Legislative Roundup: What Your State Legislators Are Working on This Year

By Cameron Kabot 

Editor’s note: The status of these bills may have changed since The Denver North Star went to print. Visit https://leg.colorado.gov/bills to search by bill number or topic to see where a bill you’re interested in currently stands. You can use that same website to contact elected officials and learn about ways to view and participate in proceedings.

As the Colorado legislative session hits its halfway point entering March, Sen. Julie Gonzales of District 34 and Reps. Tim Hernández, House District 4, and Alex Valdez, House District 5, have had a fairly busy start to the 2024 General Assembly. 

Gonzales is a prime sponsor on nine bills that have either been introduced or passed in the Colorado Senate. Hernández is a prime sponsor on five bills in the House. Valdez is also a prime sponsor on five bills in the House. The bills cover a wide variety of issues impacting their constituents from electric vehicles to gun control to the justice system. 

Gonzales is currently in the second year of her second term that began in 2022 and will end in 2027. In this legislative session, Gonzales is the chair of the Judiciary Committee, vice chair of the Local Government & Housing committee and is on the Appropriations Committee.

Hernández is filling a vacancy in House District 4 and is running for a full term that would begin in January 2025. Hernández is on the Health and Human Services Committee and represents the majority of North Denver.

Valdez is in the second year of his second term that began in 2022 and will end in 2025. Valdez is on the Energy & Environment and Transportation, Housing & Local Government committees and represents a northeastern portion of North Denver.

Here is a brief rundown of the bills for which Gonzales, Hernández and Valdez are prime sponsors:

Sen. Julie Gonzales 

Creation of 911 Services Enterprise
SB24-139 would create a 911 services enterprise that would charge a 50-cent fee on phone lines in an area with 911 services. The intention behind the fee is that it would help the governing bodies pay for 911 emergency services and various costs relating to 911 services. SB24-139 has been introduced to the Senate and assigned to the Finance Committee.

Planting of Uncertified Potatoes
SB24-137 is a bipartisan measure that is attempting to curb the planting of uncertified potatoes. It will do this by requiring all uncertified potato-seed stock to go through testing that would make sure the potatoes are free from disease or anything else considered harmful to potato crops. SB24-137 has been introduced to the Senate and assigned to the committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Indeterminate Sex Offender Sentencing 
SB24-118 would put an end to all indeterminate sex offender sentencing, creating mandatory minimums, and would increase the availability of sex offender treatment for high-risk offenders who are currently in the department of corrections. SB24-118 has been introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Judiciary Committee. 

Safe Housing for Residential Tenants 
SB24-094 would initiate and clarify the procedures regarding a tenant’s claim of breach of the warranty of habitability. SB24-094 passed as amended out of the Senate Local Government & Housing Committee. 

Streamline Marijuana Regulation 
SB24-076 would attempt to make the regulation of existing marijuana licenses more efficient by streamlining the process. SB24-076 was introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Finance Committee.

Voting for Confined Eligible Electors 
SB24-072 would make sure that eligible voters who are currently confined at a county jail or detention center can vote. The bill would have county sheriffs designate one individual to facilitate voting at each jail or detention center by providing information to confined eligible electors about voter registration and eligibility as well as making sure there is access to voter registration resources. SB24-072 was passed, as amended, to the Appropriations Committee.

Recidivism Definition Working Group
SB24-030 would create a new working group to establish a clear definition of “recidivism.” State entities that do data collections or report on recidivism would use this definition to help guide their work. SB24-030 has passed through the House and Senate and has been sent to the Governor.

Study Metrics to Measure Criminal Justice System Success 
SB24-029 would create a working group to examine the efficacy of the criminal justice system using other metrics and methods than recidivism. SB24-029 passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee and was referred unamended to the Appropriations Committee. 

Criminal and Juvenile Justice System Process Study
SB24-027 would have the division of criminal justice conduct a study to look at how individuals go through the different stages of the criminal and juvenile justice processes. SB24-027 passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee and was referred unamended to the Appropriations Committee.

Rep. Tim Hernández 

School Graduation Attire
HB24-1323 would prohibit any school from not allowing a student at any level of education to wear an object of religious or cultural significance as part of their graduation attire at a graduation ceremony. HB24-1323 passed through the House Education Committee and has been sent to the House Committee of the Whole.

Prohibit Certain Weapons Used in Mass Shootings
HB24-1292 establishes the term “assault weapon” in law and bans the manufacturing and sale of such weapons, as well as prohibits the ownership of certain rapid-fire weapons. HB24-1292 was introduced to the House and assigned to the Judiciary Committee

Prohibition Against Employee Discipline 
HB24-1260 prohibits an employer from making an employee attend meetings, listen or view communications that contain religious or political subject matter, except when required for their job duties. It would also prohibit employees from facing disciplinary action if they refuse to engage with this kind of material. HB24-1260 was introduced in the House and assigned to the Business Affairs & Labor Committee.

Supports for Youth in Juvenile Justice System
HB24-1216 creates a bill of rights for K-12 students who are involved with the criminal or juvenile justice system. It would look to provide students with resources to help them graduate as well as career readiness pathways. HB24-1216 was introduced in the House and assigned to the Education Committee.

Creating the Chicano Special License Plate
HB24-1105 would create a special license plate that will help support the Latin American community through donations. HB24-1105 passed the House Finance Committee and was referred amended to the House Appropriations Committee.

Rep. Alex Valdez

Tax Credits for Quantum Industry Support
HB24-1325 is a bipartisan approach that would create two tax incentives to support the development of the quantum technology industry in Colorado. HB24-1325 was introduced in the House and assigned to the Finance Committee.

Single-Exit Stairway Multifamily Structure
HB24-1239 would require a local government to adopt a building code to allow five stories of a multifamily residential building to be served by a single stairwell exit. HB24-1239 was introduced in the House and was assigned to the Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee.

Electric Vehicle Charging System Permits
HB24-1173 would help expedite the permit process for the approval of electric motor vehicle charging systems for counties and municipalities. The bill would also require local government boards to create an application procedure for electric vehicle charger permits to install electric vehicle charging systems. HB24-1173 was introduced to the House and assigned to the Energy & Environment Committee.

Tax Credit Commercial Building Conversion
HB24-1125 would create a new refundable tax credit that could be claimed in tax years commencing on or after 2026, and before 2036. The credit can be claimed for certain costs in relation to the conversion of a commercial structure into a residential structure. HB24-1125 passed in the House Finance Committee and has been referred, as amended, to the Appropriations Committee.

Recycling of Single-Use Electronic Smoking Devices 
HB24-1069 would create the electronic smoking device recycling strategies advisory group. This group would make strategic recommendations on how to recycle single-use electronic smoking devices in a manner that would be beneficial for the environment. HB24-1069 passed through the Energy & Environment Committee and was referred, as amended, to the Appropriations Committee.

Editor’s note: The status of these bills may have changed since The Denver North Star went to print. Visit https://leg.colorado.gov/bills to search by bill number or topic to see where a bill you’re interested in currently stands. You can use that same website to contact elected officials and learn about ways to view and participate in proceedings.

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