The act allows a fire protection district or a metropolitan district that provides fire protection services (district) to create a program to mitigate the presence of dead or dry plant material that can burn and contribute to a fire on privately owned property within a district (vegetative fuel program). A district that creates a vegetative fuel program may require an owner or occupier with an interest in private real property that contains vegetative fuel within the district to remove the vegetative fuel and assess a fine per incident of noncompliance. An incident covers all vegetative fuel on a property. A district may not require an owner or occupier of private real property to remove vegetative fuel on private real property that is classified as agricultural land by the tax assessor, owned by a nonprofit entity and leased for agricultural purposes, owned or occupied by a public utility with a vegetation management or wildfire mitigation plan to address vegetative fuel sources, or adjacent to a ditch that conveys decreed water rights or within the easement where the ditch is located.

In order to assess a fine, for each incident, the district must provide written notice by certified mail of the requirement to remove vegetative fuel and allow at least 14 days for the owner or occupier to comply. An owner or occupier that does not remove the vegetative fuel as provided in the first notice may be subject to a second notice requiring the removal of vegetative fuel. An owner or occupier has at least 14 days to comply with the second notice. An owner or occupier that does not comply within at least 14 days after the second notice may receive a third notice providing for a fine approximately equal to the cost of removing the vegetative fuel. The fine may not exceed $200 per property per incident, and an owner or occupier is not subject to more than one fine for the same incident. The sum of all fines assessed against a single property may not exceed $1,200. An owner or occupier receiving a third notice may avoid a fine by removing the vegetative fuel within 14 days of the date of the third notice.

A district may not access any privately owned real property without the written permission of the owner or occupier of the property. An owner or occupier is not liable to a district for damages to district personnel or equipment that occurs on the property while district personnel or equipment are present on the property to carry out a vegetative fuel program. A district may not use a drone to discover vegetative fuel on a property or to administer or enforce a vegetative fuel program created pursuant to the act.

The money that a district collects from a fine must be used by the district only to remove vegetative fuel on private real property within the district's jurisdiction. A district's board may waive the fine in all or in part, in its discretion if it determines that the fine was not assessed pursuant to law, an owner or occupier is financially unable to pay the fine, the vegetative fuel has been removed, or a waiver is appropriate under the circumstances and must prioritize use of the money to assist a low-income owner or occupier, a senior owner or occupier, or an owner or occupier with a disability in removing vegetative fuel from the owner or occupier's property. A district's board may also waive a fine for delays due to weather or upon a petition for a time extension from an owner or occupier if they have undertaken good faith efforts to remove the vegetative fuel. Good faith efforts include documentation from an arborist or licensed professional landscape architect that states when the arborist or landscape architect will be able to mitigate vegetative fuel on the property and the cost of mitigation. A district's board shall grant a property owner or occupier a time extension to mitigate or pay a fine for:

• No longer than 3 months if the cost to mitigate exceeds $1,000 and is less than $2,500;
• No longer than 6 months if the cost to mitigate equals or exceeds $2,500 and is less than $5,000;
• No longer than 9 months if the cost to mitigate equals or exceeds $5,000 and is less than $10,000; or
• No longer than one year if the cost to mitigate equals or exceeds $10,000.

A district's board shall adopt rules and policies after a public hearing, public notice and public comment to implement the act and shall post the adopted rules and policies to the district's website, on social media operated by the district, and in a local newspaper of general circulation. A vegetative fuel program may only be effective 30 days or more after posting of the adopted rules and policies on the district's website. As part of the rules and policies, a district shall designate an individual to oversee and manage the district's vegetative fuel program. A district may certify to the county treasurer a delinquent charge made or levied against a property, and the treasurer may collect and pay over the charge in the same manner that property taxes are collected and paid.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

Wildfire Matters Review Committee. Section 1 of the bill authorizes the Colorado cooperative extension service (extension) to expand and implement outreach programs and initiatives recommended by the Colorado forest health council for the purpose of increasing awareness of and interest in areas of forestry, wildland fire, and natural resources (forest health) in youth and young adults. The outreach programs and initiatives may be implemented for the 2025-26 state fiscal year through the 2027-28 state fiscal year and may include, in part:

• The expansion of 4-H programs and curricula in forest health;
• Partnerships with the forest health industry, local school districts, higher education institutions, conservation districts, the Colorado state forest service, the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety (division), and others to facilitate career and workforce readiness and entry into forest health careers;
• Outreach and support to youth and young adults relating to 2- and 4-year programs and certificates in forest health;
• Industry partnerships and scholarships for forest health certifications, such as wildland fire or chain saw certifications;
• Paid natural resources summer internships focused on forestry for high school students, including the potential to earn high school credit for completing the internship; and
• Paid internships in forest health careers offered by the extension, with mentoring of young adults by the extension, Colorado state university, the Colorado state forest service, and the division.

The bill requires the extension to report annually to the department of natural resources and the house of representatives agriculture, water, and natural resources committee and the senate agriculture and natural resources committee on the implementation and outcomes of the outreach programs and initiatives. Section 2 authorizes the division to use money in the local firefighter safety and disease prevention fund to:

• Provide need-based grants to fire service governing bodies and volunteer fire departments for the cost of certain firefighter certification courses, course materials, textbooks, instructors, and written testing and to provide fire instructor I or equivalent certification for instructors who want to participate in a train-the-trainer program created by the division;
• Subject to appropriations by the general assembly, create a train-the-trainer program to ensure that all instructors providing grant-funded certification classes described in the bill teach a consistent curriculum; and
• Subject to appropriations by the general assembly, create a statewide outreach program to promote fire service careers, including marketing materials targeted to youth, an online portal to access career pathways and resources, and marketing materials that include social media.

The bill requires the state treasurer to make an interest-free loan of $50 million from the unclaimed property trust fund (UPTF loan) to the department of local affairs (department). The department shall use the UPTF loan to create a zero-interest revolving loan program (loan program) to benefit fire departments. Eligible fire departments include town, city, county, and city and county fire protection organizations, fire protection districts, or other districts that provide fire protection, as well as volunteer fire departments.

Eligible uses of loans made to fire departments under the loan program may include:

• The purchase of rolling stock, such as fire trucks, brush trucks, and fast attack vehicles, and associated apparatus;
• Capital improvements for existing or new facilities;
• The purchase of other facilities, infrastructure, or equipment for the state's firefighter workforce to respond to emergencies and ensure public safety; and
• Temporary bridge loans to cover unusual costs in response to emergencies.

Prior to making loans to fire departments, the department shall consult with statewide associations representing fire chiefs and firefighters and the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety.

The department may charge an administrative fee of up to one-half of one percent on the principal amount of the loans made to fire departments and may use earnings from the investment of the UPTF loan to administer the loan program.

The bill creates a fund in the state treasury for use by the department for the UPTF loan and requires the department to pay the UPTF loan back to the UPTF not later than July 1, 2065.

In addition, the bill creates the firefighter first homeownership program (homeownership program) and, if implemented, authorizes the state treasurer to invest money from the UPTF in the homeownership program. If implemented, the Colorado housing and finance authority or another entity selected by the state treasurer will serve as the program manager. The state treasurer shall purchase from the program manager mortgage products in tranches of reasonable amounts. The program manager shall establish guidelines and underwriting criteria that:

• Prioritize first-time homebuyers who use the home as a primary residence;
• Provide shared equity down payment assistance to firefighters;
• Allow appreciation-sharing benefits between the homeownership program and homeowner;
• If the program manager is the Colorado housing and finance authority, pair a borrower with a mortgage loan provided through the program manager's network of lenders that bears an interest rate at or below market rate; and
• Serve homebuyers across diverse geographic areas and housing markets.

The program manager is entitled to normal and customary fees for managing the homeownership program and other costs related to the homeownership program, and shall annually report to the state treasurer concerning the homeownership program.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Fiscal Note

For ground ambulance services (ambulance services), the act:

• Allows a political subdivision or an ambulance service providing ambulance services on behalf of the political subdivision to submit to the division of insurance (division) the established rates for the ambulance services, if the rates meet specified conditions;
• Requires the division to publish reimbursement rates on the division's public-facing website;
• Establishes reimbursement rates for ambulance services that are out of network; and
• Prohibits an out-of-network ambulance service from billing an individual covered under a health insurance coverage plan (covered person) any outstanding balance for a covered service not paid for by an insurance carrier, except for any coinsurance, deductible, or copayment amount required to be paid by the covered person. If a covered person makes a payment for an out-of-network ambulance service, the payment must be applied to the covered person's in-network deductibles and in-network out-of-pocket maximum amounts.

For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $38,149 is appropriated from the division of insurance cash fund to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the division to implement the act.

VETOED by Governor 5/29/2025
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The bill creates the fallen firefighter special license plate. An applicant becomes eligible to use the plate by providing a certificate to the department of revenue (department) confirming that the applicant has made a donation to a nonprofit organization (organization) chosen by the department based on the organization's provision of services to the families of firefighters who have been killed in the line of duty.

In addition to the normal fees for a license plate, a person must pay 2 additional one-time fees in the amount of $25, one of which is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other to the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Fiscal Note

The bill extends an existing reduction in the valuation for assessment of qualified-senior primary residence real property (valuation reduction) that applies for only the 2025 and 2026 property tax years so that the valuation reduction is permanent. The bill also makes permanent the existing obligation of the state to annually reimburse local governments that levy property tax for the amount of property tax revenue lost due to the valuation reduction.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Fiscal Note

The bill requires a subject jurisdiction, on or after December 31, 2026, to allow a residential development to be constructed on a qualifying property that does not contain an exempt parcel, subject to an administrative approval process. A subject jurisdiction shall not allow a residential development to be constructed on a qualifying property unless the residential development complies with certain affordability requirements.

The bill specifies that a subject jurisdiction shall not:

• Disallow construction of a residential development on the basis of height if the tallest structure in the residential development is no more than 3 stories or 45 feet tall;
• Disallow construction of a residential development on the basis of height if the tallest structure in the residential development complies with the height-related standards for the zoning district in which the residential development will be built or any zoning district parcel that is contiguous to the qualifying property on which the residential development will be built;
• Disallow construction of a residential development based on the number of dwelling units that the residential development will contain, except in accordance with standards listed in the bill; or
• Apply standards to a residential development on a qualifying property that are more restrictive than the standards the subject jurisdiction applies to similar housing constructed within the subject jurisdiction, including standards related to structure setbacks from property lines; lot coverage or open space; on-site parking requirements; numbers of bedrooms in a multifamily residential development; or on-site landscaping, screening, and buffering requirements; or minimum dwelling units per acre.

A subject jurisdiction shall allow the following uses in a residential development on a qualifying property:

• Childcare; and
• The provision of recreational, social, or educational services provided by community organizations for use by the residents of the residential development and the surrounding community.

A subject jurisdiction may condition additional uses in a residential development on the uses being allowed only on the ground floor of the residential development and the uses occupying no more than 15% of the ground floor area of the residential development.

The bill requires a faith-based organization, school district, or state college or university to notify the county assessor that a subject jurisdiction has allowed the construction of a residential development on a qualifying property within the county.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Fiscal Note

The act requires a property insurer that uses a wildfire risk model, a catastrophe model, or a scoring method to assign risk to:

• For the purposes of underwriting homeowners and other property insurance policies, adhere to specific requirements to share information with the commissioner of insurance (commissioner) and the public, include specific activities in the models, and provide notices to policyholders;
• Submit available data concerning the models and scoring method as required by rule of the commissioner to the division of insurance as part of the insurer's rate filings; and
• Ensure that specific factors are either incorporated in the wildfire risk model, catastrophe model, or combination of models or are otherwise demonstrably included in the insurer's underwriting and pricing.

If an insurer does not incorporate property-specific and community-level mitigation actions into its models, the act requires the insurer to provide discounts to policyholders who demonstrate actions taken on the property to reduce the risk of loss.

The act requires an insurer to post on its website information regarding premium savings that are available to policyholders who undertake property-specific mitigation actions or provide evidence of community-level mitigation actions and the process for appealing a wildfire risk score.

The act requires an insurer that provides a mitigation discount or that uses a wildfire risk model or risk score to underwrite, nonrenew, price, create a rate differential, or surcharge the premium based upon the policyholder's or applicant's wildfire risk to provide an annual written notice to each policyholder or applicant for property insurance of the applicable mitigation discounts, the wildfire risk score, and any other wildfire risk classification used by the insurer to underwrite the policyholder's or applicant's wildfire risk. The insurer is required to provide the wildfire risk score or classification to the policyholder or applicant. The act authorizes the policyholder and applicant to appeal the score or classification directly to the insurer.

The act authorizes the commissioner to adopt rules.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

In addition to individuals who may already request that their address included in certain records be kept confidential (address confidentiality) under certain circumstances, the act allows an individual or the spouse of an individual who is or has been a peace officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, emergency medical service provider, or emergency communications specialist (first responder) to also request address confidentiality for voter registration records that are in the custody of a county clerk and recorder or in the centralized statewide registration system maintained by the secretary of state (secretary) and financial disclosures that certain public officials are required to file with the secretary.

A first responder may request address confidentiality with the county clerk and recorder of the county where the first responder who is making the request for address confidentiality resides. The secretary is required to approve the application form for a request for address confidentiality.

Each county clerk and recorder is required to make the address confidentiality request application forms available in their office, provide the address confidentiality request application forms to interested persons by United States mail, email delivery, or facsimile transmission, and to process applications for address confidentiality without imposing a processing fee or any other charge.

The custodian of any records specified in the act that concern a first responder who has requested address confidentiality is required to deny, with limited exceptions, the right of inspection of the first responder's address contained in the records on the ground that disclosure would be contrary to the public interest.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act creates the regional planning roundtable commission (commission) within the department of local affairs (department). The commission is a 21-member appointed board with members who serve 3-year terms; except that specified members serve initial terms of 2 years.

After an initial meeting to elect a chair and establish its procedures and operation framework, the commission will only meet when a local government requests assistance in addressing a regional opportunity or challenge. In so meeting, the commission shall:

• Define a region for purposes of establishing a regional roundtable to assist in addressing the regional opportunity or challenge;
• Considering local expertise, suggest who should serve on the regional roundtable established in connection with addressing the regional opportunity or challenge; and
• Identify state resources available to assist in addressing the regional opportunity or challenge.

The commission may also assist in establishing an integrated planning framework that considers, at a minimum, specified topics. The commission must annually report to specified committees of the general assembly regarding any assistance that it has provided to local governments.

The act allows the department to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations to cover the costs of implementing the act. Only after the department has received sufficient gifts, grants, or donations to implement the act is the commission created and able to meet.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

Subject to local voter approval, the act increases the maximum allowed rate of a county lodging tax levied on the purchase price paid or charged to persons for rooms or accommodations from 2% to 6% and expands the allowed uses of lodging tax revenue to include:

• Public infrastructure maintenance or improvements; or
• Enhancing public safety measures by funding local law enforcement, fire protection services, and emergency medical services.

If a county received voter approval before January 1, 2025, to specifically allocate portions of revenue from the lodging tax to allowed uses for designated purposes, the act clarifies how those previously approved allocations are preserved and how revenue attributable to an increase in the tax rate may be allocated by the county.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act defines a subject jurisdiction as a municipality with a population of 100,000 or more that is served by a fire protection district, fire authority, or fire department that is or was accredited by a specified organization. The act only applies to a subject jurisdiction and only to the area within a subject jurisdiction that is served by a single fire protection district or fire department.

On or before December 1, 2027, the act requires the governing body of a subject jurisdiction to adopt a building code, or amend an existing building code, to allow up to 5 stories of a multifamily residential building that satisfies certain conditions to be served by a single exit. The act requires a subject jurisdiction to provide notice of the adopting or amending of the subject jurisdiction's building code to the local International Association of Fire Fighter's affiliate and the Colorado Professional Fire Fighters Association.

In connection with multifamily residential buildings served by a single exit, the act requires:

• A subject jurisdiction to coordinate with a fire protection district, fire department, or fire authority concerning aerial apparatus access to these buildings and the site design of these buildings;
• These buildings to maintain their legal occupancy status, even if they would otherwise lose that status under future building codes;
• A subject jurisdiction to allow, with certain limitations, the reconstruction of these buildings according to the standards under which they were originally built after the buildings are damaged or destroyed; and
• A landlord, manager, or owner of one of these buildings to conduct inspections of the dwelling units of such a building.

The act also requires a subject jurisdiction, beginning December 1, 2028, to report to the state demography office in the department of local affairs on the number of multifamily residential buildings served by a single exit and on certain qualities of those buildings. Similarly, in January 2032, the act requires the department of local affairs to report on the implementation of this act as part of the department's "SMART Act" hearing.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act requires a metropolitan district that is a party to a lease or rental agreement that was effective as of January 1, 2025, or later and was filed with the county assessor's office in support of a claim for a property tax exemption based on the use of the property for purposes of the metropolitan district to file with the county assessor's office a statement (statement) describing:

• The metropolitan district's use of the leased property;
• The metropolitan district's authority to use the leased property for the metropolitan district's purposes;
• Any use of the leased property by a private person for private purposes; and
• Any disclosure filed by a member of the board of directors of the metropolitan district in accordance with certain laws that govern disclosures of conflicts of interest.

If the statement includes a disclosure that relates to the leased property and is filed by a member of the board of directors of the metropolitan district in accordance with certain laws that govern disclosures of conflicts of interest, the county assessor shall, within 14 days of receipt of the statement, submit the statement to the metropolitan district's governing body. Within 63 days of receipt of the statement, the governing body shall issue a written decision including findings of fact and a conclusion as to whether the leased property is used for a public purpose. If the governing body concludes that the leased property is not used for a public purpose, the leased property is not exempt from taxation, and the county assessor shall implement the governing body's decision. The decision of the governing body is not subject to appeal and does not give rise to any private right of action.

The act clarifies that a leasehold interest in real or personal property that is owned by a private person and that has been leased to the state or a political subdivision of the state, the use and possession of which has been leased back to a private person for private purposes, is taxable to the owner.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act establishes a definition of "mobile food establishment" to mean a retail food establishment that is operated from a vehicle, can change location, and is intended to operate from a commissary kitchen.

The act establishes a reciprocal food safety license between the city and county of Denver (Denver) and other local governments throughout the state. The department of public health and environment (CDPHE) issues a statewide health department license (state license) based on the state health code to mobile food establishments that is valid in all local government jurisdictions throughout the state except for Denver. Denver issues a Denver-specific retail food license (Denver license) to mobile food establishments that is based on Denver's health code and that is only valid within Denver's jurisdiction. The act establishes reciprocity between these two licenses so that the state license is valid in Denver and the Denver license is valid across the state.

The act requires the owner or operator of a mobile food establishment that wishes to take advantage of this reciprocity to provide a copy of either their Denver license or the state license to the local government in which they intend to operate or to Denver at least 14 days in advance of when they intend to operate. When a mobile food establishment is operating in a local government jurisdiction, including Denver's jurisdiction, the mobile food establishment must comply with all laws of the local government and is subject to inspection and enforcement by the local government.

For a mobile food establishment with a state license that intends to operate in Denver, the mobile food establishment must submit certain documentation including, if requested, a summary of any violations within the previous calendar year related to the license or the operation of the mobile food establishment.

The act also establishes that a fire safety permit that has been issued to a mobile food establishment by a local government is valid in any other local government jurisdiction if the fire safety permit was issued:

• By a local government that has adopted the most recent international fire code or a fire code that has incorporated the minimum standards for mobile food establishments developed by the division of fire prevention and control; and
• After completing an inspection by a certified fire inspector.

The act requires that a mobile food establishment send a copy of the fire safety permit to the local government in which they intend to operate at least 14 days in advance of operation. While operating in a local government's jurisdiction, the mobile food establishment must comply with that local government's fire safety code and is subject to inspection and enforcement by the local government. The act authorizes the division of fire prevention and control to adopt minimum codes and standards for the operation of mobile retail food establishments for use by local governments.

The act takes effect January 1, 2026.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The bill creates 2 enterprises in the division of insurance (division) in the department of regulatory agencies.

The bill creates the strengthen Colorado homes enterprise (strengthen homes enterprise), which is a state-owned business that imposes and collects a fee from insurance companies (insurers), including the FAIR plan association, that offer on policyholders of homeowner's insurance policies issued by insurance companies (insurers) and the fair access to insurance requirements (FAIR) plan association in the admitted market covering property located in or risks in Colorado. which The fee is collected on a per-policy basis and is equal to 1.5% of one-half percent on the dollar amount percentage of the total premiums that the insurer collects in the immediately preceding calendar year from homeowners for issuing homeowner's insurance policies ( insurer fee); except that an insurer shall not collect the fee on policyholders that have resilient roof systems.

With the insurer fee revenue, the strengthen homes enterprise board administers a grant program (grant program) to strengthen homes against the risk of future damage claims caused by high winds, wildfire, hail, and other extreme weather events (extreme weather events) by allowing a homeowner to use grant money to upgrade their roof system with certain resilient roof materials. By paying the insurer fee to support the grant program to retrofit homes with resilient roofs, policyholders may defray the cost of retrofitting their property to resist losses due to common perils, including windstorms, wildfire, and other extreme weather events, and insurers reduce their overall risk in the market due to hail and other extreme weather events, in order to promote insurance market stability throughout the state.

The bill also creates the wildfire catastrophe reinsurance enterprise (reinsurance enterprise), which is a state-owned business implementing and administering the wildfire catastrophe reinsurance program (reinsurance program). The reinsurance program makes reinsurance payments to insurers that offer homeowner's insurance on properties located in the state to partially mitigate losses in the event of a state or federally declared wildfire-related disaster (wildfire-related disaster). The purpose of the reinsurance program is to stabilize the homeowner's insurance market in the state and to attract and retain homeowner's insurers. In exchange for access to the reinsurance program, the reinsurance program requires insurers to sell homeowner's insurance in areas of the state that are at high risk for wildfires.

To pay for the reinsurance program, the reinsurance enterprise:

• Issues revenue bonds secured by the reinsurance enterprise;
• Issues a catastrophe bond to a person that purchases the bond but pays the principal to cover costs of a wildfire-related disaster if it occurs;
• May impose and collect an insurer fee on insurers to cover a shortfall if a wildfire-related disaster does not occur during the bond term and the reinsurance enterprise has insufficient money to redeem the bonds at maturity; and
• Beginning in the 2026 calendar year, impose and collect a fee on a per-policy basis on each policyholder of a homeowner's insurance policy issued in the admitted market covering property in or risks in the state. The amount of the fee is equal to one-half percent on the percentage of total premiums collected by each insurer in the immediately preceding calendar year.
• Invests the revenue from the revenue bonds and insurer fees.

In addition, the bill sets the loss ratio for homeowner's insurance by presuming that the rates charged to purchasers are excessive if the insurer's loss ratio is less than 75% over a 3-year period and, if rates are in excess of the loss ratio, requires insurers in the admitted market participating in the reinsurance program to submit rates that are at least 5% less than the previous year one set of rates taking into consideration the reinsurance program and one set without. In addition to offering a replacement-cost policy in accordance with current law, an insurer may offer a replacement-cost policy that has a reasonable coverage limit or percentage cap for additional living expenses if the insurer provides a premium decrease for the coverage limit or replacement cap that is approved by the division.

For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the bill appropriates $7,410,037 to the department of regulatory agencies from the strengthen homes enterprise and also appropriates money to the department of law for legal services to implement the reinsurance program.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Fiscal Note

Section 1 of the bill creates the crash prevention enterprise (enterprise) in the department of transportation (CDOT) for the purpose of lowering automobile insurance costs by providing funding for transportation system infrastructure improvements and other data-driven strategies that reduce the number of collisions that involve a motor vehicle, particularly collisions between a motor vehicle and a vulnerable road user or wildlife (eligible projects). Beginning January July 1, 2026, the enterprise is authorized to impose a crash prevention fee (fee) of up to a specified maximum amount on the policyholder of each automobile insurance policy issued in the state on a per-policy basis for each vehicle insured under an automobile insurance policy other than a motor vehicle that weighs 26,000 pounds or more or a motorcycle. Each insurer that issues an automobile insurance policy must collect the fee from the policyholder and pay the fee to the enterprise. Fee revenue is credited to a newly created crash prevention enterprise fund (fund) and continuously appropriated to the enterprise. The specified maximum amount of the fee adjusts annually on July 1, 2027, and on each July 1 thereafter for inflation, as measured by the rolling 5-year average of the national highway construction cost index published by the federal highway administration in the United States department of transportation. Fee revenue is credited to a newly created crash prevention enterprise fund (fund) and continuously appropriated to the enterprise.

The enterprise is authorized to expend 80% 70% of its available revenue the money in the fund to issue grants to eligible entities, which are local governments, state or federally recognized tribal entities, public entities that are not part of the state, and private entities, for eligible projects that reduce motor vehicle collisions with vulnerable road users, as defined by the bill, and 20% 30% of its available revenue the money in the fund to fund eligible projects that reduce motor vehicle collisions with wildlife. In addition to an annual reporting requirement, the enterprise is required, no later than January 31, 2031, to present a report to specified legislative committees that includes, at a minimum, any recommendations that the enterprise may have for statutory changes with respect to the imposition of the fee and the funding of eligible projects; assessments as to whether the bill's definition of "vulnerable road user" remains appropriate and whether the fee is being imposed on the correct types of motor vehicles; and a cumulative account of the enterprise's revenue, applied for and awarded grants, and projects funded and completed between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2030. Section 2 authorizes the division of insurance in the department of regulatory agencies, upon receiving notice from the enterprise of an insurer's failure to collect the fee from its automobile insurance policyholders and pay the fee to the enterprise, to institute an enforcement proceeding and seek specified civil penalties from the insurer.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Fiscal Note

To determine objections and protests concerning valuations of taxable property, state law requires a county with a population of over 300,000 (mandatory county) to use alternate protest and appeal procedures (alternate procedures) in any general reassessment year for real property that is valued biennially and allows any other county (elective county) to use alternate procedures. Alternate procedures deadlines for county assessors and taxpayers are later than standard protest and appeal procedure deadlines. The act clarifies that the later deadlines for alternate procedures apply to all mandatory counties and elective counties that use alternate procedures.

The act also updates the deadline for an assessor to conclude all hearings for objections and protests concerning valuations of taxable real property from June 1 to June 8 to better reflect the intent of previously enacted law.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act provides that, after the state housing board (board) adopts rules about any activity required to undertake or complete the construction or installation of a factory-built nonresidential structure, a factory-built residential structure, or a factory-built tiny home (factory-built structure), the state plumbing board, the state electrical board, and the state fire suppression administrator do not have jurisdiction over and their rules do not apply to a factory-built structure.

The advisory committee on factory-built structures and tiny homes (advisory committee) is required to develop regional building codes standards accounting for local climatic and geographic conditions and fire suppression activities to ensure safety, to apply the most stringent of these requirements for the construction and installation of factory-built structures, and to develop implementation requirements. The advisory committee must submit the recommended codes and implementation requirements to the board. Any future statewide adopted codes contemplated in statute must be vetted through the advisory committee for consideration for adoption by the board.

The act requires that plumbing or electrical installations that connect factory-built structures to external utility sources and that are not considered actions to complete the installation of a factory- built structure as required by a registered installer must be completed by a licenced plumber or electrician under a registered plumbing or electrical contractor. The inspection and inspectors of these installations, other than those authorized to be performed by a registered installer, must be performed by licensed plumbing or electrical inspectors.

During the 2026 legislative session, the department of local affairs (department) shall present the recommendations of the advisory committee related to the development of regional building codes accounting for local climatic and geographic conditions and fire suppression activities, and improved coordination between the state and local permitting process onsite for the construction and installation of factory-built structures, to the senate local government and housing committee and the house transportation, housing, and local government committee prior to consideration and adoption by the board. The department shall report on the outcomes as part of its 2031 "SMART Act" hearing.

On or before July 1, 2026, the board must adopt rules:

• Establishing regional building code standards from the advisory committee that account for local climatic and geographic conditions, and fire protection and suppression activities for the construction and installation of factory-built structures developed by the advisory committee, which supersede any conflicting ordinance, code, regulation, or other law of a local government unless the local government adopts the rules of the board;
• Establishing requirements based on the recommendations developed by the advisory committee, including the continued authorization of a local government certified by the division of housing (division) to perform inspections of factory-built structures on behalf of the division and registration, responsibility, and accountability requirements for a manufacturer, installer, seller, or general contractor who develops the installation site or completes the construction of a factory-built structure at the installation site;
• Covering electrical or plumbing codes required to undertake or complete the construction or installation of a factory-built structure;
• Allowing the division to contract for third-party review and approval of a final design and construction plan for a factory-built structure on behalf of the division;
• Allowing the division to create a process for vetting and approving the ability of a third party to review and approve a final design and construction plan for a factory-built structure on behalf of the division; and
• Requiring the division to cause an audit to be performed on a third party that reviews and approves design and construction plans, on a third party that conducts inspections on its behalf, of contracts of sellers to verify compliance, and to ensure protection of down payments made by purchasers that are retained by the seller of manufacturer.

A county or municipality may not:

• Enact a regulation that excludes factory-built structures from the county or municipality;
• Impose more restrictive standards on factory-built structures than those that the county or municipality applies to site-built homes in the same residential zones in the county or municipality; or
• Enact or enforce a regulation, law, or ordinance affecting the installation or construction of a factory-built structure that is more stringent than a regulation, ordinance, or law that applies to other types of construction.

A county or municipality may enact:

• Land use regulations to the extent that the regulations are applicable to existing similar housing or structures or new site-built housing in the county or municipality;
• A building code provision for unique public safety requirements unless the provision applies to a factory-built structure; and
• Rules regulating above-grade site-built components of a factory-built structure.

Factory-built homes certified by the division prior to the effective date of the regional building code standards adopted by the board are subject to state or local rules concerning unique public safety requirements related to geographic conditions or wildfire risk relating to the construction and installation of the structures existing before the effective date of the regional building code standards. A county or municipality must comply with the requirements established by the division for factory-built structures and by the United States department of housing and urban development for manufactured homes.

The act repeals the ability of local governments to adopt different standards for factory-built housing than those adopted by the division only if:

• The board adopts rules establishing requirements for factory-built housing based on the recommendations of the advisory committee; and
• The board notifies the revisor of statutes in writing via email of the adoption of the rules. The act changes the composition of the advisory committee from 15 to 19 members. The membership changes include the:
• Addition of four members from building code enforcement, each representing a local building department from climate zones 4, 5, 6, and 7, instead of 3 members from building code enforcement;
• Removal of a member with experience in mechanical engineering or contracting;
• Substitution of a member who is a licensed electrician who may be employed by the department of regulatory agencies for a member from electrical engineering or contracting;
• Substitution of a member who is a licensed plumber who may be employed by the department of regulatory agencies for a member from the plumbing industry;
• Removal of a member from the construction design or producer industry;
• Substitution of 3 members from factory-built structure construction for 2 members from manufactured housing;
• Subtraction of one of the 2 current members from the tiny home industry;
• Addition of one member who is a developer specializing in the use of factory-built structures in projects;
• Addition of one member from climate resiliency;
• Addition of one member who is a registered installer;
• Addition of one member who is a registered seller; and
• Addition of one member who is an individual representing emergency services or management.

The state treasurer shall transfer $600,000 on July 1, 2025, from the innovative housing incentive program fund to the building regulation fund. The act excludes the building regulation fund from the limitations on cash fund reserves.

For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $182,264 from the building regulation fund to the department for use by the division to implement the act.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

Section 1 of the act creates the prescribed fire claims cash fund (fund) in the state treasury and requires the state treasurer to transfer $250,000 from the general fund to the fund on July 1, 2025. Subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly, the division of fire prevention and control (division) shall expend money from the fund to pay claims for damages related to prescribed burns that are certified by the division in accordance with new guidelines as specified in the act and as adopted by the director of the division. The division shall authorize a payment in the amount certified in a claim; except that the maximum payment that the division may authorize for a singular burn is equal to the greater of $20,000 or 10% of the amount of money in the fund at the time the claim is filed.

Subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly of money for the division to administer the fund, the division shall certify a claim that meets the following guidelines:

• The claim demonstrates, in sufficient detail, the costs or damages that resulted from the prescribed burn;
• The prescribed burn that resulted in the costs or damages was conducted in full compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements for prescribed burning;
• Before conducting the prescribed burn, the certified prescribed burn manager registered the written prescription plan for the prescribed burn with the division and paid an administrative fee; and
• No more than 60 days have passed between the completion of the prescribed burn and the date upon which costs and damages were incurred.

The act authorizes the director of the division to adopt rules and guidelines for the implementation and administration of the program and permits the division to contract with a third party to administer, certify, and pay the claims. The act also requires a claimant who accepts a payment that covers the full amount certified in the claim to waive all future claims related to the prescribed burn against the certified prescribed burn manager that conducted the burn; any organization, entity, or individual with whom the certified prescribed burn manager worked to conduct the burn; any individual or entity that provided funding for the burn; and any landowner on whose behalf the burn was conducted.

Sections 2 and 3 expand the definition of a "certified burner" in the state to include an individual who has not completed the Colorado division's training and certification program but who meets reciprocity requirements and possesses a valid Colorado certification number. An individual seeking certification through reciprocity may receive a certification number from the division by:

• Applying for certification to the division, according to the rules and standards of the division, including the payment of any associated fee; and
• Submitting evidence to the division, according to the rules and standards of the division, that the individual holds a valid certification from a state government or other entity.

The required rules and standards adopted by the director of the division, in consultation with the Colorado state forest service, pertaining to the qualification for and the terms and durations of certification, are required to include certification through reciprocity.

Section 4 adds pretax costs associated with the implementation of an approved program or project to mitigate the effects of extreme weather, wildfires, climate change, or other hazards to the definition of Colorado energy impact costs.

For the 2025-26 fiscal year:

• $250,000 is appropriated from the fund to the department of public safety for use by the division for prescribed fire claims; and
• $153,025 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of public safety for implementation of the act.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The bill requires allows the division of fire prevention and control (division) in the department of public safety (department) , as needed, to establish public-private agreements with one or more issue a request for qualifications from private partners by which agreements the state may allocate responsibility or risk to one or more private partners to develop and operate wildfire detection components entities. The request for qualifications must seek proposals for a detection component that can be procured as a comprehensive service provided by a vendor. The division may establish vendor agreements with vendors that submit proposals. The bill specifies criteria that a detection component must satisfy.

The bill also creates the front line innovation and response efficiency fire technology cash fund ( FIRE fund) in the state treasury. The money in the FIRE fund is annually appropriated to the department to be expended by the division for the purposes of the bill utilization of fire detection response and management technologies, deployment of detection components through vendor agreements, and utilization of technological tools that enable advancement in fire detection and mitigation practices. In current law, money in the unused state-owned real property fund is continuously appropriated to the department of personnel for several purposes, including paying for public-private agreements and associated costs. Of the money that is appropriated for this purpose, the bill requires the general assembly to transfer the following amounts to the FIRE fund:

• For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, up to $1,000,000;
• For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $2,000,000; and
• For the 2027-28 state fiscal year, $3,000,000.

The department is required to include information concerning the division's activities under the bill in the department's annual report to the legislative subject matter committees.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Fiscal Note

The act requires the division of fire prevention and control, which hosts the wildfire information and resource center website and provides information regarding active wildfires on the website, to include hyperlinks to websites that display emergency information and wildfire updates for each county in Colorado and to coordinate with county governments in order to provide the hyperlinks.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act requires the division of criminal justice (division) in the department of public safety to apply for and accept and expend federal or other available grant money to improve the state's response to mass shootings, including grant money to support services for victims of mass shootings.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act expands the conduct that can constitute the crime of obstructing governmental operations to include the repeated calling of or contact with 911 dispatch centers or specified public safety entities without justifiable cause.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act makes the following changes to the "Colorado Open Records Act" (CORA):

• Excludes from the definition of a "public record" a written document or electronic record that is produced by a device or application that is used to assist an individual with a disability or individuals with a language barrier to facilitate communication if the written document or electronic record has been produced to facilitate communication in lieu of verbal communication;
• Changes the reasonable time to respond to a CORA request, except for requests from a mass medium or a newsperson, from 3 working days to 5 working days and changes the extension of time for the response period if extenuating circumstances exist from not exceeding 7 additional days to not exceeding 10 additional days;
• Adds an extenuating circumstance that allows for an extension of the response period when the custodian is not scheduled to work within the response period;
• Requires public entities to post any rules or policies adopted pursuant to CORA, including, if the public entity has one, the public entity's records retention policy, and to post information for members of the public regarding how to make a public records request;
• If public records are in the sole and exclusive custody and control of someone who is not scheduled to work within the response period, requires a custodian to provide all other available responsive public records within the response period and notify the requester of the earliest date on which the person is expected to be available or that the person is not expected to return to work. The requester may make a subsequent request for additional responsive records, if any, on or after the date the custodian provides.
• Allows a custodian, subject to certain exceptions, to determine that a request is made for the direct solicitation of business for pecuniary gain, requires the custodian to provide written notice of the determination to the requester, allows the custodian a 30-day response period for such a request, permits the requester to submit a signed statement affirming that the request is not for the direct solicitation of business for pecuniary gain that the custodian must consider in making their determination, permits the requester to appeal the determination that the request is made for the direct solicitation of business for pecuniary gain to the district court, and allows a custodian to charge the requester for the reasonable cost of directly responding to the request notwithstanding the allowance for the first hour of research and retrieval to otherwise be free of charge and notwithstanding the statutory cap on fees, which otherwise would apply;
• In addition to the prohibition on disclosing public elementary or secondary school students' addresses and telephone numbers, prohibits disclosure of any other information of such a student that could be used by a person to directly contact, address, or send a message to the student through any means or method;
• Clarifies that if a custodian imposes any requirements concerning the prepayment of fees or the payment of fees in connection with a request for inspection of public records, the requirements must be in accordance with the custodian's adopted rules or written policies and must not be inconsistent with the provisions of CORA;
• Allows a requester to ask a custodian for a reasonable break-down of costs that comprises the fee charged for the research and retrieval of the requested public records;
• Modifies the requirement that, if a custodian of records for a public entity allows members of the public to pay for any other service or product provided by the custodian with a credit card or electronic payment, then the custodian must allow a requester of a public record to pay any fee or deposit associated with the request with a credit card or electronic payment, to instead require that the custodian allow for payment in this manner if the public entity allows members of the public to pay for any other service or product provided by the public entity; and
• Allows a custodian to treat a CORA request made within 14 calendar days of another CORA request for information pertaining to facially similar content made by the same person as one request for purposes of calculating the fee that the custodian may charge the requester for research and retrieval of responsive public records.

VETOED by Governor April 17, 2025
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act extends the time frame within which a governing body of a city, town, or city and county with jurisdiction in an area within the wildland-urban interface is required to adopt wildfire codes and standards that meet or exceed the wildfire resiliency code board's wildfire codes and standards from 3 to 9 months after the board's adoption of wildfire codes and standards.

The act allows a governing body to enter into a cooperative agreement with another entity, such as a third-party contractor or another governing body, in order to enforce wildfire codes and standards.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act requires that, immediately after a railroad notifies the state's watch center in the department of public safety (watch center) of an emergency involving a train, the watch center must notify the public utilities commission (commission) and the office of rail safety (office) of the incident. The commission is required to submit a report to specified committees of the general assembly on the information reported by railroads regarding an emergency involving a train.

A crew member of a train operated by a railroad may communicate with first responders during an emergency situation after notifying the railroad dispatch. A crew member has discretion in determining the appropriate response to the emergency situation, including cutting the railroad crossing. A railroad employee or a crew member is immune from civil liability and is not liable in civil damages for actions taken in good faith in the course of a response to an emergency situation involving a train.

The act eliminates the shared authority that the commission, the department of public safety, and the department of transportation had to inspect and investigate railroads and grants the commission alone the authority to engage in inspection, investigation, and enforcement activities regarding the following railroads:

• A class I railroad;
• A railroad operating on any line that was used by class I railroads as of July 1, 2024; and
• A passenger railroad.

The act requires the office to gather, analyze, and assess information, including:

• Data to create a more comprehensive understanding of railroad safety;
• Wayside detector information;
• Information regarding blocked public crossing locations;
• Information regarding railroad maintenance activity;
• An assessment of the state's ability to respond to a large-scale release of hazardous materials from railroad transportation;
• The best practices for ensuring financial responsibility for response, cleanup, and damages from major rail events, including reviewing best practices from other states; and
• Communication issues impacting railroad lines in the state.

Beginning on or before July 1, 2027, a railroad regulated by the commission is required to pay a fee to cover the costs incurred by the commission and the office in relation to the act. The commission shall determine a methodology for calculating the fee by rule, and the commission may include specified criteria in the calculation. The total amount collected pursuant to the annual fee must not exceed $2,900,000 in a calendar year. A railroad regulated by the commission must pay the fee in equal quarterly installments and is subject to penalties and interest if they fail to timely pay the fee.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act requires an organization, defined in the act as a battery stewardship organization, to, no later than July 1, 2027, and every 5 years thereafter, submit to the executive director of the department of public health and environment (executive director) a battery stewardship plan (plan), which is a plan for the collection, transportation, processing, and recycling of certain batteries.

On and after August 1, 2027, a producer selling, making available for sale, or distributing certain batteries or battery-containing products in or into the state must participate in and finance a battery stewardship organization that has submitted a plan to the executive director. On and after July 1, 2029, a retailer is prohibited from selling, offering for sale, distributing, or otherwise making available for sale certain batteries or battery-containing products in the state unless the producer of the batteries or battery-containing products is participating in a battery stewardship organization that has an approved plan. A retailer is prohibited from charging a point-of-sale fee to consumers to cover the costs of a battery stewardship organization.

The act specifies what a plan must contain to be approved by the executive director, including, among other things, contact information for participating producers, performance goals, and methods to promote participation in the plan and increase public awareness of the battery stewardship program (program) that will be implemented by the battery stewardship organization pursuant to the plan. In addition, a plan must detail how the battery stewardship organization will arrange for the collection of certain batteries by establishing collection sites that are available free of charge to any person.

A battery stewardship organization implementing an approved plan is required to develop and administer a system to collect charges from participating producers to cover the costs of implementing the program. In addition, a battery stewardship organization, in consultation with the department of public health and environment (department) and interested stakeholders, must complete an assessment of the opportunities and challenges associated with the end-of-life management of certain batteries, which assessment must be submitted by the department to the general assembly on or before March 1, 2028.

On or before June 1, 2029, and on or before each June 1 thereafter, a battery stewardship organization with an approved plan must submit an annual report to the executive director, which report must include certain information about the preceding year of plan implementation. The act also requires a battery stewardship organization to carry out promotional activities to increase public awareness of the program. Battery stewardship organizations with approved plans must coordinate to conduct a survey of public awareness of the programs and share the results of the survey with the executive director as part of the annual reports.

A battery stewardship organization is required to pay a one-time fee of $50,000 at the time of submittal of a plan to the executive director. If the executive director approves the plan, the battery stewardship organization is required to pay an additional fee of $86,000. Within 12 months after a plan is approved, and on or before each July 1 thereafter, a battery stewardship organization must pay to the department an annual fee to cover the department's cost of implementing, administering, and enforcing the act's requirements. The solid and hazardous waste commission establishes the amount of the annual fee by rule.

On and after January 1, 2028, the act prohibits a producer or retailer from selling, offering for sale, or distributing in or into the state certain batteries unless the batteries are marked with labels that:

• Identify the producer of the batteries; and
• Include certain information to ensure the proper collection and recycling of the batteries.

Beginning January 1, 2030, a person is required to manage certain unwanted batteries through delivery to a collection site, program, or event established by the program. A person is prohibited from disposing of certain batteries in a landfill.

The department will enforce violations of the act's requirements pursuant to the enforcement process for the state hazardous waste management program.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

Section 1 of the act requires, in addition to othr existing uses, that interest and income earned on the investment of the money in the public school fund to be used to pay for the costs of administering a newly created shared equity down payment assistance program. Section 2 requires at least one member of the public school fund investment board (board) to have expertise in community investments, requires the board to direct the state treasurer to securely invest money deposited in the public school fund in a manner that prioritizes specified new investment objectives, and authorizes the board to enter into contracts with investment advisors or other investment professionals to provide advice on community investments. Section 3 extends the time frame under which the state treasurer may make up a loss of principal to the public school fund by taking actions which lead to gains in the fund from 18 to 24 months.

Section 4 creates a new community investment portfolio (portfolio) within the public school fund, and requires the state treasurer to invest at least 20% of the public school fund's value into the community investment portfolio by July 1, 2032.

Money in the portfolio must be invested in community investments, and allowable community investments include:

• Bonds issued by Colorado school districts and charter schools;
• Certificates of participation issued by Colorado school districts and charter schools;
• Mortgage pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations secured by residential real estate, the majority of which is owned by public school employees;
• Loans to the Colorado middle income housing authority for a revolving loan fund that funds rental housing developments that include preferences for public school employees;
• Bonds issued by the middle income housing authority that fund rental housing developments which include preferences for public school employees;
• Bonds or mortgage-backed securities issued by the Colorado housing and finance authority that fund rental housing developments that include preferences for public school employees or mortgages secured by residential real estate, the majority of which is owned by public school employees;
• Mortgage revenue bonds that support public school employee mortgages with interest rates of 3% or less;
• Loans to community development financial institutions or nonprofits with a history of providing affordable home ownership financing that fund:
• Housing that includes preferences for public school employees; or
• Low-interest mortgages secured by residential real estate that is owned by public school employees;
• Down payment shared appreciation products secured by residential real estate that is owned by public school employees; and
• Other investments that support public purpose of the portfolio.

The educator first home ownership program (program) is created within the portfolio. Subject to a specified limitation, the treasurer shall invest the following amounts in the program by the following dates:

• By July 1, 2028, the greater of 6% of the fund's value or $100 million; and
• By July 1, 2030, the greater of 12% of the fund's value or $200 million.

The treasurer shall aim to invest a target of 75% of the money in the program into the shared equity down payment assistance program for public school employees. The shared equity down payment assistance program must be established by July 1, 2026. Once the shared equity down payment assistance program is established:

• The public school fund investment board shall purchase from the program manager the mortgage products created through the shared equity down payment assistance program; and
• The public school investment board may provide notice of any discontinuation of future investments that the program manager has not already committed to the shared equity down payment assistance program, which notice must be provided at least 6 months prior to discontinuation.

The treasurer shall aim to invest a target of 25% of the money in the program into allowable community investments. The program manager shall establish underwriting criteria and other guidelines for the shared equity down payment assistance program so that the shared equity down payment assistance program:

• Prioritizes first-time home buyers that use the home as a primary residence;
• Provides shared equity down payment assistance to public school employees and aims to help as many public school employees as possible achieve affordable home ownership; and
• Allows appreciation-sharing between the shared equity down payment assistance program and the borrower.

Unless investments in the shared equity down payment assistance program have been discontinued and there is no fund money invested in the shared equity down payment assistance program, the program administrator shall present an annual report to the board on program outcomes.

For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, section 5 appropriates $375,900 from interest or income earned on the investment of the money in the public school fund to the department of the treasury.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act clarifies that a special district may cancel an election in a director district if the only matter to be decided at the election is who will be director of the director district, there are not more candidates than positions for director, and the only individuals who may vote are the eligible electors within the director's district.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

Section 20 of article X of the state constitution (TABOR) defines "fiscal year spending" as not including either "damage awards" or "property sales". Although TABOR does not define either "damage award" or "property sale", the TABOR implementing statutes do. The act clarifies both of these definitions for state fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2024.

The act clarifies that "damage award", as used for the purpose of determining whether specific money received by the state is subject to the TABOR limitation on state fiscal year spending, includes certain fines and monetary penalties imposed by the state.

The act also clarifies that "property sale", as used for the purpose of determining whether specific money received by the state is subject to the TABOR limitation on state fiscal year spending, includes certain specified types of sales by the state.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

A community integrated health-care service (service) is an out-of-hospital medical service that may be provided by an emergency medical service provider who obtains a community paramedic endorsement. A community integrated health-care service agency (agency) is an entity or sole proprietorship that manages and offers services.

The act implements the recommendations in the 2024 sunset report by the department of regulatory agencies by:

• Continuing the regulation of agencies by 9 years to 2034;
• Clarifying that a suspension of, a revocation of, or a refusal to renew an agency's license due to a disqualifying felony or misdemeanor conviction of an owner, manager, or administrator of the agency includes circumstances in which the owner, manager, or administrator entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to the felony or misdemeanor;
• Updating language to be gender neutral;
• Changing references from "consumers" to "patients or clients";
• Referencing the definition of service in the statutes governing the regulation of agencies; and
• Defining "service" to include mobile integrated health care and, as determined by rule by the state board of health, care and services provided by practitioners other than community paramedics.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

On July 1, 2025, and on July 1 of each year thereafter through July 1, 2034, the act requires the state treasurer to transfer $15 million from the local government severance tax fund to the public safety communications trust fund (trust fund). The money in the trust fund must be used to support the digital trunked radio system, including site-supporting infrastructure and supporting software and hardware.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

Effective January 1, 2025, the act terminates a program that has allowed the owner of real or business personal property that was destroyed by a natural cause to be reimbursed by the state for the amount of property tax levied on the destroyed property in the property tax year in which it was destroyed. The program statute is repealed, effective July 1, 2025.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The act modifies the state property tax deferral program (program) under which the state makes a secured loan to a qualified taxpayer to pay property taxes owed for the taxpayer's homestead by:

• Again limiting eligibility for the program to seniors and persons called into active military service, who, until a 2021 program expansion also allowed otherwise nonqualifying taxpayers whose property tax had increased by at least a specified percentage to participate, had been the only eligible individuals; and
• Shifting portions of the responsibility for the administration of the program that had been shifted from the county treasurers to the state treasurer in 2022 back to the county treasurers.

For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $160,826 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of the treasury for operating expenses related to the implementation of the act.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

Current law states that a person who commits careless driving and thereby causes the death of an individual commits a class 1 misdemeanor traffic offense. The act expands current law to include careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury and states that if a person commits careless driving and thereby causes the serious bodily injury or death of more than one individual, each individual injure or killed is a separate violation. The act also clarifies that careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury or death is an included crime for the purposes of the "Victim Rights Act".

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Fiscal Note

The concurrent resolution exempts from taxation a percentage of the actual value of a former or currently serving first responder's primary residence as follows:

• 50% if the first responder served for at least 30 years, or if the first responder served for at least one year and, while providing first responder services, died or was critically injured in a way that prevented the first responder from serving post-injury;
• 40% if the first responder served for at least 20 years; and
• 10% if the first responder served for at least 10 years and remained in service as a first responder at the close of the applicable property tax year.

The concurrent resolution exempts from taxation a percentage of the actual value of a volunteer first responder's primary residence as follows:

• 30% if the volunteer first responder served for at least 30 years; and
• 20% if the volunteer first responder served for at least 20 years.

These exemptions apply to surviving spouses of first responders and volunteer first responders. The general assembly is required to enact laws to implement the exemptions.

(Note: This summary applies to this concurrent resolution as introduced.)

Fiscal Note