning framework that considers, at a minimum, specified topics. The commission must annually report to specified committees of the general assembly regarding any assistance that it has provided to local governments. The act allows the department to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations to cover the costs of implementing the act. Only after the department has received sufficient gifts, grants, or donations to implement the act is the commission created and able to meet. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates a civil cause of action for a peace officer if the peace officer reports or discloses conduct that is in violation of, or the peace officer reasonably believes is in violation of, any law or policy and the report or disclosure is a contributing factor in the employer of the peace officer's decision to take adverse employment action against the peace officer. A peace officer may seek the following damages: Reinstatement; Back pay with interest; Any other equitable relief the court deems appropriate; Compensatory damages for other pecuniary losses, emotional pain and suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and other nonpecuniary losses; and Reasonable attorney fees and costs. The act creates an affirmative defense to the action if the peace officer's employer would have taken the action that forms the basis of the suit against the peace officer based on a legitimate nonretaliatory basis. The action is not subject to the "Colorado Governmental Immunity Act". The statute of limitations to bring the action is 2 years. The act does not apply to an employee who provides false information or who does not follow internal reporting and administrative procedures related to whistleblower conduct. All law enforcement agencies shall provide a training to employees or a workplace posting, or both, regarding the requirements of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)