An Eye on the Golden Dome: Dispatches from the State Capitol

Update: April 11, 2025, 3:02 pm

Weiser Gets Competition for Democratic Gubernatorial Nod: Sen. Bennet

Colorado’s senior U.S. senator Michael F. Bennet announced Friday that he will run for governor in 2026. 

Bennet, a Democrat who has served in the Senate since 2009, told The Colorado Sun that he is making the move because he thinks he can “create solutions to the challenges that we’re facing economically, as a country and as a state.”

“I think we can address many of the challenges that people are facing — from housing to education to health care and mental health care — and also make Colorado a model for the rest of the country,” the former Denver Public Schools superintendent said in the same interview. 

Bennet will contend for the Democratic nomination with attorney general Phil Weiser. 

If nominated, and then elected in Nov. 2026, Bennet may be able to choose his replacement in the U.S. Senate. That individual would serve until Bennet’s current term expires in January 2029. 

– Hank Lacey

Update: April 9, 2025, 7:30 pm

Colorado Education Commissioner Rejects Federal DEI Certification Mandate

The Centennial State will not be complying with a Trump administration directive to eliminate some diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the state’s public schools. 

Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova told school district leaders in a letter made public Wednesday that the Colorado Department of Education will not collect or submit the certifications requested by the U.S. Department of Education on April 3.​

“I do not feel comfortable signing a certification that binds me to federal guidance that does not have the force of law,” Córdova wrote. “I also do not feel comfortable signing a certification that lacks definitions and clarity around what is or is not prohibited. This is particularly true when those certifications come with the potential consequence of loss of federal funds.”

Córdova explained that the Department of Education believes that the Trump administration did not comply with federal law before communicating the DEI expectation to states. “[T]here is no legal obligation for any entity to sign the April 3 certification because it was not properly approved under a federal law called the Paperwork Reduction Act,” she said. 

She also emphasized that Colorado school districts already provide annual assurances of compliance with Title VI as a condition for receiving federal funds. 

The federal government’s demand purports to require state education agencies and local school districts to sign a certification affirming compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That certification interprets Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit DEI practices that, in the administration’s view, advantage one race over another. 

The administration’s announcement, included in a Feb. 14 letter from the Department of Education’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, warns that noncompliance could result in the loss of federal funding, including Title I funds designated for low-income schools.

“In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families,” according to the official, Craig Trainor. “These institutions’ embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia.”

Many studies, including one in 2024, show that students of color are far more likely to attend schools that are not funded to the same extent as schools dominated by white students. Research also indicates that Black students are the most likely to be expelled, that Hispanic students are least likely to graduate from high school, and that teachers of the same ethnicity or race as their students are most likely to improve academic outcomes for learners. 

The Trump administration’s directive came in the wake of Executive Order 14190, which purports to prohibit K-12 schools from teaching materials considered anti-American or subversive, including those promoting “gender ideology” or critical race theory. It also directs law enforcement to investigate educational institutions suspected of promoting such ideas and to prosecute educators who “unlawfully facilitate” the social transition of transgender minors. 

Executive orders do not bind states, local governments, school districts, or private entities. Instead, they dictate policy within the federal executive branch. ​

Córdova’s stance aligns with that of other state education leaders who have expressed concerns about the federal directive’s legal and procedural validity. California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, and Vermont have also rejected the Trump administration’s DEI removal demand. 

– Hank Lacey

Update: April 9, 2025, 2:54 pm

Colorado House Approves Landmark Expansion of Disability Rights Under State Anti-Discrimination Law

In a move aimed at strengthening protections for Coloradans with disabilities, the state House of Representatives cleared on March 31 a bill that amounts to a sweeping overhaul of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. 

HB 25-1239 passed after a charged floor debate that reflected deep divisions over how to balance civil rights enforcement with the concerns of the state’s business community.

“Nothing about us without us,” said Rep. Andy Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins and the chamber’s speaker pro tempore, referring to disabled Coloradans. “Let’s do this alongside our friends and our neighbors who know this is the right step for our community.”

The legislation, which updates and consolidates remedies for people facing discrimination in housing, public accommodations, and government services, responds directly to recommendations made last year by Colorado’s Task Force on the Rights of Coloradans with Disabilities. That task force was created by the General Assembly in 2022 to identify and address persistent barriers to accessibility and equal treatment across the state.

At the heart of the bill is a provision that restores the right of individuals to seek compensatory damages for noneconomic harm, such as emotional distress, stemming from discrimination. This legal avenue was significantly curtailed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller, which held that emotional damages were not available under certain federal statutes including the Rehabilitation Act and the Affordable Care Act. 

“Discrimination is a harm that Congress and juries have consistently understood as creating emotional distress that can and often does get remedied as part of compensatory damages,” according to an analysis of the Cummings decision published in the Harvard Law Review. The ruling “places the Court on a slippery slope of cases that cut back individuals’ ability to hold federal funding recipients liable for discriminating against federally protected classes.” Another dissection of the Cummings decision, this one by the New York-based law firm Kaufman Lieb Lebowitz & Frick, noted that “[e]motional injury is the primary – and often the only – harm caused by discrimination.”

Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver and a sponsor of the measure, argued that one central purpose of the legislative effort is to be a preventive effort in case Congress weakens the federal Americans with Disabilities Act or a presidential administration cuts back on enforcement of its provision. “This bill is not creating new liabilities,” said Bacon. “In fact, this bill is codifying the requirements of the ADA into state law because, quite frankly, we don’t know where anti-discrimination laws are going in this country.” “If federal civil rights laws are being eroded across the country, we have a duty as a state to fill in those gaps,” added Rep. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins.

According to the bill text, plaintiffs would be entitled to actual damages, attorney fees, and noneconomic damages capped at $50,000 per violation. Statutory fines, adjusted for inflation, would increase from $3,500 to $5,000 — with reductions available if businesses remedy violations promptly. The bill also extends the deadline for filing complaints with the Colorado Civil Rights Division from 60 days to one year, bringing it in line with other discrimination claims under state law.

Supporters framed the bill as a long-overdue recognition of the lived experiences of people with disabilities who continue to face obstacles in public life, despite the ADA being written into the law books for more than three decades.

Former Rep. David Ortiz, a Democrat from Arapahoe County and an armed forces combat veteran, explained that, before he suffered the loss of his legs in war, he could not have imagined the challenges that disabled persons face. “After fighting so hard for these freedoms that others enjoy, it was tough to come home and not be able to get into restaurants,” Ortiz said. “These laws that are currently on the books are a floor. They’re a start to secure basic access.”

Bacon invoked Ortiz’s example during the floor debate on HB 25-1239. “If Ortiz were here, he would be yelling louder than me: ‘You’ve had 35 years to understand what it means for accessibility,’” said Bacon. “We know what it means to build ramps. We know what it means to build bathrooms that are acceptable.”

“The goal is to get them to think about it up front,” Bacon continued, referring to businesses and other places of public accommodation that may not prioritize the need of disabled individuals for access to their facilities. 

Boesenecker echoed that sentiment. “I will continue to listen to folks who have experienced discrimination, folks who have disabilities and who have been denied access to public spaces when the ADA has been law for decades,” he said.

And Democratic proponents of the bill also highlighted the predictability for businesses that would be asked to comply with a toughened state anti-discrimination law. “If anything, businesses are facing less liability than they were before,” said Zokae, referring to the fact that under the ADA and prior to the 2022 Cummings ruling, there was no limit on noneconomic damages in litigation under the federal law.

House Republicans disagreed with the quest to update CADA. They argued that the bill could lead to an increase in lawsuits and impose burdens on small businesses already struggling to navigate complex regulatory environments.

“If you want to put the hurt to small businesses in Colorado, this is the bill for you,” said Rep. Rebecca Keltie, R-Colorado Springs. “They’re not given any chances or choices to be able to fix that before they’re hit with huge fines. That’s wrong.” “This bill, in my opinion, is encouraging more litigation. Our business communities are begging us, ‘Slow down,’” added Rep. Jarvis Caldwell, R-Monument.

Other GOP members of the body argued that a stronger CADA would lead to abuse of the law by plaintiffs. “There’s nobody in our caucus who wants to see discrimination of any type,” Rep. Ty Winter, R-Trinidad, said. “But are we to say there’s not bad actors on both sides?”

Many of the bill’s provisions respond to the findings of the Task Force on the Rights of Coloradans with Disabilities report. That group called for broader remedies under CADA and noted that disability complaints were often dismissed before being heard on the merits due to restrictive procedural rules and a narrow interpretation of damages.

Ortiz said that he does not think that leaving disabled persons with only the option of filing an ADA lawsuit is reasonable. “In order to bring forward litigation it’s a high bar,” he explained. “The ADA, in order to get passed, set it that way on purpose.” Ortiz was likely referring to the federal law’s requirement that employees who face discrimination, including limited or insufficient access at their workplace, must first file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and then obtain that agency’s clearance to pursue a civil lawsuit.

While the task force initially recommended tiered caps on damages and a longer filing period of up to three years, HB 25-1239 reflects legislative compromises, notably the $50,000 cap and a one-year deadline. The measure also authorizes a statutory fine of $5,000 for each violation of CADA. “All we have done is to increase it to account for inflation,” said Zokaie. “It went from $3,500 to $5,000. And we have allowed for a reduction if a defendant were to remedy” a CADA violation. 

The bill is now pending in the Senate, where it is expected to advance with similar support from the large Democratic majority in that chamber. If signed into law, it would mark one of the most consequential updates to Colorado civil rights law in over a decade and serve as a signal that, as Rep. Bacon put it, “We are not going backward.”

The House cleared the bill, 40-24.

— Hank Lacey

Update: April 7, 2025, 7:15 pm

Griswold is Third Democrat to Enter AG Race

The race to be Colorado’s next attorney general got a new contender on Monday.

Jena Griswold, the two-term secretary of state, announced she would run to replace Phil Weiser. Griswold, who lived in Estes Park as a teenager, has been the state’s chief elections officer since January 2019.

A press release touted Griswold’s promise to continue an activist approach to the attorney general role. “I’ll stand up to Donald Trump to protect our rights and freedoms,” she said. “I’ll fight for working- and middle-class Coloradans, hold big corporations accountable, and safeguard our land, air, and water.”

During her tenure as secretary of state Griswold has presided over Colorado’s voting system during a period marked by Donald Trump’s and the Republican Party’s determined efforts to undermine confidence in the American system for casting and counting ballots.

She has worked to increase access to ballot drop boxes, raise the number of Coloradans who are registered to vote, expand voting locations on college campuses and native American tribal lands, and improve access to online tracking of ballots. Griswold also took a leading role in exposing the activities of Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk and recorder who is now imprisoned after being convicted on four felony charges related to illegally accessing voting machines.

Griswold also faced controversy last year when her office accidentally published a password that would have allowed access to election equipment. Republicans demanded Griswold’s resignation in the aftermath of the incident becoming known to the public.

An investigation that Griswold commissioned concluded in December that the passwords were made available online “mistakenly, unknowingly and unintentionally.” The same report also concluded that the secretary of state’s office had not complied with requirements to adequately educate staff to look for hidden information in a spreadsheet and associated metadata and by failing to designate an employee to examine Elections Division documents before posting them on the Internet. 

A Republican state legislator, Sen. Lisa Frizell of Castle Rock, later asked for a state auditor review of the incident. According to a report by Colorado Newsline, that request was defeated in the Legislative Audit Committee. 

Griswold’s candidacy appears to have drawn some significant support within the Democratic party. U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, for example, signaled that he is in her corner. “Jena Griswold will make an excellent Attorney General,” said Crow. Former lieutenant governor Gail Schoettler, state House of Representatives majority leader Monica Duran, and Arapahoe County district attorney Amy Padden have also endorsed her.

Former state House of Representatives speaker Crisanta Duran and Boulder County district attorney Michael Dougherty are also aiming for the Democratic nomination to succeed the term-limited Weiser, who is running for governor.

Duran served in the General Assembly between 2011-2019 and was the first Latina speaker in the state’s history during the 72nd General Assembly. A Boulder native who grew up in Northglenn and Arvada, Duran represented a labor union while in private law practice before entering politics. She served as House majority leader between 2015-2017.

Dougherty was appointed the chief prosecutor of the 20th Judicial District in March 2018. He was elected to the post in November of that year and reelected in 2022. Dougherty, who was a an assistant district attorney in Manhattan for nearly 13 years, has been a prosecutor throughout his legal career. He worked for the Colorado attorney general’s office between 2010-2013 and then as an assistant DA in the First Judicial District.

His campaign is supported by seven other Colorado DAs, four former DAs, four sheriffs, six mayors, and five state legislators. Among them is Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, who represents Estes Park.

— Hank Lacey

Update: April 2, 2025, 10:49 pm

Gas Pump Label Bill Advances to Senate

Colorado’s House of Representatives cleared a bill Wednesday that will require gas stations to place a label warning consumers of the climate risks of fossil fuels on their pumps.

HB 25-1277 would add the requirement to the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, the state’s decades-old flagship law to prevent deception in the market for goods and services.

The text of the required label is specified in the bill. Gas station operators will need to affix labels that state the following: “Warning: Use of this air pollutants and greenhouse gases, known by the state of Colorado to be linked to significant health impacts and global heating, respectively, pursuant to section 25-5-1603, C.R.S..Tampering with this label is a violation of section 18-4-510, C.R.S.”

Sponsors of the measure aim to improve protection of public health, help Colorado attain compliance with air pollution limits under the federal Clean Air Act, and push forward efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The purpose of this bill is to equip our neighbors with knowledge so that they can make decisions accordingly,” said assistant majority leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver. 

Bill co-sponsor Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, argued that the measure fits within a well-established practice of informing consumers about the risks of things they purchase. “People deserve transparency,” she said. “Just as they do with food, tobacco, and other regulated products.”

If enacted into law, the measure will require gas station operators to display the label in a “conspicuous location” on pumps, assure that the label is printed “in black ink on a white background,” and that label exhibit a font size of at least 16 points. 

Bacon explained Tuesday during House debate on the bill that the cost of the label is expected to be minimal. “To purchase the stickers can be done for a cost of less than $3.00,” she said.

The bill’s requirements will also extend to containers that hold gasoline or diesel fuel.

Republicans in the House filed an array of amendments Tuesday in a quest to weaken the bill. Rep. Carlos Barron, R-Fort Lupton, confessed Wednesday that many had been “satirical.” Nevertheless, several GOP representatives insisted during that day’s debate on second reading and again when the House took the measure up Wednesday on third reading that the bill should be altered to also require a warning label on electric vehicle charging stations. 

“Most people don’t know that the electricity that is going through that charging station to your car is coming from a coal power plant,” Barron said during Tuesday’s debate.

Coal is the source of less than a third of the Centennial State’s electricity, according to a 2023 U.S. Energy Information Administration report. 

The House approved HB 25-1277 by a 33-30 vote. The bill now heads to the Senate.

– Hank Lacey

Update: April 1, 2025, 10:23 pm

House Gives Preliminary OK to Bill Giving Tenants Pet Protections

The state House of Representatives pushed forward a bill Tuesday that would limit the authority of landlords participating in the state’s housing subsidy program to forbid pets in rental homes.

Under HB 25-1207, the protection afforded to tenants would be limited to a maximum of cat and a dog, two cats, or two dogs, and landlords could set a lower limit if the size of the rental home justified it. Landlords would be forbidden to proscribe particular breeds or to set a maximum weight that a pet could not exceed.

“There are not enough options for people who need aff housing to be able to house their pets and keep their family together,” said Rep. Javier Mabry, D-Denver, a lead sponsor of the bill. “In the midst of the housing crisis we should be making it easier for people to find housing, not creating unnecessarily restrictive barriers with pet policies.”

Landlords would retain the authority to forbid animals that are a nuisance, dogs that dangerous under C.R.S. § 18-9-204.5, and to require liability insurance. They would also be able to mandate dog leashes and animal waste removal from the property. 

The bill also forbids commercial, homeowner and fire insurance providers from cancelling policies that cover single family and multifamily residential buildings on the basis of a pet dog’s breed. But the bill makes clear that insurers can cancel coverage or decline to renew it if a particular dog at a residence or on site “is known to be dangerous or has been declared to be dangerous” under state law.

Republicans opposed the measure.

“It’s just the step-by-step road to hell with good intentions,” said Rep. Ken DeGraaf, R-Colorado Springs. 

HB 25-1207 must gain final approval in the House before moving on to the Senate.

— Hank Lacey

Update: April 1, 2025, 10:03 pm

Bill to Increase Healthcare Protections for Transgender Individuals Introduced

Colorado legislators have introduced a bill that would ban health insurers from denying coverage of procedures sought by transgender people. 

HB 25-1309 applies to “gender-affirming health care.”

If enacted into law, the measure would place the Centennial State along 16 other states and the District of Columbia with similar statutory mandates.

“A health benefit plan shall not deny or limit gender-affirming health care that is . . . medically necessary, as determined by the physical or behavioral health-care provider who prescribes the gender-affirming health care” and “prescribed in accordance with generally accepted standards of care for the profession,” according to the bill.

The text specifies a broad definition of “gender-affirming health care” and includes 14 specific therapies that insurers must cover. As for “medically necessary,” the bill provides that the term encompasses all treatments that “a physical or behavioral health-care provider has determined” are “necessary for the treatment of gender dysphoria.”

Since 2019 the state has, by a Division of Insurance administrative regulation, mandated that a health insurance provider “shall not . . . deny, exclude, or otherwise limit coverage for medically necessary services, in accordance with generally accepted professional standards of care, based upon a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”

In addition, HB 25–1309 exempts testosterone from Colorado’s program for tracking prescription drug use. 

The measure is sponsored in the state House of Representatives by Reps. Kyle Brown, D-Boulder, and Brianna Titone, D-Arvada. It is carried in the Senate by Democrats Lisa Cutter of Wheat Ridge and Julie Gonzales of Denver.

HB 25-1309 will be heard Wednesday in the House Health and Human Services Committee.

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 31, 2025, 8:52 pm

Colorado Senate Advances Voting Rights Act to Strengthen State-Level Protections

In a move to bolster voter protections amid concerns over potential federal rollbacks, the Colorado Senate gave final approval Monday to Senate Bill 25-001, known as the Colorado Voting Rights Act. The legislation aims to enshrine and expand upon the safeguards provided by the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 within state law. ​

“Electoral systems or practices that deny to race, color, or language minority groups an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice are inconsistent with the right to free and open elections as provided by Section 5 of Article II of the state constitution and protections found in the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the United States Constitution,” according to the bill’s text.

Sponsored by Senator Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, SB25-001 seeks to prohibit election practices that result in disparities in participation among communities of color and other protected groups. Gonzales emphasized the bill’s significance. “The right to vote is under attack by a federal administration testing the limits of its power,” she said in a Senate Democratic Caucus press release. “Generations of brave activists, women, and people of color have fought for the right to vote – and now, it’s our turn.” 

The bill includes numerous provisions aimed at reducing voter suppression and dilution. All aim to “prohibit election practices that create disparities in participation for communities of color and other protected groups,” Gonzales told Colorado Newsline. If it becomes law, the bill’s protections fit generally into these categories:

• Prohibition of Discriminatory Practices: The bill prohibits political subdivisions from actions that lead to voter suppression or dilution, ensuring equitable participation for protected class members.
• Enhanced Language Accessibility: It mandates the provision of multilingual ballots in qualifying municipalities, expanding access for non-English-speaking voters. ​
• Support for Voters with Disabilities: State-funded facilities serving individuals with disabilities are required to display nonpartisan voter information prominently. ​
• Protections for LGBTQ+ Voters: The legislation prohibits voting qualifications based on an individual’s gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. ​
• Establishment of a Statewide Election Database: A new office within the Department of State will collect and maintain election-related data, enhancing transparency and facilitating investigations into potential violations. ​

The bill empowers individuals and organizations to file civil lawsuits alleging violations. The Colorado Attorney General is also authorized to investigate and enforce its provisions. ​

Included in the measure is language that makes clear that local de facto voter discrimination – practices that have the unintended effect of making it harder for some people to vote – is prohibited. 

“A political subdivision shall not act in a manner that results in, will result in, or is intended to result in a material disparity between members of a protected class and other eligible electors in regard to voter participation, access to voting opportunities, or the opportunity or ability to participate in the political process,” according to SB 25-001.

The measure has faced skepticism from the state’s organization for cities and towns. “Colorado’s constitution does not support the bill’s application to municipal elections,” according to a CML position statement on the bill. The organization cites Article 20, Section 6 of the state charter. “Extending state authority over the structure and elections of home rule municipalities, whether via oversight of state or private lawsuits, conflicts directly with the express text of the Colorado Constitution and well-established case law,” CML argued. 

The four Colorado appellate court decisions listed in CML’s position statement do not state the principle asserted by the organization. And it is not clear from the text of the state constitution that the General Assembly lacks any authority to forbid local efforts to discriminate against some voters, or to enact conditions that might cause dilution of a vote or inequitable representation. 

The constitutional provision CML cited provides that “such city or town, and the citizens thereof, shall have the powers set out in sections 1, 4 and 5 of this article, and all other powers necessary, requisite or proper for the government and administration of its local and municipal matters, including power to legislate upon, provide, regulate, conduct and control . . . ”

The provision continues by stating that “[a]ll matters pertaining to municipal elections in such city or town, and to electoral votes therein on measures submitted under the charter or ordinances thereof, including the calling or notice and the date of such election or vote, the registration of voters, nominations, nomination and election systems, judges and clerks of election, the form of ballots, balloting, challenging, canvassing, certifying the result, securing the purity of elections, guarding against abuses of the elective franchise, and tending to make such elections or electoral votes non-partisan in character.”

CML also argued that there is no need for the proposed law and that, if it became law, municipalities might face litigation and financial risks. 

A large coalition of community organizations support SB 25-001, including Colorado Common Cause, League of Women Voters of Colorado, ACLU of Colorado, NAACP of Colorado, Conservation Colorado, Native American Rights Fund, and Center for People with Disabilities. 

Eight states have adopted voting rights legislation. They include California, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington. The growing push for these state laws reflects a trend among cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court of weakening the federal Voting Rights Act’s reach and strength.

SB 25-001 now advances to the Colorado House of Representatives for further consideration. In that chamber the sponsors are Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, and Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder.

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 28, 2025, 9:39 pm

Polis Signs Sexual Assault Civil Case Evidence Shield Law

A bill to protect victims of sexual assault from being confronted with evidence of prior sexual contact with a defendant in a civil case arising from the assault is now law. 

The measure, HB 25-1138, will allow a defendant to introduce evidence about the “source or origin of semen” in order to establish that he did not commit the alleged sexual assault.

In addition, the new law bans civil sexual assault cases from introducing “evidence of the victim’s manner of dress, hairstyle, mode or manner of speech, or lifestyle at the time of, prior to, or subsequent to the alleged offense” in an attempt to prove consent, challenge the victim’s credibility, or question the “existence of extent of damages of harm.”

To get that type of evidence admitted in the case, the defense lawyer must ask for a conference with the trial judge and “make a prima facie showing that the evidence is relevant for an admissible reason and that discovery is likely to rebut the presumption against inadmissibility.” The plaintiff must be given a chance to argue against admission of the evidence.

Those provisions are generally consistent with the state’s criminal case Rape Shield Law.

“From an overarching perspective, this bill protects victims and promotes justice,” said Rep. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, and the lead sponsor of the proposal. “It provides critical updates to Colorado law to ensure that survivors are protected through the legal process.”

Gov. Jared Polis signed HB 25-1138 on March 13. 

The bill’s other lead sponsor in the state House of Representatives was minority leader Rose Pugliesi, R-Colorado Springs. In the Senate it was carried by Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, and Lindsey Dougherty, D-Arvada.

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 27, 2025, 3:54 pm 

State Legislators Form New Outdoor Recreation Group to Advance Shared Goals for Key Economic Sector

Legislators in the state House of Representatives announced on March 5 the formation of a new bipartisan Outdoor Recreation Caucus. Members of both parties attended the first meeting, held the same day, and the group as leadership representing both Democrats and Republicans. 

The new group is aimed at bolstering support at the Capitol for an industry that has an impact of at least $65 billion in Colorado every year. That translates into more than 400,000 jobs. 

“When we were thinking about this caucus, we were thinking about how outdoor recreation is a major economic driver in our state,” Rep. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, told the Summit Daily on March 5. “Also, a lot of what happens within the outdoor recreation industry is really, in my opinion, what makes Colorado, Colorado.”  

Members of the caucus include Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, the speaker of the House. Lukens co-chairs the caucus alongside Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction. 

Lukhens, in an interview today with Estes Valley Voice, said she expects the new caucus to play a role in future legislative debates. “This caucus is new, but exciting,” she said. “I think it fills an important void in our state.” Asked about any specific plans for next year’s legislative session, the Western Slope legislator basically suggested that more information will be forthcoming. “We do not have specific plans for the 2026 legislative session, but we are focused on bills that protect our precious water resources, preserve access to Colorado’s parks and wildlife, support wildfire mitigation efforts, drought protections, and invest in our recreation economies,” she explained. “In rural resort communities like my own, preserving the natural lands Coloradans’ use for work and plan is imperative.”

Asked whether the Outdoor Recreation Caucus would seek to influence federal public land policy, Lukhens said she thinks it will. “Cooperating with the federal administration requires providing a more united coalition and front for Colorado’s wildlife and environmental needs,” she said. “Recently, the Colorado General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution 25-009, Protection of Colorado’s Public Lands, which was supported by 93 of the 100 state legislators. In this resolution, we declared our support for keeping our national public lands in public hands. What this means is preserving public lands through the stewardship of the United States government and the federal land management agencies of the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bureau of Land Management.”

As to whether members of the General Assembly from both parties can be expected to support legislation that advances Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy, Lukhens said she is optimistic that they can. “Regardless of party affiliation, we all care about outdoor recreation and protecting Colorado’s natural wildlife,” she argued. 

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 27, 9:49 am

Colorado Senate Passes Consumer Protection Bill Targeting Hidden ‘Junk Fees’

Colorado lawmakers are closer to a crackdown on deceptive “junk fees” with the Senate’s March 26 approval of a sweeping consumer protection bill that targets hidden costs in housing, dining, and service industries.

House Bill 25-1090 passed the Senate on a 22-12 vote following third reading. The legislation now returns to the House of Representatives, which must decide whether to concur with amendments made by the Senate. If approved, the bill will proceed to Gov. Jared Polis for signature. The new law would take effect January 1, 2026.

The bill requires businesses and landlords to disclose the full cost of goods, services, and rent upfront, including all mandatory charges except government-imposed taxes and shipping fees. It prohibits landlords from billing tenants for services not actually rendered, such as routine maintenance of shared areas, unless expressly permitted by state law.

HB 25-1090 does not ban the fees. Instead, it responds to growing concern about hidden fees that inflate the final price of purchases, confuse consumers, and make it difficult to compare costs between providers. Advocates describe such fees as undermining transparency and allowing businesses to advertise deceptively low prices.

Colorado’s bill parallels efforts at the federal level that were undertaken under former President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s administration. In a January 15, 2025 letter to Polis, Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Samuel Levine called junk fees a threat to market integrity, noting that they “impose substantial economic harms on consumers, impede the dissemination of important market information, and put businesses that do not hide these fees at a competitive disadvantage.”

Levine highlighted recent enforcement actions, including a December 2024 case against Grubhub, which paid $25 million to settle claims by the FTC and the Illinois Attorney General. The company was accused of misleading consumers with low advertised prices and tacking on last-minute service and small-order fees, which reportedly more than doubled the cost associated with some transactions.

The FTC finalized a bipartisan junk fee rule in Dec. 2024. That regulation extends to sellers of tickets for live events and the lodging industry.

Sen. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, a lead Senate sponsor of HB 25-1090, said the bill is meant to restore fairness and clarity. “Opaque or dishonest fees cost Americans up to $90 billion per year, taking an average of $650 annually out of the pockets of working families that could be better spent on household essentials like health care and child care,” said Weissman. “Honest, upfront business owners deserve a fair playing field and consumers deserve price transparency in order to make informed financial decisions.”

The Colorado Center on Law and Policy cited, during testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 19, a Consumer Reports estimate that the average American household pays nearly $3,300 annually in hidden fees, calling the bill an overdue protection for renters and families alike.

“Many working families are already struggling to make ends meet during Colorado’s affordability crisis, and hidden junk fees are making it even harder to get by,” said Chris Nelson, a research analyst for CCLP.

According to a report in Sum & Substance, a Colorado Chamber of Commerce publication, a House committee received testimony in February that tenants sometimes face significant fees imposed by landlords. “Tenants from several apartment properties told committee members they have been forced to pay fees of $150 to $180 a month in addition to their rents for everything from property maintenance to pest control to processing of their checks,” according to the report. 

A March 2023 report by the National Consumer Law Center found that “[j]unk fees add to the already heavy burden that exorbitant rents place on renters, with over 40% of renter households—19 million households—in the United States being ‘cost burdened,’ i.e., paying over 30% of their income on housing costs.” The organization cited survey results indicating that, in Colorado, it is apparently unusual for landlords to “not charge these fees.” 

“To secure and maintain rental housing, renters today typically face a dizzying array of unavoidable fees,” the report concluded. “These junk fees render safe and decent rental housing even more out of reach because renters must pay them on top of sky-high rents.”

Colorado’s efforts are part of a wider movement. A new “Honest Pricing Law” in California took effect in July 2024, banning deceptive drip pricing practices. Minnesota has enacted similar legislation, effective as this past January. Massachusetts implemented new junk fee rules through attorney general regulation earlier this year, while Virginia passed a bipartisan ban on junk fees in February.

Similar laws have been proposed recently in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 25, 2025, 5:35 pm

Senate Clears Gun Bills

The Senate gave final approval Tuesday to two firearms bills.

HB 25-1133, which would bar most minors from obtaining ammunition, was approved, 19-16. 

Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, forcefully urged senators to approve the measure.

“This is a concern that we’ve been hearing from the community for several years,” he said. “I have been told that there’s the individual and there’s the firearm and then there’s the ammunition. If you keep all of those three away from one another, you shouldn’t have a problem. But it’s when they all get together, that’s when we end up with the problems.”  

Sullivan cited a recent example of a gun violence incident in Aurora that involved three teenagers to explain his view of the measure’s importance. “One got killed, one got injured, the third was able to drive them to the hospital,” he said. “Our first question is ‘where did they get the gun?’ Now our question is going to be “where did they get the ammunition?’”

Senators also approved HB 25-1238, a bill to ramp up regulation on gun shows, on a 22-13 vote.

Republican Larry Liston of Colorado Springs expressed worry that the bill will harm the gun show business. “If this bill [passes] it will have a severe dampening effect on the legal honest people who run gun shows,” he said. “They’re not a bunch of crazy nuts. They’re honest citizens, they’re law abiding citizens.”

Sen. Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, urged senators to consider the importance of the bill in preventing firearms-caused deaths and injuries. 

“This is really an effort to take one more step forward to the goal of gun violence prevention and tightening up some guard rails around gun shows,” she said. “The result of this new law will be increased safety and save some lives.”

Both bills will return to the House of Representatives for consideration of amendments added in the Senate.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 25, 2025, 9:44 am

Polis Signs Judges Bill

Gov. Jared Polis signed Monday a bipartisan measure to add judges to various courts around the state.

The bill, SB 25-024, phases in the addition of ten district and five county court judges. Larimer County, which now has five county court judges, will get one of those new county court jurists.

The Fourth, Seventh, Thirteenth, Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-third Judicial Districts, as well as Douglas, Eagle, La Plata, and Mesa counties, will also get new members of the bench.

“Over and over again, we’ve heard from judges, attorneys, victims, and litigants who are hurting from an overburdened court system,” said Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, a lead sponsor of the bill. “Adding 15 new judges to Colorado’s judicial system is a major step forward that will help Colorado fulfill its fundamental duty to provide timely access to justice.”

Chief Justice Monica Márquez asked for more judges during her 2025 State of the Judiciary address, in January. And Rep. Michael Carter, D-Aurora and a lead sponsor in the state House of Representatives, emphasized in a statement issued Monday that the new judges are necessary to preserve the functioning of Colorado’s court system. “When cases are continuously pushed back, victims and their families are delayed justice and innocent Coloradans sit in jail awaiting trial,” he said. 

The bill was also sponsored by Sen. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, and Rep. John Soper, R-Delta. 

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 24, 2024, 10:10 pm

Senate Says Preliminary OK to Gun Show Measure

The Senate gave initial clearance Monday to a bill that would tighten regulation on gun shows.

Among the provisions in HB 25-1238 are a mandate that gun show promoters exclude anyone under the age of 18 years old unless those minors are accompanied by a parent, grandparent, or guardian, language that would obligate gun show promoters to verify that all firearm sales at the show are consistent with a three-day waiting period, and a requirement that gun show promoters carry liability insurance to cover the event. The bill would also demand that gun show promoters and seller participants make sure that visitors cannot access ammunition without assistance from the seller.

“There are no provisions in current law to require the promoter to encourage security of the site or require vendors to comply” with federal and state laws on firearm sales,” Sen. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins and a lead Senate sponsor of the bill, said.

She argued that gun show sellers have been observed selling magazines that hold more bullets than state law allows, ghost guns, and silencers. The latter two are also banned by law.

Sen. Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge and the other lead Senate sponsor of HB 25-1238, argued that the measure responds to longstanding public pressure. 

“Ever since Columbine they have also demanded that we do our job in helping to make sure that gun shows are not skirting the law or held to a different standard,” said Danielson. “This is another step forward there, to tighten any loopholes that might sill exist or at least address some of the glaring ones that are out there.” 

Republicans opposed the bill.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 24, 2025, 9:04 pm

Senate is “Yes” on Ammunition Sales Bill

The state Senate gave preliminary approval Monday to a bill that would increase regulation of ammunition sales in the state.

HB 25-1133, if enacted into law, would generally require that a person be at least 21 years of age to buy ammunition and would also require a seller to verify the buyer’s age by checking a government-issued identification card.

The bill includes several exceptions to the minimum age threshold for buying ammunition that will apply to young adults between the ages of 18 and 20 years. One is for members of the U.S. armed forces or the Colorado National Guard, a second is for those individuals who have Colorado Parks and Wildlife-issued hunter qualifications, and a third includes purchase at a shooting range for use only at the shooting range. The measure also includes a provision of narrow reach that allows individuals who bought a gun while between the ages of 18 and 20 years and before the 2023 law establishing a minimum age to buy a firearm was enacted to buy ammunition for that firearm. 

Shotgun shells are not included in the measure’s definition of “ammunition” and so are not included in the minimum age requirement. 

Individuals who attempt to buy ammunition from online sellers are covered by the bill’s terms. Brick-and-mortar retailers will be required to store ammunition behind a sales counter, in a drawer not accessible to customers, or in a storage room. “Right now you can’t walk into a drug store and buy cold medicine,” Sen. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, a lead Senate sponsor of the measure,” said. “You’ve got to get somebody to help you with that. This seems like a modest proposal.”

“There have been cases at Cabella’s where people are just stuffing their pockets and walking out the door,” Amabile argued. Amabile also pointed to “unattended vending machines,” at which a potential buyer can obtain ammunition through use of a credit card, as an undesirable situation addressed by the bill. “I think anyone who is thinking right can see that is actually problematic,” she said. “The bill will prohibit unattended vending machines.”

The minimum age specified in the bill for ammunition purchases is the minimum age for purchasing a gun, in most circumstances, in the state.

“The conversation around gun violence in this country often centers around firearms and preventing them from falling into the wrong hands,” Sen. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins and the other lead sponsor of the bill, said. “But we rarely discuss the other element of every tragic shooting. It is the ammunition that causes grievous injury to shooting survivors and it is equally responsible for so many deaths.”

“While Colorado has enacted numerous strong laws to help prevent gun violence [that are] focused on access to firearms, serious gaps in our laws remain regarding ammunition,” Kipp added.

Amabile explained that the bill will also protect young people from the possibility of committing a violent act with a firearm that could lead to adverse lifelong consequences.

“We have a huge amount of data that says a young brain is not fully developed yet,” the legislator, who previously represented Estes Park in the state House of Representatives, said. “Young people tend to act irrationally and they do things that they spend the rest of their lives paying for. And that’s wrong for them and it’s also wrong for society.”

“In the United States, the leading cause of death for our youth is gun violence,” Amabile asserted. 

She cited statistics indicating that more than 1.1 million firearms-related youth mortalities happened between 1990 and 2021. “Eighteen-to-twenty year olds commit gun homicides at over triple the rate of adults who are 21 and over,” Amabile argued.

Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling, criticized HB 25-1133 as being unlikely to stop youth from buying ammunition. He argued that teenagers on the Eastern Plains can “drive to Nebraska” to obtain rifle bullets. “That’s going to hurt our small businesses here in Colorado.”

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 21, 2025, 5:40 pm

Senate Clears Consumer Online Contracts Bill

The state Senate has given final approval to SB25-145, the bill that would allow consumers a right to cancel contracts made online via the Internet.

If enacted into law, the measure would specify that “it is unlawful for a person that offers an automatic renewal contract to a consumer in this state to . . . [f]ail to provide a simple, cost-effective, timely, easy-to-use, and readily accessible mechanism for canceling an automatic renewal contract or trial period offer.”

Under the bill, the online seller could comply with that requirement by providing “a one-step online cancellation link to a consumer who consented to the automatic renewal contract or trial period offer through a website or other online medium or through an electronic communication, and the one-step online cancellation link is . . . located on the person’s website or contained in an electronic device or service or an electronic communication made to the consumer; and . . . available to the consumer immediately after the consumer completes a reasonable authentication protocol used solely to confirm that the consumer is authorized to make changes to the account.”

The merchant would also have the option of offering an automatic renewal or continuing a trial period of service or product, but it would also have to give the consumer the same mechanism of accessible electronic cancellation or provide “an in-person mechanism for canceling an automatic renewal contract or trial period offer that is at a physical location where the consumer regularly utilizes any goods or services that are subject to the automatic renewal contract.”

Senators approved the bill, which now moves to the House of Representatives, on Friday by a 29-5 vote.

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 21, 2025, 4:30 pm

House Clears Gun Show Bill

The state House of Representatives gave final approval last Friday to a bill that would tighten regulation of gun shows in the state.

HB 25-1238, if enacted into law, would mandate that gun show promoters exclude anyone under the age of 18 years old unless accompanied by a parent, grandparent, or guardian. It would also require gun show promoters to verify that all firearm sales at the show are consistent with a three-day waiting period and to carry liability insurance to cover the event. The bill would also impose a duty on gun show promoters to assure that ammunition cannot be accessed by visitors without help from the seller.

Gun shows are relatively common in Colorado. A study published in 2022 found that there were 417 held in the state between 2011-2019.

Existing state law obligates gun show sellers to conduct background checks on gun purchasers before selling firearms.

“People use belts and suspenders as a way to secure their pants and their outfits,” bill sponsor Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, said. “We’re doing the same thing when it comes to gun safety policies.”

Joseph explained that the bill aims to improve the security around legal gun sales. “We know that most gun shows are legal, but ultimately there are some gaps in the law,” she said. “All we’re doing is closing that gap.”

Joseph noted that HB 25–1238 is being considered in the General Assembly as the four-year anniversary of the March 22, 2021 Boulder King Soopers mass shooting occurs. She said that her sponsorship of the bill is part of her effort to protect her community.

“I do this work because people in my district died,” she explained in an interview. “I could easily have been one of them. When mass shooters or community members who are having difficulties in their lives and decide they are going to commit a mass shooting, it’s indiscriminate.”

“It is incumbent on all of us, it’s incumbent on me, to do this work on behalf of my community with absolute zeal,” the second-term legislator said Friday. “To be able to do this work, to be down here today, one day before the anniversary of that shooting, it is an honor to do that work. It is an honor to do that for the parents of those victims.”

Representatives approved the measure March 14 by a 34-30 vote. It is now pending in the Senate.

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 21, 2025, 3:25 pm

Wallace is New State Senator

The state Senate welcomed a new member Friday as a newly-appointed member from District 17 was sworn in.

Katie Wallace of Longmont will serve the remaining portion of the term to which Sonja Jaquez Lewis, D-Lafayette, had been elected in 2024. Wallace was a staffer to former U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, an aide in the General Assembly, and a political organizer.

She will be one of 22 members of the General Assembly this year, or more than one in five, who gained their seats as a result of being selected by a political party vacancy committee.

Jaquez Lewis, who was first elected to the Senate in 2020 after serving a single term in the state House of Representatives, resigned Feb. 18 amidst an ethics inquiry.

Senate District 17 includes Erie, Lafayette, and Longmont.

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 20, 2025, 5:23 pm

Senate Advances One-Step Cancellation Bill for Online Auto-Renewals

The Colorado Senate on Thursday advanced a bill that would require businesses offering automatically renewing contracts to allow consumers to cancel those agreements online through a direct, single-step process.

Senate Bill 25-145, sponsored by Sen. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, won approval on second reading. The proposal would amend Colorado’s automatic renewal statute by mandating that any company offering such contracts online also provide a cancellation method that matches the signup method in simplicity and accessibility.

Supporters of the measure said it responds to growing frustration with so-called “subscription traps” – digital contracts that are easy to begin but difficult to end. “One-step online cancellation,” as defined in the bill, means an immediate and unobstructed method, prominently displayed on the business’s website or app, that does not require navigating additional prompts, logging in again, or contacting customer service.

Under current law, companies must disclose automatic renewal terms and provide at least one cancellation method, but nothing requires them to match the cancellation channel to the signup channel. SB25-145 would close that gap.

The bill includes provisions for situations in which a business offers a “save offer”—a discount or incentive to stay subscribed—during the cancellation process. If the company presents such an offer, it must also simultaneously display a cancellation link that is continuously accessible and located next to the offer. If the consumer clicks the link, then the bill would require that cancellation be immediate.

The measure would apply to contracts entered into or renewed on or after its effective date. It authorizes the Colorado Attorney General to adopt rules to implement and enforce the new requirements.

If SB25-145 is enacted, Colorado would join a growing list of states that have imposed stricter standards on businesses offering auto-renewing services. California law requires that companies provide immediate online cancellation for subscriptions initiated online, with no requirement that users speak to a representative. Delaware and Illinois likewise mandate that online contracts include an option for digital cancellation. Vermont permits termination by email for electronically accepted agreements.

These statutes reflect a broader national effort to align consumer protection laws with digital commerce practices, especially as more transactions shift to app-based and subscription-based models.

SB25-145 now awaits a third-reading vote in the Senate. If passed, it will move to the House of Representatives.

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 19, 2025, 5:42 pm

Colorado Attorney General: Equal Opportunity Programs Still Legal Despite Federal Orders

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser released a public advisory Wednesday aimed at clarifying that programs promoting equal opportunity in hiring, education, and public life remain legal—despite two recent federal executive orders that have caused confusion about their future.

The advisory responds directly to Executive Orders 14151 and 14173, issued in January, and to a February 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education. Together, those federal actions instructed agencies to stop funding equity-oriented programs and to require contractors and grantees to certify that they do not operate so-called “illegal DEI” initiatives.

“These Executive Orders…claim that DEI is illegal, yet the Executive Orders do not define the term ‘DEI,’” Weiser argued. “Unless such actions violate the Constitution or other statutes or regulations, they are lawful.”

Weiser’s advisory underscores that many diversity, equity, and inclusion programs remain well within the bounds of existing anti-discrimination laws. It affirms that organizations may continue using race-neutral strategies to foster inclusive workplaces and schools—such as pipeline programs, mentorship, and inclusive hiring practices – so long as they avoid quotas or decisions based on protected characteristics.

The statement also explains what the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, issued in June 2023, does and does not do. That decision barred the explicit use of race as a factor in college admissions, but did not outlaw all DEI efforts.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling . . . does not establish the illegality of all efforts to advance diversity, equity, or inclusion,” Weiser wrote.

In that case, the Court found that Harvard’s and the University of North Carolina’s use of race in admissions decisions violated the Equal Protection Clause. But the ruling applied only to how institutions of higher education use race in admissions and did not extend to workplace policies or government-funded programming more broadly.

The advisory points out that employers and educational institutions can lawfully implement programs that expand opportunity for underrepresented groups, provided those programs do not result in differential treatment based on race, gender, or other protected traits.

“Best practices such as these remain lawful,” the advisory notes, and Weiser encouraged organizations not to abandon inclusive practices out of fear or misunderstanding of the federal actions.

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 19, 2025, 4:38 pm

Colorado House Approves Compromise on Tipped Minimum Wage Bill

The Colorado House of Representatives approved Wednesday a revised version of House Bill 25-1208, ending weeks of debate over how much discretion cities and counties should have when setting wages for tipped workers.

The 44–20 vote followed controversy over a prior version of the bill, which would have required local governments with higher minimum wages to reduce the base pay for tipped workers by allowing employers to claim a larger tip offset. Under current state law, the offset – set at $3.02 per hour – has remained fixed since 2006, even as some cities have adopted local wage floors that exceed the statewide minimum.

As introduced, HB-1208 would have mandated that municipalities raise their local tip offset in proportion to any local minimum wage increase. In Denver, for example, the offset would have jumped to $7.02, which would in turn have cut the base hourly wage for tipped workers from $15.79 to $11.79. Full-time employees stood to lose more than $7,000 in annual base pay, according to estimates reported by Colorado Newsline.

Facing resistance from labor unions, worker advocacy groups, and local elected officials, sponsors of the bill amended it significantly. The final House version now gives home-rule cities and counties the option, but not the obligation, to raise their tip offset when setting a local minimum wage. Nothing in the amended bill requires them to reduce base wages for tipped workers.

While supporters of the original proposal said it would help restaurants manage labor costs, critics said the plan shifted financial pressure onto workers who depend on a combination of base pay and gratuities. The revised version, backers said, reflects a pragmatic balance of those concerns.

“If the mark of a good compromise is that both sides leave dissatisfied, this amendment is a total banger,” said Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver, a co-sponsor of the bill and a leading voice behind the changes, according to Colorado Newsline.

Under Colorado law, tipped workers may be paid less than the full minimum wage if their combined hourly earnings—including tips—match or exceed that minimum. HB-1208 does not alter that basic rule, but it does authorize local governments to adjust how much of that minimum wage may be offset by tips.

HB-1208 now advances to the Senate, where it has been assigned to the Local Government and Housing Committee. Lawmakers there are expected to weigh the compromise in the coming weeks.

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 18, 2025, 4:02 pm

Democratic AGs challenge State Department move on passports

Twelve Democratic attorneys general say a proposed State Department rule that would bar nonbinary Americans from accurately identifying their gender on passport applications is unlawful, unscientific, and harmful—and have called on the federal government to withdraw it.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser was not among the signatories of the March 17 letter opposing the change. Lawrence Pacheco, a spokesperson for Weiser, told the Estes Valley Voice that the office was unaware of the letter. The spokesperson said Weiser “has long supported policies that allow Americans to obtain a passport that accurately reflects their gender.” Weiser has previously taken legal action to support recognition of nonbinary gender markers.

The comment letter, sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, objects to implementation of Executive Order 14168, issued by former President Donald Trump on January 20. That order directs federal agencies to define sex “based on the immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth.”

At issue is the U.S. Department of State’s plan to remove the “X” gender marker option from passport forms and instead require that applicants choose only “M” or “F,” consistent with their assigned sex at birth. The attorneys general, led by Massachusetts attorney general Andrea Campbell and New York’s attorney general Leticia James, argue that this approach disregards the laws of more than a dozen states—including Colorado—that permit nonbinary designations on state-issued IDs and birth certificates.

“These unjustified changes serve only to push transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals out of society,” the officials wrote.

They also asserted that the rule would undermine international travel norms and may violate the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection. Colorado’s top law enforcement officer has not taken a public position on the State Department’s proposed rule.

Weiser, however, “will continue to defend the rights of individuals to select a non-binary gender designation on U.S. passports,” said Pacheco. He pointed to the attorney general’s 2019 amicus brief in Zzyym v. Pompeo, a case brought by an intersex Coloradoan denied a passport with an “X” marker.

The letter was also signed by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Hawai’i, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 17, 2025, 3:27 pm

Senate Confirms First Members of New Judicial Discipline Panel

The state Senate confirmed Monday the first members of the new Independent Judicial Discipline Adjudicative Board, a panel established by the voters last autumn when they approved Amendment H.

Legislators approved the nominations of Laura Ellis, a Denver-based lawyer; Colleen McManamon of Centennial, a paralegal; former U.S. magistrate Kristin Mix; and U.S. Air Force veteran and former Aurora City Council candidate Leanne Wheeler.

Sen. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, explained that the General Assembly’s effort to respond to the state’s recent judicial scandal led to a discovery that the system for holding jurists to ethical demands had become out of date. “We found it was a little bit lacking and had fallen out of best practices over the decades, as things are prone to change over that period of time,” he said. “So what the independent judicial discipline adjudicative board does is it creates a little bit more separation compared to the former system.”

“Formerly, we had a little bit of an awkward situation, where a complaint might be made about the ethical conduct of a judge, and that was really resolved sort of within the four corners of the judiciary itself,” Weissman continued.

Amendment H, approved by nearly three-fourths of voters in the November 2024 election, gained the voters’ nod following reporting by the Denver Post that disclosed the granting of a contract worth about $2.75 million to a former state court administrator as a settlement after that employee left employment in the judicial branch in March 2019. The Post reported that the ex-employee, former chief of staff Mindy Masias, was alleged to have damaging information about judges.

The state auditor later concluded that two judicial branch employees, including Masias, earned fees for consulting and speaking to an outside group while obligated to be at their jobs in Colorado’s government. That investigation also found that Masias and Chris Brown, a former human resources director in the state judiciary, awarded the highest settlement in 17 years – $143,000 – to settle a potential claim by a person who left the judicial branch’s employment.

The then-chief justice of the state supreme court, Nathan B. Coats, was later censured on grounds that he “displayed a lack of attention to the dysfunctional and toxic operations of the State Court Administrator’s Office and made no effort to intervene.”

“I hope that there are few instances where you must convene,” said Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver. “But when trust is broken, it takes time to rebuild, and that trust can be broken very quickly. And so it is in that vein that we wanted to take a moment to bring your attention to the challenges that apparently still remain.”

Gonzales lamented that another effort by the General Assembly to address the judiciary crisis has not yet reached fruition. “We also passed a piece of legislation, HB 23-1205, to establish an office of judicial ombudsman to ensure that if workers within the judicial branch, or . . . people who are navigating our court system . . . would be able to have an office and a group of individuals to help them navigate these incidents,” she said. “Colleagues, that office was never set up.”

The Colorado Sun reported March 13 that, even though the legislature appropriated $400,000 for the new independent agency, no one established it. “This independent agency does not exist,” the Sun quoted Craig Harper, the legislative budget staff director, as saying in testimony before the Joint Budget Committee. “There’s no staff. There’s no one (that has) been hired.”

Gov. Jared Polis’ nominees to the IJDAB were unanimously approved.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 14, 2025, 5:05 pm

New Law Requires Local Governments to Assure Changes to Development Codes Comply with ADA

Colorado has a new law in place that will require municipalities and counties, when updating development codes in the future, to assure that disabled people have access to buildings in a manner consistent with federal law.

HB 25-1030 is the culmination of an effort to make the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act more accessible to builders and other construction contractors. “The ADA has its own set of requirements,” said Jack Johnson, a lawyer and lobbyist with Disability Law Colorado. “If we’re talking about your places of public accommodation and your multifamily housing or your government buildings or whatever, there is a specific criteria for that. If I’m an architect or builder, what I’m supposed to be looking at is both the federal laws and my local building codes. And what happens often is that, because the local building codes are kind of the primary driver of what you’re reviewing as an architect, of what you’re building as a builder, sometimes things get missed.”

Johnson added that accessibility problems in new and renovated buildings remain common.

“The ADA is highly technical and extensive, and so all it takes is one person making one mistake in a large building,” he said. “We’re talking, you know, your three-story town halls, your apartment complexes, your big stuff. And one doorway, one time, makes that building non-compliant. And I would say it is very common. I can walk into buildings and, even while they’re being built, I can identify ADA violations, because ADA is hard. I mean, it is very technical in that one small change can make something inaccessible.”

Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, and the primary sponsor of the bill, said that its provisions will likely make a significant difference in communities that are not on the Front Range.

“If you live on the Front Range, you will have many amenities if you can afford it,” Joseph explained. “But as you go further into rural areas it is very different. I do believe this bill will create uniformity regardless of where you live around the state.”

Single-family homes are exempt from the new law’s reach, but multi-family residential structures and commercial buildings are covered. “If you’re someone who is living in an apartment complex or in a denser area you will have that safety,” said Joseph. She added that the law’s scope will particularly benefit people of less economic means. “We know that people who live in denser properties tend to be working people or who are not as wealthy.”

Municipalities and counties will need to comply with the new law only when they revislocal development codes beginning in 2026. “For the most part, local governments are adopting new codes every three to five years,” said Johnson. “You’re your high-resource governments, like the city of Denver, I think, update them fairly rapidly to meet the International Building Codes. Your smaller local governments may wait a longer period of time before they go go through these code reviews and updates.”

There is no deadline in the law by which governments must update their development codes to reflect ADA standards. “That’s really important, because you have some counties or cities that are smaller,” Johnson explained. “They may not update their code frequently, and updating the code is an expensive process that requires your city attorney and your county attorney, and, you know, all of the buy-in from your builders. To mandate that on a blanket timeline, I think would be difficult for some cities and counties to meet.”

The International Building Code generally sets criteria for best practices in construction and the new law “requires local governments to adopt or amend local building codes to meet or exceed these necessary international building code accessibility standards.”

Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera signed HB 25-1030 into law on Mar. 11.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 14, 2025, 1:52 pm

Film Business Tax Credit Measure, Aimed at Luring Sundance Festival, Heads to Polis

The film festival industry tax credit bill (HB 25-1005) has gained final approval in the House and is on the way to Gov. Jared Polis, who is expected to sign it into law.

Representatives voted 43-17 to support the measure. Rep. Leslie Smith, D-Boulder, and Estes Park’s member of the House, voted “aye.”

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 13, 2025, 8:56 pm

Teacher Apprentice Program Established by Lege in 2023 to Begin

Colorado is moving to implement a teacher apprenticeship program that will allow aspiring educators to earn a degree and license while working in some of the state’s classrooms. 

A Thursday announcement by the Colorado Department of Education said that the state Board of Education signed off on a proposal to start the program in five districts.

“Participants who complete the program will earn a bachelor’s degree, qualify for licensure, and have the option to receive endorsements in early childhood education, elementary education, and special education,” according to a news release.

The program was authorized by the General Assembly in 2023 in a bill sponsored by Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland. The measure that did so, SB23-087, specified that a teacher apprentice can work in a traditional public school, a Board of Cooperative Services program, or a charter school. 

Participants are generally expected to complete the program in four years, but two extensions of two years each are available.

CareerWise Colorado will run the program. Those who participate can become certified to teach at the early childhood level or in the elementary grades or become a special education teacher. 

The districts that have agreed to provide the pathway to potential teachers are Bayfield, Garfield RE-2 in Rifle, Garfield 16 in Parachute, Harrison 2 in Colorado Springs, and Morgan County. 

– Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 13, 2025, 6:46 pm

Judges Bill Gets lnitial Pass in House

The House gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill that, if enacted, would add additional judges to state courts.

SB 25-024 would provide additional judges in ten judicial districts and on county courts in Larimer, Douglas, Eagle, La Plata, and Mesa counties. Larimer County will get one more county judge.

The fortifications to the state’s trial courts will happen over the next two years.

The bill will head to the governor if the House clears it on third reading.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 12, 2025, 4:33 pm

House Pushes Natural Gas Bill Forward

The House has given preliminary approval to a bill that would require the state’s Public Utility Commission to impose tighter regulations to prevent natural gas pipeline leaks.

HB 25-1280 would mandate adoption of advanced leak detection technology rules by Nov. 1, 2025. The measure expands on significant legislation enacted in 2021 that aimed to reduce the incidence of pipeline accidents.

“Improving pipeline safety is the right move for our communities, and this bill requires the state to adopt important rules on pipeline leak detection,” said Rep. Leslie Smith, D-Boulder, who represents Estes Park.  

The bill passed second reading on Wednesday.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 12, 2025, 4:25 pm

Sundance Bill Moving

The state House of Representatives advanced today a bill to provide a tax credit aimed at attracting the Sundance Film Festival, which may move from its current home in Park City, Utah.

HB 25–1005 was approved on second reading.

Majority leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, lauded the move. “If Boulder is selected as the next location for the Sundance Film Festival in 2027, our small businesses, restaurants and hotels will benefit from the boost in tourism,” she said. “This bill helps strengthen Colorado’s reputation as a destination for the arts and will create new jobs in our state.”    

Under the bill Colorado would grant $3-5 million per year in tax incentives to the large film festival industry. Those tax credits would last through 2036.

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival attracted more than $100 million in spending by out-of-state visitors to Park City, according to a recent report, and increased the Beehive State’s gross domestic product by $132 million.

The state would lose about $34 million in potential tax revenue if the measure becomes law.

HB 25-1005 must be cleared on third and final reading in the state House of Representatives before moving on to the Senate.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 11, 2025, 3:43 pm

House Approves Landlord-Tenant Bill on Vouchers, Expansion of Fair Housing Law

The state House of Representatives gave final approval Tuesday to a bill that overhauls some requirements for landlords, including those participating in the state’s rental housing subsidy program.

Under HB 25-1240, landlords would need to provide 30 days notice, up from 10 days, for rent demands and before commencing an eviction proceeding. That aspect of the bill codifies similar provisions enacted under federal law in 2020. 

The measure, if it becomes law, will also allow tenants to receive reimbursement in an amount equivalent to financial harm caused by proven landlord violations of the warranty of habitability. 

“The general assembly finds that . . . [a]ccess to stable and affordable housing is a fundamental right,” the bill provides. “Housing should not be denied based on a person’s income source.”

Language in the measure will, if it clears the General Assembly and is signed by Gov. Jared Polis, amend the state’s unfair housing practices law. Those provisions of the bill say that a landlord’s failure to make reasonable efforts to respond to requests for information necessary to complete a rental assistance application, or a failure to cooperate with tenants and state rental assistance administrators about those applications, violates that law.

Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood and a lead sponsor of the bill, said the bill is aimed at reducing the chances that tenants lose their housing. “I think we can all agree that one of our goals in the housing space is to keep people housed, to move people out of homelessness and to reduce evictions,” she said. “This bill just helps to give a little bit of grace in th[e] laws related to the discrimination people face when trying to use a voucher to stay in housing.”

Republicans attacked the measure as an effort to demonize landlords and drive them out of the rental housing space. “The landlords will raise the rent or they’re going to increase their fees,” said Rep. Dan Woog, R-Erie. “All of these bills create death by 1000 paper cuts.”

HB 25-1240 was approved, 37-22, and now heads to the Senate.

Update: Mar. 10, 2025, 6:23 pm

Tax Credit Measure Gains Committee Approval

A key state House of Representatives committee approved Friday a bill that would grant tax credits for the film festival industry.

The chamber’s appropriations panel cleared HB 25-1005, 8-2. If enacted into law, the measure would establish two tax credits.

The first, for which any global film festival that sells 100,000 tickets to an annual event held in Colorado could qualify, would be limited to an aggregate of $34 million and be available, if a film festival is held in Colorado, during tax years 2027-2036 in the amounts of $4 million in 2027 and 2028, $5 million in 2029, and $3 million in the remaining years.

The second would apply to existing or smaller film festivals and would be limited to $500,000 each year between 2027-2036.

A fiscal note prepared on the bill by the Colorado Legislative Council estimates that the tax credits could reduce state revenues by about $39 million during the period they are in effect.

The House Appropriations Committee action was the third related to HB 25-1005 by a House panel. The House as a whole is scheduled to consider the bill on Tuesday.

Boulder is under consideration as a site for the Sundance Film Festival, which is currently housed in Park City, Utah.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 10, 2025, 6:10 pm

Smith Bill on NIL Disclosure Heads to Senate

Legislators in the Senate gave a committee green light to a bill that would modify existing state regulation name, image, and likeness compensation for athletes at Colorado’s public universities and colleges.

HB 25-1041, sponsored by Estes Park’s state Rep. Leslie Smith, D-Boulder, is now headed to the Senate floor. The measure would forbid covered colleges and universities from interfering with a student athlete’s engagement of an agent, explicitly authorizes NIL payments, and exempts “personally identifiable information” of athletes in Colorado Open Records Act responses that relate to NIL payments.

HB 25-1041 requires public colleges and universities in the state to submit an annual report, similar to that already filed with the National Collegiate Athletic Association or other college sports regulatory body, that includes data about NIL expenditures broken down by sex.

The bill will now be considered on the Senate floor. The House cleared HB 25-1041 Feb. 18 on a 59-1 vote.

—- Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 10, 2025, 6:02 pm

New State Holiday Coming?

Colorado may soon get a new state holiday. The House gave final approval Monday to a bill that would establish American Indian Recognition Day within the Centennial State. The measure received wide bipartisan support, passing on a 50-10 vote.

HB 25-1266 now heads to the Senate.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Mar. 10, 2025, 5:50 pm

Landlord-Tenant Bills Common at Halfway Point of Session

The General Assembly has reached the halfway point of its 120-day session and bills are beginning to reach the floors of both chambers in significant numbers.

On Monday the House of Representatives gave initial approval to a measure that would limit to $20 the late fee that residential landlords charge tenants who are tardy in paying rent. That bill, HB 25-1240, also clarifies landlords’ obligations to maintain the habitability of residences and establishes a minimum $5,000 civil penalty for violations.

Legislators across the Capitol considered another landlord-tenant bill Monday as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee cleared a bill that would give the state and local governments power to enforce landlord-tenant laws. SB 25-020 also authorizes the attorney general, as well as county and municipal governments, to apply to a court for a receiver to operate a multi-family residential property in the event of serious or uncorrected violations of law. The bill must now be considered in the Senate’s Appropriations Committee.

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 7, 2025, 8:52 pm

Colorado Senate Approves Bipartisan Bill to Expand Veterinary Education Access

In a move aimed at addressing Colorado’s growing shortage of veterinary professionals, the state Senate has passed House Bill 25-1131. The bipartisan legislation seeks to eliminate an admission cap at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.​

“When our state is facing a shortage of veterinarians, any student who wants to jump-start their careers at CSU’s first-rate College of Veterinary Medicine should be able to,” said Sen. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, the bill’s sponsor. “This bill would expand access to veterinary education and address Colorado’s veterinarian shortage, especially in rural communities feeling the shortage the most.”​

Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling, co-sponsored the measure. 

CSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, ranked as the nation’s second-best veterinary school, collaborates closely with the university’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The school has about 600 students in its veterinary and other professional programs each year. 

By removing enrollment limitations, HB 25-1131 aims to make veterinary education more accessible. The state faces a veterinarian shortage and the measure should provide some means to address it.

The bill now awaits Gov. Jared Polis’s signature to become law.​

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 7, 2025, 7:46 pm

Senate Unanimously Advances Civil Shield Law for Sexual Misconduct Survivors

The Colorado Senate voted 34–0 on Thursday to pass a bill that would expand civil court protections for survivors of sexual misconduct by limiting the use of evidence about a victim’s appearance, behavior, or sexual history.

House Bill 25-1138, sponsored in the Senate by Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada, and Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, would bring the evidentiary rules in civil sexual misconduct lawsuits in line with protections long established in criminal prosecutions. The measure is part of a broader national trend toward closing what advocates call a legal gap in how survivors are treated depending on the type of court action they pursue.

Rape Shield Laws, which bar or severely restrict the use of a victim’s past sexual conduct to prove consent or character, are now common in all 50 states for criminal cases. Colorado’s criminal code has included such provisions for decades. Congress added a similar protection to federal law in 1994 through the Violence Against Women Act, which imposed strict limits on the use of such evidence in federal criminal trials. But many states, including Colorado, still allow broader questioning about a victim’s past in civil court – something HB 25-1138 aims to change.

The legislation would bar admission of evidence about a victim’s hairstyle, manner of speech, lifestyle, or clothing in civil actions related to sexual misconduct. It would also prohibit introduction of a victim’s prior sexual conduct, regardless of whether it involved the defendant, unless a judge finds the evidence relevant and permits it after a private review.

“Survivors who bravely come forward deserve to know that irrelevant details—like their clothing, hairstyle, or past sexual history—will not be used against them,” said Daugherty. “By preventing the use of these unrelated details in civil cases, we can protect survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.”

The bill follows a 2024 law that extended Colorado’s criminal rape shield protections by clarifying that courts may not admit evidence about a victim’s past sexual activity with the defendant, nor use details such as clothing choice to infer consent.

HB 25-1138 now moves to Gov. Jared Polis, who is expected to sign it into law.

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 6, 2025, 10:37 am

House Panel Backs Bill to Repeal Obsolete Same-Sex Marriage Ban

The state House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted late Wednesday evening to advance a bill that would repeal Colorado’s unenforceable statutory ban on same-sex marriage, a step lawmakers say will bring state statutes into alignment with constitutional changes approved by voters last fall.

Senate Bill 25-014, titled the Protecting the Freedom to Marry Act, would strike statutory language defining marriage solely as between one man and one woman – a provision rendered unenforceable by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges but still on the books.

Last November the state’s voters approved Amendment J, which guarantees in Colorado the right to marry regardless of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The adoption of the constitutional amendment makes statutory language defining marriage in heterosexual terms legally obsolete.

Reps. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, and Lorena Garcia, D-Unincorporated Adams County, both sponsors of the bill, said the measure reflects voter support for marriage equality and responds to ongoing threats to LGBTQ+ rights. “Coloradans overwhelmingly support the freedom to marry who we love,” said Titone. “This bill implements the will of the voters.” “In an era where the Trump administration is rolling back critical protections for the LGBTQ+ community, Colorado is standing up to protect marriage equality in our state,” Garcia added.

The bill now awaits a second reading and then, if it clears that stage, a final vote in the full House. It would then move on to the state Senate.

– Hank Lacey

Update: March 5, 2025, 11:04 pm

Bill to Enforce Voter-Approved Abortion Protections Clears Senate Panel

A state Senate committee has approved legislation to carry out the will of Colorado voters who, in November, added abortion rights to the state constitution and removed a longstanding restriction on public funding for the procedure.

Senate Bill 25-183 advanced Wednesday on a 5-2 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“Amidst a dangerous national landscape, we have worked hard to ensure that Colorado is a beacon for access to safe and affordable reproductive health care,” Sen. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada, said. “Last November, Coloradans resoundingly voted to build on that work and permanently protect the fundamental right to abortion care in our state’s constitution.”

If SB 25-183 becomes law, it would require state agencies to align public insurance coverage rules with the provisions of Amendment 79. That amendment, adopted by nearly 62 percent of voters, not only affirmed a constitutional right to abortion. It also explicitly prohibits discrimination in access to reproductive health care, including through insurance exclusions.

Under the measure approved by the Senate committee Wednesday the state’s Department of Health Care Policy and Financing would be required to authorize Medicaid reimbursement for abortion care, eliminate exclusions from state employee health plans, and operate other programs that receive public money to cover abortion services beginning in 2026.

DHCPF would need to promulgate new rules in time for the measure’s effective date of Jan. 1, 2026. 

Employer-furnished health insurance plans would be required to cover abortion services unless “providing the coverage conflicts with the employer’s sincerely held religious beliefs,” according to the bill.

Daugherty and the bill’s other lead sponsor – Democrat Robert Rodriguez of Denver, the Senate majority leader – framed the measure as a straightforward implementation of what voters clearly endorsed.

“Colorado voters have once again reaffirmed their support for freedom to make decisions about their bodies and their futures,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “Our state has a long history of standing up for reproductive health care freedoms, and this represents another chapter in that story. I am honored to sponsor this legislation that implements the will of the voters.”

Colorado has long stood apart from neighboring states by protecting access to abortion. In 1967 the state decriminalized abortions that were obtained in the aftermath of a rape or incest, if the fetus exhibited an abnormality, and when a pregnancy could result in a woman dying or becoming permanently physically disabled.

Six years later the U.S. Supreme Court held, in Roe v. Wade, that access to abortion during the first trimester of a pregnancy is a constitutional right. But in 2022, the high court ruled that there is no federal constitutional protection of a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy. 

The campaign to adopt Amendment 79 began shortly afterward. That provision of the state constitution repeals a 1984 provision in the charter that prohibited public funding for abortion.

SB 25-183 will make its next stop in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

— Hank Lacey

Update: March 4, 2025, 10:22 pm

Colorado Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Increase College Support for Students with Disabilities

The Colorado Senate unanimously approved Tuesday a measure aimed at improving support services for students with disabilities at the state’s public institutions of higher education. Sponsored by Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, who represents Estes Park, the legislation seeks to ensure that students with disabilities receive consistent and comprehensive assistance throughout their academic careers.​

“Higher education is the key to success for so many, and every student at a Colorado university and college deserves the chance to succeed, regardless of a disability,” said Marchman in a Senate Democratic Caucus press release. “This bipartisan bill would enable students, faculty, and administration to work together to expand access to critical disability resources, give students more agency over their education, and save Colorado families time and money.” ​

SB25-087 mandates that all public colleges and universities in Colorado develop and implement a written policy that describes the process used to determine a student’s eligibility for academic adjustments. According to the bill, the term “‘academic adjustment’ means modifications to academic requirements to ensure equal educational opportunities and does not include changes that fundamentally alter the content of academic programs.”

College students who benefited from an Individualized Education Plan during their K-12 education experience will not necessarily be entitled to academic adjustments at state universities and colleges. “The IEP does not automatically qualify a student with a disability for the same accommodations in higher education if the IEP lacks relevant diagnostic details or does not describe how the student’s disability limits one or more major life activities,” the bill provides.

A similar constraint applies to Section 504 plans from which a student may have gained benefit during her or his K-12 school years.

The measure also outlines the documentation that colleges and universities may request to assess student eligibility, specifies how they must provide information on available disability resources and academic adjustments, and sets up a grievance procedure for students who dispute decisions made by the institution regarding accommodations. ​

Each institution would be required to make information about the new state-mandated disabled student accessibility policy available “in accessible formats to applicants, students, parents, and faculty during the application process, orientation, in academic catalogs, and on their websites,” according to the Senate Democratic Caucus.

The measure now moves to the Colorado House of Representatives for further consideration. If enacted, the new requirements would take effect prior to the 2026–27 academic year.

– Hank Lacey​

Update: Feb. 19, 2025, 10:33 pm

U.S. Sen. Bennet Attacks Federal Job Cuts

Colorado’s senior U.S. senator sharply criticized the Trump administration’s firing of U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service employees in a Senate floor speech Wednesday.

Democrat Michael Bennet called the termination of those federal civil service workers an “insult to Colorado and all Americans.”

“The Forest Service employees throughout the West are fundamental to our economy and to our communities in Colorado,” said Bennet. “The fact that they’ve been hard to hire has compromised our communities in really fundamental ways, and we ought to double down on the Forest Service’s mission, investing in wildfire resilience, watershed health, recreation management, rooting out waste, and cutting red tape to make the agency a better partner for rural communities across the country. That’s what we need to be doing.”

During a press call with Colorado journalists last week, Bennet also said he and fellow senator John Hickenlooper have urged President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget director to avoid cutting funds to critical public land and renewable energy projects in Colorado.

“I think it’s going to be really important for us to stay in tight coordination with these guys so that we’re dealing with the reality on the ground, and that, if the changes are inadvertent, that we can get those corrected,” Bennet said.

“We’re, you know, making sure that the administration hears from Colorado and hears from us about these projects,” he continued. “So far, they tend to be energy- or climate-related, largely, and things like energy efficiency and conservation block grant, training for residential energy contractors, home electrification and application rebate programs, the grid resilience.”

Bennet also expressed concern about the new administration’s focus on increasing oil and gas extraction activity on public lands, especially in sensitive areas like the largely roadless Thompson Divide on the Western Slope.

“We are going do everything we can to make sure that the Thompson Divide is not re-opened,” he said, noting that he had spoken with Interior secretary Doug Burgum, before Burgum was confirmed to hold that position, about the importance of taking into account the views of Colorado residents.

“Part of what I was saying to Doug Burgum was, ‘local voices really matter,'” Bennet said. “And he said, ‘well, there are local voices that have different points of view than this in my state.’ And I said, ‘that may be true, but you’re going to have to make sure that you take in the voices of people and communities of people throughout the Rocky Mountains.”

During his press call last week Bennet also explained that he has supported some Trump nominees for cabinet positions because he believes doing so will increase his effectiveness at advocating for Colorado’s interests.

“I believe it’s very important for Colorado’s farmers and ranchers for me to have a constructive relationship with the [agriculture] secretary, just as I think it’s very important for me to have a constructive relationship with the Veterans Secretary for Colorado’s veterans,” Bennet said. “And that’s why I haven’t taken a blanket approach.”

The senator did not directly answer a question about whether he would oppose the nomination of Kathleen Sgamma, a Denver-based advocate for the oil and gas industry, to lead the Bureau of Land Management.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Feb. 19, 2025, 10:04 pm

Bill to Let Churches, Schools Build Homes on Own Property Moving

Legislation that would ease the path for churches and schools to build housing on properties they own is moving ahead in the state House of Representatives.

If enacted, the bill would override local zoning regulations that limit structure height or number of units for developments on land owned by educational and religious institutions. The statewide height cap would be three stories or 45 feet, while, in general, there would be no limit on the number of units that could be included in the structures. The bill would also require local governments to permit childcare facilities in buildings covered by the legislation.

“Creating more housing that hardworking Coloradans can afford is one of our biggest priorities at the Capitol, and cutting red tape for places of worship and schools to build affordable housing and community services like child care centers will save Coloradans money on housing,” said Rep. Andy Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, a primary sponsor of HB 25-1169.

The measure would apply to school districts and public colleges and universities.

HB 25-1169 cleared the House Transportation, Housing, and Local Government Committee on Wednesday.

— Hank Lacey

Update, Feb. 19, 2025, 4:39 pm

Polis Watching Federal Job Actions

Gov. Jared Polis said he is monitoring the Trump administration’s fiscal decision making and recent U.S. efforts to fire federal employees.

“Governor Polis believes that the federal government can be a lot more efficient and continues to monitor the impact of federal actions on Colorado and our federal workers that reside here,” said Eric Maruyama, Polis’ deputy press secretary, in a Feb. 14 email to this reporter.

Maruyama provided no details about specific Trump administration budget or federal workforce actions that Polis opposes or supports. Nor did he respond to questions about whether Polis supports litigation aimed at preventing any possible violations of federal law by President Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”

— Hank Lacey

Update: Feb. 19, 2025, 4:02 pm

Committee OKs Nuclear Energy Bill

A bill that may result in more use of nuclear energy in Colorado cleared a House of Representatives committee last week.

HB 25-1040 would allow nuclear generating facilities to receive clean energy financing under the state’s program to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Sponsored by Democrat Alex Valdez of Denver and Republican Ty Winter of Las Animas County, the measure now heads to the House floor.

The House Energy and Environment Committee approved HB 25-1040 Feb. 13 on an 8-5 vote.

“Nuclear power offers affordable electricity, good-paying jobs, and a way to backfill lost oil and gas severance tax revenue that keeps our local services running,” Winter said. “”We cannot afford to gamble on an energy future that leaves rural Colorado in the dark.”

— Hank Lacey

Update: Feb. 15, 2025, 9:46 pm

Weiser, Other State Ads Sue Over Citizenship Order

Attorney general Phil Weiser and attorneys general from 17 other states and the District of Columbia obtained on Feb. 5 a preliminary injunction that blocks President Donald Trump’s executive order that purports to strip children of immigrants who are born in the U.S. of American citizenship.

Listen here on the EVV Podcast:

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington invoked a late 19th century ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that rejected an effort by the federal government then to attempt a similar rescission of American citizenship. In that 1898 case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the high court faced an argument that a child of a Chinese immigrant who was born in California was not a citizen. The justices confirmed that the Fourteenth Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, enshrined the right to citizenship to all persons born in the United States.

“The Citizenship Clause is clear,” Coughenour wrote, referring to section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment. “[A]ny person who is born in the territorial United States or properly naturalized according to federal procedures is a citizen of this country.”

Weiser said in a Feb. 13 statement that Trump’s behavior is at odds with his oath to uphold the Constitution.

“President Trump may believe that he is above the law, but today’s preliminary injunction sends a clear message,” Weiser said. “He is not a king, and he cannot rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen.”

Another federal judge in Maryland has also blocked Trump’s citizenship executive order from taking effect, as have U.S. district judges in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Feb. 15, 2025, 9:29 pm

House Passes Veterinary Student Admission Bill

A bill that would eliminate admission caps for prospective veterinary students at Colorado State University has cleared the state House of Representatives.

HB 25-1131 passed the chamber Wednesday on a unanimous vote.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Feb. 15, 2025, 9:27 pm

House Committee Clears Ammo Bill

A state House of Representatives committee has passed a measure that would set a minimum age of 21 to purchase ammunition.

HB 25-1133, if enacted into law, would also require bullets to be stored behind the retail counter in a manner similar to nicotine products.

“By increasing the age to purchase firearm ammunition and putting ammunition behind the counter, we can better protect our kids from gun violence and improve public safety,” said Rep. Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge and the House majority leader. Duran is a principal sponsor of the bill.

Retailers would be required to verify an ammunition purchaser’s age by checking a current, government-issued identification card.

The behind-the-counter requirement would mandate that prospective purchasers of cartridges receiver help from an employee. A display case could also be used to store ammunition for sale.

The bill was approved Thursday by the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee now heads to the House floor.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Feb. 10, 2025, 1:52 pm

House Committee Says “Yes” to Increasing Number of Veterinary School Students

A bill aimed at increasing the number of veterinarians in Colorado cleared a House committee Thursday.

HB 25-1131, a bipartisan measure, would eliminate the current ceiling on the number of students admitted to Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Studies.

Under current law annual admissions to that program are limited to 308 students who do not receive financial support either from Colorado or another state that has a relevant cooperative agreement with the Centennial State.

“By eliminating the student enrollment cap at CSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, more students can jumpstart their future careers in veterinary care,” said Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, the lead sponsor of the bill. “This bill helps our state to address the shortage of veterinary care, especially in rural and underserved communities.” 

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-Fort Morgan, is the House co-sponsor of HB 25-1131. The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Democrat Cathy Kipp of Fort Collins and Republican Byron Pelton of Sterling.

The House Education Committee unanimously referred the measure to the full House chamber last Thursday.

There are about 3,800 veterinarians in the state, who care for about 2.5 million cats and dogs. According to a report by Colorado Public Radio last year, large animals and livestock are bearing the bulk of consequences resulting from a shortage of veterinarians in Colorado.

At least one in four Colorado veterinarians turn away clients because their practices are too busy to handle more animal patients, concluded a 2018 study. The state’s voters approved Proposition 129 in November’s election, a proposal aimed at increasing the number of non-veterinarian professionals legally authorized to provide care to animals.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Feb. 10, 2025, 1:42 pm

Abortion Access Bills Introduced

Majority Democrats in the General Assembly introduced two bills last week aimed at further reinforcing the state’s legal protection of abortion access.

SB 25-129 would, if enacted into law, would ban compliance with subpoenas from other states aimed at enforcing those other states’ laws restricting or banning abortion against Colorado health care providers. The measure would also authorize exclusion of a prescriber’s identity from the label of a container that includes medication used to cause an abortion.

“Colorado is a beacon for reproductive freedom and access to abortion in our region,” said Sen. Faith Winter, D-Broomfield, one of the principal sponsors of the bill. “Strengthening our shield law would expand protections for patients, providers, and helpers against interstate criminal and civil threats.”

And SB 25-130 would assure that Colorado hospitals must provide emergency abortion access or miscarriage treatment if needed by a patient. The measure includes an exemption for health care providers who have a sincerely held religious objection to providing such care.

“States with the most restrictive abortion bans have challenged and disrupted our federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which has resulted in devastating loss of life,” said Sen. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, a principal sponsor of the bill. “As a part of our efforts to protect Coloradans’ fundamental freedoms in volatile times, it is imperative that we clarify to patients and providers alike that emergency care in Colorado will remain comprehensive and accessible.” 

Both bills will be first considered Feb. 12 in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Jan. 28, 2025, 10:50 p.m.

Synthetic Drug Bill Gets House OK

The state House of Representatives has cleared a bill that would preemptively approve a synthetic psilocybin for sale and use in Colorado.

Under HB 25-1063, which was approved Jan. 23 on a 46-16 vote, the drug could be prescribed in the state once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves it for medical use.

One company – Compass Pathways – has the patent on the substance. If approved for distribution by physicians to patients, it would be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. A 2018 review of scientific studies concluded that psilocybin may be a helpful therapeutic tool to treat a variety of mental illnesses.

According to a report by Colorado Public Radio earlier this month, the status of FDA’s review of the Compass Pathways-developed pharmaceutical is unclear.

Psilocybin is a controlled substance under federal law. It is a psychedelic compound found in fungi, including mushrooms.

HB 25-1063 is sponsored by Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville, and Anthony Hartsook, R-Parker, and by Sen. Dafna Michaelson-Jenet, D-Commerce City.

The measure must pass the Senate and be signed by Gov. Jared Polis before becoming law.

In 2022 Colorado voters approved Proposition 122, which opened a limited legalization for natural psilocybin purchases and personal use.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Jan. 28, 2025, 9:28 p.m.

Polis Concerned by Trump Freeze on Federal Funds

Gov. Jared Polis reacted with alarm today after the Trump administration apparently froze disbursements of all federal grant and loan disbursements.

The White House move, announced in an Office of Management and Budget memorandum on Monday evening, ordered agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.” The missive, issued by OMB acting director Matthew J. Vaeth, said this move is necessary to prevent executive branch “activities that may be implicated by the [recent Trump] executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”

In a statement Polis sharply criticized Trump’s action.

“Governing is about delivering real results for the people we serve, not sowing chaos,” the governor said. “This indefinite pause in Congressionally appropriated federal funding hurts children and hardworking families, jeopardizes American jobs and businesses, harms hospitals and safety net health providers, threatens road and bridge repairs, and impacts countless other programs. These federal investments help people and support good-paying jobs and our economy, and this sloppy action creates confusion that distracts from Americans’ real challenges.”

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper said in a memorandum posted on his official website that the freeze “is expected to impact tens of billions of dollars in payments for Colorado,” including a quarter of the state’s budget.

Among the impacts of the disbursement freeze, Hickenlooper continued, would be at least $4.4 million in payments to hospitals and healthcare providers beyond Medicaid, an end to free lunch programs for the 40% of the state’s school-age children that rely on them, termination of home heating assistance for more than 80,000 Colorado families, loss of funding for at least 25,000 elderly Meals on Wheels beneficiaries, and a cut of more than $180 million in the state’s public schools’ financial means.

In addition, Hickenlooper continued, “[f]acilities will not be able to access reimbursements that help provide low-income kids with the early childhood education, health, and nutrition that they need. In FY23, nearly 9,000 kids were enrolled in Head Start in Colorado. Head Start programs around the country are already reporting being locked out of the portal to access reimbursements.” The state’s junior senator also noted more than $20 million that would no longer be available to Colorado law enforcement agencies, adverse impacts on veteran support and suicide prevention programs, and loss of transportation-related funding.

Rep. Joe Neguse, who represents Estes Park in the U.S. House of Representatives, castigated the freeze as an assault on a huge number of people. “President Trump’s OMB directive is lawless and unconstitutional — and the freeze in Federal funding that he is attempting will have dangerous impacts for millions of Americans,” he said.

Whether the disbursement freeze impacts Medicaid spending was a point of confusion Tuesday. Multiple states reported being locked out of the federal portal used to make claims and secure payments. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon posted on social media that his staff had received reports of denied access from all 50 states. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing that she could not answer questions relating to consequences for Medicaid, but the White House later claimed the program will not be affected.

Another OMB memorandum specifically listed numerous federal government activities that will be halted if the freeze goes into effect. According to Colorado Newsline, they include “the Department of Agriculture’s tribal food sovereignty program, Head Start, the Veterans’ Affairs Department’s suicide prevention and legal services grants, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance, or LIHEAP, program, and numerous sexual assault prevention programs within the Department of Justice.”

On Tuesday afternoon attorney general Phil Weiser, along with chief law enforcement officers of 21 other states and the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Providence, R.I. in an attempt to block the freeze.

Earlier a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a short administrative stay of the OMB order in response to a lawsuit led by the National Council on Nonprofits and filed earlier Tuesday. That stay expires on Monday at 3:00 pm MST, following a hearing to be held by Judge Loren L. AliKhan that morning.

The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the authority to decide how money is spent and when it is spent. Once a president signs an appropriations bill into law, he cannot avoid spending the amount Congress directed be spent. That regime was formalized in the Impoundment Control Act of 1974.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Jan. 24, 2025, 12:00 p.m.

Immigrant Advocates Hold State Capitol Press Conference

Dozens of immigration advocates and state lawmakers held a press conference in the Capitol’s rotunda Wednesday. The event was in response to multiple immigration focused executive orders signed by President Donald Trump throughout the week.

One of those executive orders, which would revoke birthright citizenship, was sued by 22 state attorney generals, including Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. A judge has temporary blocked that order.

Speakers highlighted the experience, contributions, and challenges faced by immigrants in the state. The event, hosted by Reps. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, and Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora, also called on Trump to show compassion to the children of illegal Immigrants. Trump’s border czar has stated he does not have an issue separating families with deportations.

“As an immigrant myself, I know first hand the courage it takes to share your story. This press conference is a platform for immigrant leaders to uplift their voices and experiences and inspire collective action,” Ricks said.

Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty joined Cristian Solano-Cordova, a DACA recipient, to read a story by Solano-Cordova. It described his journey across the border as a young child and his experience preparing to protect his eight-year-old sister, a American citizen, in case their mother is deported.

A video of the full press conference can be found here.

— Lincoln Roch

Update: Jan. 15, 2025, 4:09 pm

Chief Justice Asks for More Judges

Colorado Supreme Court chief justice Monica Márquez delivered the annual State of the Judiciary address on Jan. 10 and asked a budget-stressed General Assembly to authorize more state judges.

“We need additional judicial officers in several district and county courts around the state to ensure Colorado families and businesses receive timely justice,” Márquez said.

The chief justice, who is in her first year as the leader of the state’s judicial branch, described escalating pressures on the judiciary, including increased caseloads, threats to judicial security, and courtroom disruptions.

“In just the last 13 months, we have had a fatal shooting just outside the courthouse in Colorado Springs; a gunman who shot his way into the Ralph Carr building and set a fire in the office tower; a defendant who died by suicide at the Lindsey Flanagan Courthouse in Denver; a bomb threat at the Alamosa courthouse; and a spate of death threats against judges around the state,” Márquez explained.

“Our virtual courtrooms across the state have been the targets of coordinated attacks by courtroom disruptors – individuals who sneak into virtual courtrooms, sometimes posing as actual parties or witnesses, and hijack the proceedings by screaming racial epithets at litigants and judges, and streaming pornographic, racist, or violent video,” she continued.

The chief justice also highlighted newly-introduced efforts, including one to authorize licensed legal paraprofessionals, to improve access to justice and digital courtroom upgrades to address virtual security concerns.

She did not directly address the recent scandal involving contracting by the judicial branch or the professional discipline imposed last year on former chief justice Nathan Coats that resulted from it. Instead, Márquez noted an effort to improve the state judiciary’s “values.”

SB 25-024, introduced by Sens. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, and Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, would increase the number of state court judges. If enacted, that measure would add one additional judge to the Estes Valley’s judicial district.

[Note: This post was updated on Jan. 16, 2025 at 3:33 pm to reflect additional detail about SB 25-024.]

— Hank Lacey

Update: Jan. 15, 2025, 3:17 pm

Wolf Initiative May Be Coming

Colorado voters may be asked in Nov. 2026 to repeal the measure that mandated reintroduction of gray wolves to the state. Proponents of the possible ballot initiative face a review and comment hearing on Jan. 17.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Jan. 14, 2025, 3:47 pm

Legislators to Consider Tax Credit to Lure Sundance

The General Assembly will consider whether to extend a tax break to encourage the Sundance Film Festival’s relocation to Colorado.

HB 25-1005 would grant a tax credit up to $34 million to a non-profit and tax-exempt film festival operator or profit-driven corporation or other business organization “with a multi-decade operating history and a verifiable annual track record of attracting one hundred thousaand or more in-person ticket sales and tens of thousands of out-of-state and international attendees.”

Boulder is a finalist to host the Sundance Film Festival beginning in 2027.

HB 25-1005 is sponsored by House speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, and Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada. The measure is carried in the Senate by Democrat Judy Amabile of Boulder and Republican Mark Baisley of Roxborough Park.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Jan. 14, 2025, 3:30 pm

Democrats in the Colorado Senate have introduced a bill to repeal the state’s eight-decade-plus-old Labor Peace Act.

SB 25-005, introduced by Sens. Robert Rodriguez of Denver and Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge, would eliminate the requirement in current law that workers prevail in a second election in order to secure the right to collectively bargain employment conditions. Winning that second election requires the support of 75% of the workforce.

Gov. Jared Polis warned, during his State of the State speech last week, that he would be supportive of changing the state’s flagship labor law only if business and labor interests agreed on reforms. “If there is a possible agreement to change the status quo that has served to avoid significant disputes for more than eighty years, let’s work together to find it,” Polis said.

But the Colorado Chamber of Commerce has indicated it will oppose any changes to the Labor Peace Act. “Colorado’s current labor laws strike a unique balance between unions, employees and the business community,” the organization’s president and chief executive officer and president, Loren Furman, told its in-house publication The Sum & Substance. “Protecting this balance is a top priority.”

Polis vetoed two bills aimed at advancing the rights of labor last year, including one that would have cracked down on wage theft. Another wage theft bill, HB 25-1001, has been introduced this session.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Jan. 14, 2025, 3:13 pm

Dozens of bills have been introduced during the first week of the 75th General Assembly’s first session. They include a groundbreaking measure to protect Coloradans’ voting rights.

SB 25-001, the proposed Colorado Voting Rights Act, would generally ban counties and municipalities from creating disparities in voter participation or access to the ballot on the basis of race, ethnicity, or language.

It would also prohibit the use of “any method of election that has the effect of, or is motivated in part by the intention of, disparately impairing the opportunity or ability of members of a protected class to participate in the political process, elect the candidates of their choice, or otherwise influence the outcome of elections.” In addition, SB 25-001, if enacted, would outlaw any voter eligibility criteria relating to a person’s “perceived gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation,” and authorize a private civil cause of action to enforce the new law.

SB 25-001 has been assigned to the Senate’s State, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee for preliminary consideration. It is sponsored by Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and by Democratic Reps. Jennifer Bacon of Denver and Junie Joseph of Boulder.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Jan. 13, 2025, 6:25 pm

The Colorado General Assembly welcomed 25 new members in the past week. They include five new senators and about two dozen new representatives, including District 49’s Lesley Smith.

Senators making their first appearance in the upper chamber are Scott Bright of District 13, elected to replace term-limited Kevin Priola; Lisa Frizell of District 2; Matt Ball, a former aide to Denver mayor Mike Johnston, to represent District 31; former University of Colorado regent John Carson, who will represent District 30; and Iman Jodeh, who will serve District 29.

Ball, Carson, and Jodeh, a former state representative, were chosen by vacancy committees. Bright and Frizell are Republicans; the others are Democrats.

In the House the Democratic newcomers include immigration lawyer Cecelia Espenoza, U.S. Air Force veteran and attorney Sean Camacho, former congressional staff member Lindsay Gilchrist, software engineer and product manager Amy Paschal, USAF veteran Lisa Feret, Lakewood City Council member Rebekah Stewart, lawyer Jacque Phillips, Aurora Public Schools governing board member Michael Carter, Littleton City Council member Gretchen Rydin, Larimer County chief deputy assessor Yara Zokaie, and Durango school board member Katie Stewart.

New Republican representatives are engineer and U.S. Navy veteran Rebecca Keltie, former legislative aide and USAF veteran Jarvis Caldwell, Castle Rock Town Council member Max Brooks, Fort Lupton City Council member Carlos Barron, Ryan Gonzales of Greeley, Elbert County commissioner Chris Richardson, retired firefighter Larry Suckla, former Morgan County GOP chair Dusty Johnson, and educator Lori Garcia Sander.

The GOP’s Dan Woog, who previously represented District 19 for a single term before losing a reelection bid in 2022 and is not new to the General Assembly, won the seat again and has also returned.

— Hank Lacey

Update: Jan. 13, 2025, 5:00 pm

Welcome to a new Estes Valley Voice feature aimed at keeping readers informed about the work of our state government. Turn here to learn about the debates in the General Assembly, the significant actions of the governor and state agencies, and the work of the attorney general, secretary of state, and treasurer.

We will update this feature regularly with relatively short dispatches. You are encouraged and invited to post questions in the comments, which Estes Valley Voice journalists will answer. Please remember to be civil, courteous, kind, and respectful when you do so.

— Hank Lacey

Listen to story on EVV Podcast here: