To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Kristin Read, Assistant Town Manager
Through: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
Title
Update: Legislative Update
Body
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Executive Summary
This memo is intended to summarize the 2025 General Assembly session, including information on the total number of bills that were introduced and that passed, along with more specific information on the 24 items on which Council held positions.
Discussion
A total of 657 bills were introduced during the 2025 General Assembly session. Of those, 478 passed, 127 were postponed indefinitely and 47 were killed by other means, according to Colorado Capital Watch, a legislative monitoring service. Of the 478 bills that passed, Gov. Jared Polis vetoed 11, meaning 467 bills became law this session.
The Town had supported eight bills, and five of those passed, for a 63% success rate. Two failed - HB 1276: Court Actions Related to Failure to Appear in Court, which would have permitted certain conditions on pre-trial release for defendants who have previously failed to appear, and SB 47: Enforcement of Federal Immigration Law, which would have reversed actions by the General Assembly related to measures intended to limit enforcement of federal immigration. Another, SB 77: Modifications to Colorado Open Records Act - which would have extended timelines for responding to open records requests - passed but was vetoed.
The five bills the Town had supported that were signed into law are:
• HB 1039: Commercial Vehicle Muffler Requirements - This law, which will take effect July 1, 2027, will require all commercial vehicles to have a muffler.
• HB 1112: Local Authorities Enforce Vehicle Registration - This law authorizes local authorities to enforce the requirement that a vehicle be registered.
• HB 1152: Tech Accessibility Liability Contractor - This law clarifies that a contractor is required to comply with accessibility standards adopted by the State’s Office of Information Technology and requires contractors to indemnify schools related to noncompliance with the standards.
• HB 1272: Construction Defects & Middle Market Housing - This law establishes a multifamily construction incentive program that builders may use by providing a warranty covering defects and a third-party inspection. It also shortens the statute of limitations and raises the amount of HOA residents required to bring a construction defect claim from a simple majority to 65%.
• SB 305: Water Quality Permitting Efficiency - This law will make several changes to the State’s wastewater permitting processes and procedures to help clear a backlog.
The Town had opposed 16 potential pieces of legislation - two which were never introduced. Ten the 14 that were introduced passed, for a 38% success rate. Of the four introduced bills that were successfully defeated, Polis vetoed one, two were postponed indefinitely and the other was killed by other means:
• Vetoed - HB 1147: Fairness & Transparency in Municipal Court - Would have mandated that municipal court penalties may not exceed like State sentences.
• Postponed indefinitely:
o HB 1067: Criminal Asset Forfeiture Act - Would have limited municipal and law enforcement actions with federal agencies relative to drug-related crimes.
o HB 1261: Consumers Construction Defect Action - Would have made it easier to bring construction defect claims against a construction professional.
• Killed by other means - HB 1169: Housing Developments on Faith and Educational Land - Would have allowed churches and schools to bypass local zoning and use an administrative approval process to build residential developments on land they own.
The 10 bills the Town had opposed that were signed into law are:
• HB 1007: Paratransit Services - This law requires entities that offer paratransit services to establish a plan for providing those services during emergencies beginning on Jan. 1, 2026.
• HB 1239: Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act - This law tips the scales in favor of plaintiffs over defendants, making litigation more appealing, contributing to a culture of litigation rather than promoting resolution of disputes and increasing liability for public entities.
• HB 1300: Workers’ Compensation Benefits Proof of Entitlement - This law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2028, allows injured workers to choose their primary treating physician from a list of accredited doctors provided by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. It is expected to raise the cost of workers’ compensation coverage for local government employers and taxpayers and create confusion for injured workers.
• SB 1: Colorado Voting Rights Act - This law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, allows an individual or organization to file a suit against a municipality alleging voter suppression, voter dilution or an unlawful voting prerequisite based on gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. It empowers the Attorney General’s Office to investigate potential violations, file a suit to enforce the act or intervene in a private lawsuit.
• SB 3: Semiautomatic Firearms & Rapid-Fire Devices - This law prohibits the manufacture, distribution, transfer, sale and purchase of specified semiautomatic firearms and classifies a device that increases the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm as a dangerous weapon.
• SB 30: Increase Transportation Mode Choice Reduce Emissions - This law requires local governments to conduct one-time reporting to their metropolitan planning organization on planned transportation infrastructure projects.
• SB 62: Failure to Appear Charges in Municipal Court - This law prohibits municipal courts from treating failure to appear as a criminal offense.
• SB 256: Funds for Support of Digital Trunked Radio System - This law takes $15 million from the State’s local government severance tax fund and puts it in the public safety communications trust fund to support the digital trunked radio system.
• SB 257: Modify General Fund Transfers to State Highway Fund - This law modifies the schedule and amounts of annual transfers from the State’s general fund to the state highway fund.
• SB 276: Protect Civil Rights Immigration Status - This law makes numerous changes to State law regarding immigration. Among other provisions, public employees are prohibited from disclosing or granting access to non-public personal identifying information for the purpose of federal civil immigration enforcement, except when disclosure is required by Federal or State law, when necessary to perform official duties, or as required by a court-issued document. The law extends a $50,000 civil penalty to public employees who intentionally violate its requirements.
The two potential pieces of legislation that the Town had opposed and that never were introduced involved the 1) accessibility of public meetings and 2) a Police Officers Bill of Rights.