Colorado’s 2025 legislative session has begun. Here’s what you need to know to participate.

Colorado’s 2025 legislative session begins Wednesday, which means 100 state lawmakers are headed to the gold dome in Denver to begin their 120-day term debating bills. 

The legislature can be intimidating to the uninitiated. Fear not, dear reader, as we are here to help. 

Figure out who your state representative and senator are 

Each Coloradan is represented by one state representative and one state senator. Use this link to input your address and find out which lawmakers speak for you at the Colorado Capitol.

There are 35 members of the Senate and 65 members of the House. Senators serve four-year terms, while members of the House serve two-year terms. Legislators are limited to four consecutive terms in their respective chambers.

How to track bills, committees and floor work 

The best way to understand the General Assembly is by checking out our comprehensive Capitol Sunlight guide. There you can learn about everything from the layout of the state Capitol building, to how a bill becomes law and how to contact or visit your lawmaker.

Here are three important things to know about the process for those who want the footnotes version:

• Unlike other states — and Congress — every bill introduced in Colorado’s legislature must get at least one committee hearing in the chamber where it was introduced. And the public is allowed to testify on the legislation.
• The legislature’s schedule can change on a dime, so use this link to track what’s happening every day. 
• To find a bill, the easiest way is to search for keywords or to browse by topic at this link. If you just want to look at a list of all the bills introduced so far, you can find them here by type of bill and chamber.

How to come see the action

The Colorado Capitol is open to the public, though you will have to pass through security to enter the building. 

The House and Senate convene at about 9 a.m. Tuesday through Friday and about 10 a.m. Mondays. Work on the chamber floor often concludes quickly to make time for committee meetings.

Toward the end of the 120-day session, lawmakers will spend more time in the chamber debating bills and voting.

Members of the public are welcome to sit in the House and Senate gallery and observe floor work, or attend committee meetings and even testify.

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Lawmakers huddling at their desks. Lobbyists crowding the chamber doors. Legislative staffers scurrying through the hallways. The Colorado Capitol can appear to be an intimidating place. But it’s not — once you know how it works. Here we offer the details on what you need to know to get your voice heard in the Colorado…

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If you don’t want to leave your home or office, you can still watch the Capitol action online. When lawmakers are on the House or Senate floor, the sessions are broadcast live and then archived by the Colorado Channel on YouTube. Here is the link.

The committee hearings are not broadcast or recorded on video, but you can listen to them live through an audio feed or find them archived after the fact. Here’s the link. (For committee hearings, the entire audio often isn’t posted until hours later, or even the next day.)

How to get the latest Capitol news

If you’ll forgive some self-promotion: The Unaffiliated is Colorado’s premier, must-read politics and policy newsletter. It is written by The Colorado Sun’s award-winning politics team and offers breaking news, explainers and behind-the-scenes analysis.

Become a Premium member today to be in the know on everything Colorado politics this legislative session.