Sen. Nick Hinrichsen

Maddy summarySJR 25-004 designates January 22 of each year as "Reproductive Rights and Justice Day" in Colorado. This symbolic resolution does not create new laws or policies but commemorates the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision (January 22, 1973) and acknowledges Colorado's legislative actions to protect reproductive rights, including the Reproductive Health Equity Act and the Safe Access to Protected Health Care Package. The designation serves as a formal observance without imposing legal obligations or altering existing rights.

Maddy summaryHJR 25-1005 is a ceremonial resolution encouraging Colorado communities to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20, 2025 - the 41st anniversary of the state holiday. It does not create new laws or alter existing policies but urges cities, schools, counties, and local governments to hold commemorative events. The resolution honors Dr. King’s legacy, noting Colorado’s early adoption of the holiday in 1985 and its ongoing observance through events like the annual Marade. This is a non-binding call for community engagement, not a substantive legislative change.

Maddy summaryThis constitutional amendment would allow local governments in Colorado to ask voters if they want to replace their standard property tax with a land value tax. Under this system, property owners would pay taxes based only on the value of their land, ignoring the worth of any buildings or improvements on it. The change requires approval from local voters through a ballot measure and would apply to all taxable land within a community, with specific rules for agriculture and clean energy projects. If approved, the law would also adjust how school funding is calculated and permit local officials to pair the new tax with reductions in other fees.

The act prohibits the state, when communicating with or reaching an agreement with a state employee about a workers' compensation claim, from suggesting or requiring that: The state employee resign from state employment or refrain from seeking or obtaining employment with the state in the future; or Any other restrictions be placed on the state employee's ability to work for the state. The act voids any provision of a contract that restricts a state employee's ability to work for the state in violation of these prohibitions. If the state elects to self-insure workers' compensation claims, the act requires the department of personnel to send a request for interest to Pinnacol Assurance and at least 5 other insurance companies that provide workers' compensation insurance in Colorado. The requests for interest must be sent in 2026 and at least once every 3 years thereafter. Each request for interest must request the following information from each responding insurance company for the following calendar year: An estimate of the total cost to the state to purchase workers' compensation insurance; The company's ability to provide workers' compensation insurance that would cover all state employees; and A detailed description of the workers' compensation coverage that the company would provide. For each request for interest obtained, the department of personnel shall prepare and submit a report to the general assembly specifying: The name of the responding insurance company, unless the department received only one response, in which case the name of the sole responding insurance company is redacted from the report; The total cost estimated by the responding insurance company to provide workers' compensation insurance coverage to the state; Whether purchasing workers' compensation insurance from the responding insurance company would require the state to contract with a third-party administrator, and what the additional cost to the state would be, if any; A detailed description of the workers' compensation coverage that the responding insurance company would provide; The costs associated with the self-insurance selected by the state for the current calendar year; and Whether the state's costs related to self-insurance of workers' compensation claims increased or decreased compared to the previous calendar year. The act requires that the first report to the general assembly must specify, over the previous 3 years, to which insurance companies the state sent requests for interest, the total number of insurance companies that responded to the requests, and the estimated cost reported in each received response, if any. APPROVED by Governor June 7, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

With the passage of Senate Bill 23-167, concerning the regulation of certified midwives by the state board of nursing, an additional member will be added to the state board of nursing (board) on July 1, 2024, bringing the total number of members of the board to 12. Senate Bill 23-167, however, did not include a conforming amendment to a statute that refers to the size of the board. The act eliminates the inaccurate reference to the number of members on the board. APPROVED by Governor June 7, 2024 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Local government floodplain management regulations for development in floodplain areas must equal or exceed the federal emergency management agency's national flood insurance program's (national flood insurance program) minimum design and construction criteria and must comply with the Colorado water conservation board's (CWCB) rules and regulations for regulatory floodplains in Colorado. Not all local governments participate in the national flood insurance program. The act requires the office of the state architect, in coordination with the CWCB, to develop a state floodplain management program (program) by June 30, 2025, which will ensure compliance with the minimum floodplain management criteria of the national flood insurance program and with the CWCB's rules and regulations for regulatory floodplains in Colorado. The program applies to development on state-owned land in counties and municipalities that do not participate in the national flood insurance program. At the discretion of the office of the state architect, the program may also apply to state-leased properties in counties and municipalities that do not participate in the national flood insurance program. The act appropriates $49,383 from the general fund to the department of personnel for use by the office of the state architect. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The Colorado veterans' service-to-career program (program) authorizes nonprofit agencies to partner with work force centers selected by the department of labor and employment (department) to provide veterans and other eligible participants with skills training, internships, work placements, mentorship opportunities, career and professional counseling, and support services. Under current law, the general assembly is allowed to annually appropriate money from the marijuana tax cash fund to the department to be used for the program. The act extends the repeal date for the program from July 1, 2024, to September 1, 2027. In addition, the act removes the provision permitting the appropriation of money from the marijuana tax cash fund and instead allows the general assembly to appropriate money from the general fund to be used for the program. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Effective July 1, 2026, the act increases the minimum compensation for a district attorney to match the compensation of a full-time district court judge. Effective July 1, 2026, the act requires the minimum compensation of an assistant district attorney to match the compensation of a full-time county court judge and requires the state to pay 50% of the minimum amount of an assistant district attorney's compensation. The district attorney, with the approval of the board or boards of county commissioners of the county or counties comprising the judicial district or with the approval of the city council of a city and county affected, may set an amount in excess of the minimum requirement. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Beginning on January 1, 2025, the act requires a delivery network company (DNC) to provide various disclosures to its drivers and to consumers of the DNC. The disclosures include payments that a consumer makes to the DNC, the amount that the DNC then pays to a driver, and the distances traveled to complete a delivery task. A DNC is prohibited from decreasing the amount the DNC pays a driver for a delivery task based on the amount of a consumer's tip for that delivery task, and a DNC must pay the driver all tips paid by the consumer. The act imposes specific requirements on the manner in which a DNC may provide contracts to drivers and merchants. The act specifies how a DNC may deactivate a driver from the DNC's digital platform, including: Requiring that a DNC disclose specified information about the DNC's deactivation policy and any revisions to the policy to drivers; and Creating internal account deactivation challenge procedures by which a driver may challenge the driver's deactivation and take steps, if any, to remedy a violation and become reinstated on the DNC's digital platform. The act requires that, when a DNC connects a consumer to a driver, the DNC prompt the consumer to encourage the consumer to ensure driver safety upon arrival, including ensuring a clear, well-lit, safe delivery path and properly securing all pets. The act requires that DNCs allow drivers at least 60 seconds to decide to accept a delivery task offer. The division may investigate and impose fines against a DNC for violations of the act. A consumer or driver aggrieved by a violation may file a civil suit against the DNC that committed the violation. The act exempts a DNC from complying with certain requirements with respect to drivers who receive an annual federal form W-2 from the DNC. The director of the division is required to adopt rules necessary to implement the requirements of the act. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $163,409 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of labor and employment for use by the division of labor standards and statistics to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies' sunset review and report on the veterans assistance grant program (program) by continuing the program for 7 years, until September 1, 2031. The act requires the adjutant general to promulgate rules that set forth criteria and procedures for identifying underserved veteran populations, with the intent to prioritize allocating program money to improve access to services for underserved veterans. The act requires the department of military and veterans affairs to annually report to the general assembly the criteria used to identify underserved veteran populations and how program money was allocated to meet the needs of underserved veterans. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)