Sen. James Coleman

Maddy summaryThis bill (SJR 25-002) is a procedural resolution establishing salary grades and pay ranges for specific legislative staff positions within the General Assembly. It directly affects Senate and House staff members by assigning standardized pay grades (e.g., 160SES, H1B5) to roles like Secretaries, Clerks, Policy Analysts, and Sergeants-at-Arms, with the Chaplain compensated at $25 per visit. The key mechanism is defining these compensation structures through detailed position classifications. This resolution does not create new policy but formalizes existing staffing and pay frameworks for legislative operations.

Maddy summaryThis joint resolution schedules a January 9, 2025, joint session of Colorado's legislature to hear Governor Jared Polis deliver his State of the State address. It specifies the time (11:00 a.m.) and appoints a committee of three House members and three Senate members to escort the Governor to the session. The resolution is procedural, setting meeting logistics without creating new laws or affecting any specific groups. It was passed unanimously and signed by legislative leadership in early January 2025.

Maddy summaryThis procedural joint resolution (HJR 25-1002) schedules a ceremonial session for January 10, 2025, where Colorado's House and Senate will hear a message from Chief Justice Monica M. Marquez of the Colorado Supreme Court. It directs the appointment of a six-member committee (three from each chamber) to escort the Chief Justice to the session. The bill has no substantive policy impact - it solely establishes a formal procedure for this annual judicial communication event. It directly affects the legislative leadership and the Chief Justice's office by outlining the process for this specific ceremonial meeting.

Maddy summaryThis is a procedural resolution (SR 25-002) appointing Senate staff for Colorado's 75th General Assembly's First Regular Session. It directly names specific individuals to existing Senate positions, including roles like Secretary, Chief Sergeant-at-Arms, and Majority/Minority policy staff. The bill contains no policy changes - it simply formalizes staff assignments for Senate operations. As a routine personnel resolution, it affects only the Senate's internal staffing structure.

Maddy summaryThis bill (SJR 25-001) adopts the joint rules from Colorado's Seventy-fourth General Assembly as the temporary operating procedures for the Seventy-fifth General Assembly. It directly affects the legislative process by establishing the Senate and House of Representatives' temporary rules for conducting business until new rules are adopted. The resolution does not change substantive laws or policies; it simply provides procedural continuity for the new legislative session. This is a standard procedural measure to ensure the legislature can function immediately after the session begins.

The act creates multiple ways to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in Colorado's child welfare system. The state department of human services (department) is directed to work with county departments of human or social services to: Update the existing annual departmental EDI report using state data sources and national child welfare data clearinghouses; Identify necessary demographic or other data that is not currently collected in Colorado's child welfare case management system (management system) and determine recommendations for improving data collection statewide; Identify additional necessary demographic or other data about children, families, and people working in the child welfare that is not currently collected in the management system, the child welfare worker training system, or other components and data systems of the child welfare system, and, in collaboration with counties, determine internal or external processes and make recommendations for improving data collection and reporting statewide; Provide a report on the state's progress in addressing data collection and data entry challenges in the management system; Provide a report on the state's progress in training child welfare staff on demographic data collection; Report on the state's progress in training the child welfare workforce in reducing bias and in promoting EDI, and on progress in the training's alignment with current research and best practices in promoting EDI. The department shall strengthen EDI training for child welfare staff and management. The act requires the department to provide recommendations for training requirements for other child welfare agencies and to offer specific EDI training for mandatory reporters to address disparities in reporting in Colorado's child welfare system. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

In common interest communities for real property, Colorado law allows a unit owners' association (association) to require, without starting a legal proceeding, a unit owner to reimburse the association for collection costs, attorney fees, or other costs resulting from the owner failing to timely pay assessments or other money owed. The act limits the reimbursement amount for attorney fees to $5,000 or 50% of the original money owed. Colorado law allows the association to require, also without starting a legal proceeding, a unit owner to reimburse the association for collection costs and attorney fees resulting from the owner failing to obey the bylaws or rules of the association. The act limits the reimbursement amount for attorney fees to $5,000 or 50% of the actual costs the association incurred for the failure to obey. Colorado law requires a court to award an association reasonable attorney fees, costs, and collection costs in an action in which the association seeks to collect unpaid assessments or enforce or defend the association's bylaws or rules and the association prevails in the matter. The act limits the award for attorney fees to $5,000 or 50% of the balance owed to the association; except that the court may award attorney fees in excess of these limits if the court finds that the unit owner was able to comply but willfully failed to comply. Each of the mentioned limitation is adjusted for inflation. The court, when determining reasonable attorney fees, is required to consider relevant factors, including the amount of the unpaid assessments, whether foreclosure action was contested, and whether the attorney fees incurred are disproportionate to the needs of the case. Colorado law grants an association a lien on a unit for amounts owed to the association by the unit owner. The act prohibits foreclosing on the lien until: The association has: Obtained a personal judgment against the unit owner in a civil action; Attempted to bring a civil action against the unit owner but was prevented by the death of or incapacity of the unit owner; or Attempted to bring a civil action against the unit owner but the association was unable to serve the unit owner within 180 days; or The unit owner is in a bankruptcy civil action. These foreclosure requirements: Apply to a unit owned by an individual who occupies the unit as a principal residence; Do not apply to a unit owned by an entity other than an individual or a unit that is not occupied as the unit owner's principal residence; and Apply to a unit used for workforce housing. At least 30 days before initiating legal action to foreclose a lien under the act, an association must provide notice to the unit owner that the unit owner has the right to engage in mediation prior to litigation. The association must also provide notice to all lienholders identified on the unit owner property records of the pending legal action for foreclosure. The notice must include the amount of any outstanding assessment and other money owed. Colorado law requires the association to attempt to enter into a payment plan to collect amounts due from a unit owner. The act prohibits foreclosure on a lien if the unit owner is in compliance with the payment plan. Colorado law prohibits certain persons from purchasing the property foreclosed upon under an association lien as a conflict of interest. The act adds the following persons to the prohibition: A community association management company representing the association; and An individual or a community association management company that was, at any time during the 5-year period immediately preceding the sale of the foreclosed unit, a person that was subject to, or that was owned by or affiliated with a person that was subject to, the prohibition. A person that purchases a unit through the foreclosure of a lien held by an association acquires the unit subject to any covenants or limitations on the use or sale of the unit to which the previous unit owner was subject. The act creates a right of redemption for 180 days following a foreclosure sale. In general, the procedures for the act's right of redemption are based on the procedures in current law. A person wanting to redeem the unit under the act must file a notice of intent to redeem within 30 days after the foreclosure sale. The following people have the right of redemption in order of priority: The unit owner; A tenant of the unit; A nonprofit entity whose primary purpose is the development or preservation of affordable housing; A community land trust; A cooperative housing corporation; and The state of Colorado or a political subdivision of the state of Colorado. If 2 or more people with the right of redemption attempt to redeem the property, the person with the highest priority is awarded the property. If the highest priority lienor has not redeemed the property, each subsequent lienor is entitled to redeem, in succession, within five business days. To redeem a unit, the redeemer must reimburse the foreclosure purchaser or association in accordance with the standards set by the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

In determining whether an applicant for a state-regulated occupation is qualified to be registered, certified, or licensed, the act allows the entity with regulatory authority concerning the occupation (regulator) to consider an applicant's conviction for a crime for a 3-year period beginning on the date of conviction or the end of incarceration, whichever date is later. If an individual's conviction is directly related to the profession or occupation for which the individual has applied for registration, certification, or licensure, the regulator may consider the conviction after the 3-year period has passed. A regulator may only deny or refuse to renew a registration, certification, or license if the regulator determines that the applicant has not been rehabilitated and is unable to perform the duties and responsibilities of the profession or occupation without creating an unreasonable risk to public safety. An applicant's conviction for a crime does not, in and of itself, disqualify the applicant from being issued a registration, certification, or license. The act allows an individual to petition a regulator to determine whether a criminal conviction will preclude the individual from becoming registered, certified, or licensed prior to that individual completing any other requirements for such credentialing. If a regulator determines that an individual's conviction will likely be considered, the regulator shall advise the individual of any actions the individual may take to remedy the disqualification. The act places the burden of proof for denial of an applicant on the regulator to demonstrate that denial based on the applicant's criminal conviction directly connects to potential performance in the profession or occupation for which the applicant seeks credentialing. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act establishes the Black Coloradan racial equity commission (commission) in the legislative department to conduct a study to determine, and make recommendations related to, any historical and ongoing effects of slavery and subsequent systemic racism on Black Coloradans that may be attributed to Colorado state practices, systems, and policies. The study includes historical research conducted by the state historical society (society), commonly known as history Colorado, and an economic analysis conducted by a third party. The society may enter into an agreement with a third-party entity to conduct all or parts of the historical research. The society shall conduct at least 2 community engagement sessions for members of the public to provide input to the society. The society shall provide the commission with quarterly updates about the status of its research. The society is required to submit a report to the commission with the results of its research and any recommendations. The commission shall enter into an agreement with a third party to conduct an economic analysis of the financial impact of systemic racism on historically impacted Black Coloradans utilizing the findings of the society's historical research. The third party shall deliver the results of its economic analysis to the commission. At the conclusion of the study, the commission shall submit a report to the general assembly and the governor about the study and make the report available on a publicly accessible webpage of the general assembly's website. The report must include a description of the study's goals, the results of the historical research and economic analysis, and the commission's recommendations. After the commission submits the report, the commission shall work with any parties necessary to implement the recommendations in the report. The study is contingent upon the commission receiving $785,000 of gifts, grants, or donations for the purpose of conducting the study. The act creates the Black Coloradan racial equity study cash fund to accept the gifts, grants, or donations received for the study. The money in the cash fund is continuously appropriated to legislative council for use by the commission and to the society for conducting the historical research. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

There is currently a jail standards oversight committee and commission (oversight committee and commission) tasked with developing jail standards in Colorado. The oversight committee and commission are set to repeal on July 1, 2024. The act repeals the commission and extends the oversight committee until September 1, 2033. Each county jail shall comply with the standards adopted by the oversight committee beginning July 1, 2026. The oversight committee shall post the standards on its website. If the oversight committee revises a jail standard, each county jail shall comply with the revised standard no later than one year after the revision is adopted, or earlier if specified by the oversight committee when adopting the revision. The act creates a jail standards advisory committee (advisory committee). The advisory committee consists of: 2 sheriffs appointed by a statewide organization representing the county sheriffs of Colorado; 2 county commissioners appointed by Colorado counties, incorporated; The state public defender or the state public defender's designee; One physical or behavioral health professional with experience working in a jail, appointed by the oversight committee; and One person representing a statewide organization that advocates on behalf of people experiencing incarceration, appointed by the oversight committee. The advisory committee shall begin meeting in July 2024 and shall plan assessments of jails to begin in January 2025. Additional duties of the advisory committee include, but are not limited to: Utilize peer assessors selected by the advisory committee to perform assessments of a jail's physical facilities and its written policies and procedures to assess compliance with jail standards; Provide the oversight committee with recommendations for revising jail standards and ways to address jail needs necessary to comply with jail standards; and Provide the oversight committee with recommendations to address jail needs necessary to comply with jail standards. The advisory committee may also establish a process to grant variances from the jail standards to local jails. The act creates the jail standards advisory committee cash fund to fund the activities of the advisory committee. The act requires the attorney general to conduct assessments of jails, in conjunction with the advisory committee, for compliance with jail standards. The attorney general may also conduct an independent special assessment of a jail when requested by the governor, the oversight committee, or a sheriff. The attorney general shall prepare a report of each special assessment. The advisory committee shall annually submit a report to the oversight committee. The act requires the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety to create a list of funding assistance available to jails to offset the costs of compliance with the jail standards. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates: $305,000 from the general fund to the jail standards advisory committee cash fund; $41,248 from the general fund to the legislative department; and $12,532 from the general fund to the department of law. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)