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Hello everyone,

Three weeks down and things are starting to move. On Wednesday we saw the House conduct the first second readings of the session. This week Committees will continue to turn their focus from introductory hearings and briefings to legislative bills.

The big fight this past week (thankfully it does not impact us) was SB 005 Worker Protection Collective Bargaining. Under Colorado’s Labor Peace Act employees may unionize with a simple majority vote but must conduct a second vote with 75% approval to negotiate a union security agreement that would require all employees to pay either union dues or representation fees. SB 005 eliminates the second vote. This will be one of the big fights this session with the labor community and Democrats supporting SB 005 and the business community and Republicans opposing it. Governor Polis has indicated he does not believe removing the second vote is necessary and has asked that any bill reaching his desk be supported by both the labor and business communities. On Tuesday, the Senate Business Committee referred SB 005 to the Senate Appropriations Committee on a party-line vote.

On Wednesday, two bills that the CSPA is monitoring passed committee. HB 1049 Communication Rights for Persons in Custody requires facilities holding people in custody to allow certain incoming communications from legal counsel. The State Patrol raised concerns about whether HB 1049 applies when a person is brought back to a troop office or when the person is brought to a jail. The sponsor of HB 1049 committed to the Committee that she would work with the Patrol to address its concerns before the bill is heard on second reading. The House Judiciary Committee referred HB 1049 to the House Appropriations Committee.

The other bill, HB 1076 Motor Vehicle Regulation Administration, is an omnibus motor vehicle bill that includes a bill the CSPA supported last year that did not pass. Section 16 of HB 1076 authorizes, but does not require, the use of mobile driver licenses beginning January 1, 2026. On Wednesday, the House Transportation Committee passed the bill unanimously and on Friday the House passed HB 1076 on second reading. HB 1076 is scheduled to be heard on third reading in the House later today.

This week’s big fight will likely be on Tuesday when the Senate State Affairs Committee hears SB 003 Semiautomatic Firearms & Rapid-Fire Devices. SB 003 will prohibit the manufacture, distribution, transfer or sale of semiautomatic rifles or shotguns with detachable magazines and gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines. There is an exception for law enforcement agencies for the purpose of equipping the agency’s peace officers. So far, there have been 178 bills introduced – 92 in the House and 86 in the Senate. Only 100 more days until the General Assembly adjourns sine die.

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