Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate passes amended judges bill; adds fewer judges and trims public-defender appropriation
Summary
The Colorado Senate on Feb. 25 passed Senate Bill 24 after amending the measure to cut the number of new judges from 29 to 15 and to adjust related funding for the Office of the State Public Defender. Sponsors said the change reduces cost while opponents warned the added spending exacerbates a state budget shortfall.
The Colorado Senate on Feb. 25 approved Senate Bill 24, a measure to add judges to the state judiciary, after adopting amendments that reduced the number of new judges and recalibrated the related funding for the Office of the State Public Defender.
The vote followed two key amendments. Amendment L008, offered by Senator Roberts, reduced the number of judges in the bill from 29 as originally introduced to 15. Amendment L009 adjusted the appropriations tied to the bill to reflect that smaller judge count and included funding to staff new criminal dockets in the State Public Defender's Office while excluding a proposed appropriation for the Bridges liaison program.
Why it matters: Sponsors said SB24 and its amendments aim to relieve overloaded dockets and restore timely access to court for criminal and civil matters. Opponents…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
