As it relates to unlawful detention of real property, the act expands current exceptions and protections for tenants who are victims of domestic violence and domestic abuse to include victims of unlawful sexual behavior and stalking (victim-survivor). If domestic violence or domestic abuse was the cause of an alleged unlawful detention of real property, current law requires the tenant to document the domestic violence or domestic abuse through a police report or a valid civil or emergency protection order (required documentation). The act expands the required documentation to include a valid criminal protection order, a self-attestation affidavit or a letter signed by a qualified third party from whom the tenant sought assistance. If a tenant has been alleged to have committed unlawful detention of real property due to nonpayment or late payment of rent and the tenant has provided the landlord with the required documentation, the act requires the landlord to offer the tenant a repayment plan no later than 3 business days after serving a demand for unpaid rent or no later than 3 business days after receiving the required documentation. Within 7 days after receipt of the repayment plan, the act requires the tenant to accept the landlord's repayment plan or propose an alternative. If a landlord has written or actual notice that a tenant is a victim-survivor, the act requires the landlord to make all reasonable efforts to perfect service through personal service to the tenant. The act requires the court to suppress, or continue suppressing, any related court records upon receiving the victim-survivor's motion or petition to suppress the record, the required documentation, and an assertion that public access to the records poses a risk to the defendant's safety or the safety of a family member of the defendant's household. The act makes changes to certain court procedures as the procedures relate to victim-survivors. If a tenant who is a victim-survivor terminates a lease and provides the required documentation, the tenant is not liable for damage to the dwelling unit caused by the responsible party or during the course of an incident of unlawful sexual behavior, stalking, domestic violence, or domestic abuse. The act requires the tenant to pay no more than one month's rent after vacating the premises only if the landlord has incurred economic damages as a direct result of the early termination and the landlord has provided documentation of the economic damages to the tenant within 30 days after termination of the rental or lease agreement. The act prohibits a landlord from assigning a debt allegedly owed by a tenant who is a victim-survivor to a third-party debt collector unless the landlord provides the tenant with documentation of the economic damages incurred by the landlord and provides at least 90 days' written notice to the tenant. If a tenant provides notice to the landlord that the tenant is a victim-survivor and provides the required documentation, the act prohibits the landlord from preventing the tenant from changing the locks and prohibits the landlord from imposing fees on, taking any adverse action against, or otherwise retaliating against the tenant for changing the locks or taking other reasonable safety precautions. The act authorizes a tenant to bring a civil action against a landlord for violating provisions related to housing protections for victim-survivors. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Sponsored bills
The act: Amends the definition of "employer" for purposes of wage and hour laws to include an individual who owns or controls at least 25% of the ownership interest in an employer; Prohibits an employer from making a payroll deduction below a worker's applicable minimum wage; Allows the director of the division of labor standards and statistics (division) to waive the penalty for an employer's failure to pay claimed wages or compensation within 14 days after a written demand if certain specified conditions are met; and Requires a court to find that an employee pursued a wage claim that lacked substantial justification before awarding an employer reasonable costs and attorney fees in a civil action for unpaid wages or compensation. In such an action, the court may pursue all equitable relief to deter future violations and prevent unjust enrichment. Current law limits the ability of the director of the division to adjudicate claims for nonpayment of wages or compensation to $7,500 or less. The act increases this threshold over the years by increasing the maximum amount to $13,000 for claims filed from July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027, and in an amount specified by the director of the division to adjust for inflation beginning January 1, 2028. The act also requires the division, in adjudicating wage claims, to determine whether a violation is willful. For each violation: The director shall publish on the division's website the names of all employers found to be in violation and whether the violation was willful; and If the violation was willful and is not remedied within 60 days after the division's finding that there was a violation, the division must notify all government bodies with the authority to deny, withdraw, or otherwise limit or impose remedial conditions on the employer's license, permit, registration, or other credential of the unremedied willful violation. Additionally, the division may report an employer found to have violated a law related to wages and hours to any government body with authority to deny, withdraw, or otherwise limit or impose remedial conditions on the employer's license, permit, registration, or other credential. The act also repeals language requiring the division to issue a determination on a wage complaint within 90 days and clarifies that a city or county may enact and enforce wage laws within the city or county's jurisdiction. An employer found to have misclassified an employee as a nonemployee must pay a fine in the following amounts, in addition to any other relief ordered: For a willful violation, $5,000; For a violation not remedied within 60 days after the division's finding, $10,000; For a second or subsequent willful violation within 5 years, $25,000; or For a second or subsequent willful violation not remedied within 60 days after the division's finding, $50,000. The director of the division must adjust these fine amounts for inflation by January 1, 2028, and every other year thereafter. The act also decreases the amount of time the division must wait before paying an employee out of the wage theft enforcement fund from 6 months to 120 days. Current law prohibits an employer from discriminating or retaliating against an employee for taking protection under wage and hour laws or the law related to the employment of minors. The act expands this provision to specify additional protected behavior and expands the prohibition to include other persons in addition to employers. The act also: Requires a fact finder to consider the time between an individual's exercise of a protected activity and an employer's adverse action when determining whether an employer has retaliated against the employee or worker; Specifies that it is a violation to use an individual's immigration status to discriminate or retaliate against an employee or worker who has engaged in protected activity; and Allows the division to order reasonable attorney fees and costs after investigating a discrimination or retaliation claim. Between August 1, 2027, and October 1, 2027, the division must report to the joint budget committee on its progress in implementing the act. In state fiscal year 2025-26, $328,210 is appropriated to the department of labor and employment for use by the division to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates a voluntary procedure by which an individual may elect to contribute a portion of their state income tax refund as a donation to the animal protection fund (fund). For the income tax years immediately following the year in which the executive director of the department of revenue (department) files written certification with the revisor of statutes that a line on the income tax return form has become available and that the animal protection fund voluntary contribution (contribution) is next in the queue established pursuant to statute, the executive director of the department shall ensure that the Colorado state individual income tax return form contains a line by which each individual taxpayer may designate the amount of the contribution, if any, that the individual wishes to make to the fund. Money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the department of agriculture. Unlike many other types of permitted voluntary contributions, the contribution is not subject to sunset review and is not subject to repeal if the contribution generates no more than $50,000 during the period between January 1 and September 1 of a tax year. The act requires the department to determine annually the total amount donated through the contribution and report that amount to the state treasurer and to the general assembly. The state treasurer shall credit that amount to the fund. All interest derived from the deposit and investment of money in the fund is credited to the fund. The general assembly shall appropriate annually from the fund to the department its costs of administering money designated as contributions to the fund. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $11,606 from the fund to the department for the implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act classifies bison as big game unless the bison are livestock. Classifying bison as wildlife means that hunting or taking one is illegal unless authorized by rule of the parks and wildlife commission. The act also clarifies that "wildlife" does not include privately owned cattle, including bison legally reduced to captivity or bison that have escaped lawful captivity, or bison owned by or lawfully reduced to captivity by an Indian tribe. The fee for issuing a bison hunting license is set at $374.22 for a resident and $2,756.74 for a nonresident. The penalty for illegal possession of wild bison is a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $100,000, or imprisonment for not more than one year in the county jail, and an assessment of 20 license suspension points. The penalty for illegally killing or capturing a bison is a fine of $10,000. The value of a bison is set at $1,000 for the purposes of recovering the value of a bison that is illegally killed or captured. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The environmental justice advisory board in the department of public health and environment (advisory board) advises the environmental justice ombudsperson, develops recommendations related to adverse environmental effects on disproportionately impacted communities, and supports the implementation of a grant program to finance environmental mitigation projects. The act adds to the advisory board a voting youth member and a nonvoting youth member, which members are between 14 and 21 years of age. The act also requires the Colorado energy office (office), on or before December 31, 2025, to develop and post on its website best practices for the adoption and financing of clean energy resources in schools. The office is required to periodically update the best practices and post the updates on its website. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
In the 2024 regular legislative session, the general assembly enacted Senate Bill 24-005, concerning the conservation of water in the state through the prohibition of certain landscaping practices, which: Prohibits a local entity, on and after January 1, 2026, from installing, planting, or placing, or allowing any person to install, plant, or place, any nonfunctional turf, nonfunctional artificial turf, or invasive plant species, as part of a new development project or redevelopment project, on applicable property within the local entity's jurisdiction; and Requires a local entity, on or before January 1, 2026, to enact or amend its laws regulating new development projects and redevelopment projects on applicable property in accordance with the new requirements. The act expands the definition of "applicable property" to include a multifamily residential housing premises property that includes more than 12 dwelling units (applicable residential real property). The act prohibits a local entity, on and after January 1, 2028, from installing, planting, or placing, or allowing a person to install, plant, or place, any nonfunctional turf, nonfunctional artificial turf, or invasive plant species, as part of a new development project or redevelopment project, on applicable properties that include multifamily residential housing premises property. The act also requires each local entity with land use planning and zoning authority to enact or amend, on or before January 1, 2028, its laws regulating new development projects and redevelopment projects to regulate the installation of nonfunctional turf and include consideration of applicable residential real property. The act also requires each local entity with land use planning and zoning authority to enact or amend, on or before January 1, 2028, its laws regulating new development projects and redevelopment projects within the local entity's jurisdiction to regulate the installation of turf to reduce irrigation water demand for all residential real property that is not applicable residential real property. Local entities must also regulate the installation of turf when enacting or amending its laws on and after January 1, 2028, to reduce irrigation water demand for all residential real property that is not applicable residential real property. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act establishes a definition of "mobile food establishment" to mean a retail food establishment that is operated from a vehicle, can change location, and is intended to operate from a commissary kitchen. The act establishes a reciprocal food safety license between the city and county of Denver (Denver) and other local governments throughout the state. The department of public health and environment (CDPHE) issues a statewide health department license (state license) based on the state health code to mobile food establishments that is valid in all local government jurisdictions throughout the state except for Denver. Denver issues a Denver-specific retail food license (Denver license) to mobile food establishments that is based on Denver's health code and that is only valid within Denver's jurisdiction. The act establishes reciprocity between these two licenses so that the state license is valid in Denver and the Denver license is valid across the state. The act requires the owner or operator of a mobile food establishment that wishes to take advantage of this reciprocity to provide a copy of either their Denver license or the state license to the local government in which they intend to operate or to Denver at least 14 days in advance of when they intend to operate. When a mobile food establishment is operating in a local government jurisdiction, including Denver's jurisdiction, the mobile food establishment must comply with all laws of the local government and is subject to inspection and enforcement by the local government. For a mobile food establishment with a state license that intends to operate in Denver, the mobile food establishment must submit certain documentation including, if requested, a summary of any violations within the previous calendar year related to the license or the operation of the mobile food establishment. The act also establishes that a fire safety permit that has been issued to a mobile food establishment by a local government is valid in any other local government jurisdiction if the fire safety permit was issued: By a local government that has adopted the most recent international fire code or a fire code that has incorporated the minimum standards for mobile food establishments developed by the division of fire prevention and control; and After completing an inspection by a certified fire inspector. The act requires that a mobile food establishment send a copy of the fire safety permit to the local government in which they intend to operate at least 14 days in advance of operation. While operating in a local government's jurisdiction, the mobile food establishment must comply with that local government's fire safety code and is subject to inspection and enforcement by the local government. The act authorizes the division of fire prevention and control to adopt minimum codes and standards for the operation of mobile retail food establishments for use by local governments. The act takes effect January 1, 2026. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law includes a pilot program for complementary and alternative medicine in the department of health care policy and financing (department) for an eligible person with a disability. The act converts the pilot program into an ongoing program and changes the name of the program to the "complementary and integrative health program" (program). The act extends the program to September 1, 2030, and clarifies that the program covers persons with a primary condition of multiple sclerosis, a brain injury, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, or cerebral palsy when one of these diagnoses directly results in a total inability for independent ambulation. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $66,637 to the department from the general fund. The department may use $65,487 for personal services and $1,150 for operating expenses. This appropriation is based on the assumption that the department will receive $66,637 in federal funds for these services. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates an additional $1,214,019 to the department from the general fund. The department may use the appropriation for medical and long-term care services for medicaid eligible individuals. This appropriation is based on the assumption that the department will receive $1,214,019 in federal funds for these services. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Beginning January 1, 2026, the act allows the department of health care policy and financing (department) to reimburse community health workers for services rendered to medicaid members after receiving any necessary federal authorization. Reimbursement for community health worker services is subject to available appropriations. The act postpones until January 31, 2027, the requirement for the department to report to the general assembly on community health worker utilization and costs in the medicaid program. The act reduces the appropriations to the department from the general fund for the 2025-26 fiscal year by $1,364,558 and the healthcare affordability and sustainability cash fund for the 2025-26 fiscal year by $342,750. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act continues the department of agriculture's (department) oversight of the "Commodity Handler and Farm Products Act" for 7 years, until 2032. The act also increases the limit for qualifying as a "small-volume dealer" from $20,000 of farm products or commodities purchased per year to $45,000. The act permits the commissioner of agriculture (commissioner) to periodically adjust the small volume dealer limit. The act explicitly excludes marijuana from the definition of "commodity" under the "Commodity Handler and Farm Products Act". Under current law, civil penalties collected by the department are deposited into the inspection and consumer services cash fund (fund). The act requires those civil penalties to be transferred to the general fund rather than the department's fund. Under current law, a dealer or commodity handler must file a bond or irrevocable letter of credit (bond or credit) with the commissioner. The bond or credit is intended to cover any claims of injury submitted by a producer or owner against the dealer or commodity handler. The act prohibits a producer or owner from submitting a claim and collecting reimbursement from the bond or credit if the producer or owner is also the owner of at least 5% of the voting shares of the dealer or commodity handler or the dealer's or commodity handler's parent company. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)