Senate passes bill granting Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes free access to state parks amid objections from other Native groups

The Colorado Senate on May 2 passed House Bill 11-63, which grants the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe free access to Colorado State Parks. Sponsors characterized the measure as the result of years of government-to-government consultation with those two tribes.

Senator Simpson, the floor sponsor, framed the bill as a step in a longer process of engagement with tribal nations and said it reflected years of negotiation. Supporters said the measure restores access to lands that hold cultural and historical significance to those tribes.

Opposition surfaced sharply on the floor. Senator Gonzalez (identified in the transcript as voicing organized objections) urged the Senate to postpone the bill and pursue broader, deeper consultation. She read messages from Native leaders who called the timing and process insufficient and described the amendment process and short public engagement window as “deeply disheartening.” Multiple senators and several former speakers urged the Senate to over-extend outreach to other indigenous communities before final action; others said the bill represented an appropriate first step and included reporting back to the legislature on further outreach.

After extended debate and a roll-call posture by some members, the motion to pass House Bill 11-63 carried on the floor and the bill was recorded as passed on third reading.

What happens next: Sponsors said the measure is intended as a first step; the bill also includes language directing Colorado Parks and Wildlife to continue outreach and to report to the legislature in 2026 and 2027 on engagement with other American Indian and indigenous communities.

Sources: Floor debate and written comments read into the record by Senators Gonzalez, Simpson, Danielson and others during the May 2 session.