Sen. Marc Catlin

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 25-004 recognizes February 1, 2025, as World Hijab Day in Colorado. The resolution highlights the hijab's significance in Islamic tradition as a symbol of dignity and modesty, and acknowledges World Hijab Day's purpose of promoting religious tolerance and cultural understanding through public education. It does not create new laws or requirements but serves as a formal state acknowledgment of this annual observance. The resolution was unanimously passed by the Colorado Senate on January 31, 2025, without amendments.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates Monday, January 27, 2025, as "Colorado 4-H Day" to recognize the Colorado 4-H Youth Development program. It is a symbolic resolution honoring 4-H's work with youth aged 5-19, including its role in community engagement, leadership development, and STEM education through Colorado State University Extension. The resolution has no legal effect or new requirements - it simply encourages public acknowledgment of the program. (HJR 25-1006, passed by both chambers on January 27-30, 2025)

Maddy summaryThis bill (HJR 25-1007) is a commemorative resolution designating a specific segment of Interstate 25 in Colorado - southbound from mile marker 199.4 and northbound from mile marker 194.8 - as the "Firefighters Memorial Hwy in Memory of Chief Troy Jackson." It honors Troy Jackson, a 30-year firefighter with South Metro Fire Rescue who developed cancer prevention programs for first responders before passing in 2019. The resolution allows the Colorado Department of Transportation to accept donations for signage and coordinate with Arapahoe and Douglas counties for sign maintenance. As a naming resolution, it has no policy or funding changes beyond this memorial designation.

The bill repeals standards created in House Bill 20-1343, enacted in 2020, regarding confinement standards for egg-laying hens whose eggs are sold. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

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 act authorizes the department of higher education to enter into a limited purpose fee-for-service contract with the board of regents of the university of Colorado for allocation to programs or institutions of higher education to expand an existing rural track program. If an allocation is made to a program or institution to expand an existing rural track program, the department of higher education shall utilize a formula developed and revised annually by the rural program office, in collaboration with the institutions, that is based on data that documents the program's or institution's fulfillment of certain requirements. The act requires the rural program office to submit a report to the general assembly each year that includes the allocation formula developed by the rural program office. The act creates the rural hospital cash fund and on July 1, 2024, requires the state treasurer to transfer $1,742,029 from the general fund to the rural hospital cash fund for the purpose of distributing money in equal amounts to rural hospitals. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $866,667 from the general fund to the department of higher education for the college opportunity fund program to be used for limited purpose fee-for-service contracts with institutions of higher education. 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.)

The underfunded courthouse facility cash fund commission (commission) is set to repeal on September 1, 2024. The act continues the commission until September 1, 2035. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act appropriates the following amounts for the 2024-25 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, $1,000,000 (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); Support of modeling and data analyses for the upper Colorado river commission's development of operational guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, $500,000 (section 7); Support for the division of water resources' statewide diversion telemetry project, $1,827,500 (section 8); Support of a study update and scenario analyses for groundwater resource goals for the southern high plains designated groundwater basin, $250,000 (section 9); and Support for projects that support drought planning and mitigation, $4,000,000 (section 11). 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, 2024. The CWCB is authorized to make loans from the severance tax perpetual base fund or the CWCB construction fund: In an amount up to $155,650,000 to the Windy Gap firming project (section 12); and In an amount up to $101,000,000 to the northern integrated supply project water activity enterprise owned by the northern Colorado water conservancy district to develop a new regional water supply project (section 13). Section 10 directs the state treasurer to transfer $2,000,000 on July 1, 2024, from the CWCB construction fund to the turf replacement fund to finance the state turf replacement program. Section 14 directs the state treasurer to transfer $20,000,000 on July 1, 2024, from the severance tax perpetual base fund to the CWCB construction fund for the purchase and sale agreement between the Colorado river water conservation district and the public service company of Colorado for the purchase of the water rights associated with the Shoshone power plant. Section 15 appropriates $23,300,000 from the water plan implementation cash fund to the CWCB to fund grants that will help implement the state water plan. Sections 16 and 17 amend current law, under which the state treasurer is directed to make 2 transfers of $2.5 million each from the economic recovery and relief cash fund to the CWCB construction fund. Under current law, the CWCB is required to use the $2.5 million from one of the transfers for the direct and indirect costs of providing assistance to political subdivisions and other entities applying for federal "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" money and other federally available money related to water funding opportunities (water funding purposes). The CWCB is required to use the $2.5 million from the other transfer for issuing grants to political subdivisions of the state or other entities for the hiring of temporary employees, contractors, or both that will assist those political subdivisions and other entities in applying for federal "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" money and other federally available money related to natural resource management (natural resource management purposes). Sections 16 and 17 amend current law by allowing the CWCB, on or after July 1, 2024, to expend money from either of the 2 transfers for either the water funding purposes or the natural resource management purposes. APPROVED by Governor May 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Section 2 of the act allows the owner of a decreed storage water right to loan water to the Colorado water conservation board (board) to preserve or improve the natural environment to a reasonable degree for a stream reach for which the board does not hold a decreed instream flow water right. Current law requires the board to establish an agricultural water protection program for water divisions 1 and 2. Section 3 changes current law by requiring the board to establish an agricultural water protection program in each water division. Current law allows periods of nonuse of a water right to be tolled in certain circumstances for the purposes of determining whether a water right is abandoned. Section 4 changes current law by allowing a water right to be tolled for the duration that an electric utility that owns a water right in water division 6 decreases use of, or does not use, the water right if the decrease in use or nonuse occurs during the period beginning January 1, 2020, and ending December 31, 2050, and if the water right is owned by the electric utility since January 1, 2019 (abandonment exception). Current law requires an owner of a conditional water right to obtain a finding of reasonable diligence or the conditional water right is considered abandoned. Section 5 allows the water judge, in considering a finding of reasonable diligence for a conditional water right that is owned by an electric utility in water division 6 since January 2019, to consider the following as supporting evidence: The conditional water right may be used to support a specific project or potential future generation technologies or concepts that have the potential to advance progress toward Colorado's clean energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals; and The electric utility or another entity has made efforts to investigate or research the viability of future generation technologies that have the potential to advance progress toward Colorado's clean energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. In determining the amount of historical consumptive use for a water right, a water judge is prohibited from considering certain specified uses. Section 6 prohibits the water judge from considering the decrease in use or nonuse of a water right owned by an electric utility in water division 6 since January 1, 2019, which decrease in use or nonuse occurs during the period beginning January 1, 2019, and ending December 31, 2050, in determining the amount of historical consumptive use (historical consumptive use protection). If the water right is leased or loaned by the electric utility to a third party, the water right is not entitled to historical consumptive use protection for the period the water right is subject to the lease or loan. To qualify for historical consumption use protection or the abandonment exception, an electric utility that manages all units of a generating station in water division 6 must file with the water division 6 water court an application seeking quantification of historical consumptive use for the absolute direct flow water rights serving the generating station. The application is a claim for a determination of a water right, and the water division 6 water court has jurisdiction to determine the historical consumptive use for the absolute direct flow water rights serving the generating station. Current law allows the board to approve certain grants related to water conservation and requires the board to establish criteria to require the grant applicant to provide matching funds of at least 25%. Section 8 requires the board to reduce or waive fund matching requirements in the case of a grant to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe or the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. APPROVED by Governor May 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)