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Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here are 5 key bills the Colorado Legislature passed this year
Colorado House Majority Leader Monica Duran speaks with Rep. Alex Valdez on the House floor during the last day of the 2025 legislative session on May 7, 2025 at the Colorado Capitol. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) The 2025 regular lawmaking term in Colorado wrapped up Wednesday evening after 120 days of policy proposals. Lawmakers grappled with a year of financial strain — an extraordinarily tight budget situation prevented new programs or many new spending attempts — and an ever-changing federal landscape as President Donald Trump began his second term in office, two themes that colored much of the session. Democrats controlled both chambers of the Colorado Legislature with a 43-22 majority in the House and a 23-12 majority in the Senate. Those margins, combined with Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, allowed Democrats to pass most of their priority bills, though not all. A bill supported by Polis that would allow churches to build affordable housing on their land could not pass the Senate, and a resolution to direct the Legislature to sue over the constitutionality of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights did not get a debate. Here are five of the biggest bills to pass this year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Senate Bill 25-3 was introduced as a ban on the sale of semiautomatic firearms that accept detachable magazines, a description that includes a huge portion of guns sold in the state. The idea was to bolster enforcement of the state's large-capacity magazine law, passed in 2013, by allowing in gun sales only fixed magazines that accept no more than 15 rounds. But pushback from the governor's office resulted in a major change in the Senate — the addition of a permit-to-purchase program to access the otherwise-banned firearms. The bill passed the Legislature with entirely Democratic support, and Polis signed it into law on April 10. Starting in August 2026, anyone who wants to buy most semiautomatic guns with a detachable magazine will need to complete either a four- or 12-hour safety training, depending on whether the person already has a hunting license. Course completion will result in a five-year purchasing ability. Colorado joins a handful of states with similar training requirements. Supporters see the law as a way to reduce accidents and injury, because people who buy the powerful weapons will have education about how to use them safely. Opponents say it is an additional hurdle in Colorado to exercise Second Amendment rights and worry about a lengthy wait time to get into a necessary safety course. A coalition of Republican lawmakers and gun rights advocates recently asked the U.S. attorney general to review the constitutionality of the new law. It is also possible opponents will attempt a legal challenge in court. Though it was announced last year and became one of the first bills introduced this year, Senate Bill 25-5 didn't pass until the penultimate day of the session, after months of negotiations between labor and business groups broke down. The bill now heads to a likely veto from Polis. The bill would repeal a second election that's required for union formation in Colorado. The first election, governed by federal law, requires a majority vote to form a union. Colorado's unique second election requires a 75% vote for a union to negotiate union security, the term for compelling all workers to pay into the representation a union provides, regardless of membership. Bill supporters say the second election creates an opportunity for employers to intimidate workers and represents a barrier to forming strong unions. Supporters immediately faced a call from Polis to rework the bill around a compromise that both labor and business advocates could agree to. That deal never came to fruition, and an unamended version of the bill passed through the Legislature on party-line votes, with Democrats in favor of the measure. House Bill 25-1312, dubbed the Kelly Loving Act after a transgender woman killed in the Club Q shooting, adds more legal protections for transgender Coloradans. It would make it discriminatory for a person to intentionally not refer to a transgender person by their chosen name in places of public accommodation. It would also make it easier for a person to change their gender marker on a driver's license and other government documents. It would require schools to be more flexible in chosen-name policies and dress code requirements. Some of the bill's most controversial original provisions were amended out, including a section that would have made courts consider a parent's treatment of their child's transgender identity during custody decisions. Another removed section would have enacted a shield provision against other state's custody laws. The original bill would have also added legal definitions for 'misgendering' and 'deadnaming' into the state's anti-discrimination act. Polis has not yet taken action on the bill. As the Trump administration began ramped-up deportation efforts, Democrats moved to protect the civil rights of Colorado's immigrants. Senate Bill 25-276 would prohibit public employees, like those in local governments, from sharing data about immigration status with federal immigration enforcement authorities. It would also repeal affidavit requirements for immigrants without legal status seeking in-state tuition and driver's licenses. The bill would also limit where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can access within schools, hospitals, libraries and child care facilities without a signed warrant. It would clarify and strengthen existing law that prevents local law enforcement from holding someone in jail on behalf of immigration authorities after their release time. Republicans opposed the bill and argued that it could jeopardize federal funding to the state. As it passed, the Department of Justice sued Denver and the state over so-called 'sanctuary policies,' which the bill is seen as expanding. Polis has not yet taken action on the bill. The start of the legislative session was packed with vacancy committees after three state senators resigned shortly following the 2024 election. That prompted calls for reform on how vacancies are filled in the Legislature, as the current system permits a small number of party insiders to decide on new lawmakers. The bipartisan House Bill 25-1315 would change the vacancy process by adding elections for the seat in question into an already-planned November election. A vacancy committee would pick a replacement, but that person would need to run in the newly created vacancy election, where voters of the same party and unaffiliated voters could participate. Polis has not yet taken action on the bill. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado bill raising age to purchase rifle, shotgun ammunition narrowly advances
DENVER (KDVR) — A bill that supporters say will create 'safeguards' on ammunition purchases and prevent gun violence in Colorado passed through the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee Thursday. The measure, sponsored by Majority Leader Monica Duran, a Democrat representing Wheat Ridge, and Rep. Lindsay Gilchrist, a Democrat representing Denver County, would raise the minimum age required to purchase rifle and shotgun ammunition to 21 years old. Officials voice support, opposition for proposed Colorado immigration bill Currently, Colorado law requires that anyone purchasing a firearm be at least 21 years old, but 18-year-olds are allowed to purchase ammunition. The measure that passed through committee on Thursday would raise the age requirement for ammunition, and require ammunition to be stored behind the counter, similar to measures taken to restrict access to nicotine products, cold medicine and other commonly misused or potentially harmful products. The measure passed by a vote of 7-6, almost split on party lines. Democratic Rep. Bob Marshall joined Republicans in voting against the measure. 'Gun violence is both tragic and preventable, and as a victim of gun violence and intimidation in my youth, I know this bill can help save lives and make our communities safer,' said Duran in a release. 'Colorado Democrats have worked hard to protect Colorado communities from gun violence, including recently raising the age to purchase a firearm to 21 years old. With this bill, we're making Colorado gun laws straightforward – you must be at least 21 to purchase any type of firearm or ammunition. By increasing the age to purchase firearm ammunition and putting ammunition behind the counter, we can better protect our kids from gun violence and improve public safety.' The bill to increase the age to buy guns in Colorado was passed during the 2023 Regular Session of the Colorado General Assembly and signed into law in April 2023. Other commonly used items that are age-restricted include nicotine, which became accessible only to those older than 21 years old in 2024 due to action taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 'Firearms are the leading cause of death for 18-20-year-olds, and the increase in firearm suicides should be alarming to everyone,' said Gilchrest in a release. 'As a mother to young kids, I worry that their school could be the next site of a mass tragedy. Gun violence is all too common in Colorado, but it doesn't have to be. That's why I'm sponsoring this bill to help reduce youth firearm suicides by raising the minimum age to purchase ammunition and adding protections, saving countless Colorado lives.' Teen victim identified in deadly shooting at RTD station in Greenwood Village According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado had 1,036 firearm deaths in 2022, which is the most recent data available. The CDC noted there are about 17.1 firearm deaths recorded per 100,000 Colorado residents. The measure, as currently written, would require that sellers verify any firearm buyer is at least 21 years old using a valid government-issued photo identification. The bill also requires sellers to display ammunition in a position where an employee must assist the buyer. Additionally, anyone delivering ammunition would be required to verify that the person receiving the delivery is at least 21 years old. The bill makes any violation of these steps a civil infraction, but further violations would grow into a class 1 misdemeanor. If signed into law, the measure would take effect July 1, 2026. The measure was referred to the Committee of the Whole on Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
