House Finance Committee advances license plate to fund office for missing and murdered Indigenous relatives

House Finance Committee members on the bill advanced House Bill 10 36, which would create a special motor vehicle license plate to raise funds for the Office of the Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives.

Representative Monica Velasco, the bill sponsor, told the committee the plate would be available beginning January 2026 “by making a minimum donation of $25” and that “these funds will go directly to this office in the state.”

The bill’s supporters told the committee that the office — created in 2022 — issues alerts, connects families with resources and works with tribal and local law enforcement. “This is a lifeline to our native people,” said Melody Delmar, director of the Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, Division of Criminal Justice, Colorado Department of Public Safety. Delmar added that data and interagency work show juvenile females are disproportionately likely to go missing in recent months and that the office prioritizes family-centered support and interagency training.

Witnesses from tribal communities and survivor advocacy groups described gaps in awareness and response that they said the plate could help address. Lorelei Cloud, who identified herself as former vice chair of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, said the plate would “raise awareness” and provide “crucial funding” to assist survivors and families. Monica Snowbird, a founding board member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives task force, said task force research increased the tracked case count in Colorado from 13 to more than 110 and said funds would be used for travel, victims’ assistance and funeral costs.

Committee members pressed the sponsor and fiscal staff on how much of any fee would reach the office. Representative Hartzak questioned whether specialty plates historically deliver meaningful net revenue after production and administrative costs. Representative Velasco and John Armstrong, fiscal analyst, clarified that the bill structure includes two statutory fees that cover Department of Revenue administrative costs and a third $25 mandatory donation that the bill and an amendment specify will go to the MMIR office. Armstrong summarized: the first two $25 fees cover department expenses (highway users tax fund and driver’s cash fund); the third $25 donation is not used for plate administrative costs and is intended to go to the office.

Representative Velasco also reported a one-time appropriation estimate in the fiscal note of $7,000 for the first year and $700 for year two tied to initial administrative work for the plate program. The sponsor offered and the committee adopted three technical amendments (L001 adding a legislative declaration, L002 specifying the receiving fund for the donation, and L003 establishing a selection panel for artwork and requiring Indigenous representation).

Following testimony and amendment votes, Vice Chair To Town moved and the committee voted to recommend the bill to the Appropriations Committee. The committee’s roll call passed 12–1.

Representative Camacho thanked witnesses for their testimony and said she was “so thrilled to support this bill,” while Representative Marshall, who said he generally opposes adding specialty plates, announced he would nonetheless place the plate on his vehicle if it passed.

The committee forwarded House Bill 10 36, as amended, to Appropriations with a favorable recommendation.

Ending: The bill now advances to the Appropriations Committee; supporters said the plate would provide a modest but steady funding stream and daily visibility for an issue they describe as undercounted and under-resourced.