Overview of the Fiscal Note Process

Fiscal notes are prepared by Colorado Legislative Council Staff (LCS) to provide the members of the Colorado General Assembly with the estimated impact of proposed legislation on state and local government revenue and...

Homeowner Associations and Property Insurance

A homeowner association (HOA) must obtain insurance to cover common elements such as physical property and liability. Unit owners within an HOA also purchase insurance to cover the homeowners’ private property, parts ...

Summary of 2024 Business and Economic Development Legislation

During the 2024 legislative session, the General Assembly passed several business‑related measures including regulatory changes, consumer protections, and economic development.

Summary of 2024 Agriculture Legislation

During the 2024 legislative session, the General Assembly passed several pieces of legislation related to veterinary care, species conservation, public engagement, and potatoes.

Colorado Legislative Drafting Manual

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Overview of the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association

The state legislature established the Colorado Public Employee's Retirement Association (PERA) in 1931 to provide a pension benefit to state and local government employees, predating the federal Social Security Act of...

Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act

The harmful effects of secondhand smoke and emissions from tobacco, marijuana, and electronic smoking devices continue to be an issue in Colorado. Since 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classif...

Conservation Easements

This issue brief provides an overview of conservation easements in Colorado and discusses the certification process, federal and state tax incentives for the donation of conservation easements, and state purchases of ...

Summary of 2024 Health Care and Health Insurance Legislation

Many pieces of legislation regarding health care and health insurance made their way through the 74th General Assembly. Most of the legislation fell into the following categories: removing barriers to treatment, and l...

Colorado Liquor Licensing Handbook

This handbook is designed to be a reference guide for legislators and the public on the topic of Colorado laws related to liquor licensing. It covers the three-tier regulatory structure; license and permit types; gene...

Colorado’s Health Insurance Market

Health insurance is a method of paying or receiving reimbursement for health care costs from covered services. Health insurance companies spread the costs and risk of covered health care services across all members of...

Summary of 2024 Behavioral Health Legislation

Addressing the substance use disorder epidemic and providing behavioral health resources to communities throughout Colorado were the two major behavioral health care themes that emerged during the Second Regular Sessi...

Summary of 2024 Human Services, Children, and Domestic Matters Legislation

Many pieces of legislation regarding human services made their way through the 74th General Assembly. Human Services legislation primarily focused on child welfare issues, funding senior services, and addressing housi...

Health Care Prior Authorization Practices

Prior authorization—sometimes referred to as preauthorization or precertification—is a process by which an insurer reviews a request for health care services or drugs before consenting to cover the costs of the propos...

Laws Regulating Landlords and Tenants

While lease agreements are the primary legal contract between landlords and tenants, there are also federal, state, and local laws regulating this relationship. This memorandum provides a detailed overview of Colorado...

Summary of 2024 Capital Construction Legislation

During the 2024 legislative session, the General Assembly considered a number of bills affecting funding for capital construction and the duties of the Capital Development Committee (CDC).

Ranked Choice Voting

This memorandum provides an overview of ranked choice voting in Colorado and other states. Ranked choice voting is a method of voting where voters rank candidates by preference. Ranked choice voting is currently used ...

2025 Deadline Schedule

Deadline Schedule for the 2025 Colorado General Assembly.

Summary of 2024 Liquor, Tobacco, Marijuana, and Gaming Legislation

During the 2024 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several measures related to liquor, tobacco, marijuana, and gaming.

2024 Appropriations History Report FY 2015-16 through FY 2024-25

State Government Enterprises

This memorandum provides information on state government enterprises under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution, also known as the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). From FY 1993-94 through FY 2023-24, o...

2024 October Colorado General Assembly Digital Accessibility Report

In accordance with Section 24-34-802 (1)(c)(II), C.R.S., The Colorado General Assembly Digital Accessibility Report outlines the ongoing efforts made by the staff of the legislative branch of the State of Colorado to ...

Financing Public Schools for FY 2024-25

This memorandum summarizes the primary funding changes to school finance for FY 2024-25. Several enacted bills during the 2024 legislative session and August 2024 special session substantively impact the financing of ...

Summary of 2024 Civil Law Legislation

During the 2024 legislative session, the General Assembly passed a number of measures related to civil law. Specifically, the legislature increased consumer protections, regulated debt-related services, allowed for at...

Summary of 2024 Water Legislation

Several pieces of legislation focused on water in Colorado were passed during the 2024 session. These include measures concerning water projects, regulations for construction activities near wetlands and rivers, water...