The number of bills being introduced has slowed as the session extends past its halfway mark.
This week, lawmakers introduced a bill that would set limits on certain campaign finance activity, a bill that would set tenant protections for anyone applying for a residential lease and a bill that would penalize anyone who makes or disseminates to the public any advertisement that indicates they provide abortions, emergency contraceptives or referrals for abortions or emergency contraceptives when the person knows or reasonably should have known that they don’t provide those specific services.
Also introduced this week was a bill that would set certain protections for health care providers that provide qualifying reproductive health care in the state from adverse actions from health care insurers.
Bill Number: HB23-1248
Title: Executive Committee’s Investigatory Authority
Introduced: March 15
Sponsors: L. Garcia, J. Mabrey
Summary: Current law authorizes the general assembly to prescribe the conditions and manner under which a witness may be summoned to attend, to produce documents or both before a committee of the state House or Senate. Among other provisions, the bill would authorize the executive committee of the legislative council to create investigatory committees and grant it the power to subpoena a witness, take testimony under oath and assemble records, documents and other evidence by subpoena.
Bill Number: HB23-1245
Title: Campaign Practices For Municipal Elections
Introduced: March 13
Sponsors: J. Parenti
Summary: Current law regulating campaign finance doesn’t set limits on contributions to candidates for municipal elections. For municipal elections held on or after Jan. 1, 2024, the bill would set aggregate limits on contributions to candidates for municipal office from persons, excluding any small donor committee, for any election cycle in the amount of $250. The limit from small donor committees would be $2,500. The bill would require the limits to be periodically adjusted for inflation.
Bill Number: HB23-1247
Title: Assess Advanced Energy Solutions In Rural Colorado
Introduced: March 14
Sponsors: M. Lukens, T. Winter, D. Roberts, R. Pelton
Summary: The bill would require the director of the Colorado energy office or the director’s designee to conduct studies to assess the use of advanced energy solutions in rural Colorado. The bill also sets some requirements for the studies.
Bill Number: SB23-182
Title: Temporary Suspension Of Medicaid Requirements
Introduced: March 9
Sponsors: R. Zenzinger, B. Kirkmeyer, S. Bird
Summary: As a condition of receiving federal money under the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the state was required to maintain the enrollment of nearly all individuals receiving Medicaid until April 1, at which point states are given 14 months to return to normal eligibility and enrollment operations. But the governor suspended certain statutory requirements related to enrollment and cost due to various state and federal public health emergency declarations. The bill would suspend certain other statutory enrollment and cost-sharing requirements until May 31 or June 1, 2024, and other statutory enrollment requirements until 12 months past the declaration of the end of the federal public health emergency.
Bill Number: SB23-184
Title: Protections For Residential Tenants
Introduced: March 9
Sponsors: F. Winter, M. Froelich, L. Garcia
Summary: The bill would restrict a landlord from considering or inquiring about certain information relating to a prospective tenant’s rental history, amount of income and credit history. The bill would also require a landlord who solicits and accepts rental applications for the rental of residential premises to rent to the first prospective tenant who applies and satisfies the landlord’s financial and other rental screening criteria. Among other provisions, a landlord would also need to keep records of when rental applications are received and provide a time-stamped receipt to any prospective tenant who submits a rental application and requests such a receipt.
Bill Number: SB23-188
Title: Protections For Accessing Reproductive Health Care
Introduced: March 9
Sponsors: J. Gonzales, S. Jaquez Lewis, M. Froelich, B. Titone
Summary: The bill would require contracts between insurers or other persons and health care providers regarding the delivery of health care services to include a provision that prohibits various actions if the actions are based solely on the health care provider’s provision of, or assistance in the provision of, reproductive health care or gender-affirming health care services in this state, so long as the care provided didn’t violate Colorado law.
Bill Number: SB23-189
Title: Increasing Access To Reproductive Health Care
Introduced: March 9
Sponsors: D. Moreno, L. Cutter, D. Michaelson Jenet, L. Garcia
Summary: The bill would change the defined term “HIV infection prevention drug” as it appears and is used in several areas of law, to “HIV prevention drug.” Among other things, the bill would also add the women’s preventive services guidelines of the health resources and services administration in the United States Department of Health and Human Services to the mandatory preventive health care services coverage for health benefit plans.
Bill Number: SB23-190
Title: Deceptive Trade Practice Pregnancy-related Service
Introduced: March 9
Sponsors: F. Winter, J. Marchman, K. McCormick, E. Epps
Summary: The bill would make it a deceptive trade practice for a person to make or disseminate to the public any advertisement that indicates, directly or indirectly, that the person provides abortions, emergency contraceptives or referrals for abortions or emergency contraceptives when the person knows or reasonably should have known that the person doesn’t provide those specific services.
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