February 17, 2025
Statehouse Report
By Heather Stauffer, CML legislative advocacy manager
Senate Bill 25-001 will be heard in the Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The committee begins at 2 p.m. and the bill is the fourth in line. Among other provisions,
SB25-001 creates the Colorado Voting Rights Act
which allows an individual or organization to file suit alleging voter suppression, voter dilution, or an unlawful voting prerequisite based on gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation and empowers the Attorney General’s office to investigate potential violations, file suit to enforce the act, or intervene in an individual or organization’s suit.
CML and Colorado’s towns and cities believe that free, fair, and accessible elections are vital to democracy, ensuring all eligible voters can participate without barriers. While CML supports the bill’s intent to ensure free and equitable elections, we have serious concerns about the bill's structure, application to home rule municipalities, and potentially costly litigation risks.
You can read more about the bill and CML’s key concerns in our position paper.
Colorado’s constitution does not support the bill’s application to home rule municipalities’ elections. For the remaining, mostly smaller municipalities, the bill creates a tremendous, unnecessary, and unjustifiable fiscal risk.
CML requests an amendment to the bill to exclude municipalities from Section 12 and advocates tailoring other provisions to apply solely to state and coordinated elections.
CML needs testimony from member municipalities that addresses the bill’s impact on both home rule and statutory communities, potential litigation risks and costs, and highlights the efforts municipalities and clerks are already making to ensure equitable voting access.
Sign up to testify in person or online.
Bills to Watch this Week
Below are updates on key bills CML worked on last week, along with what to expect in the coming week.
Check CML’s box score to see what positions CML has taken on legislation thus far.
Below is a list of bills CML expects action on this week.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
House Bill 25-1112, Local Authorities Enforce Vehicle Registration
HB25-1112 is scheduled to be heard in the House Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m. The bill allows local authorities to enforce vehicle registration requirements and requires courts to waive fees and penalties for certain people for failing to register a vehicle. CML supports the bill and will testify in support in committee.
House Bill 25-1067, Criminal Asset Forfeiture Act
HB25-1067, which limits criminal asset forfeiture to convicted drug-related crimes and establishes procedures for seizures and court processes which would limit municipal and law enforcement actions with federal agencies, is scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday February 19 at 1:30 p.m. CML opposes this bill and will testify in opposition.
TRANSPORTATION
House Bill 25-1044, Local Funding for Vulnerable Road User Protection
HB25-1044 allows local governments to impose additional registration fees on vehicles to fund vulnerable road user (pedestrian and bicyclist) projects. The bill was postponed indefinitely by the House Committee on Transportation, Housing & Local Government. However, there will be an alternate version of this bill introduced in the near future.
Senate Bill 25-117, Reduce Transportation Costs Imposed by Government
SB25-117 repeals several fees including the road usage fee, statewide bridge and tunnel impact fee, short-term motor vehicle rental fee, passenger per-ride fee, nonattainment area air pollution, mitigation enterprise and waste tire enterprise fee. The bill will be heard by the Senate Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. This bill would significantly impact HUTF and other revenue streams for municipalities, thereby impacting funding for road maintenance and safety. CML will testify as opposed.
HOUSING
House Bill 25-1169, Housing Developments on Faith and Educational Land (YIGBY)
HB25-1169
allows religious and educational institutions to use an administrative approval process for residential development on land they own. It will be heard by the House Committee on Transportation, Housing & Local Government on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m. The bill does not include affordability requirements or other guardrails. CML will testify as opposed.
HB25-1032 authorizes local governments to form special districts for the purpose of reducing homelessness. The bill leverages state resources to facilitate and coordinate homelessness response and resources between state and local governments. HB25-1032 will be heard by the House Committee on Transportation, Housing & Local Government on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m. CML will testify to amend this bill; staff is seeking amendments to clarify the authority of these special districts and the process by which the districts are formed and dissolved.
Senate Bill 25-020, Tenant and Landlord Law Enforcement
SB25-020 authorizes local governments to enforce existing tenant/landlord laws in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Office. The bill will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m. CML will testify to amend the bill to limit municipal liability under the receivership and clarify that municipalities can use damages awarded to cover legal costs
SUSTAINABILITY
House Bill 25-1096, Automated Permits for Clean Energy Technology
HB25-1096 requires local governments to use some form of automated permitting technology for residential solar projects. The bill will be heard by the House Committee on Energy & Environment on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. Many municipalities have had issues with using this technology, particularly because it does not check for compliance with zoning. CML will testify as opposed.
LAND USE
House Bill 25-1029 Municipal Authority over Certain Land
HB25-1029 authorizes municipalities to respond to disturbances on land that it acquires outside its municipal boundaries for use as parks, parkways, boulevards, and roads. It will be heard by the Senate Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. CML will testify in support.
MUNICIPAL FINANCE
Senate Bill 25-046, Local Government Tax Audit Confidentiality Standards
SB 25-046, recommended by the Sales and Use Tax Simplification Task Force, is now in the House and will be heard in the House Finance Committee on Thursday, Feb. 20 upon adjournment of the house of representatives. This bill clarifies confidentiality standards for taxpayer information used by third-party auditors. CML supports this legislation.
House Bill 25-1144, Concerning the Repeal of Retail Delivery Fees
HB25-1144
repeals the retail delivery fee. The bill will have its first hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the House Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee. The retail delivery fee is assessed by retailers on a sale that is subject to state sales tax and is delivered by a motor vehicle to the purchaser at any location in the state. The bill could potentially decrease revenue that municipalities receive from the Highway User Trust Fund and the Multimodal Transportation and Mitigation Options Fund. The CML Executive Board has not yet taken a position on the bill.
SEVERANCE TAX
HB25-1061 was heard in the House Education Committee on Thursday, Feb. 13. The bill passed with amendments out of the committee. The bill creates a new cash fund to provide grants to school districts for planning and constructing community schoolyards, using $4 million from the local government severance tax fund to finance the program. With severance tax funding anticipated to decrease this year and $20 million proposed to be swept into the general fund, the bill continues to eat away at remaining funds. CML testified in an oppose position and plans to continue work with the sponsors to address concerns.
TELECOM AND BROADBAND
HB25-1080 is scheduled to be heard in the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The bill creates the Wireless Telephone Infrastructure Deployment Grant Program to support wireless telephone infrastructure projects in unserved and underserved areas of the state. CML will review the strike below language which proposes to fund the program through a tax incentive structure and will testify on the bill in committee.
WATER
House Bill 25-1113 Limit Turf in New Residential Development
HB25-1113 expands provisions of SB24-005, banning the use of nonfunctional turf, in new multifamily residential properties. The bill further requires local governments to change or enact ordinances to limit turf in new residential homes. Many municipalities already have turf reduction programs that residents can take advantage of. The decision on where it is appropriate to include turf in a community is very local in nature and should be made by city planners in coordination with their water providers. The bill will be heard in the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday, Feb. 20. CML will testify in an amend position to support efforts to make the bill permissive.
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