House Bill 13‑03 would establish a crash prevention enterprise within the Colorado Department of Transportation to provide grant funding for infrastructure and other proven countermeasures aimed at reducing collisions involving vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists) and wildlife. Sponsors said the bill responds to rising pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities and to costly wildlife‑vehicle collisions.

The bill would fund the enterprise with an itemized per‑policy fee on auto insurance policies. Sponsors said the fee was calculated to produce revenue without triggering additional voter requirements under Colorado’s TABOR rules: the fee was proposed at $1.75 beginning Jan. 1, 2026 (covering the remainder of that fiscal year) and rising to $3.50 annually beginning July 1, 2026, with future annual adjustments tied to inflation. Sponsors told the committee the average expected long‑term cost per policy is approximately $3 per year.

Representative Basenecker and Representative Lukens, the bill’s prime sponsors, described a multi‑year effort among stakeholders to focus on infrastructure investments that save lives and reduce insurance costs. “This bill provides a dedicated and much needed revenue source for critical safety improvements,” Basenecker said, outlining estimates that pedestrian fatalities rose during the last decade and that wildlife collisions cost the state roughly $313 million annually.

The bill directs that 80% of enterprise funds be dedicated to projects protecting vulnerable road users and 20% to wildlife crossings. Sponsors and witnesses described a range of eligible projects: protected bike lanes, sidewalks, pedestrian refuges, medians, intersection redesigns, speed‑management countermeasures (including red‑light and speed cameras), wildlife overpasses/underpasses and associated fencing, and other FHWA‑recognized safety treatments. Sponsors said the enterprise would prioritize high‑injury networks and include regional considerations so funding is distributed statewide.

Witnesses in support included traffic‑safety and transportation advocates, local elected officials and conservation groups. Skyler McKinley of AAA said the measure is a modest way to invest in infrastructure that prevents costly crashes. Anita Saiz of Colorado Communities for Climate Action, Michael Dax of Wildlands Network, Matt Frommer of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, and others detailed the safety, economic and wildlife‑connectivity benefits of the proposed investments. Several rural officials described frequent wildlife collisions in their districts and urged dedicated funding for crossings.

Opponents included insurance trade groups and some regional governments, who argued the fee would be paid by policyholders regardless of risk and expressed concern about creating another enterprise funded by insurance customers. The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and the Rocky Mountain Insurance Association both testified with concerns about the policy design and consumer cost impacts; several witnesses urged amendments to minimize administrative burdens on insurers.

Committee sponsors offered and passed multiple amendments on the floor: exempting motorcycle policies from the fee; adding equestrian trails and paths as eligible projects; clarifying the enterprise’s authority to finance state highway wildlife crossings (bringing its authority closer to the bridge and tunnel enterprise model); correcting drafting references so the fee is charged to policyholders (not the insurer); and removing a $250,000 minimum grant floor so smaller local projects may be funded. Sponsors said they had discussed implementation details with insurers and local governments to reduce reprogramming burdens and to make grants accessible for smaller communities.

Representative Basenecker moved the bill, as amended, to the Committee on Finance with a favorable recommendation. The committee recorded roll‑call votes; the chair announced the bill passed committee by a 9‑4 margin and will proceed to the finance committee.

Clarifying details recorded during the hearing: the fee schedule as presented to the committee; the 80/20 split between vulnerable road user projects and wildlife crossings; the $100 million TABOR‑related revenue consideration used to set the fee; and the removal of the $250,000 grant minimum through amendment.

Votes at a glance: House Bill 13‑03 — motion to send to Committee on Finance with a favorable recommendation; recorded committee vote 9 yes, 4 no.