Twelve Good bills advanced at the Colorado General Assembly during the week of March 16, reducing regulatory burdens, restoring local control, and strengthening property rights across a range of policy areas.
The week’s clearest deregulatory signal came on the education front. HB26-1299, reducing regulatory burdens on local education providers, passed the House 63-0 — the only bill this week to earn a unanimous vote from both parties. The measure strips paperwork mandates from public schools, including the requirement for a written policy on student use of paper versus computers for standardized tests.
Patient access scored two wins. HB26-1262 preserves access to compounded medical items by protecting patients’ ability to obtain customized medications their physicians prescribe. SB26-126 removes licensing barriers for out-of-state teachers, allowing qualified educators to work in Colorado without redundant credentialing hurdles.
Property rights advanced on multiple fronts. HB26-1245 strengthens criminal penalties for contractor theft, protecting homeowners who pay for work that never gets done. HB26-1253 clarifies the process by which property owners can disconnect land from a statutory municipality, restoring the right of landowners to exit local government jurisdiction through a defined legal process.
Two bills addressed accountability in government and commerce. SB26-108 requires legislative caucuses, committees, and clubs at the Capitol to file monthly financial disclosures with nonpartisan staff, closing a transparency gap that allowed lobbyist-funded retreats to go unreported. HB26-1140 requires Legislative Council staff to conduct local government impact hearings on bills that affect counties and municipalities, creating a review point before those bills reach the floor.
SB26-098 restores local authority over noise abatement following a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that stripped cities of the power to issue venue-specific permits. The bill returns permit flexibility to communities without eliminating the underlying state noise standards.
SB26-112 allows courts to impose pretrial release conditions on defendants who have previously failed to appear, addressing a gap that left judges without tools for repeat no-shows. HB26-1017 removes insurance companies from the definition of “victim” in criminal restitution proceedings, ending a practice where corporate insurers used criminal courts to collect losses properly pursued through civil litigation.
HB26-1101 adds theft of critical infrastructure metals to existing criminal offenses, protecting pipeline and electrical components from targeted theft. HB26-1042 allows occupational therapists to perform dry needling, expanding the scope of practice without creating a new licensing category.
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