Colorado Bills

signed · Colorado · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 25-1221: Emily Griffith Associate of Applied Science Degree

The act permits Emily Griffith technical college (college) to offer an associate of applied science degree program (degree program) with approval from the state board for community colleges and occupational education (board). The degree program must include a registered apprenticeship program and certain transferable general education courses. In considering the college's request to offer a degree program, the board shall consider student and workforce demand, alignment with registered apprenticeship programs, cost-effectiveness for students and the state, and accreditation and licensing requirements. An approved degree program is eligible to receive federal "Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act" funds. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Topics ✓ Education

Paul Lundeen (R) Eliza Hamrick (D) Jeff Bridges (D) Lori Garcia Sander (R) · 35 co-sponsors

signed · Colorado · Senate Apr 10, 2025

SB 25-033: Prohibit New Liquor-Licensed Drug Stores

On and after April 10, 2025, the act prohibits the state and local licensing authorities (licensing authorities) from issuing a new liquor-licensed drugstore license (license). Licensing authorities may continue to renew existing licenses. On and after April 10, 2025, a person holding a license (licensee) is prohibited from changing the location of, merging, selling, converting, or transferring a license; except that a licensee that holds a license that was issued to an independent pharmacy before January 1, 2025, may change the location of or sell or transfer the license to another licensee that is an independent pharmacy that holds a license or to a person that does not already have a license. The act defines an independent pharmacy as a prescription drug outlet privately owned by at least one licensed pharmacist with no ownership interest by or affiliation with a chain or publicly owned pharmacy. The act prohibits an owner, part owner, shareholder, or person interested directly or indirectly in a liquor-licensed drugstore from having an interest in more than 8 licenses. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

signed · Colorado · Senate Apr 10, 2025

SB 25-015: Wildfire Information & Resource Center Website

The act requires the division of fire prevention and control, which hosts the wildfire information and resource center website and provides information regarding active wildfires on the website, to include hyperlinks to websites that display emergency information and wildfire updates for each county in Colorado and to coordinate with county governments in order to provide the hyperlinks. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

signed · Colorado · Senate Apr 10, 2025

SB 25-151: Measures to Prevent Youth from Running Away

The Timothy Montoya task force (task force): Analyzed the root causes of why a child or youth runs away from an out-of-home placement; Developed consistent, prompt, and effective responses to recover a missing child or youth; Addressed the safety and well-being of a child or youth upon the child's or youth's return to the out-of-home placement; and Made recommendations. The act implements the task force recommendations that focus on preventing a child or youth from running away from a residential child care facility (facility). The act requires the office of the child protection ombudsman (office) to conduct a statewide inventory survey (survey) of facilities to address: The physical infrastructure currently in place to deter children and youth from running away; and The physical infrastructure needed to deter children and youth from running away. The office shall consult with the department of human services to develop the survey. On or before July 1, 2026, the office shall submit a report to the health and human services committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or their successor committees, that summarizes the results of the survey. The act requires each facility, on or before July 1, 2026, to develop an efficient, well-structured, and trauma-informed policy that outlines how the facility responds to a child or youth who threatens or attempts to run away from care. The policy must include whether the facility uses physical restraints. Each facility shall provide a copy of the policy to the child or youth and the child's or youth's parent, legal guardian, or custodian during the child's or youth's intake at the facility. When a facility discovers that a child or youth is missing from its care, the facility shall notify the child's or youth's parent, legal guardian, or custodian and the guardian ad litem or counsel for youth within 4 hours after the discovery of the missing child or youth. If the facility cannot make initial contact with the child's or youth's parent, legal guardian, or custodian, the facility must make repeated efforts to notify the child's or youth's parent, legal guardian, or custodian. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

signed · Colorado · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 25-1110: Railroad Crossing Maintenance Costs

The act requires the public utilities commission (commission) to adopt rules requiring that, unless the applicable road authority is a local government, the total costs to maintain an existing railroad crossing (total costs) are shared equally between the railroad, railroad corporation, rail fixed guideway, transit agency, or owner of the track (railroad) and the applicable road authority. If the applicable road authority is a local government, the commission must adopt rules that require the total costs to be apportioned as follows: The railroad is responsible for the costs to maintain the portion of the existing railroad crossing that is between the ends of the railroad ties; and The local government is responsible for the costs to maintain the portion of the existing railroad crossing that is outside of the ends of the railroad ties. The act applies to costs accrued on or after the effective date of the act unless the costs accrue pursuant to an agreement entered into by the parties before the effective date of the act, which agreement provides for the distribution of the costs to be shared between the parties. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Topics ✓ Transportation

signed · Colorado · House Apr 8, 2025

HB 25-1005: Tax Incentive for Film Festivals

The act creates a new refundable tax credit only if at least one qualified film festival entity with a multi-decade operating history and a verifiable track record of attracting 100,000 or more in-person ticket sales and over 10,000 out-of-state and international attendees (global film festival entity) commences the relocation of the festival to Colorado by January 1, 2026. Upon relocation, for calendar years commencing on or after January 1, 2027, but before January 1, 2037, the maximum aggregate amount of refundable tax credits that any qualified global film festival entity is eligible to receive is $34 million and the maximum aggregate amount that all existing or small Colorado festival entities collectively may receive is $5 million. A film festival entity is allowed a tax credit for each tax year in which the film festival entity hosts a film festival in Colorado, and may be allowed an additional tax credit in the subsequent tax year with respect to any qualified expenditures incurred in the year the film festival entity hosted the film festival in Colorado. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Colorado · Senate Apr 7, 2025

SB 25-133: Colorado Voidable Transactions Act

Under current law, fraudulent transactions are controlled by the "Colorado Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act". The act makes updates to the "Colorado Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act" and renames it as the "Colorado Voidable Transactions Act". The act changes references in current statute from "fraudulent transfers" to "voidable transactions". The act changes Colorado law to align with uniform law regarding voidable transactions and updates some of the definitions and terminology used in current statute. The act establishes burdens of proof and evidentiary requirements for various claims related to voidable transactions. The act also establishes which jurisdictional laws control certain types of claims based on the location of a debtor. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

signed · Colorado · Senate Apr 7, 2025

SB 25-140: Irrigation Districts Inflation Adjustments

Under current law, each member of a board of directors of an irrigation district (board of directors) and each judge of election of an irrigation district (judge of election) receives compensation of not more than $100 per day. In addition, a contract entered into by a board of directors that involves a consideration that exceeds $250,000 but does not exceed $400,000 must be authorized and ratified in writing by no less than one-third of the electors of the irrigation district according to the number of votes cast at the last district election. A contract that exceeds $400,000 must be authorized and ratified at an election in the manner provided for the issuance of bonds. To account for inflation, the act: Increases the amount of compensation for members of a board of directors and judges of election to up to $150 per day; and Requires that, to be binding, a contract entered into by a board of directors that exceeds $400,000 but does not exceed $650,000 must be authorized and ratified in writing by no less than one-third of the electors of the irrigation district according to the number of votes cast at the last district election, and a contract that exceeds $650,000 must be authorized and ratified at an election in the manner provided for the issuance of bonds. The act requires that the dollar amounts related to compensation of members of a board of directors and judges of election, as well as those related to contracts entered into by a board of directors, must be increased for inflation every 5 years, beginning July 1, 2029. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

signed · Colorado · Senate Apr 7, 2025

SB 25-067: Prosecution Fellowship Program Changes

The prosecution fellowship program in the department of higher education provides money to the Colorado district attorneys' council (CDAC) to fund fellowships for persons who have recently graduated from a law school in Colorado to allow them to pursue careers as prosecutors in rural Colorado. The program, through a prosecution fellowship committee, places up to 6 fellows in rural district attorneys' offices throughout the state each year. The act changes the prosecutor fellowship program to provide fellowship funding to rural district attorneys' offices to recruit and hire new deputy district attorneys rather than selecting and placing fellows in rural district attorneys' offices. The selected offices then use the money to recruit and hire new district attorneys. The act requires the prosecution fellowship committee to determine which rural district attorneys' offices receive funding. On or before January 1, 2028, CDAC shall provide a report to the judiciary committees regarding the prosecutor fellowship program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Colorado · House Apr 7, 2025

HB 25-1086: Interstate Compact Placement Children Timing

In 1975, the general assembly enacted the original "Interstate Compact on Placement of Children" (compact). In 2024, the general assembly enacted an updated version of the compact. The act clarifies that the original compact remains in effect until the updated compact is enacted into law by 35 states. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

signed · Colorado · House Apr 7, 2025

HB 25-1124: Universal Contracting Provision Requirements

Under current law, universal contracting provisions must address 16 requirements when a state agency contracts for the delivery of behavioral health services. The act repeals 13 of the existing requirements and adds a new requirement to facilitate connections between individuals and the statewide behavioral health safety net system. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Colorado · Senate Apr 7, 2025

SB 25-014: Protecting the Freedom to Marry

Colorado statute states that a marriage is valid only if it is between one man and one woman. That provision has been unenforceable since the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges , 576 U.S. 644 (2015), in which the Court ruled that same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry. The act repeals the provision.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Bill results