House committee sends multilingual emergency‑alert bill to full House after close vote

Representative Velasco introduced Senate Bill 31 to the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee on April 2, 2025, describing the bill as a public‑safety measure to expand language access in emergency alerts. Velasco said the proposal grew from a 2023 study (House Bill 12 37) and field experience after the 2020 Grizzly Creek Fire, when multilingual alerts were not broadly available. The committee adopted an amendment (L010) that reverted the definition of prepaid wireless telecommunication service to current law and then advanced the bill to the Committee of the Whole on a 7-6 vote.

The bill would require alerting authorities, beginning in 2027, to issue life‑or‑death “act now” emergency alerts in English and the predominant minority language in the jurisdiction if that language meets a threshold similar to multilingual ballot-access rules (2.5% of the population, per the sponsor’s description). The measure also requires alerts to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards and authorizes the 9‑1‑1 enterprise board and related grant programs to provide funding and technical assistance to local authorities that need upgraded systems.

Supporters included Summer Laws, who read testimony for Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin; Dr. Carson McPherson Kretsky of the Natural Hazard Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, who led the House Bill 12 37 study; and Alex Sanchez, CEO of Wosa Unidos. Dr. Kretsky told the committee the study found a patchwork of alerting systems across Colorado, limited multilingual capabilities in many local systems, staffing turnover, and a need for resources and training. He noted that wireless emergency alerts currently support English and Spanish at the federal level but that more languages are being added over time.

Opponents or cautious members raised fiscal and implementation concerns. Representative Kelty said many local governments lack funds to upgrade systems and questioned whether the bill effectively shifted costs to counties and municipalities; Representative Delp warned the mandate could impose substantial expenses on small jurisdictions and said the fiscal note did not provide specific local cost estimates. Rep. Marshall argued that the potential cost is small compared with the value of lives saved in emergencies.

Vice Chair moved amendment L010, which the committee adopted; the committee then approved the bill as amended and sent it to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation on a 7-6 roll call. Committee members and witnesses said stakeholders, including counties and alerting authorities, had been consulted during drafting and that the bill includes a phased compliance timeline to 2027.