101 bills debated by the Colorado legislature in 2024 that you need to know about

The Colorado legislature debated more than 700 bills in the lawmaking term that ended Wednesday. 

The Colorado Sun pored through the measures to highlight the ones that passed — and some that failed — that you need to know about.

Gov. Jared Polis has a June 7 deadline to sign or veto bills, or let them become law without his signature.

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Housing

House Bill 1007: Starting July 1, local governments will be prohibited from limiting how many people are allowed to live together in the same dwelling, regardless of their familial relationship, under this bill signed into law by the governor. The only exceptions are if the limit is linked to health or safety concerns or to comply with affordable housing guidelines.
CPR NEWS

House Bill 1098: Landlords are now required to renew a tenant’s lease unless they have cause not to do so under this measure signed into law by the governor. Known as the “for-cause eviction” law, it still allows landlords to evict tenants in the middle of their lease for nonpayment and other violations. They could also refuse to renew a lease if they plan to make major renovations, take the property off the rental market or rent it to a family member.
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House Bill 1152:  People who live in parts of the state that are in metropolitan planning organizations —  a list that covers most of the Front Range and the Grand Junction area — would be allowed to build accessory dwelling units or “granny flats” on their properties under this legislation, which is awaiting the governor’s signature. Parking would have to be identified for the new unit. The legislation would also block many existing local regulations that prohibit ADUs. Finally, the bill would create state grant and loan programs to help finance the construction of ADUs built by low-to-moderate income homeowners units and for local governments to incentivize their regulatory work on ADUs.
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House Bill 1175: This legislation would give local governments a new “right of first refusal” to buy publicly subsidized affordable housing properties when their rental restrictions expire.The measure would also require landlords to notify the government if they plan to sell older apartment complexes that aren’t subject to rental restrictions. The local government would then have the right to make a first offer on the property in order to turn it into affordable low-income housing.
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House Bill 1233: This measure, which awaits the governor’s signature, would roll back a requirement in a bill passed by the legislature in 2022 that homeowners associations must physically post a notice on a home when an owner owes them money. However, it adds that the HOA must mail a notice and contact the owner by two of the following: telephone, email or text message.

House Bill 1304:  Cities and towns would be prohibited from establishing or enforcing minimum parking requirements for residential buildings in specific areas under this legislation, which is awaiting the governor’s signature. The measure would take effect June 30, 2025, and apply to parts of the state that are in a metropolitan planning organization —  a list that covers most of the Front Range and the Grand Junction area —  and near certain bus or train stops or routes. Additionally, the legislation would only apply to multifamily residential developments, buildings redeveloped for residential purposes and buildings redeveloped for mixed-us in which at least 50% of the new use is residential. 

House Bill 1313: An estimated 31 local governments — most of them along the Interstate 25 corridor — would be required to change their zoning laws to allow more housing units near major bus and rail corridors under House Bill 1313. The measure would require that those local governments zone for 40 units per acre within a quarter mile of bus stops and a half mile from rail stations. The legislation, a key piece of Gov. Jared Polis’ housing agenda, includes $35 million in financial incentives over four years for communities that comply. The money could go toward things like affordable housing projects. The bill hasn’t been signed yet.
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House Bill 1316: This measure would create a pilot program to offer a new tax credit to developers of middle-income housing. Based on the affordable housing tax credit for low-income families, it would subsidize housing that’s affordable for those who make between 80% and 120% of the area median income. The bill hasn’t been signed by the governor yet.

House Bill 1337: This measure awaiting the governor’s signature would cap the attorneys fees a homeowner’s association can charge a homeowner facing eviction at half of the homeowner’s unpaid assessments and any other money owed to the association, or $5,000, whichever is less. There would be an exception for people who are able to pay higher amounts but wilfully did not pay their debts to the HOA and the cap would increase annually based on inflation. Additionally, the measure would impose a “first right of redemption” on HOA-foreclosed homes sold at auction, giving homeowners, tenants, affordable housing nonprofits, a community land trust, a cooperative housing corporation and the state or local government — in that priority order — 30 days to file an affidavit stating their intent to purchase the property. They would then have 180 days after the sale to come up with the money and complete the deal. House Bill 1337 came after The Colorado Sun published an investigation in August revealing that Colorado HOAs had filed roughly 3,000 foreclosure cases since 2018, more than 250 of which — or roughly 8% — resulted in properties being auctioned off, most for well below market value.

House Bill 1434: This measure would expand Colorado’s affordable housing tax credit, which helps fund development of low-income housing. The bill, which the governor is expected to sign, would allow the state to issue $20 million in new credits this tax year, then lesser amounts through 2027. The bill also includes $30 million through 2029 to fund grants for transit-oriented communities.

Senate Bill 94: This legislation, which the governor signed into law, updates Colorado’s so-called warranty of habitability law, including to require that landlords complete repairs for most issues — like fixing loose tiles or ensuring adequate trash pickups — within 14 days. The bill would give landlords seven days to resolve more serious conditions that can threaten a person’s life, safety or health, like gas leaks, broken heating systems, inadequate running water and pest infestations.
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Senate Bill 111: Senior homeowners wouldn’t lose a popular property tax break if they move under this bill that makes the so-called senior homestead exemption portable. The measure awaits the governor’s signature. 

Senate Bill 134: This legislation, signed into law by the governor, prohibits a homeowners association from restricting someone who lives in their community from operating a business out of their home. 

Senate Bill 174: Under this measure, local governments would be required to conduct housing needs assessments every six years and create action plans to meet those needs. Local governments that make progress on their housing plans would have an advantage in winning grant dollars from a number of state agencies. The bill awaits the governor’s signature.

Guns

House Bill 1174: This measure, awaiting the governor’s signature, would changes to Colorado’s laws around who can obtain a concealed carry permit and how they obtain that permit. It would mandate that training classes to qualify for a concealed carry permit offer at least eight hours of instruction, including a live-fire test where participants shoot at least 50 rounds. Passing the live-fire test, as well as a written exam, would be mandatory to get a concealed carry permit.

House Bill 1348: A gun would have to be in a locked, hard-sided container — including a glove box or center console — out of view when kept in a vehicle under this bill awaiting the governor’s signature. The bill would also require the vehicle to be locked. Violators would face a fine, though there would be exceptions for people who work on farms and ranches or for the military or as law enforcement. 

House Bill 1349: Colorado voters will be asked in November to impose a 6.5% excise tax on firearms and ammunition sold in the state beginning on April 1, 2025, under this measure passed by the legislature. The revenue would go to crime victims, schools and behavioral health programs. 

House Bill 1353: This measure would require firearms dealers in Colorado to obtain a state permit and be subject to random and regular inspections. The legislation, which hasn’t been signed by the governor yet, would also require employee background checks and training for employees to identify people trying to illegally purchase guns. Employees would have to report anyone who tries to unlawfully purchase a gun to law enforcement within 48 hours. Finally, the measure would require  gun stores to lock up their firearms. 

Senate Bill 3: This legislation, which hasn’t been signed into law yet, would give the Colorado Bureau of Investigation authority to investigate firearms crimes. It would also allocate $1.7 million to the agency to investigate people convicted of felonies who are attempting to illegally purchase a gun. 

Senate Bill 66: The governor has signed this measure, which requires that credit card companies assign specific merchant codes to firearms and ammunition dealers by May 2025. The legislation is aimed at making it easier to track gun purchases. 

Senate Bill 131: The Colorado Capitol, courthouses, child care facilities, K-12 schools, colleges and polling locations would be added to the list of places where the open or concealed carry of a firearm is prohibited under this measure awaiting the governor’s signature.

Transportation

Senate Bill 65: Colorado drivers would be prohibited from using a mobile electronic device, such as a cellphone, while driving under this measure awaiting the governor’s signature. The measure has exceptions for drivers using hand-free accessories or those making a call in an emergency. 

Senate Bill 79: Starting in August, motorcycle riders will be allowed to “lane split,” or drive between vehicles in two lanes, when traveling up to 15 miles per hour and overtaking stopped traffic under this measure signed into law by the governor. The change will expire on Sept. 1, 2027, unless extended by the legislature. 

Senate Bill 100: Commercial vehicles would be prohibited starting in August from traveling in the left lane on treacherous sections of Interstate 70 through Colorado’s high country, including Floyd Hill, Georgetown Hill, near the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, Vail Pass, Dowd Junction and Glenwood Canyon, under this measure awaiting the governor’s signature. Additionally, the bill would increase fines for commercial vehicles that speed through Glenwood Canyon and add a list of mountain routes to the areas where commercial vehicle drivers must carry chains between Sept. 1 and May 31. Finally, the legislation would require the Colorado Department of Transportation to study locations on I-70 through the mountains where additional chain-up and chain-down stations can be built, as well as how to improve existing stations.
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Senate Bill 182: This legislation, which hasn’t been signed into law yet, would make it easier for people living in the country illegally to obtain a driver’s license by eliminating the state’s requirement that they be a Colorado resident, have filed a tax return and have a social security or taxpayer identification number.
CPR NEWS

Senate Bill 184: Colorado’s daily rental car fee would increase to $5.13 from $2.13 under this measure awaiting the governor’s signature. The revenue generated — estimated to be more than $55 million annually — would go toward transit projects, predominantly efforts to build a Front Range passenger rail system. The fee would start in 2025 and increase annually based on inflation starting on July 1, 2026.
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Changes to the tax code or that would otherwise affect your wallet

House Bill 1052: When they file their taxes next spring, qualifying seniors 65 and older at the end of 2024 who make up to $75,000 — or $125,000 if filing jointly — can collect an income tax refund of up to $800 under the measure, which passed with wide bipartisan support and is expected to be signed into law. Homeowners who receive the senior homestead exemption are not eligible.

House Bill 1134: This measure, which the governor is expected to sign into law, would expand the earned income tax credit for low-income households by as much as $200 million annually. Households that make under $65,000 would qualify for a refundable credit worth as much as 50% of the federal tax credit of the same name. The exact value of the credit would rise and fall with economic conditions.
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House Bill 1311: Under this measure, which awaits the governor’s signature, low- and middle-income Colorado families would qualify for income tax credits worth up to $3,200 per child. The exact value of the credit depends on economic growth.
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House Bill 1312: This measure would create a $1,200 income tax credit for child care workers and nurses who provide at-home care or work in certain skilled nursing facilities and make up to $75,000 a year and are a single tax filer. The legislation is a bid to address staffing shortages in the industry. Joint filers who make up to $100,000 would qualify a $2,400 income tax credit. The bill hasn’t been signed by the governor yet.

Senate Bill 228: Coloradans would get temporary income tax cuts in years when the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights surplus exceeds a certain level under this measure, which would also create two new taxpayer refund mechanisms. The bill, which awaits the governor’s signature, would temporarily cut income taxes to 4.25% from 4.4% this year, the maximum cut allowed under the bill. The legislation only triggers cuts if there’s $300 million leftover after a senior property tax break is funded. In years where the leftover surplus is larger than $1.5 billion, the sales tax rate would also be cut. The measure is part of a deal struck between Democratic lawmakers and the governor, who pushed for temporary income tax cuts as a condition of using large parts of the surplus to fund income tax credits.
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Senate Bill 233: Property tax rates would hold steady this year under this bipartisan, last-minute measure passed by the legislature and awaiting the governor’s signature that wouldn’t affect K-12 funding. The bill would then offer a property tax break in all subsequent years, in part by capping the annual revenue increase for local governments to 5.5%.
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Health care

House Bill 1058: Starting in August, the Colorado Privacy Act will be expanded to protect biological data, including neural data, gathered through new neurotechnologies, used for everything from anxiety treatment to dating app optimization, under this first-in-the-nation bill signed into law by the governor.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

House Bill 1081: The sale or transfer of products with a potency of 10% or greater of sodium nitrite will be limited starting July 1 to verified commercial businesses under this measure signed into law by the governor. The measure is aimed at preventing people from obtaining the chemical to kill themselves. Sodium nitrite products will also have to contain a warning that they are deadly if ingested.
CPR NEWS

House Bill 1136: Starting in 2026, social media platforms would be required under this measure to give pop-up warnings to Colorado youths after one hour of daily use if a teen is using social media after 10 p.m. The notifications would provide information on the harm of social media use, which has been linked to anxiety and depression. The bipartisan measure passed both chambers and awaits the governor’s signature.
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House Bill 1231: Colorado will create its third medical college — at the University of Northern Colorado, likely in 2026 — after the governor signed this bill that also includes a plan to develop a Health Institute Tower at Metropolitan State University of Denver, construct a veterinary health education complex for Colorado State University in Fort Collins and renovate and expand the main building at Trinidad State College’s valley campus in Alamosa to house all the school’s health care programs.
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House Bill 1380: This measure, which hasn’t been signed into law, would prevent hospitals from publicly concealing their involvement in debt collection lawsuits against patients. It was introduced following a joint Colorado Sun/9News investigation into the practice The bill would apply to all debt collection lawsuits broadly, not just those over medical debt.

House Bill 1456: Rates of syphilis infections are booming in Colorado, as they are across the country. This has also led to an increase in the number of babies infected in utero. Current law requires health care providers to offer testing for syphilis — which is treatable by antibiotics — early in the first trimester. This bill, which hasn’t been signed yet, would also require providers to offer syphilis testing early in the third trimester.

Senate Bill 68: Colorado’s waiting period for terminally ill people seeking to use the state’s medical-aid-in-dying law would be shortened in August to seven days from 15 under this bill passed by the legislature and awaiting the governor’s signature. The measure would also waive the waiting period for people expected to die within 48 hours and let advanced practice nurses prescribe aid-in-dying medication.
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Senate Bill 203: People who live with rare diseases are worried that actions by Colorado’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board could make their drugs unavailable. The board has the power to set price caps on drugs it declares unaffordable. But patients fear that a cap might cause a pharmaceutical company to pull out of the market in Colorado or cause pharmacies to stop selling the drug. This bill, which hasn’t been signed by the governor yet, would require the board to consult with the state’s Rare Disease Advisory Council before reviewing a drug.

Criminal justice

House Concurrent Resolution 1002: Colorado voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to once again allow judges to prohibit people charged with first-degree murder from being released on bail from jail ahead of their trials. That’s the effect of House Concurrent Resolution 1002, which was brought after the state Supreme Court ruled last year that the legislature’s 2020 decision to repeal Colorado’s death penalty meant that those defendants were eligible for pretrial release and that judges had to set their bail.
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House Bill 1071: People convicted of a felony can only change their name in Colorado if they can show they have “good cause.” This bill, signed into law by the governor, adds changing a name to conform to a person’s gender identity to the legal definition of “good cause.”

House Bill 1103: The term “excited delirium” is banned from being used in first responder training, in police incident reports and from being listed as the cause of death in Colorado death certificates under this measure signed into law by the governor. The bill was inspired by the death of Elijah McClain in Aurora after an encounter with city police and paramedics.
9NEWS

House Bill 1355: This measure would divert people accused of low-level crimes into mental health treatment instead of requiring them to be “restored to competency” to stand trial, a process that can involve a monthslong wait in jail. District attorneys, public defenders and judges could refer people to the new Bridges Wraparound Care Program, housed within Bridges of Colorado, an independent state office.
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Senate Bill 35: The criminal penalties for human trafficking for involuntary or sexual servitude have been increased under this measure signed into law by the governor. The maximum penalty has been increased to 48 years from a maximum average of 28 years. Additionally, the bill increases the statute of limitations for prosecuting those offenders to 20 years.

Environment

House Bill 1379: This measure was introduced in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision curbing the federal government’s power to regulate wetlands. The bill, which hasn’t been signed yet, would hand the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that responsibility, and require the agency to create a framework to protect the waterways the federal government no longer oversees.
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House Bill 1436: Colorado voters will be asked in November whether to let the state keep all of the sports betting tax revenue it collects under this measure that passed the legislature. Right now, the state is required under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights to refund any sports betting revenue it collects in excess of $29 million. If voters reject the ballot question, the excess will be refunded to casinos.
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Senate Bill 81: This bill, which hasn’t been signed by the governor yet, would close loopholes in a 2022 state ban on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, known as “forever chemicals,” that are polluting the water supply. It would move up the deadlines to phase out the sale of certain products with those chemicals, and also expand the list of those products.
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Senate Bill 171: Colorado Parks and Wildlife would be authorized to reintroduce the North American Wolverine in Colorado under this measure awaiting the governor’s signature. CPW would be required to create rules to repay livestock owners for losses caused by wolverines. Lawmakers allocated more than $100,000 next fiscal year for the reintroduction efforts.
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Senate Bill 229: State regulators would be required by Aug. 31, 2026, to adopt rules to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from the oil and gas industry by 50% between May 1 and September 30 from their 2017 levels by 2030 under this bill awaiting the governor’s signature. The measure would also change how the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment enforces emissions violations and requires the agency to gather and publish data and publish that enforcement work.
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Senate Bill 230: This measure would impose a new fee on oil and gas produced in Colorado, generating an estimated $138 million a year, 80% of which would go to transit projects and the rest of which would go to public lands. The bill, which awaits the governor’s signature, would also require the Regional Transportation District to prioritize completion of its long-promised commuter rail lines between Denver and Longmont and Denver and north Adams County.
READ MORE: Governor, Democrats reach long-term air quality and transit deal
READ MORE: Governor, legislature have spent 2024 trying to reshape RTD

Senate Bill 218: This measure would direct Xcel Energy to develop more comprehensive plans to upgrade the distribution grid, which brings electricity to homes and businesses and is under pressure from increased use. The bill, which is awaiting the governor’s signature, would allow the utility to recover costs by adding charges to residential and commercial bills.
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Business

House Bill 1121: This so-called right to repair legislation, when signed by the governor, would require tech and appliance companies to make available tools and software to repair their products. Sponsors of the measure say it would apply to everything from blenders to cellphones.

House Bill 1129: This measure, which hasn’t been signed by the governor, would place new requirements on third-party delivery companies like DoorDash or UberEats, including that all tips be paid to drivers, that drivers be told up front how much they are expected to earn for a trip and that the companies develop a driver deactivation policy that is made available in multiple languages. The bill would also require that the companies give drivers at least a minute to decide whether to accept a delivery.  

House Bill 1378: Venues would be required to admit ticket holders to an event regardless of where they purchased the ticket under this measure awaiting the governor’s signature. The bill would also make it a deceptive trade practice for a company to not disclose fees associated with a ticket purchase before a buyer tries to complete their transaction.
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Senate Bill 173: This measure, which hasn’t been signed into law yet, would require funeral directors, mortuary science practitioners, embalmers, creationists and natural reductionists to obtain a state license starting in 2027. To get a license, people working in those professions would have to graduate from an accredited institution, pass a national board exam, complete an apprenticeship and be subject to a criminal background check. Colorado is currently the only state does doesn’t require licensure for directors and others who work in the funeral industry.
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Senate Bill 75: Ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft would have to disclose to their drivers starting next year how much riders are paying for each trip and make it clear to riders how much their drivers are being paid under this bill awaiting the governor’s signature. The legislation would make a host of other changes to the way the state regulates the rideshare industry.

Senate Bill 205: Companies that use artificial intelligence to make “consequential” decisions — such as whether a Coloradan gets a job, house, loan or medical coverage — would have to disclose to consumers when they are using AI under this measure awaiting the governor’s signature. Some in the AI business community criticized the bill as coming too early, while consumer advocates feel it doesn’t go far enough. While other states have been pursuing similar legislation this year, the Colorado bill appears to be the first of its kind nationwide. If signed, it would take effect Feb. 1, 2026.
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Education

House Bill 1003: This measure, signed into law by the governor, gives school bus drivers and other school employees who accompany students on buses the same civil and criminal immunity as other staffers when it comes to administering opioid overdose drugs. The legislation also lets schools keep a supply of fentanyl test strips and provides civil and criminal immunity to school personnel who use them. Finally, the bill also lets districts keep those overdose reversal drugs at schools, on school buses and at school-sponsored events.

House Bill 1017: The measure gives foster children their own official “bill of rights,” strengthening a number of existing protections in state child welfare laws. The rights include freedom from discrimination and harassment, invasions of privacy and unreasonable searches. Transgender children would also have the right to be referred to by their preferred name and pronouns. The law, signed by Polis in April, requires the state to notify foster kids of their rights at every placement and explain what to do if their foster parents violate those freedoms.
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House Bill 1039: Public school employees are required to address pupils by their chosen name and knowingly or intentionally using a different name would be considered discriminatory under this measure signed into law by the governor. The legislation defines chosen name as “any name that a student requests to be known as that differs from the student’s legal name, to reflect the student’s gender identity.”

House Bill 1044: Under this new law signed by Polis, hundreds more retired public school teachers can return to work after they’ve begun drawing pension benefits through the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association. The measure raises the current limit of 10 retired teachers per K-12 district, allowing schools to hire one more retiree for every 1,000 students in district’s with 10,000 or more pupils. The pension system is required to report every five years on the financial impact of the changes, which could add as much as $200 million to PERA’s unfunded debt.
THE UNAFFILIATED

House Bill 1164: Under this measure, K-12 schools across the state would be required to provide free menstrual products to students in all applicable bathrooms as soon as the 2025-26 year. Initially, the requirements would only apply to urban and suburban school districts and charter schools; they would kick in for rural schools and the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind starting in July 2028. The governor hasn’t signed the legislation yet.

House Bill 1394: Starting next school year, the state will provide additional funding to state-sponsored charter schools in communities where local voters have increased property taxes for traditional public and charter schools. The bipartisan measure, which Polis signed into law, equalizes the per-student funding received by Charter School Institute schools that don’t benefit from the local property tax bumps, known as mill levy overrides.

House Bill 1448: Many rural schools and districts with high concentrations of at-risk kids would benefit under this attempt to rewrite the school finance formula for the first time in 30 years. But wealthier districts with a high cost of living could lose out under the measure, which would prioritize student need-based factors over local economic conditions that districts say make it hard to pay teachers a living wage. The bill awaits the governor’s signature.
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Senate Bill 188: Next school year, Colorado would fully fund K-12 education for the first time since the Great Recession under the annual School Finance Act, which has passed both chambers and is expected to be signed into law. The measure boosts base funding per pupil to $8,496 and eliminates Colorado’s long-running school funding deficit, known as the budget stabilization factor.
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Senate Bill 216: Public libraries in Colorado would be prohibited from banning books or other resources based on the ethnic origin or gender identity of the creator, nor could they enact a ban because of partisan disapproval under this bill awaiting the governor’s signature. The bill would also prohibit a public library employee from being fired, demoted, disciplined or otherwise retaliated against for refusing to remove a book or other resource before it has been reviewed in accordance with the library’s policies. 

Other bills that passed

Senate Concurrent Resolution 3: Colorado voters will be asked in November to amend the state constitution to remove the ban on same-sex marriage under this resolution passed by a supermajority of the legislature. Same-sex marriage is legal in Colorado, but the constitutional provision defining marriage as being between a man and a woman remains.  

House Bill 1048: Veterinarians will be allowed to provide telemedicine under this measure signed into law by the governor. 

House Bill 1051: This measure, which hasn’t been signed by the governor yet, aims to tighten regulations on towing companies, including by prohibiting them from patrolling or monitoring a parking area for enforcement purposes. It would also require tow companies to return vehicles to their original location within 48 hours of an improper tow. 

House Bill 1059: An independent commission would be created and meet every four years to recommend pay adjustments for elected officials in the state under this legislation passed by the General Assembly. The first report would be due in December 2025, with recommendations to take effect Jan. 1, 2027. Annual wage adjustments would be made to account for inflation. The measure would also increase the per diem pay for state lawmakers.

House Bill 1147: Colorado campaigns would be prohibited from using artificial intelligence to create and disseminate deepfakes — an image, video or piece of audio that falsely appears to be authentic but really depicts someone appearing to say or do something they didn’t say or do — without a clear disclosure under this bill awaiting the governor’s signature. 

House Bill 1150: It is now a crime to be a presidential elector who doesn’t back the presidential candidate who wins the most votes in Colorado presidential elections under this measure signed into law by the governor. The measure also makes it a crime to assist someone in becoming a false elector or conspiring with another person to become a false elector. Violators face a fine of up to $10,000 and if convicted would be barred from serving as a member of the General Assembly or holding any office of trust or profit in the state.

House Bill 1244: Colorado coroners would be restricted as to whom they could release a child’s autopsy report to under this measure awaiting the governor’s signature. Members of the public could not obtain a child’s autopsy report unless the juvenile’s death happens while they are in custody or under the supervision of the state or a local government, including foster care or in a public school.

House Bill 1280: The state would provide around $2 million in grants to community organizations to help integrate migrants in Colorado under this measure. The welcome grant program created by the bill is aimed at helping recent arrivals to the U.S. find a job, enroll their kids in school and access certain social services.

House Bill 1360: This measure, passed by the General Assembly and awaiting the governor’s signature, would create Colorado’s first ever Disability Opportunity Office, which would be housed within the Department of Labor and Employment. The office’s four employees would provide guidance to the governor and state agencies on accessibility problems, and implement a statewide strategy to promote economic stability and societal integration for those with disabilities.
COLORADO NEWSLINE

House Bill 1430: The long bill, the central piece of a budget package of more than a dozen pieces of legislation, authorizes $40.6 billion in state spending for Colorado’s 2024-25 fiscal year, which starts July 1. The state budget funds large pay raises for state workers and increases spending on health care services, K-12 and higher education. General fund spending is set to increase by $1 billion next year under the measure, which Polis signed into law. That’s a 7% bump from the current budget year. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which administers Medicaid and other public health programs, was responsible for about half of the general fund budget growth.
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House Bill 1472: This measure, the product of a deal between trial lawyers, business interests and the insurance industry, would raise award caps in Colorado personal injury and medical malpractice cases to as high as $2.1 million. The bill was negotiated with the help of a bipartisan group of lawmakers, as well as the governor’s office. It hasn’t been signed yet. In exchange for the legislation, lawyers have agreed to abandon a ballot effort to eliminate the caps altogether, including a $300,000 cap on medical malpractice claims.
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Senate Bill 53: This measure would create a commission to study racial inequities affecting Black Coloradans and propose solutions to address them. The bill calls for an economic analysis on the generational harms caused by systemic racism, and directs History Colorado, the state historical society, to help study discriminatory policies dating back to slavery. If the governor signs the bill into law, the commission’s work would be funded through $785,000 in grants and donations.
CPR NEWS

Senate Bill 58: If a landowner erects signs — at least 8 inches by 10 inches — warning of dangerous conditions, structures and activities on their property, they cannot not be sued by an injured visitor for “a willful or malicious failure to guard against a known condition,” under this legislation signed into law by the governor. The signs may be installed at trailheads, instead of at each and every hazard.
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Senate Bill 157: This bill, which was signed into law by the governor, changes how the state’s open meetings laws apply to the legislature, including making written communications among two or more lawmakers exempt, though still subject to Colorado’s separate open records laws. Additionally, the legislation exempts lawmakers from having to provide advance notice of a meeting, or recording and taking and posting minutes of a gathering, unless public business — like legislation, resolutions or memorials — is being discussed and only when there’s a contemporaneous quorum. Exempt from public access are conversations that are “by nature interpersonal, administrative or logistics or that concern personnel, planning, process training or operations.” The legislature’s executive committee is also required under the bill to take public comment on how open meetings laws apply to the legislature and consider changes to the statutes.
THE DENVER POST

Notable bills that failed

Senate Concurrent Resolution 1: This measure would have referred a question to the November ballot asking voters to amend the state constitution to let victims of child sex abuse from decades past sue their abusers even if the statute of limitations has run out. It needed a supermajority of support to pass, but fell one vote short in the Senate after every Republican in the chamber voted against the resolution.
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House Bill 1028: Local governments in Colorado would have been able to authorize the formation of centers where people could openly use illicit drugs under the supervision of workers trained in reversing overdoses under this bill. The measure passed the House, but was rejected in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

House Bill 1057: Landlords would have been limited in how they can use computer algorithms in setting rent under this bill, which would have made it a violation of consumer protection laws to use nonpublic data from competitors to set rent prices. The bill passed the House, but was amended in the Senate to allow the practice in many circumstances. The House rejected the Senate’s changes and the Senate refused to revisit the measure, killing the legislation in the final days of the session.

House Bill 1158: This measure would have required that the minimum bid for HOA-foreclosed homes being sold at auction be set at roughly 60% of the property’s market value. Right now, the minimum bid is set at whatever the homeowner owes their HOA, which may only be a few thousand dollars. The bill failed by one vote during its final debate on the House floor.
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House Bill 1162: This measure would have increased the criminal penalties for stealing a firearm valued at up to $300 a Class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 120 days in jail, up from a petty offense. The measure was rejected in its first committee hearing.
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House Bill 1163: This measure would have required pet owners to register their animals with the state each year for a minimum fee of $8.50. The fee revenue would have gone to shelters. Violators would have faced a $100 fine. The bill was unanimously rejected in its first committee hearing.

House Bill 1169: Colorado’s public pension would have been able to invest in companies that economically boycott Israel under this legislation that was rejected during its first committee hearing.
THE DENVER POST

House Bill 1239: This measure would have required local governments to change their codes by Dec. 1, 2026, to allow a single stairwell exit for buildings up to five stories tall. The legislation, pitched as a way to increase housing, was rejected in its first committee hearing.

House Bill 1270: Coloradans who own a firearm would have been required to have homeowners, renters or other liability insurance starting in 2025 under this bill that died on the calendar in the Senate. Gun owners would have been able to petition a judge for an exemption in certain situations, including after being denied coverage by at least two insurance carriers. The bill would also have required insurers to make firearms coverage available as part of liability coverage for homeowners and renters policies, though they could offer discounts for people who own a gun safe or other secure firearm container. Violators would have faced fines.

House Bill 1292: For the second year in a row, a bill that would have banned the purchase, sale and transfer of a broad swath of semiautomatic firearms, defined in the measure as assault weapons, failed in the Colorado legislature. House Bill 1292 was killed in its first Senate committee at the request of one of its Senate sponsors, who said “more conversations need to take place.”
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House Bill 1296: This measure would have increased the time government agencies in Colorado have to respond to open records requests to between five and 10 days from three to seven days, with an exception for requests made by the news media. In some cases, agencies would have had a month to respond. The bill was rejected in the Senate.

House Bill 1299: This legislation would have imposed Colorado’s commercial property tax rate on properties offered as short-term rentals when they belonged to a person or business that owned at least two other homes. It was rejected during its first committee hearing in the House.
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House Bill 1363: This legislation was designed to tighten rules for Colorado charter schools and make them more transparent and accountable, but it was fiercely opposed by both Democratic and Republican supporters of education reform. It was rejected in its first committee.
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House Bill 1433: The parole board would have handed the responsibility to make decisions on whether to grant parole to Young Adults Convicted as Adults Program within the Department of Corrections under this measure that was rejected in a Senate committee. Right now, the governor makes those parole decisions using recommendations from the parole board.

Senate Bill 33: This measure would have quadrupled the property taxes on Colorado homes rented as short-term rentals for more than 90 days a year. It was rejected in the Senate Finance Committee.
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Senate Bill 43: Coloradans would have been allowed to buy raw milk at farms, farmers markets and roadside stands under this measure that spoiled in the Senate. Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Frisco Democrat, said he sidelined the measure because of the bovine outbreak of avian flu.
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Senate Bill 106: This so-called construction defects measure aimed to limit when lawsuits could be filed against developers over building errors and in turn encourage condominium construction in Colorado. It passed the Senate but was rejected unanimously in a House committee when it became clear it wouldn’t have enough support to pass.
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Senate Bill 146: Renters would have received an income tax credit worth up to $1,000 under this measure that died on the calendar in the House. Only renters who make less than $75,000 — or $125,000 if filing jointly — would have qualified for the credit. 

Senate Bill 159: New oil and gas drilling in Colorado would have been banned by 2030 under this measure that was rejected by a bipartisan majority of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee during its first hearing.
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Senate Bill 181: This measure would have imposed beer, wine and liquor fees on alcohol manufacturers and wholesale distributors, the revenue from which would have gone to substance abuse treatment. It was rejected by the House Finance Committee. 

Colorado Sun staff writers Sandra Fish, John Ingold, Tamara Chuang, Parker Yamasaki and Mark Jaffe contributed to this report. 

Type of Story: Analysis

Based on factual reporting, although it incorporates the expertise of the journalist and may offer interpretations and conclusions.