Bill Directory
1. HB21-1131: Cooperative Electric Associations Governance Requirements
Status: FAILED
Summary
This first-in-the-nation bill ushered in big transparency reforms for rural electric cooperative elections.
The reforms make the election process for these vital local electricity suppliers much more democratic in several ways. The bill set minimum election standards around timelines, member-owner election notification, and candidate rights, and allowed co-ops to adopt online voting. Additionally, the bill compels coops to be more transparent, by requiring them to post rates and solar net metering policies to their website and empowering members to request financial audits.
Perhaps most importantly, the bill ended Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s practice of requiring co-op representatives to Tri-State to vote solely in the fiduciary best interest of Tri-State and not their members back home.
2. HB21-1119: Suicide Prevention, Intervention, & Postvention
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill was historic in broadening the focus of Colorado’s suicide prevention and “postvention” services.
This bill changed the names of offices, funds, and other related entities to include the words intervention and postvention, reflecting changes in modern best practices for mental health intervention. As a result, the whole apparatus of state mental health services will grow to better study, understand, and serve suicide prevention and postvention needs.
3. SB21-079: Deregulate Meat Sales Direct To Consumers
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill opened up transformative new options for Colorado meat producers to sell to smaller clients and gives individual meat consumers a powerful new way to buy directly from local producers instead of corporate suppliers.
The bill made it easier for local ranchers to sell their meat without needing to go through cumbersome regulations, which often lead to prohibitive extra costs. Colorado ranchers can now sell rabbit, poultry, or fish meat directly to local buyers and can sell shares of cattle, calves, sheep, poultry, hogs, rabbits, and fish meat.
Previously, ranchers were only able to sell an entire animal to consumers without going through cumbersome and costly USDA regulations, leading to a higher cost beyond many consumers’ ability to pay.
4. HB21-1242: Create Agricultural Drought And Climate Resilience Office
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill creates the Office of Agricultural Drought and Climate Resilience within the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
This office will advise other governmental departments on the effects of climate change and drought upon the agricultural sector. It will also create methods of assistance to aid farmers and ranchers begin to adapt to and resist the effects of climate change.
5. HB21-1266: Environmental Justice Disproportionate Impacted Community
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill requires the Air Quality Control Commission to list greenhouse gases as a pollutant.
It also requires them to have a representative member as well as board advising them and updating them on the concepts of environmental justice.
6. HB21-1290: Additional Funding For Just Transition
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill creates funding for the Just Transition Office, whose primary goal is to help workers transition from the fossil fuel industry into a new sector.
It also sets up a fund within the office specifically dedicated to easing former coal workers and their families into new industries as we transition to cleaner and safer energy sources.
7. SB21-060: Expand Broadband Service
Status: FAILED
Sponsors
Summary
This bill creates funding for the Colorado Broadband Office to create programs that will incentivize certain consumers to buy broadband services.
There are established ways to target lower-income and higher need households for the program, which is aiming to expand broadband into areas where it has not previously been, including rural ones.
8. HB21-1223: Create Outdoor Equity Grant Program
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill creates the Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, which coordinate any of the state’s actions towards the outdoor recreation industry.
This includes development, promotion, coordination, and addressing the outstanding inequalities that currently exist within outdoor recreation.
9. SB21-261: Public Utilities Commission Encourage Renewable Energy Generation
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill helps improve the Renewable Energy Standard, which helps give money to consumers who pump renewable energy back into the commercial grid.
Part of this is accomplished through clarification of what counts as renewable, and much of it is done through expanding the amount of energy a consumer can get credit (or paid) for.
10. HB21-1162: Management Of Plastic Products
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill creates a statewide ban on the use of polystyrene (or Styrofoam) containers as well as plastic bags by March of 2023.
The alternative will be a paper bag, which will have a 10-cent fee, or the consumer will have to use their own bags.
11. SB21-012: Former Inmates With Fire Service Experience
Status: FAILED
Sponsors
Summary
This bill extends the law that allows those convicted of a felony to serve in public employment to the wildland fire teams.
Additionally, it creates specific information to spread awareness to former inmates with experience gained while in prison, as well as creates a peer mentor program for those individuals.
12. SB21-087: Agricultural Workers’ Rights
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill extends basic worker rights, such as lunch breaks, the ability to unionize, and rest periods to agricultural workers.
It also adds the ability for overtime to be paid and allows them to make minimum wage.
13. HB21-1318: Create Outdoor Equity Grant Program
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill creates the Outdoor Equity Board and the Outdoor Equity Grant Program.
Both have the aim of increasing equal access to the outdoors through establishing and aiding programs aimed at doing such.
14. HB21-1232: Standardized Health Benefit Plan Colorado Option
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill requires the health insurance industry to have a basic coverage plan that matches basic requirements.
It also creates a target to reduce the premiums that the most basic insurance plans will charge.
15. HB21-1181: Agricultural Soil Health Program
Status: FAILED
Summary
This bill creates the Soil Health Program and Soil Health Advisory Committee.
Both groups will aid the Colorado Department of Agriculture in creating methods to promote and encourage activities that promote soil health state-wide.