Senate passes bill restricting local sharing of personal data with federal immigration authorities

DENVER — The Colorado Senate on April 21 passed Senate Bill 276, a sprawling measure that limits when and how state and local agencies and institutions may share personally identifying information with federal immigration enforcement and that sets new privacy, reporting and institutional‑policy requirements.

The 35‑member Senate approved the bill 22–13. Supporters said the measure extends existing state privacy protections and creates guardrails for hospitals, courts, schools and local jails; opponents warned it could create legal and public‑safety conflicts with federal immigration law.

Senator Chris Gonzales, the bill’s lead sponsor, framed the measure as grounded in constitutional protections and existing state privacy law. “Section 1 of the bill is a legislative declaration that reminds us, that grounds us in the United States Constitution, the fourth, fifth, sixth, tenth, and fourteenth amendments,” Senator Gonzales said on the floor as she described the bill’s provisions and the sections that eliminate outdated affidavit requirements and extend data protections.

The bill’s main provisions, as explained by supporters on the floor, include: - Removing or updating several state affidavit requirements and procedural provisions described by the sponsors…