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Legislation will create more opportunities for Colorado voters to participate in vacancy elections < Back May 12, 2025 SIGNED! Bipartisan Legislative Vacancy Reform Bill Legislation will create more opportunities for Colorado voters to participate in vacancy elections DENVER, CO – Governor Jared Polis today signed bipartisan legislation to reform Colorado’s vacancy process, which is used to replace a senator or representative if they leave office before their term ends. “In a bipartisan way, we’re modernizing Colorado’s vacancy committee process to boost voter participation while filling vacancies efficiently,” said Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver. “We heard the concerns surrounding our current vacancy process, and our law limits the amount of time someone can serve before facing an election and subjects vacancy candidates to campaign finance laws. Lawmakers resign for many reasons, and this law is the right balance between creating more opportunities for voters to weigh in and ensuring communities aren’t without representation during the legislative session.” "Increasing strains on legislators leading to more frequent resignations have illustrated the need and opportunity to modernize the vacancy process for the Colorado General Assembly," said Senator Mike Weissman, D-Aurora. "This policy represents a bipartisan way forward that is consistent with Colorado constitutional requirements, allows more input from voters, and does not excessively burden county clerks responsible for conducting elections. Critically, it will also capture raising and spending of campaign funds by candidates who seek vacancy appointments and run in vacancy elections so that voters can understand what influences may be operating in vacancy situations." HB25-1315 is cosponsored by Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs and Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Weld County. This law will increase transparency in the vacancy committee process and broaden voter participation when a legislative vacancy occurs. Under current law, vacancies in the General Assembly are filled by vacancy committee selection until the next general election. Colorado’s approach offers voters more opportunities to participate in the vacancy process than many other states, where governors or small commissions make the appointments. The legislative session begins no later than the second Wednesday of January and wraps up 120 days later. HB25-1315 will affect vacancies in the General Assembly in the following ways: If a lawmaker resigns during session or by July 31 in an even-year, the new vacancy committee process will take place, and then the selected candidate would run in the normally scheduled general election that November. If a lawmaker resigns after July 31 in an even-year, the vacancy would be filled first by the new vacancy committee process, and then there would be a new vacancy election in the following odd-year November election. If the seat was already on cycle for that even-year, the general election held in November of that year would continue as normal. If a lawmaker resigns during session or by July 31 in an odd-year, the new vacancy committee process would fill the seat until a new vacancy election can occur in November of that year. If a lawmaker resigns after July 31 in an odd-year, the new vacancy committee process would take place and fill the seat until the next general election in the even-year. In any scenario, lawmakers would only be able to serve one year before having to run in an election. To run for the vacancy, candidates could qualify by collecting signatures from 30 percent of the vacancy committee members or at least 200 same-party voters in their district. This process aims to improve ballot access for candidates. Unaffiliated voters and voters of the same party would be allowed to participate in the vacancy election. Vacancy candidates running in both the new vacancy committee process and the subsequent vacancy elections in November will be subject to campaign contribution limits and disclosure laws. Currently, candidates participating in the vacancy process are not subject to campaign finance laws. Under the law, the number of precinct organizers serving on the vacancy committee would double and automatically include any county commissioners who are members of the same political party and reside within the district. If a precinct committee person is appointed to fill an open position on the selection committee, they cannot participate in the process until 91 days after their appointment. Previous Next

< Back February 27, 2020 HOUSE PASSES BILL TO INCREASE GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY DENVER, CO– Representative Kerry Tipper’s bipartisan bill to give the Colorado Attorney General the authority to challenge certain business mergers or acquisitions under state antitrust statutes today was approved by the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 7-2. The bill has already been passed by the Colorado Senate. “It’s time to stop relying on the judgement of the federal government and give Colorado’s top prosecutor the tools to protect consumers and go after monopolies,” said Rep. Kerry Tipper, D-Lakewood. “Since 1992, the Colorado Attorney General’s office has been hamstrung by a law that requires them to accept the antitrust decisions of the federal government without giving them so much as a second opinion. We’re on track to bring that decision making power back to Colorado.” Under the Colorado Antitrust Act of 1992, the Colorado Attorney General is prevented from challenging mergers or acquisitions in the state if they have already been reviewed and not challenged by a federal department, agency, or commission. Colorado has been an outlier–the only state with such a law. SB20-064 , which is also sponsored by Rep. Matt Soper R-Delta, would end this restriction and allow the Colorado Attorney General to protect Colorado consumers by challenging corporate mergers or acquisitions on behalf of the people of Colorado. This bill is assessed by nonpartisan staff to have no fiscal impact on the Colorado Attorney General’s office , as the AG’s office would be able to review and prioritize cases using existing resources. ### Previous Next

< Back April 13, 2023 House Advances Bill to Protect Patients from Harmful Medical Billing Practices DENVER, CO - The House today passed legislation in a preliminary vote to cap interest rates on medical debt and protect Colorado patients from deceptive medical billing practices. “Medical debt is a barrier that prevents Coloradans from seeking the health care they need to stay alive and improve their health and wellbeing,” said Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora . “The average Coloradan with medical debt owes over $2,000, which is an insurmountable cost for those that are already struggling to put food on the table or afford necessities. By improving patient protections, Colorado patients can make health care decisions that are best for their health.” “Debt collectors shouldn’t be able to excessively profit off the health care that Colorado patients need to survive,” said Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville. “People are often surprised when they’re served hospital bills after receiving life-saving health care and can’t pay off the amount in full. Setting a ceiling for medical debt interest rates means that Coloradans can seek the care they need without worrying about snowballing debt impacting every part of their budget.” SB23-093 boosts patient protections from high interest rates for medical debt and confusing debt collection practices that lead to long-lasting debt and financial instability. It establishes new protections for Colorado consumers burdened with medical debt by: Capping the medical debt interest rate at three percent. Prohibiting reporting the debt to a consumer reporting agency until a certain amount of time after an individual fails to fulfill the terms of a payment plan. Pausing collections on medical debt during any appeal proceedings. Requiring medical debt creditors or debt collectors to verify total debt owed upon request by a patient and to provide a copy of a payment plan, thereby helping consumers know how much to properly budget for debt payments. Requiring a health care provider or health care facility to provide, upon request, an estimate of the total cost of medical services to a person who intends to self-pay for the service, and Reinstating the attorney general’s authority to protect consumers from deceptive trade practices related to billing practices and surprise billing. Debt incurred from medical costs can be financially devastating for patients. When combined with high interest rates and complicated collections practices, consumers may never be able to pay off their medical debt. According to a 2022 report from the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Coloradans overall held more than $1.3 billion in medical debt and over 12 percent of Coloradans have medical debt in collections. Previous Next

SB25-282, sponsored by disabled veterans, would protect veterans from paying too much for services from unaccredited bad actors < Back May 1, 2025 House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Safeguard Services for Veterans SB25-282, sponsored by disabled veterans, would protect veterans from paying too much for services from unaccredited bad actors DENVER, CO - The House today passed bipartisan legislation that would protect veterans from paying too much for veterans’ services from unaccredited bad actors. SB25-282, sponsored by Representative Lisa Feret, passed by a vote of 52-11. "I am deeply committed to protecting my fellow Veterans and making sure they can access the services and benefits they have earned through their service and sacrifice for our country,” said Rep. Lisa Feret, D-Arvada . “‘Claim sharks’ have raked in millions of dollars each year from excessively charging fees on service members' disability claims, sometimes even when they don't even win. Our bill helps create guidelines in this unregulated space to protect our disabled veterans while allowing companies to help address the backlog of disability claims". SB25-282 would protect veterans from unaccredited consultants, often called “ claim sharks ,” who charge money to help navigate the application process to receive benefits from either the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) or the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill is also sponsored by Representative Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud. The bill would mirror the regulations the federal government uses to regulate social security benefits from the Social Security Administration. It would require that businesses unambiguously notify veterans that they can receive the same services for free from the VA, clearly state that they are not affiliated with the VA, and limit the amount of money consultants can receive from veterans’ back pay. Previous Next

< Back April 8, 2019 GALINDO-SINGER BIPARTISAN BILL TO REAUTHORIZE COLORADO RESILIENCY OFFICE CLEARS COMMITTEE (Apr. 8) – The House Energy & Environment gave bipartisan approval to Rep. Rochelle Galindo and Rep. Jonathan Singer’s bill to reauthorize funding for the Colorado Resiliency Office. Over five years ago, Lyons, Evans, Greeley and other areas of Northern Colorado were hit hard by floods that damaged homes, destroyed two parks and left eight dead. Democrats have been working on disaster relief issues for the past several sessions. “We take care of each other in our community and after the floods hit, we stuck by each other and rebuilt,” said Rep. Galindo. “I’m glad my colleagues and I were able to pass this bipartisan bill today so we can work together to help communities effectively prepare for the next natural disaster or the next flood.” “Lyons and other areas in my House district continue to deal with the aftermath of the floods and I remain in awe of the resiliency of our community,” said Rep. Jonathan Singer, whose district includes Longmont, Lyons and eastern Boulder County and was among the hardest hit areas in the state by the floods. “There are no Democratic or Republican natural disasters and I’m proud of the collaborative, bipartisan approach across the state to make this is reality. This bill will help make our state’s disaster response quicker and recovery more effective.” Rep. Singer is a co-prime sponsor of HB18-1394 which was signed into law last year. The bill created a policy group to help coordinate the state’s response in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and continued the Colorado Resiliency Office, which helps direct long-term rebuilding efforts and community recovery. In 2013, then-Speaker Mark Ferrandino and other lawmakers formed a bipartisan committee to address flood issues. Current State Treasurer and former Rep. Dave Young of Greeley served as co-chair of the committee. This Fall, Rep. Galindo succeeded Treasurer Young as a representative for HD-50 and parts of the district in Evans and Greeley were damaged by the floods. HB19-1292 passed the committee 8-2 with Republican Rep. Lois Landgraf joining Democrats in support. Previous Next

< Back July 10, 2024 McCluskie Tours Grand County, Meets with School Leaders GRAND COUNTY, CO – Speaker Julie McCluskie this week toured local businesses and summer camps and met with school officials in Grand County to discuss increased school funding under the new school finance formula. “Coloradans in the high country face some of the highest costs of living in our state, which is why I have been focused on making Colorado more affordable so everyone can live, learn, work and play in the places we love,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “It was great to hear from constituents, business owners, and school leaders about their hopes and dreams for our state and how new laws will protect our water, support Colorado agriculture, reduce taxes on small businesses, and lower the cost of housing, child care and health care.” The speaker toured Snow Mountain Ranch, Sisu Farms and Camp Chief Ouray, where she met with summer campers and constituents and highlighted new legislation that will boost rural economies and make living in the high country more affordable. Speaker McCluskie has championed legislation to protect Colorado water and support agriculture, establish the Northwest passenger rail line, reduce property taxes on families and small businesses, and lower the cost of housing and health care in the high country. McCluskie also met with the superintendents and school board presidents for East Grand School District and West Grand School District, which will see nearly 30 percent and 17 percent increases respectively under the new school finance formula she sponsored and passed this year. “It was exciting to meet with Grand County superintendents and school board presidents to learn more about the challenges they face and the incredible opportunities ahead,” continued McCluskie. “The new school finance formula I sponsored this year will significantly increase funding for Grand County schools, which the districts can use to increase teacher pay, reduce class sizes and invest in our students so that every child can thrive.” Previous Next

< Back December 22, 2020 GARNETT STATEMENT ON FEDERAL STIMULUS PACKAGE DENVER, CO — Speaker-designate Alec Garnett today released the following statement after Congress approved a bipartisan COVID stimulus bill. “Out of work families and struggling small businesses in Colorado have been waiting for months for Congress to put politics aside and people first,” said Speaker-designate Alec Garnett, D-Denver. “While I’m glad that this stimulus package will begin to chip away at the enormous need we have in our state, it’s clear that a great deal of work remains to be done. I applaud and appreciate the efforts of the members of Colorado’s congressional delegation who fought for increased direct economic relief and aid to states and local governments, and I encourage Congress to pass this in the next bill. While this is a welcome start, we need more from Washington. Congress should take a page from Colorado’s book and put aside their differences to build back stronger.” Previous Next

< Back December 31, 2019 IMPORTANT NEW LAWS TAKE EFFECT TOMORROW DENVER, CO — Last session, House Democrats focused on passing bills to ensure all Coloradans can share in the economic growth the state is experiencing and to protect the Colorado way of life. Several of these important new laws that Democratic lawmakers championed last session take effect tomorrow. “In 2019, we made great strides on efforts to build an economy that works for all and to protect our Colorado way of life,” said Speaker KC Becker (D-Boulder). “These critical bills will lower the cost of health care, help save lives from gun violence, increase workers’ wages and protect them from theft, and increase lobbying transparency. Working across the aisle, we made important progress to address the challenges facing Coloradans, and we look forward to building on this success in the upcoming session.” LOWERING HEALTH CARE COSTS AND PROTECTING CONSUMERS: Ending Surprise Medical Bills: Beginning on January 1, HB19-1174, sponsored by Reps. Esgar (D-Pueblo) and Catlin (R-Montrose), prohibits providers from billing for care when a consumer unknowingly receives out-of-network care through no fault of their own. Providers must also inform consumers of their rights regarding surprise out-of-network bills, and the bill sets a reasonable rate of payment for these bills. Capping the Cost of Insulin: For insurance plans beginning January 1, HB19-1216, sponsored by Rep. Roberts (D-Avon), caps the total co-pay that patients are charged for insulin to $100 per one-month supply. This will save Coloradans living with diabetes who need insulin hundreds of dollars per month and means that no one in the state will have to choose between rationing insulin and meeting necessary household expenses. INCREASING AND PROTECTING WAGES: Preventing Wage Theft: HB19-1267 , sponsored by Reps. Singer (D-Longmont) and Froelich (D-Englewood), makes it a felony criminal offense to illegally withhold wages from an employee. It is currently only a misdemeanor, and often prosecutors don’t go after offenders because the penalties are so low. Starting tomorrow, if more than $2,000 in wages are illegally withheld, it can be charged as felony theft. SAVING LIVES FROM GUN VIOLENCE The Zackari Parrish III Violence Prevention Act , also known as Colorado’s “Red Flag” law, will go into effect tomorrow. “Red Flag” laws have overwhelming bipartisan support and save lives by creating a way to act before warning signs escalate to tragedies.The law is a tool to remove guns from a person who a judge determines is a threat to themselves or others. Colorado is suffering from a suicide epidemic, and preventing a person in crisis from accessing a firearm will save lives. EXPANDING THE RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER COLORADANS Starting January 1, HB19-1039 will allow transgender Coloradans to change the gender on their birth certificate to male, female or X, to correspond with their gender identity. The new law provides Coloradans changing their birth certificates with an entirely new document without having to go through cumbersome and expensive hurdles like surgery or appearing in front of a judge. The law also removes the publication requirement, making the process safer and more private. IMPROVING LOBBYIST TRANSPARENCY Last session, Reps. Cutter (D-Jefferson County) and Weissman (D-Aurora) sponsored legislation to improve lobbying transparency. HB19-1248 requires more frequent reporting of important information provided by professional lobbyists and requires additional disclosure about who their ultimate clients are. Taking effect on January 1 is section 24-6-301 (6.5) of the Colorado Revised Statutes. This section creates the enhanced 72 hour reporting rules that will soon require lobbyists to disclose if they have undertaken lobbying or a new position in connection with a legislative or administration initiative. Lobbyists must disclose the bill number of the legislation on which they are lobbying and the client’s position (support, oppose, amending, or monitoring). UPDATING MARIJUANA REGULATIONS Updates to Colorado’s marijuana regulations also go into effect on January 1. These include allowing local ordinances to govern licensing timelines, allowing a license holder to continue to operate until a renewal application is processed, and streamlining the licensure process. It also makes certain formerly confidential information public, such as agency actions and some testing and license holder demographic data, on a de-identified basis. It facilitates investment and growth in the industry by creating new ownership definitions that will allow Colorado companies to thrive in the developing national and international legal cannabis marketplace. Previous Next

< Back June 12, 2020 BILL TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY, PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH PASSES HOUSE DENVER, CO – The House today passed Representative Dominique Jackson and Yadira Caraveo’s bill to improve air quality on third reading and final passage. The bill passed by a vote of 41-24. “As a pediatrician, I’ve seen the immediate adverse health effects of poor air quality in my young patients,” said Rep. Caraveo, D-Thornton. “Protecting air quality is always a crucial public health concern, but it’s now more important than ever as Colorado continues to deal with COVID-19 and other respiratory challenges.” “We’ve taken important, concrete steps to improve Colorado’s air quality this year,” said Rep. Jackson, D-Aurora. “In addition to being bold, sensible environmental policy, this bill is also an important, and timely public health proposal. While protecting the air we all breathe, this measure will also help operators throughout our state advance air quality technology. This is common-sense legislation that benefits everyone.” SB20-204 would protect Colorado’s public health and air quality by ensuring that environmental regulations are enforced and working to bring our state into compliance with federal ozone standards.It would create the TABOR-exempt Air Quality Control Enterprise in the Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The Enterprise would conduct air quality monitoring, assessment, data analysis and research and report on it to the General Assembly to promote science-based air quality policy. Previous Next

< Back May 4, 2021 KENNEDY’S BROADBAND EXPANSION BILL ADVANCES The House Transportation and Local Government Committee today advanced a bill to help close the digital divide and fund broadband development throughout the state. This bill is part of the Colorado Comeback state stimulus , a package of legislation that will invest roughly $800 million into helping Colorado recover faster and build back stronger. The bill passed by a vote of 9-1. “Access to quality internet was already a basic necessity well before COVID made us transition to online work, school, telehealth, and more,” said Rep. Chris Kennedy, D-Lakewood. “Today we seized a unique opportunity to leverage state dollars to help bridge the digital divide and increase access to reliable internet across the state. This bill is good for businesses, good for students, good for rural Colorado and good for a sustainable economic recovery.” HB21-1289 creates the Colorado Broadband Office and grant programs in various departments to support broadband infrastructure development. It provides $75M to increase internet access across Colorado through the deployment of devices, and the development of middle and last mile infrastructure to support services that have become a necessity during the pandemic, like telehealth. The bill specifically includes $20M for broadband deployment by the Ute Mountain and Southern Ute Tribes. Previous Next

SB25-005 would update the 80-year old Colorado Labor Peace Act < Back March 13, 2025 Worker Protection Act Passes House Committee DENVER, CO — The House Business Affairs & Labor Committee today passed legislation to update Colorado’s labor law and support workers. SB25-005, sponsored by Representative Javier Mabrey and Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, passed the committee by a vote of 7-5. “Updating Colorado's labor laws will yield stronger workplaces and make it easier for workers to negotiate for better pay, benefits and safety on the job,” said Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver. “I’d like to thank everyone working on this policy for their willingness to continue conversations as this bill moves forward. The status quo is simply not working for Coloradans, as too many people are struggling to get by and make ends meet. By addressing the obstacles posed by the second election, we can establish some basic principles of fairness and workplace democracy that will make it easier for workers to form and sustain unions, and to grow the middle class in Colorado.” “The bar to form a union is unreasonably high, and making it easier will help more Coloradans thrive and create a more level playing field between workers and employers,” said Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver. “Statistics show that unionized workers earn more than non-unionized workers in the same industry. This bill is about empowering workers to negotiate for the wages, benefits and workplace safety they deserve. I want to acknowledge that business leaders and labor advocates have a common goal to create a thriving Colorado economy that responds to our modern workforce needs, and I extend my gratitude for their willingness to move our state forward.” The Worker Protection Act ( SB25-005 ) would update the Colorado Labor Peace Act to make it easier for workers to negotiate a union security agreement clause in the collective bargaining process. Currently, Colorado labor law requires two elections for workers seeking to form a union and collect dues: one that meets the federal standard set by the National Labor Relations Act and a second election which must be won by a supermajority approval of at least 75 percent of those who vote, or 50 percent plus one of all employees eligible to vote, whichever is greater. This process creates a uniquely high threshold for workers to achieve the right to negotiate with their employers. Previous Next

The House Judiciary Committee today passed legislation to boost public safety by streamlining the process for properly trained armed forces members to become peace officers. < Back February 6, 2024 Bill to Boost Public Safety Passes Committee DENVER, CO – The House Judiciary Committee today passed legislation to boost public safety by streamlining the process for properly trained armed forces members to become peace officers. HB24-1093 passed by a vote of 10 to 1. “Peace officers in the armed forces are well-trained professionals, and this bill streamlines the process for these individuals to become public peace officers,” said Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista . “Peace officers play an important role in public safety and this bipartisan legislation removes barriers for qualified members of the armed forces to become peace officers in our state. We’re taking steps to improve public safety around Colorado, and this bill makes it easier for qualified peace officers to begin protecting our neighborhoods and livelihoods.” HB24-1093 , also sponsored by Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud, would streamline the process for qualified members of the armed forces to become peace officers in Colorado. Under current law, the Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Board has the authority to grant a provisional peace officer certification to individuals that were authorized as peace officers in a federal jurisdiction, excluding the armed forces. This bill removes the armed forces exclusion so that peace officers in the armed forces can become public peace officers in Colorado. Previous Next