The act makes the following changes to the 'Labor Peace Act':Specifies that employees' right to bargain collectively includes the right to bargain collectively concerning any mandatory subject of bargaining;Eliminates the requirement for a second election to negotiate a union security agreement clause in the collective bargaining process;Declares that it is not an unfair labor practice for an employer to refuse to agree to a lawful proposal made by the exclusive representative of the employees, or for the exclusive representative of the employees to refuse to agree to a lawful proposal made by the employer, concerning a mandatory subject of bargaining if the refusing party has bargained in good faith with the other party; andRequires employers and employees, through their exclusive representative, to bargain in good faith.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act makes changes to the dispute resolution process between health insurance carriers (carriers) and out-of-network health-care providers (providers) by requiring a carrier to provide, with each payment made to a provider, a remittance advice that: Identifies when the associated health benefit plan is regulated by the state and when the payment is made pursuant to services received from an out-of-network provider or at an out-of-network facility; andProvides the carrier's median in-network reimbursement rate for out-of-network claims.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires an institution of higher education (institution) that operates a student health center to provide abortion medication to all students enrolled at the institution. The act requires an institution that has an on-site prescription drug outlet or other outlet to maintain a stock of and provide access to abortion medication to students enrolled at the institution. The act requires an institution that does not have an on-site prescription drug outlet or other outlet to either submit a prescription for abortion medication to an off-campus prescription drug outlet or other outlet or dispense abortion medication through the institution's student health center if permitted by the student health center's licensure. The act prohibits an institution from knowingly providing personally identifiable information contained in a student's patient records, billing records, or precise location data related to accessing abortion medication in response to a request from another state seeking to impose liability for accessing abortion medication. An institution is not required to provide access to or stock abortion medication if doing so would jeopardize an institution's federal grant participation, require the institution to deviate from generally accepted billing practices, modify the generally accepted standards of medical practice, or conflict with the institution's sincerely held religious beliefs or practices.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Beginning on January 1, 2027, the act authorizes an optional collision prevention fee (fee), which is collected at the time of registration of a passenger motor vehicle, light-weight truck, motorcycle, or recreational vehicle (motor vehicle). An individual may decline to pay the fee when registering a motor vehicle, and nonpayment of the fee does not affect the individual's ability to register the motor vehicle. In connection with imposing the fee, the statewide bridge and tunnel enterprise (enterprise) within the department of transportation (department) is required to collaborate with:The department of revenue and county clerks to develop language to notify individuals about the fee, including explicit language regarding the ability to decline to pay the fee and the fact that nonpayment of the fee will not affect an individual's ability to register a motor vehicle; andThe department of revenue, the department, county clerks, the division of parks and wildlife, and other impacted stakeholders to conduct a public outreach campaign to educate the public about the fee and what benefits the fee will provide. The enterprise is required to initiate the public outreach campaign as soon as practicable and must develop and deliver customer-facing educational materials to county clerks on or before December 1, 2026.The fee amount is set at $5 and, beginning in state fiscal year 2028-29, the enterprise is allowed to adjust this fee amount upward for inflation. 75% of the revenue from the fee is credited to the newly created collision prevention fund (fund), which is continuously appropriated to the enterprise for use in the following ways:To fund wildlife safe passage projects, defined as one or more projects that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity by providing wildlife road crossings;To provide matching money as required by federal grant programs relating to wildlife safe passage projects; To expend for administrative and personnel expenses related to those purposes; andTo promote the fee and fund to maximize participation in the optional fee, in collaboration with the department of revenue, impacted stakeholders, and interested organizations.In determining which wildlife safe passage projects the enterprise will undertake, the enterprise is required to:Consult with the division of parks and wildlife (division) and the Colorado wildlife and transportation alliance;Consult with the tribal government if the project is on or adjacent to tribal land;Consult with relevant local governments with jurisdiction over the area of the proposed project and any relevant local organizations engaging in work to reduce vehicle collisions;Consider studies concerning the prioritization of wildlife within the state;Consider whether the wildlife safe passage project is related to a bridge or tunnel project undertaken by the enterprise; andIn consultation with the division, consider opportunities for landowner agreements or additional conservation efforts that may be necessary to ensure the continued functionality of infrastructure associated with a proposed wildlife safe passage project. 25% of the revenue from the fee is credited to the wildlife cash fund and continuously appropriated to the division to provide services related to wildlife connectivity and wildlife crossing-related conservation efforts. The act also modifies the process for the keep Colorado wild pass fee, which is an existing optional fee paid at the time an individual registers a motor vehicle, to align with the process for the collision prevention fee by removing the presumption that an individual who declines to pay the keep Colorado wild pass fee is presumed to decline to pay that fee in subsequent years with respect to registration of the same motor vehicle. With this change, an individual must affirmatively opt out of the payment of both the keep Colorado wild pass fee and the collision prevention fee each year that the individual registers the motor vehicle. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year:$53,516 is appropriated from the DRIVES cash fund to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles; Of funds appropriated from the parks and outdoor recreation cash fund to the department of natural resources for use by the division, $778 is reappropriated to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles; and$19,940 is appropriated from the legal services cash fund, from revenue received from the department from the collision prevention fund, to the department of law to provide legal services for the department.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act permits a county or municipal jail (local detention facility) to conduct a strip search of a person who is detained in the local detention facility, only:When the facility is conducting intake of the detained person who has come in from outside the facility and a strip search upon intake is part of the detention facility's policy;When 2 personnel of the facility have determined and reasonably believe the detained person is concealing a controlled substance, a dangerous instrument, or contraband; or Under a circumstance or set of conditions in which there has been a prior incident of possession of a controlled substance, a dangerous instrument, contraband, or any other item that creates grave danger to property or injury to persons and substantially obstructs the performance of the institutional functions of the local detention facility, the circumstance or set of conditions give rise to a substantial likelihood that a similar incident may occur again, and the local detention facility has a written policy authorizing a strip search under the circumstances or set of conditions. The act requires that each local detention facility document the number of, reason for, and results of a strip search in a report that each facility must submit annually to the jail standards advisory committee and the Colorado attorney general. The act requires detention facility personnel to record strip searches via body-worn camera and limits access to the recordings. The act requires each sheriff to coordinate with the sheriff's body-worn camera vendor to implement a tag for strip searches in body-worn camera footage tagging options and ensure that strip search footage has the most restrictive level of access available within the sheriff's body-worn camera system. The act requires local detention facilities to have a policy detailing staff protocol for responding to suspected, alleged, or witnessed sexual abuse and requires staff to report suspected, alleged, or witnessed sexual abuse. The act creates whistleblower protection policies for jail staff and creates a right of action against a local detention facility for a staff member who was subject to an adverse employment action because the staff member disclosed information to the proper supervising authority about sexual abuse or sex-based harassment in the local detention facility. The act requires local detention facilities to inform prisoners of their rights and the resources available to them if they are a victim of sexual abuse while in jail and allow sexual assault advocates to access prisoners who request advocacy services. The act requires local detention facilities to designate a 'Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003' (PREA) coordinator and requires jails to provide the coordinator's contact information to prisoners and the public. The act requires the removal of peace officers standards and training board (P.O.S.T. board) certification from any peace officer who is found by an administrative law judge, hearing officer, or internal investigation to have sexually abused a prisoner in a local detention facility. The act appropriates $38,916 to the department of law from the P.O.S.T. board cash fund for P.O.S.T. board support.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the 'Transit Investment Area Act' to facilitate the financing of transit and rail station infrastructure. Specifically, the act:Allows a local government and a transit agency to jointly undertake a transit investment project. To finance the project, the local government may apply to the Colorado economic development commission (commission) to designate a transit investment area and an approved financing entity;Authorizes the approved financing entity, which may be a newly created transit investment authority, a county revitalization authority, a metropolitan district, or an urban renewal authority, to receive state sales tax increment revenue. This revenue consists of the state sales tax collected in the designated area above a base amount, plus an additional 20% to account for out-of-area deliveries.Permits the financing entity to issue bonds and use the state sales tax increment revenue to finance eligible improvements related to the transit project;Prohibits the financing entity from using the state sales tax increment revenue to acquire property through eminent domain;Requires projects to comply with specified hiring, apprenticeship, and workforce standards;Caps the commission's approval authority at no more than 3 transit investment projects in any calendar year and no more than 6 in total and caps the total state sales tax increment revenue dedicated to all projects at $75 million per fiscal year; andAuthorizes the commission to revoke project approval if substantial work does not commence within 5 years and requires financing entities to submit annual reports and independent financial audits. The act requires the Colorado office of economic development, in consultation with the department of local affairs and the department of transportation, to publish a transit and housing investment zone map on or before October 30, 2026. The act creates the Colorado affordable housing in transit and housing investment zones tax credit (tax credit). The tax credit is administered in the same manner as the Colorado affordable housing in transit-oriented communities income tax credit; except that the tax credit is awarded in connection with housing projects in transit and housing zones. The act authorizes the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority to allocate up to $8,333,333 in tax credits each calendar year beginning in the 2027 calendar year through the 2033 calendar year. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $213,349 to the office of the governor for use by economic development programs.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act increases the penalties for improperly passing a vehicle in a no-passing zone and clarifies that no-passing zones are indicated by a solid yellow line or line pavement markings. The act requires the Colorado department of transportation to prioritize installing signage on roadways with increased incidents of crashes resulting from illegal overtaking on the left. The act increases the points assessed for multiple speeding violations within a one-year, 2-year, or 5-year period for driving 20 miles per hour or more in excess of the reasonable and prudent speed or driving in excess of a 75 miles per hour speed limit and requires drivers driving a vehicle 100 miles per hour or greater be assessed 4 additional points. The act requires that drivers who have multiple speeding violations within a one-year, 2-year, or 5-year period receive a summons and complaint upon committing their violation instead of a penalty assessment notice. The act increases the fine for violating regulations regarding transporting hazardous materials by motor vehicle to $500 and increases the fine range for a second or subsequent violation to $500 to $1,000. The act appropriates $30,943 to the Colorado department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows for a county, a landowner in the town, or a registered elector in the town to apply to the secretary of state (secretary) to determine a town is abandoned when a town:Has no board of trustees or town clerk;Is unable to hold an election; andOwns or operates infrastructure critical for the treatment or delivery of water to residents. The act authorizes the department of public health and environment to transfer up to $100,000 from the small communities water and wastewater grant fund to the department of public safety to cover the cost of operation and maintenance of a town's water system if an application for abandonment of the town has been filed with the secretary and the town has a water system that is failing or is likely to fail.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act changes the boundaries of the front range passenger rail district (district) to include certain listed municipalities, any municipality whose governing body and, if necessary, electors, consent for the municipality to be included in the district, certain listed metropolitan districts, and any metropolitan district that is not within a municipality, whose governing body consents for the metropolitan district to be included in the district, and that is identified for inclusion in the district by a district board (board) resolution. The act requires that directors of the board appointed on or after July 1, 2026, reside within the district, unless that director is already serving on the board. The act allows the board to create subdistricts within the district. The only voting members of a subdistrict board must be directors appointed by an entity that includes territory within the subdistrict and directors who reside within the subdistrict. The act requires that any action by a subdistrict to establish or increase a tax or create a multiple-fiscal year debt must be submitted to a vote of the registered electors of the subdistrict. Before submitting a tax question to the voters, the district or subdistrict must certify that it has made every reasonable effort to secure federal, state, or special purpose authority funding. Lastly, the act changes the method for determining the distribution of the costs of a district or subdistrict election. Under the new method, the costs of such an election are reimbursed in the same method and manner as state primary, coordinated, general, congressional vacancy, special legislative, or recall elections conducted after July 1, 2024. The act also requires that any constitutionally required notice for a district or subdistrict election be included in the ballot information booklet.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act changes requirements for the regional transportation district (RTD) relating to paratransit and accessible transportation, the composition of the board of directors, coordination with the subregional service councils, and reporting requirements. Paratransit and accessible transportation. On or before December 31, 2026, RTD is required to contract with an independent third-party entity for a comprehensive paratransit service study (study) that includes:A needs assessment of the population, needs, and service gaps for riders with disabilities in the district;A cost-benefit assessment;A definition of measurable performance metrics related to access, reliability, equity, and cost-effectiveness;An assessment of opportunities for RTD to collaborate with local and regional partners to address service gaps; Engagement with paratransit users, riders with disabilities, service providers, and other key stakeholders;An assessment of system performance; andAn assessment of barriers for paratransit riders and riders with disabilities to access a low-income fare discount. The study must be completed by June 30, 2027. On or before December 31, 2027, RTD is required to complete, adopt, and begin implementing an accessible transportation service plan that is informed by the study. Composition of RTD board of directors. The act ends the terms of the current 15 elected members of the RTD board of directors (board) on January 1, 2029, and replaces the board with 5 members elected from director districts and 4 at-large appointed members. 5 members constitute a quorum for the new board. Board members serve 4-year terms; except that the new member terms are staggered such that, on January 1, 2031, 4 of the 9 members' terms expire. At the November 2028 general election, 5 new members are elected, 2 of which are elected to 2-year terms. At every general election in an even-numbered year thereafter, the number of members to be elected at the election equals the number of member terms expiring on January 1 of the following year. On or before the day of the November 2028 general election, the governor shall appoint 4 new board members. On or before the day of the November general election in every even-numbered year thereafter, the governor shall appoint 2 new board members to replace the members whose terms will expire the following year. Members may serve up to 2 4-year terms, and any term that lasts for fewer than 2 years does not count towards the member's 2-term limit. On or before September 15, 2027, the office of legislative legal services and the legislative council staff are required to apportion the composition of the board so that the 5 elected directors will represent, to the extent practical, the people of the district on the basis of population. After the federal census in 2030, and after each federal census thereafter, the independent legislative redistricting commission is required to apportion the composition of the board so that the 5 elected directors will represent, to the extent practical, the people of the district on the basis of population. The 4 appointed board members are appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate. Of the 4 members:One member is appointed from a list of at least 3 nominees provided by the Denver regional council of governments;One member must be a current or former member of the union that represents the largest collective bargaining unit of RTD employees; and2 members are appointed at the governor's discretion. The 4 appointed members must represent diverse geographic areas of the district and are collectively required to possess expertise related to public finance, land use and multimodal transportation planning, transit operations, and transit agency programs serving disproportionately impacted communities. The governor may remove an appointed member for malfeasance in office, neglect of duty, failure to regularly attend meetings, or any other cause that renders the member incapable or unfit to discharge the duties of the board. A member to be appointed is required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest prior to confirmation and any conflicts that arise during the member's term to the board. Failure to disclose a conflict, or taking action on a matter in which the member has an undisclosed conflict of interest, constitutes cause for removal by the governor. The board may elect one member as chairperson of the board, one member as chairperson pro tempore of the board, and one or more individuals as secretary and treasurer of the board. The annual salary for an elected or appointed member whose term begins on or after January 1, 2029, is increased from $12,000 to $36,000, and the salary for the board chairperson is 150% of the salary of the other board members. Subregional service council coordination. Beginning in 2027, RTD is required to provide dedicated staff to co-chair and support each subregional service council (council) and must work with council members to identify a local leader to also co-chair each council. Beginning in 2028, the councils are required to make recommendations to the RTD board on:Aligning RTD transit services with local and regional plans;Implementing joint projects to address service gaps;Leveraging existing intergovernmental agreements and projects for expanded service delivery;Identifying strategies to expand funding; andConsiderations of equity, ridership, demand, and long-term regional growth. The RTD board is required to meet at least twice a year to receive recommendations from the councils. Reporting requirements. RTD is required to report to the house of representatives transportation, housing, and local government committee and the senate transportation and energy committee, or their successor committees, on the following:On or before December 31, 2027, progress toward the recommendations made to RTD by the 2025-2026 RTD accountability committee created in Senate Bill 25-161. RTD is also required to submit this report to the governor.On or before January 31, 2027, and on or before each January 31 thereafter: RTD's budget and financial performance;Ridership;The implementation of Senate Bill 25-161, including RTD's progress on delivering the projects identified in its 10-year strategic plan and its comprehensive operational analysis;Aligning with state climate goals; andThe implementation of this act, including RTD's progress on implementing the accessible transportation service plan;On or before January 31, 2028, the study and accessible transportation plan; and Annually beginning in 2028, the recommendations from the councils and RTD's responses to the recommendations. RTD is also required to report this information to the transportation legislation review committee.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)