Position Papers

House Bill 25-1276 only affects defendants who repeatedly ignore court dates by giving courts discretion to require a cash or surety bond instead of a PR bond for an extremely narrow class of defendants.

House Bill 25-1295, Food Truck Operations, would harm community planning to provide special benefits to a particular industry. The bill stops municipalities from regulating public roads and commercial districts to ensure economic vitality and employment opportunities of local businesses.

Senate Bill 25-132 allows distilleries to purchase alcohol from wholesalers and open as many as five bars without adhering to the local licensing process required of taverns and bars. Distilleries are a type of manufacturer licensed solely by the state Liquor Enforcement Division (LED).

House Bill 25-1147 unconstitutionally caps penalties for municipal offenses at the same level as similar state offenses and imposes arbitrary caps on penalties for municipal offenses with no comparable state offense. The bill also includes provisions addressing the already well-established right to counsel for indigent municipal court defendants facing the possibility of jail time and expanding the livestreaming mandates on courts.

House Bill 25-1169 forces communities to administratively rezone properties owned by “faith-based organizations” and educational institutions to allow for residential development, regardless of the existing allowed uses or surrounding zone districts. By circumventing existing planning and zoning processes that are readily available to all property owners, “YIGBY” creates a special privileged class of property owners with insufficient guardrails that would promote the creation of affordable housing, protect against fraud or abuse, and ensure a minimum of consistency with community plans.

Among other provisions, Senate Bill 25-001 creates the Colorado Voting Rights Act. The bill allows an individual or organization to file suit against a municipality alleging voter suppression, voter dilution, or an unlawful voting prerequisite based on gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, and empowers the Attorney General’s office to investigate potential violations, file suit to enforce the act, or intervene in an individual or organization’s suit. Colorado’s constitution does not support the bill’s application to municipal elections. We request an amendment to exclude municipalities from the bill and apply the provisions to the state and coordinated elections only.

House Bill 25-1056 lets telecom corporations jump to the front of the permitting line, even for brand new cell towers. This special treatment isn’t targeted to areas of poor coverage or state-owned land and makes no guarantee of cell coverage issues being addressed. Your NO vote is respectfully requested.

HB25-1060 proposes to reclassify certain electric fence security systems as “alarm systems” and limits local governments’ ability to deny permits for their use. This bill would undermine municipalities’ authority to regulate these systems based on public safety, aesthetics, and community values. We urge a NO vote to preserve local governments’
decision-making authority and ensure communities retain control over matters that reflect their unique needs.