Committee advances bill to license private security firms, with state board and training requirements

The House Business Affairs and Labor Committee advanced House Bill 12‑62 on a party-line procedural vote, moving the measure to the Committee on Finance with a favorable recommendation.

Sponsor Brett Mabry said the bill would create a statewide licensing board under the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) to set uniform training and licensing rules for private security officers. He said the measure would require background checks, firearm and use-of-force training for armed security, registration of private security employers, and reciprocity for municipal licenses that meet the state’s minimum standards.

"What this legislation does is it regulates the private security industry much like we regulate other industries," Mabry told the committee, adding that labor organizations had joined behind the bill after industry outreach. "We establish a board in a statewide regulatory system... sets forth a uniform licensing and training requirement across Colorado."

The nut graf: Proponents argued statewide minimum standards will reduce the risk of undertrained security personnel and improve public safety; state regulators and some municipal officials raised concerns about the bill’s complexity, cost and overlap with existing local licensing, and DORA warned the proposed structure differs from its Sunrise report recommendation.

Industry and labor witnesses offered mixed but largely supportive testimony. Mark Glazier, who identified himself with a national contract security association, told the committee consistent standards would reduce gaps in training and vetting. "Without proper standards, we have the risk of having untrained professionals... These untrained professionals could include individuals with previous criminal convictions, a history of violence, and jeopardize public safety," he said.

Steve Amate, executive director of the National Association of Security Companies, urged lawmakers to refine problematic language but praised key features, including employer registration and insurance requirements. Labor representatives said they supported a licensing approach that raised baseline standards and leveled the field among employers.

DORA’s witness panel, including Deputy Executive Director Ginny Brown and Sarah Warner of the Division of Professions and Occupations, urged caution. Brown said the Sunrise review recommended a narrower approach: baseline competency training approved by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) board rather than a full licensing and disciplinary structure in DORA.

"The regulatory structure envisioned in this bill is overly complicated, expensive, and we do not believe it serves the public interest," Warner said. DORA staff raised specific technical objections including provisional licensing without immediate background checks, the bill’s seven license types and two separate endorsement schemes, and the lack of authority to order mental-status evaluations.

Committee members pressed sponsors on reciprocity for out-of-state firms, the treatment of veterans and former peace officers, and fees. Mabry said he was open to language that recognizes POST training, military service, and phased implementation to address fiscal concerns.

On a committee motion the bill was forwarded to the Committee on Finance with a favorable recommendation. The committee recorded the final committee vote as 8 in favor and 5 opposed.