Colorado House introduces two dozen bills and forwards committee reports to appropriations and other panels

The Colorado House of Representatives on the floor received committee reports and introduced 26 House bills, sending numerous measures to standing committees for further review.

Committee reports and bill referrals dominated the session, with the Committee on State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs recommending several House bills be postponed indefinitely and the Committee on Appropriations and others recommending additional referrals, including many Senate bills being sent to the committee of the whole.

The session’s introductions spanned a wide range of policy areas. Sponsors named on the floor include Representatives Woodrow and Valdez (House Bill 12-08) and an accompanying Senator, Amabile; Representatives Linstead and Wilford, with Senator Gonzales (House Bill 12-09); Representatives Garcia, Sander and Lukens, with Senators Pelton, Beatty and Marchman (House Bill 12-10); and numerous other members named as sponsors or co-sponsors across bills numbered HB 12-08 through HB 12-33. The texts read on the floor describe the subject matter for each bill and the committee to which it was assigned.

Key bills introduced and their committee assignments as announced on the floor include:

- HB 12-08 (Woodrow, Valdez; Sen. Amabile): concerns the tip offset associated with local governments’ minimum wages; assigned to the Committee on Business Affairs and Labor. - HB 12-09 (Linstead, Wilford; Sen. Gonzales): addresses efficiency in the regulation of marijuana licensees; assigned to the Committee on Finance. - HB 12-10 (Garcia, Sander, Lukens; Sens. Pelton, Beatty, Marchman): concerns data reporting requirements for K–12 schools; assigned to the Committee on Education. - HB 12-11 (Stuart R., Leader; Sen. Bridges): concerns provision of water service by special districts and tap fee requirements; assigned to the Committee on Transportation, Housing, and Local Government. - HB 12-12 (Now, Soper): concerns public-safety protections related to artificial intelligence systems; assigned to the Committee on Judiciary. - HB 12-13 (Ferre; Sen. Doherty): concerns changes to the medical assistance program; assigned to the Committee on Health and Human Services. - HB 12-14 (Clifford; Sen. Gonzales): concerns appropriate use of prison beds; assigned to the Committee on Judiciary. - HB 12-15 (Tigard, Joseph; Sens. Bridges, Kirkmeyer): concerns redistribution of the lottery fund, including funds for the Outdoor Equity Fund and the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Fund; assigned to the Committee on Appropriations. - HB 12-16 (Brooks; Sen. Carson): requires state agencies to implement zero-based budgeting; assigned to the Committee on Appropriations. - HB 12-17 (Soper, Tatone; Sens. Catlin, Roberts): consumer protections for funeral services, distinguishing transportation protection agreements from preneed contracts and establishing violations under consumer protection and mortuary science statutes; assigned to the Committee on Business Affairs and Labor. - HB 12-18 (Valdez): allows certain higher-education institutions to participate in concurrent enrollment; assigned to the Committee on Education. - HB 12-19 (Phillips): requires metropolitan districts to aid the public’s understanding of their operations; assigned to the Committee on Transportation, Housing, and Local Government. - HB 12-20 (McCormick, Hartzick; Sens. Pelton, B., Mullica): concerns regulation of medical nutrient therapy; assigned to the Committee on Health and Human Services. - HB 12-21 (Hamrick, Garcia Sander; Sens. Bridges, Lundin): authorizes Emily Griffith Technical College to offer an associate of applied science degree; assigned to the Committee on Education. - HB 12-22 (Winter, Lukens; Sens. Roberts, Simpson): preserves health-care access provided by rural independent pharmacies; assigned to the Committee on Health and Human Services. - HB 12-23 (Johnson, Lukens; Sens. Pelt, R., Roberts): addresses capital needs of rural and frontier hospitals, directs the Department of Public Health and Environment to conduct a study and creates a task force to oversee it; assigned to the Committee on Health and Human Services. - HB 12-24 (Dayton, Soper; Sen. Snyder): modifies the Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act; assigned to the Committee on Finance. - HB 12-25 (Woodrow): creates the Freedom from Intimidation in Elections Act to prohibit intimidation related to election activities; assigned to the Committee on State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs. - HB 12-26 (Johnson; Sen. Bridal): tasks the statewide health care review committee with studying health care billing practices during the 2025 interim; assigned to the Committee on Health and Human Services. - HB 12-27 (Hartzick; Sen. Frizzell): modifies the statute for assault in the second degree; assigned to the Committee on Judiciary. - HB 12-28 (Barone): concerns the sustainability of state transportation infrastructure; assigned to the Committee on Transportation, Housing, and Local Government. - HB 12-29 (Soper): concerns salaries of elected local officials; assigned to the Committee on State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs. - HB 12-30 (Caldwell, Pasco; Sen. Winter F.): changes the traffic violation for overtaking a school bus; assigned to the Committee on Transportation, Housing, and Local Government. - HB 12-31 (Kelty): concerns protecting minors from exposure to explicit content; assigned to the Committee on State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs. - HB 12-32 (Lukin, Luck): concerns liability for harm suffered on another’s property when a person lacked means to defend themselves; assigned to the Committee on Judiciary. - HB 12-33 (Richardson, Carter; Sen. Henriksen): concerns persons who assist veterans with benefits and claims and whether certain actions constitute trade practices under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act; assigned to the Committee on State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs.

The House also read committee reports from standing panels. Items announced on the floor include:

- The Committee on State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs reported that, after consideration, it recommended that House bills referenced as "10 47," "11 02," "11 07," and "11 403" be postponed indefinitely and that House bill "11 53" be amended as filed and then referred to the Committee on Appropriations with a recommendation. - The Committee on Appropriations reported a slate of Senate bills (including numbers transcribed on the floor that begin with 88, 809, and a sequence of 90-series bills through 115) be referred to the committee of the whole with a favorable recommendation. - The Committee on Finance and the Committee on Health and Human Services provided recommendations on other House bills (for example, HB 11-01 and HB 10-88), with specific referrals and amendments announced on the floor.

Multiple Senate bills were also assigned to House committees: Senate Bill 60 (expanding the crime of obstructing government operations to include repeated calling of public-safety entities without justifiable cause) and Senate Bill 62 (contempt of court for failure to appear charges in municipal court) were assigned to the Committee on Judiciary. Senate Bill 82 (enactment of Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 as the positive and statutory law of the state) was likewise assigned to the Committee on Judiciary.

The session record on the floor is procedural: sponsors were named for each introduced bill and committees were identified for referral or further action. No final floor passage or recorded roll-call votes on the introduced bills were announced in the transcript excerpt.

Next steps: bills assigned to committees will be scheduled for committee hearings where members will consider testimony, amendments and potential advancement to the committee of the whole or back to the House for further action.