Senate committee hears bill to extend lobbyist contribution ban year‑round amid First Amendment debate

Senate Bill 148, introduced in the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, would extend Colorado’s current session‑only ban on campaign contributions from registered professional lobbyists to a year‑round prohibition and bar donations from former registered lobbyists for six months after they stop registering.

Sponsor Senator Weisman told the committee the measure is intended to “raise the bar on ourselves” and address public perceptions about the closeness of paid lobbyists to lawmakers. “The motivating spirit…is to have a little bit of healthy separation between the policy making function and the reality that we are also all candidates,” he said during opening remarks (timecode 263.93–297.60).

Why it matters: Supporters argued the change would protect the integrity of lawmaking and align Colorado with other states that restrict lobbyist giving year‑round; opponents said it risks unconstitutional limits on political speech and may be impractical to administer. Committee members pressed the sponsor on constitutional precedent, enforcement detail…