Sen. Cleave Simpson

Maddy summarySenate Joint Resolution 25-015 designates a specific portion of Colorado State Highway 58 as the "Officer Evan A. Dunn Memorial Highway." This action honors Officer Evan A. Dunn, a Golden Police Department officer who died in the line of duty. The bill authorizes the Colorado Department of Transportation to accept donations for the initial placement of memorial signs and to explore a cooperative agreement with the City of Golden for their maintenance.

Current law restricts construction defect negligence claims unless the negligence claim arises from a construction defect which results in actual damage to or loss of the use of real or personal property; bodily injury or wrongful death; or a risk of bodily injury or death to, or a threat to the life, health, or safety of, the occupants of the residential real property. Section 1 of the bill changes this restriction so that all construction defect claims are restricted unless the claim arises from a construction defect that causes: Actual damage to real or personal property caused by the violation of a building code, manufacturer's instructions, or industry standard; Actual loss of the use of real or personal property; Bodily injury or wrongful death; or An imminent and unreasonable risk of bodily injury or death to, or an imminent or unreasonable threat to the life, health, or safety of, the occupants of the residential real property. Sections 2 through 12 modify existing warranty of habitability laws by repealing recent updates and reenacting the laws as they were prior to the updates. The modifications include repealing certain procedures for both landlords and tenants when a warranty of habitability claim is alleged by the tenant; repealing a rebuttable presumption that a landlord failed to remedy an uninhabitable premises in certain conditions; modifying requirements regarding notice given to a landlord of an uninhabitable premises; and modifying other laws related to rental agreements, records, and procedures for remedying uninhabitable premises. Section 13 repeals law that allows the attorney general to independently initiate and bring actions to enforce laws relating to the warranty of habitability. Section 14 makes a conforming change to law governing county courts' jurisdiction over cases involving tenant's remedies in warranty of habitability cases and tenant's remedies in cases of unlawful removal. Section 15 modifies the statement included in a summons issued to a defendant in a court proceeding regarding an action for possession brought by a landlord. Sections 16 through 20 repeal provisions related to evictions of residential tenants, including repealing: Requirements that a landlord and residential tenant participate in mandatory mediation prior to commencing an eviction action if the residential tenant receives cash assistance; A prohibition on a law enforcement officer's ability to execute a writ of restitution until 30 days after the entry of judgment if the residential tenant receives cash assistance; Requirements that a written demand include a statement that a residential tenant who receives cash assistance has a right to mediation prior to the landlord filing an eviction complaint; Requirements that a written rental agreement include a statement that current law prohibits source of income discrimination and requires a nonexempt landlord to accept any lawful and verifiable source of money paid directly, indirectly, or on behalf of a person; and Requirements that prohibit a written rental agreement from including a waiver of mandatory mediation or a clause that allows a landlord to recoup any costs associated with mandatory mediation. Sections 21 and 22 require any provision of any energy code adopted by a county or municipality on or after January 1, 2026, to be cost effective. "Cost effective" means, using the existing energy efficiency standards and requirements as a base of comparison, that the economic benefits of the proposed energy efficiency standards and requirements will exceed the economic costs of those standards and requirements based upon an incremental multi-year analysis.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act suspends legislative interim committee activities during the 2025 legislative interim (interim). Specifically, the act: Prohibits the legislative council of the general assembly from prioritizing any requests for interim committees, including task forces, for the 2025 interim; For an interim committee that meets during 2025 interim, limits the number of bills the committee can request to be drafted to 5 and can recommend for introduction to 3; Prohibits meetings, field trips, and legislative recommendations and reports by, and suspends for one year certain reports required to be submitted to, existing interim committees, including the legislative emergency preparedness, response, and recovery committee; legislative oversight committee for Colorado jail standards; statewide health care review committee; Colorado health insurance exchange oversight committee; opioid and other substance use disorders study committee; pension review commission and pension review subcommittee; legislative oversight committee concerning tax policy; and sales and use tax simplification task force; and Prohibits members serving on statutorily created interim committees from receiving per diem and travel expenses for attending interim committee meetings during the 2025 interim except for attendance at a meeting of the wildfire matters review committee, the water resources and agriculture review committee, and the transportation legislation review committee. The act removes the authority of the Colorado youth advisory council review committee to recommend legislation through the interim committee process. The act reduces appropriations made in the legislative department's budget bill by $272,355. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summarySenate Joint Resolution 25-022 is a commemorative resolution concerning the remembrance of the Holocaust. It declares the General Assembly's commitment to remembering the Holocaust and encourages school districts and universities to promote antibias, bullying prevention, and Holocaust and genocide education programs to prevent antisemitic incidents, particularly those targeting Jewish students.

The act provides that the following funds are no longer continuously appropriated for use by the following executive branch agencies and instead are available to be expended by those agencies subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly: The child welfare cash fund for use by the department of human services; The community impact cash fund for use by the department of public health and environment; The accelerated appeal cash fund for use by the board of assessment appeals within the department of local affairs; The mobile home park act dispute resolution and enforcement program fund for use by the division of housing in the department of local affairs; The public safety communications revolving fund for use by the office of public safety communications in the division of homeland security and emergency management in the department of public safety; and The state agency sustainability revolving fund for use by the department of personnel. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $284,167 from the child welfare cash fund to the department of human services for use by the division of child welfare for child welfare licensing. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, the Colorado school of mines (school) has a performance contract with the department of higher education that specifies the measurable performance goals that the school must achieve during the contract's term and authorizes the school's board of trustees to establish resident and nonresident tuition rates. The act repeals this performance contract. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryHouse Joint Resolution 25-1025 is a commemorative resolution by the Colorado General Assembly. It officially recognizes the week of April 6-12, 2025, as National Crime Victims' Rights Week in Colorado. The resolution aims to honor crime victims and those who serve them, and encourages Colorado citizens to seek justice and show compassion for victims.

Maddy summaryHouse Joint Resolution 25-1024 authorizes the installation of a memorial on the State Capitol Grounds to honor the victims of the Sand Creek Massacre of November 29, 1864. The bill designates the former location of the "Union Soldier" statue on the west grounds of the capitol as the appropriate site for this memorial. Its purpose is to respect and memorialize the Cheyenne and Arapaho people and their ancestors, promote cross-cultural understanding, and educate the public about the massacre.

Maddy summaryHouse Joint Memorial 25-1001 serves to memorialize former Representative Rodney Bockenfeld, who passed away on February 13, 2025, at the age of 69. The resolution pays tribute to his years of dedicated public service as both an Arapahoe County Commissioner and a State Representative and extends sympathy to his family.

Maddy summaryHouse Joint Resolution 25-1022 designates May 2025 as "Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month" in Colorado. This resolution, affecting motorcycle riders and all motorists, aims to promote safety through education and training and encourages motorists to "share the road."