(Scroll down for the 2023 Legislative Update)
CLEAN: Community Legislative Early Action Network
Session began on January 9, 2023, and ended on May 8, 2023.
A COMPLETE LIST OF THE 2023 BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR POLIS can be found, here.
Colorado Politics and the Colorado Sun both do excellent coverage of the Colorado legislative session. Here is one article from each. Governor Polis signed bills until June 7:
Polis signs 68 more bills into law | CROSSING THE FINISH LINE, Colorado Politics, 6/14/23
SIGN UP for CLEAN Conference calls by emailing us here,
with “Sign Me Up for CLEAN Conference Calls” in the subject line.
LEARN HOW TO TRACK A BILL, here.
The Colorado General Assembly website is leg.colorado.gov
(Click the bill title link to go directly to the bill’s page on the Colorado General Assembly website. On the bill page, you’ll find the bill description, bill text, prime sponsor, the committee the bill is assigned to next, and the status of the bill. When you click the committee name on the bill page, you’ll get all the committee members and their contact info, which is helpful when contacting committee members to voice your support or opposition to a bill. Also handy: click the “Bill History” tab at the bottom of the bill page for the latest action on bills that have not been postponed indefinitely.)
Please note: “POSTPONED INDEFINITELY” means the bill is no longer going through the legislative process. When a bill goes to the “Appropriations Committtee” (in the Senate or House), legislators are figuring out funding and costs for a bill. “Fiscal Notes” are an itemized list of what a bill costs to implement.
— 2023 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE —
During session, CLEAN tracked bills and updated the progress in these google docs —
2023 BILL UPDATES
2023 BILLS SENT TO GOVERNOR
2023 BILLS THAT LOST
Below is a sampling — not a complete list! — of bills that CLEAN tracked for the 2023 Colorado Legislative Session. If you click the bill name, it will take you to the Colorado General Assembly website. You can find the final outcome of the bill by scrolling down to “Status”. Then for more detail on the bill’s progress, scroll further down and click the “Bill History” tab.
AGRICULTURE
SB23-038 Prohibit Equine Slaughter For Human Consumption
Concerning a prohibition on slaughtering equines for human consumption.
HB23-1011 Consumer Right To Repair Agricultural Equipment
Concerning a requirement that an agricultural equipment manufacturer facilitate the repair of its equipment by providing certain other persons with the resources needed to repair the manufacturer’s agricultural equipment.
HB23-1066 Public Access Landlocked Publicly Owned Land
Concerning authorizing an individual to move between two adjacent parcels of public land that touch at the corners.
BUSINESS AFFAIRS & LABOR
SB23-105 Ensure Equal Pay For Equal Work
Concerning the implementation of measures to ensure equal pay for equal work.
EDUCATION
SB23-029 Disproportionate Discipline In Public Schools
Concerning addressing disproportionate discipline in public schools.
SB23-061 Eliminate State Assessment In Social Studies
Concerning eliminating the requirement that the department of education administer a state assessment in social studies.
SB23-070 Mandatory School Resource Officer Training
Concerning school resource officer training. Under current law, a peace officer who works as a school resource officer is encouraged to complete a school resource officer training curriculum (training) identified by the P.O.S.T. board. The bill requires a peace officer to complete the training before working as a school resource officer or as soon as is reasonably possible if there is not sufficient time to complete the training before the school resource officer assignment begins.
SB23-071 Education Accountability Act
Concerning allowing school districts the right to judicial review of the “Education Accountability Act of 2009”.
SB23-087 Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program
Concerning creation of a teacher degree apprenticeship program as an alternative route to teacher licensure.
HB23-1007 Higher Education Crisis And Suicide Prevention
Concerning crisis services information on student identification cards.
HB23-1009 Secondary School Student Substance Use
Concerning measures to improve services for students who use substances.
HB23-1109 School Policies And Student Conduct
Concerning measures to improve school policies that impact student conduct.
The bill requires a school district to implement additional procedural safeguards for an expulsion hearing (hearing). A school district is required to provide all records that the school district intends to use as supporting evidence in a hearing to the student or the student’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian at least 5 business days prior to the hearing. The whole bill is worth reading.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
SB23-016 Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Measures
Concerning measures to promote reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado.
SB23-079 Nuclear Energy As A “Clean Energy” Resource
Concerning the inclusion of nuclear energy as a source of “clean” energy.
HB23-1005 New Energy Improvement Program Changes
Concerning changes to the new energy improvement program, and, in connection therewith, adding resiliency improvements and water efficiency improvements to the program, modifying the new energy improvement district’s notice requirements, and removing the district’s hearing requirement.
HB23-1080 Reliable Alternative Energy Sources
Concerning alternative energy sources, and, in connection therewith, requiring a feasibility study for the use of small modular nuclear reactors as a source of carbon-free energy and specifying the maximum nameplate capacity of a generation unit for pumped hydroelectricity that qualifies as recycled energy under the renewable energy standard.
HB23-1134 Require Electric Options In Home Warranties
Concerning mandatory provisions in home warranty service contracts, and, in connection therewith, requiring a home warranty service contract to include terms allowing a homeowner to replace any of certain gas-fueled devices with a device that operates on electricity or to receive an amount that is equivalent to the retail cash value of the gas-fueled device.
HB23-1150 Provide Information On Abortion Pill Reversal
Concerning providing information about abortion pill reversal to people seeking a medication abortion, and, in connection therewith, creating the “Abortion Pill Reversal Information Act”.
HB23-1154 Ballot Issue Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
Concerning requirements for initiatives with a projected environmental impact that are properly submitted to the title board, and, in connection therewith, requiring the director of research of the legislative council to prepare a preliminary report for such initiatives, requiring the title of such initiatives to reflect the findings of the preliminary report, and requiring that the findings are referenced in the ballot information booklet entry for such initiatives.
HB23-1069 Study Biochar In Plugging Of Oil And Gas Wells
Concerning the creation of the biochar in oil and gas well plugging working advisory group to make recommendations for the development of a pilot program to study the use of biochar in the plugging of oil and gas wells.
EQUITY
HB23-1057 Amenities For All Genders In Public Buildings
Concerning a requirement that certain public buildings have restrooms with amenities for all genders.
FINANCE
HB23-1092 Limiting Use Of State Money
Concerning limitations on the use of state money, and, in connection therewith, requiring the public employees’ retirement association to make investments solely on financial factors, prohibiting certain government contracts with entities that engage in economic boycotts, and requiring the state treasurer to invest money eligible for investment solely on financial factors. The bill prohibits state money from being used to further certain social, political, or ideological interests beyond what controlling state and federal law require. Sections 1 to 3 of the bill apply this prohibition to the public employees’ retirement association (PERA) by requiring PERA to make investments solely on financial factors and prohibiting PERA from investing in an entity with a stated purpose to further certain social, political, or ideological interests beyond what federal and state law require (nonfinancial commitment)
*It is alarming when you read the HB23-1092 summary (fortunately, this bill lost): The bill prohibits state money from being used to further certain social, political, or ideological interests beyond what controlling state and federal law require. Sections 1 to 3 of the bill apply this prohibition to the public employees’ retirement association (PERA) by requiring PERA to make investments solely on financial factors and prohibiting PERA from investing in an entity with a stated purpose to further certain social, political, or ideological interests beyond what federal and state law require (nonfinancial commitment)
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
SB23-168 Gun Violence Victims’ Access To Judicial System
Concerning gun violence victims’ access to the judicial system.
Concerning increasing the legal age to purchase a firearm to twenty-one years of age, with limited exceptions.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
SB23-004 Employment Of School Mental Health Professionals
Concerning employment of certain school mental health professionals.
SB23-033 Medicaid Preauthorization Exemption
Concerning prior authorization exemption for medicaid coverage of medications treating serious mental illness.
SB23-041 Prescription Drugs For Off-label Use
Concerning the authorization of prescription drugs approved by the federal food and drug administration for off-label use.
SB23-093 Increase Consumer Protections Medical Transactions
Concerning increasing consumer protections in various medical transactions.
HB23-1003 School Mental Health Assessment
Concerning the creation of the “Sixth Through Twelfth Grade Mental Health Assessment Act”.
HB23-1117 Affidavit Support Eligibility Public Benefits
Concerning requirements for affidavits of support related to eligibility for public benefits in Colorado.
HB23-1153 Pathways To Behavioral Health Care
Concerning a feasibility study to determine pathways to behavioral health care for people with serious mental illness.
HB23-1172 Child Welfare And Juvenile Court Jurisdiction
Concerning changes to child welfare proceedings.
HB23-1077 Informed Consent To Intimate Patient Examinations
Concerning a requirement to obtain a patient’s informed consent before performing an intimate examination of the patient under specified circumstances.
HOUSING
SB23-001 Authority Of Public-private Collaboration Unit For Housing
Concerning additional functions of the public-private collaboration unit for public projects that provide housing.
SB23-035 Middle-income Housing Authority Act
Concerning the operation of the middle-income housing authority, and, in connection therewith, adding members to the board of directors and expanding the power of the authority to enter into public-private partnerships.
HB23-1068 Pet Animal Ownership In Housing
Concerning pet animal ownership in housing, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting restrictions on dog breeds for obtaining homeowner’s insurance, providing for the manner in which pet animals are handled when a writ of restitution is executed, prohibiting security deposits or rent for pet animals, creating the pet friendly landlord damage mitigation program, excluding pet animals from personal property liens, and requiring that pet animals be allowed at a qualified development for the development to receive the Colorado affordable housing tax credit.
INSURANCE
HB23-1004 Language Access In Insurance Documents
Concerning requirements regarding the language used in certain insurance documents.
HB23-1115 Repeal Prohibition Local Residential Rent Control
Concerning the repeal of statutory provisions prohibiting local governments from enacting rent control on private residential property or a private residential housing unit.
HB23-1174 Homeowner’s Insurance Underinsurance
Concerning homeowner’s insurance, and, in connection therewith, requiring certain reports related to the cost of rebuilding a home in the event of a total loss, increasing the notice requirement before an insurer can cancel or refuse to renew a homeowner’s insurance policy, and creating guaranteed replacement cost coverage in homeowner’s insurance.
JUDICIAL
SB23-022 Possession Of Weapon By Previous Offender Crimes
Concerning adding aggravated motor vehicle theft to the list of convictions that apply to the offense of possession of weapons by previous offenders.
SB23-075 Deletion Of Child’s Name From Criminal Justice Records
Concerning the deletion of children’s identifying information from criminal justice records released to the public.
HB23-1100 Restrict Government Involvement In Immigration Detention
Concerning restrictions on governmental participation in civil immigration detention.
SB23-028 Penalty For Commercial Vehicle Offenses
Concerning the penalty for committing any of certain offenses involving the operation of a commercial vehicle.
SB23-039 Reduce Child And Incarcerated Parent Separation
Concerning measures to reduce family separation caused by a parent’s detention.
HB23-1012 Juvenile Competency To Proceed
Concerning issues related to juvenile competency to proceed.
HB23-1013 Use Of Restrictive Practices In Prisons
Concerning measures to regulate the use of restrictive practices on individuals in correctional facilities.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
HB23-1165 County Authority To Prohibit Firearms Discharge
Concerning the authority of a board of county commissioners to prohibit discharge of firearms in unincorporated areas of a county.
MENTAL HEALTH
HB23-1003 School Mental Health Assessment
Concerning the creation of the “Sixth Through Twelfth Grade Mental Health Assessment Act”.
HB23-1071 Licensed Psychologist Prescriptive Authority
Concerning the authority of a licensed psychologist to prescribe psychotropic medication for the treatment of mental health disorders.
NATURAL RESOURCES
SB23-005 Forestry And Wildfire Mitigation Workforce
Concerning measures to expand the forestry workforce, and, in connection therewith, directing the Colorado state forest service to develop educational materials for high school students about career opportunities in forestry and wildfire mitigation; creating a timber, forest health, and wildfire mitigation industries workforce development program to help fund internships in those industries; allocating general fund money to the wildfire mitigation capacity development fund; authorizing the expansion and creation of forestry programs in the community college system and at Colorado mountain college; and directing the state board for community colleges and occupational education to administer a program to recruit wildland fire prevention and mitigation educators.
HB23-1096 Wildfire Resilient Homes
Concerning the promotion of wildfire resilient houses in areas of the state at high risk for wildfires through expansion of the wildfire mitigation resources and best practices grant program.
OVERSIGHT/TASK FORCE/REGULATORY
HB23-1105 Homeowners’ Association And Metropolitan District Homeowners’ Rights Task Forces Concerning the creation of task forces to examine issues affecting certain homeowners’ rights, and, in connection therewith, creating the HOA homeowners’ rights task force and the metropolitan district homeowners’ rights task force.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Concerning increasing access to reproductive health-care services, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.
STATE GOVERNMENT
HB23-1028 Name Badge For Former Member Of General Assembly
Concerning a former member of the general assembly obtaining a name badge indicating that the former member served in the general assembly.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
HB23-1051 Support For Rural Telecommunications Providers
Concerning the continuation of high cost support mechanism funding for rural telecommunications providers, and, in connection therewith, aligning the repeal date of such high cost support mechanism funding with the sunset repeal date of the high cost support mechanism.
TRANSPORTATION
SB23-012 Commercial Motor Carrier Enforcement Safety Laws
Concerning the enforcement of safety requirements for intrastate motor vehicle carriers.
HB23-1062 Metropolitan District Tax For Parks And Recreation
Concerning the authority of a metropolitan district to levy a sales tax with voter approval for the purpose of providing parks or recreational facilities or programs.
HB23-1090 Limit Metropolitan District Director Conflicts
Concerning a prohibition on the purchase of debt issued by a metropolitan district by any entity with respect to which any district director has a conflict of interest.
HB23-1014 Yield To Larger Vehicles In Roundabouts
Concerning yielding to larger vehicles in roundabouts.
BILLS THAT CLEAN WAS AGAINST:
HB23-1044 Second Amendment Preservation Act
Concerning enacting the “Second Amendment Preservation Act”, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting enforcement of federal laws that infringe on the right to bear arms.
HB23-1050 Protection Of Business From Unlawful Entry
Concerning the use of deadly physical force against a person who has made an illegal entry into a place of business.
As you can see from the vote summary, Democrats on the committee voted overwhelmingly NOT to advance this bill to the floor (7 against, 2 for), then voted overwhelmingly to postpone it indefinitely meaning, and the bill lost (vote summary, 8 yes, 2 no).
HB23-1055 Prohibit Wireless Networking Voting Systems
Concerning a prohibition against the use of voting systems that are capable of establishing wireless connections.
LOST
(this bill was redundant, alarmist, and likely intended to instill mistrust in Colorado’s voting system: the SOS and County Clerks of Colorado do not rely on wireless systems to communicate voter data. The systems in place are contained and secure within the Secretary of State’s office and within each county elections office.)
HB23-1063 Reduction Of State Income Tax Rate
Concerning a reduction of the state income tax rate.
HB23-1079 Income Tax Credits For Nonpublic Education
Concerning the creation of income tax credits for nonpublic education.
HB23-1104 Delay Implementation Paid Family Medical Leave
Concerning a postponement of the implementation of the state’s paid family and medical leave insurance program.
HB23-1119 Abolishing Abortion In Colorado
Concerning abolishing abortion in Colorado.
HB23-1163 Revoke Carbon Dioxide Status As A Pollutant
Concerning a prohibition against classifying carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
Below is general information that is helpful to know before session starts.
There are hundreds of bills that go through the legislative process, so it would be impossible for CLEAN to follow every single bill, but there are usually areas of interest that our democratic legislators reliably pursue (you’ll see some of the topics listed below). Marilyn Hughes, CLEAN Coordinator, starts compiling a list of bills to follow at the first part of session, based on a variety of criteria, including, but not limited to: suggestions from CLEAN members, what bills were pursued in previous sessions, whether followup bills are being proposed, or if a new version of a bill that did not pass previously, is being put forth again.
EMAILS to Committees is EASIER* than ever! Here’s how: First off, remember your bill number, the committee it’s about to be heard in, and the date it’s scheduled (all of these items will come up anyway, but you should know what to look for)
To use the General Assembly email to committee process: go to leg.colorado.gov Click Committees tab. Click “Public Testimony” button. You’ll see “How do you wish to testify?” Click “Submit Written Testimony”. Then on next screen click “By Committee and Hearing”. Then, under Committee Name, pull down and select the committee your bill is about to be heard at. Then the Meeting Date and Time. Then, under Hearing Item, you’ll see your bill, and pull down to select it. Then you’ll see an easy form to write your email! Remember to click the blue “Sign Me Up” button at the bottom. You might be asked for a few more details, then click “submit”. What’s great is that your email is within the General Assembly system, it automatically is sent to all committee members (no need to do multiple cut & paste into your own email client, etc.), and your email is a part of the public record, as is all testimony and emails to our legislators.
*This process works for all committees, except Appropriations. If you need to contact the Appropriations Committee regarding a bill, be sure you’re selecting the right Appropriations Committee (House or Senate), then send your email to each of the following email addresses, listed here.
LEGISLATIVE DISPLAY BOARD FOR THE DAY: Especially as we approach the end of session, it’s a good idea to see where bills are up to the minute by looking at the legislative display board for the current day. There are tabs for bills heard and debated on the House and Senate Floor, and bills heard in House and Senate Committees. CLICK THIS LINK, HERE.
Any questions? Email us at longmontareadems@gmail.com
Check out last year’s bills by clicking the link, below:
THE 2022 COLORADO STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE & OVERVIEW
