{"id":22344,"date":"2025-05-09T00:56:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T00:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/what-did-the-colorado-legislature-do-this-year-here-are-5-key-bills\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:12:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:12:50","slug":"what-did-the-colorado-legislature-do-this-year-here-are-5-key-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/what-did-the-colorado-legislature-do-this-year-here-are-5-key-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"What did the Colorado Legislature do this year? Here are 5 key bills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"The
The Colorado Capitol building in January 2020.<\/span>Chancey Bush\/The Gazette, via Associated Press file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The 2025 regular lawmaking term in Colorado wrapped up Wednesday evening after 120 days of policy proposals.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers grappled with a year of financial strain \u2013 an extraordinarily tight budget situation prevented new programs or many new spending attempts \u2013 and an ever-changing federal landscape as President Donald Trump began his second term in office, two themes that colored much of the session.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Bill of Rights did not get a debate.<\/p>\n

Here are five of the biggest bills to pass this year.<\/p>\n

Training standards for some gun purchases<\/div>\n

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\u2019s large-capacity magazine law, passed in 2013, by allowing in gun sales only fixed magazines that accept no more than 15 rounds.<\/p>\n

But pushback from the governor\u2019s office resulted in a major change in the Senate \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Union election requirements<\/div>\n

Though it was announced last year and became one of the first bills introduced this year, Senate Bill 25-5 didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

The bill would repeal a second election that\u2019s required for union formation in Colorado. The first election, governed by federal law, requires a majority vote to form a union. Colorado\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Bill supporters say the second election creates an opportunity for employers to intimidate workers and represents a barrier to forming strong unions.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Protections for transgender people<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It would also make it easier for a person to change their gender marker on a driver\u2019s license and other government documents. It would require schools to be more flexible in chosen-name policies and dress code requirements.<\/p>\n

Some of the bill\u2019s most controversial original provisions were amended out, including a section that would have made courts consider a parent\u2019s treatment of their child\u2019s transgender identity during custody decisions. Another removed section would have enacted a shield provision against other state\u2019s custody laws. The original bill would have also added legal definitions for \u201cmisgendering\u201d and \u201cdeadnaming\u201d into the state\u2019s antidiscrimination act.<\/p>\n

Polis has not yet taken action on the bill.<\/p>\n

Protections for immigrants<\/div>\n

As the Trump administration began ramped-up deportation efforts, Democrats moved to protect the civil rights of Colorado\u2019s 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\u2019s licenses.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201csanctuary policies,\u201d which the bill is seen as expanding.<\/p>\n

Polis has not yet taken action on the bill.<\/p>\n

Vacancy selection process<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Polis has not yet taken action on the bill.<\/p>\n

To read more stories from Colorado Newsline, visit www.coloradonewsline.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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