The act eliminates the requirement for a second election to negotiate a union security agreement clause in the collective bargaining process. VETOED by Governor 5/16/2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act caps the maximum incarceration sentence for a municipal violation that has a comparable state law crime at the same length as the state-level offense. If a comparable state-level offense does not exist, the maximum period of incarceration is capped at the maximum for a state-level petty offense. Mandatory minimums and increased penalties based on prior convictions are prohibited unless the person is convicted of a municipal offense for which there is a comparable state offense or of an infraction that allows imposition of the same mandatory minimum or increased penalties based on prior convictions. The act also caps a consecutive municipal sentence at 2 times the highest charge in the case. The act clarifies that municipal court defendants have a right to counsel and that municipal defense counsel have the same notice, case information, and opportunity to meet with their clients as do state-level defense counsel. Current law prohibits paying indigent municipal defense counsel on a fixed or flat-fee payment structure if the municipality prosecutes domestic violence cases. The act applies the prohibition to all municipalities. All municipal court proceedings are required to be open to public observation. Virtual observation is required for all in-custody proceedings, and prompt resolution of municipal cases is required. VETOED by Governor 5/16/2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act adjusts several state tax expenditures as follows: Section 2 of the act allows an individual to present a copy of their federal tax return to be exempted from the medical marijuana registry application fee; Section 3 requires insurance companies, when submitting certain filings with the division of insurance, to submit the total annual dollar amount of premiums collected or contracted for on policies or contracts of insurance covering property or risks in Colorado during the previous calendar year from entities that are exempt from taxation; Section 4 ensures that the valuation for assessment for qualified-senior primary residence real property is reduced for the property tax years commencing on January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026; Section 6 adds the amount of any overtime compensation excluded or deducted from a taxpayer's federal gross income to that taxpayer's federal taxable income for purposes of determining the taxpayer's state taxable income; Section 7 expands the definition of local government to include counties for purposes of the alternative transportation options tax credit; Section 8 modifies the tax credit for qualified costs incurred in preservation of historic structures by removing the 5% increase in the percentage of rehabilitation expenses incurred in a rehabilitation in a disaster area for the rehabilitation of a commercial structure that are applicable for the tax credit; Section 9 extends the tax credit for monetary contributions to promote child care, so that the tax credit is available through income tax years commencing before January 1, 2030, rather than January 1, 2026; Section 10 limits the existing business personal property tax credit so that a taxpayer may only claim the tax deduction for income tax years commencing before January 1, 2026; Section 12 clarifies and modifies definitions for the qualified care worker tax credit; Section 13 allows the executive director of the department of revenue to direct employers who make payments of compensation other than wages to withhold an amount that approximates an employee's income tax due to the state from that employee's compensation; Section 14 expands the definition of agricultural commodities to include products regulated under article 10 of title 44 for purposes of the pesticides, fertilizers, and spray adjuvants wholesale sales tax exemption; Section 15 ensures that, beginning July 1, 2025, interstate telephone and telegraph services are subject to state sales tax; Section 16 exempts the sale of medical marijuana to an individual who presents a valid electronic benefits transfer card or certain other identification from sales tax; and Section 17 modifies the enterprise zone tax credit for income tax years beginning January 1, 2026, by limiting the total amount of the credit that may be claimed to $2 million, providing an exemption process for that limit, and prohibiting certain taxpayers from claiming that credit.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act amends the "Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Act" and the "Colorado Land Reclamation Act for the Extraction of Construction Materials" to: Contemplate the expedited issuance of reclamation-only permits to persons desiring to conduct reclamation-only operations after September 1, 2025, on less than 5 acres; and Update restrictions and requirements concerning the posting and forfeiture of financial warranties relating to mine reclamation projects. The act prohibits the office of mined land reclamation from issuing a reclamation-only permit to a mining operation at which: Toxic or acidic chemicals used in extractive metallurgical processing are present on site; Acid- or toxic-forming materials will be exposed or disturbed as a result of mining operations; or Uranium is developed or extracted, either by in situ leach mining or by conventional underground or open mining techniques. The act also enacts the "Interstate Mining Compact" and ratifies Colorado's membership in the associated Interstate Mining Commission. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act appropriates $4 million from the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" cash fund (fund) to the office of the governor (office) for state fiscal year 2025-26, with roll-forward authority in state fiscal year 2026-27 for any money remaining in the fund after state fiscal year 2025-26. The act authorizes the office to accept gifts, grants, or donations for crediting to the fund to implement the act. The act authorizes the office, in the governor's discretion, to hire and employ personnel or retain contractors for purposes related to federal government actions that impact federal disbursements, grants, contracts, or money received by or transferred to the state. The office may also reimburse the department of law for costs associated with special assistant attorneys general who are contracted for the purposes of providing legal services: To state officers or employees related to legal proceedings, inquiries, hearings, or investigations initiated, pursued, or threatened by the federal government; or For the criminal defense of state officers or employees in legal actions arising out of their official acts or decisions. The office may also incur other expenditures covered by the fund that are consistent with the purposes of the act, as determined by the governor, including expenditures to preserve and protect state sovereignty or federal funding streams that benefit the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes the state treasurer to invest up to $50 million of state money in bonds, which may have below-market interest rates, that are issued by a quasi-governmental authority to create or finance new affordable, income-restricted for-sale housing that would not be made available at similar rates and terms without the state's investment. The housing must remain affordable long-term and be available to borrowers earning no more than 140% of the statewide area median income. The bonds may have a term of up to 45 years and must have at least 2 credit ratings at or above A- or A3 or its equivalent from nationally recognized rating organizations. Money from principal proceeds of such bonds must be reinvested by the state treasurer for the same purpose once the state treasurer has received repayment of 50% of the principal amount invested. The quasi-governmental authority issuing the bonds shall provide an annual report to the treasurer and the general assembly that includes specified information about the affordable housing created with bond proceeds. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes the Colorado water conservation board (board) to administer a water supply measurement and forecasting program to collect and disseminate data on snowpack levels, investigate technological advances in snowpack measurement and water supply forecasting, and collect other data that the board determines will assist in those efforts. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $104,608 is appropriated to the department of natural resources (department) from the Colorado water conservation board construction fund for the department to implement the act. Of the money appropriated, $15,960 is reappropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology to provide information technology services for the department. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act appropriates the following amounts for the 2025-26 state fiscal year from the Colorado water conservation board (CWCB) construction fund to the CWCB or the division of water resources in the department of natural resources for the following projects: Continuation of the satellite monitoring system, $380,000 (section 1 of the act); Continuation of the floodplain map modernization program, $500,000 (section 2); Continuation of the weather modification permitting program, $500,000 (section 3); Continuation of the Colorado Mesonet project, $200,000 (section 5); Continuation of the water forecasting partnership project, $2,000,000 (section 6); Continuation of the Arkansas river decision support program, $300,000 (section 7); Continuation of technical assistance for the federal irrigation improvement cost-sharing program, $500,000 (section 8); Decision support systems model enhancements to support the Colorado water plan, $1,000,000 (section 9); Support for the basin implementation plan analysis and updates, $4,500,000 (section 10); Continuation of the Colorado watershed restoration and wildfire ready watershed programs, $5,000,000 (section 11); Support for a statewide turf analysis, $1,400,000 (section 12); Support for the Yampa river and Walton creek confluence restoration project, $2,000,000 (section 14); and Support for the south fork focus zone irrigated acreage retirement, $6,000,000 (section 15). Section 4 directs the state treasurer to transfer up to $2,000,000 from the CWCB construction fund to the CWCB litigation fund on July 1, 2025. Section 13 directs the state treasurer to transfer $500,000 from the CWCB construction fund to the plant health, pest control, and environmental protection cash fund on July 1, 2025, and makes an appropriation of that amount to the department of agriculture for use by the conservation services division for the Colorado soil health program. Section 16 authorizes the CWCB to make a loan in an amount of $12,978,500 from the severance tax perpetual base fund to the North Poudre Irrigation Company to support the park creek expansion project. Section 17 appropriates $29,200,000 from the water plan implementation cash fund to the CWCB to award grants that will help implement the state water plan. Sections 18, 19, 20, and 21 eliminate the office of water conservation under the CWCB and the water efficiency grant program, transfer remaining money from the water efficiency grant program cash fund to the severance tax perpetual base fund, and make conforming amendments accordingly. Current law authorizes the governor to appoint a director of compact negotiations. Section 22 states that the governor or the executive director of the department of natural resources shall appoint the director of compact negotiations within 30 days after a vacancy of the position. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates a permit that is issued by the department of transportation (department). The permit authorizes the holder to, for a fee, install or remove tire chains or alternate traction devices at a location designated in the permit. The department may place conditions on the permit concerning the safe and orderly movement of traffic. The department is instructed to avoid issuing permits in a manner that creates a monopoly-type situation for a permit holder at a specific location. The department may charge a fee to issue a permit to an applicant. The fee must be set in an amount to offset the direct and indirect costs of issuing these permits. The department will adopt rules to implement the act. The rules must include: The procedures for issuing a permit, the procedures for revoking a permit, and the qualifications to be issued a permit; and A requirement that the individuals installing tire chains or alternate traction devices wear reflective clothing and use appropriate signs and traffic control devices. A rental car company is required to notify its car renters of the requirements of and penalties for violating the chain law. Colorado law already authorizes the department to close roads during winter weather conditions unless a motor vehicle meets traction equipment requirements. The act also authorizes a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with tires that are imprinted by a manufacturer with a mountain-snowflake, "M&S", "M+S", or "M/S" symbol or that are all-weather rated by the manufacturer to travel on roads that the department restricts for winter weather conditions. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires hospitals, freestanding emergency departments, and licensed health-care facilities that hold themselves out to the public as providing emergency care (facility) to provide emergency medical services to a person who presents to the facility when the person requests or a request is made on the person's behalf for emergency medical services. For each person who presents to a facility and requests emergency medical services or for each request made on the person's behalf for emergency medical services, the act requires the facility to input into a central log whether the person refused treatment or was denied treatment; whether no treatment was required; or whether the person was transferred, admitted and treated, stabilized and transferred, or discharged. The act prohibits a facility from: Denying or discriminating in providing emergency medical services to a patient for a discriminatory or unlawful reason; Penalizing or taking adverse action against a health-care provider for refusing to transfer a patient with an emergency medical condition that has not been stabilized; Delaying providing emergency medical services to a person in order to inquire about the person's ability to pay for the services; and Transferring or discharging a patient with an emergency medical condition unless certain conditions are met. A facility or health-care provider does not violate the act's requirements if certain conditions are met. The act authorizes the department of public health and environment to investigate a facility that negligently violates the requirements of the act. A physician who negligently violates the act engages in unprofessional conduct and is subject to professional discipline. If a civil monetary penalty is imposed, the act requires the maximum civil monetary penalty to be reduced by any civil monetary penalty imposed pursuant to the federal "Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act" for the same violation. The act appropriates $82,768 from the health facilities general licensure cash fund to the department of public health and environment for use by the health facilities and emergency medical services division. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
