SB 25-140: Irrigation Districts Inflation Adjustments - Colorado

Rerevised (03/19/2025) → Revised (03/17/2025) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to correct formatting errors and update the title to reflect that amendments were adopted on second reading rather than third reading. Substantively, the bill adds new provisions to Colorado Revised Statutes regarding contract authorization thresholds, inflation adjustments, and penalties for conflicts of interest.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded by adding new statutory sections (37-41-161) and modifying existing sections (37-41-113) to include inflation adjustment mechanisms and updated contract authorization requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new section (37-41-161) requiring dollar amounts in specific statutes to be adjusted for inflation every five years starting July 1, 2029.

Modified contract authorization thresholds in 37-41-113(4) to distinguish between contracts valued between $250,000-$650,000 (requiring district elector approval) and contracts over $650,000 (requiring bond election approval).

ENFORCEMENT

Added new conflict of interest provisions stating that directors or officers cannot be interested in contracts awarded by the board, with violations classified as class 6 felonies requiring office forfeiture.

TECHNICAL

Removed House sponsorship names (Johnson, Bird, Duran, Keltie, McCluskie, McCormick, Richardson, Smith, Soper, Titone, Winter T.) from the document.

Changed the document title from 'REREVISED' to 'REVISED' and updated the reading status from '3rd Reading Unamended' to 'Adopted on Second Reading in the Second House'.

Final Act (03/28/2025) → Rerevised (03/19/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates dollar amounts in Colorado irrigation district laws to account for inflation, increasing compensation limits for board members and election judges from $100 to $150 per day, and raising contract authorization thresholds from $250,000/$400,000 to $400,000/$650,000. The changes ensure these financial limits remain current over time by requiring automatic adjustments every five years starting July 1, 2029, based on inflation rates.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on irrigation districts formed under 1905 laws, but the specific dollar thresholds for compensation and contract authorization have been increased to reflect inflation.

FISCAL

Increased daily compensation for irrigation district board members and election judges from $100 to $150 per day

REQUIREMENT

Raised contract authorization thresholds: contracts between $250,000-$400,000 now require one-third voter approval (previously $250,000-$400,000), and contracts over $400,000 now require bond election approval (previously $400,000)

TIMELINE

Added automatic inflation adjustment mechanism requiring dollar amounts to increase every five years starting July 1, 2029

DEFINITION

Defined 'inflation' as the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for urban consumers

Signed Act (04/07/2025) → Final Act (03/28/2025) · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text shows formatting and markup changes between a signed version and a final act version, with no substantive policy changes. The content remains the same - adjusting dollar amounts in Colorado irrigation district laws to account for inflation.

TECHNICAL

Text formatting and markup changes between signed and final act versions, including signature line formatting and spacing adjustments.

Reengrossed (02/26/2025) → Signed Act (04/07/2025) · 4 edits · Apr 7, 2025

MODERATE

This bill adjusts dollar amounts related to irrigation district administration to account for inflation. The main changes include increasing compensation limits for board members and election judges to $150 per day, updating contract authorization thresholds, and establishing a mechanism to automatically adjust these amounts every five years starting in 2029 based on inflation rates.

FISCAL

Increased daily compensation for irrigation district board members and election judges from $100 to $150 per day.

REQUIREMENT

Updated contract authorization thresholds for irrigation districts, requiring written voter approval for contracts between $200,000-$400,000 and bond election approval for contracts over $400,000.

TIMELINE

Added automatic inflation adjustment mechanism that will increase compensation and contract thresholds every five years starting July 1, 2029, based on the Consumer Price Index.

DEFINITION

Defined 'inflation' for purposes of the bill as the annual percentage change in the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood urban consumers.

Engrossed (02/25/2025) → Reengrossed (02/26/2025) · 3 edits · Feb 26, 2025

MINOR

This bill was reengrossed to include additional co-sponsors and updated the bill summary to reflect that it now includes all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction, rather than just those from the second reading. The changes are primarily procedural and administrative, updating the legislative record to accurately reflect the bill's current status and sponsorship.

TECHNICAL

Added five new co-sponsors (Amabile, Catlin, Coleman, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Roberts, Simpson, Winter F.) to the Senate sponsorship list.

Updated the bill summary header to indicate this is the reengrossed version including all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction, replacing the previous note about second reading amendments.

Added a '3rd Reading Unamended' label and date (February 26, 2025) to the bill summary section.

Introduced (02/05/2025) → Engrossed (02/25/2025) · 4 edits · Feb 26, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to reflect its status as an engrossed version with all House amendments adopted, including a House amendment that added a page break and reference to the 2nd Reading date. The substantive text of the bill remains largely unchanged, with minor formatting adjustments and page number updates.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are primarily procedural and formatting-related.

TECHNICAL

Header changed from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' to reflect that all amendments have been adopted.

Added page break and 2nd Reading date reference (February 25, 2025) in the Senate section.

Page number formatting updated from 'SB25-140' to '140' on pages 2 and 3.

Removed the effective date and referendum petition section (Section 5) from the visible text, though this appears to be a formatting artifact rather than a substantive deletion.

Irrigation Districts Inflation Adjustments

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