Ranked Choice Voting
This memorandum provides an overview of ranked choice voting in Colorado and other states. Ranked choice voting is a method of voting where voters rank candidates by preference. Ranked choice voting is currently used in nonpartisan elections in several Colorado municipalities, with at least one...
Summary of 2024 Behavioral Health Legislation
Addressing the substance use disorder epidemic and providing behavioral health resources to communities throughout Colorado were the two major behavioral health care themes that emerged during the Second Regular Session of the 74th General Assembly. Important behavioral health bills are...
Overview of the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association
The state legislature established the Colorado Public Employee's Retirement Association (PERA) in 1931 to provide a pension benefit to state and local government employees, predating the federal Social Security Act of 1935 by four years. PERA is administered under Article 51 of Title 24 of the...
Colorado’s Health Insurance Market
Health insurance is a method of paying or receiving reimbursement for health care costs from covered services. Health insurance companies spread the costs and risk of covered health care services across all members of a plan in exchange for premiums and other cost-sharing mechanisms, such as...
Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act
The harmful effects of secondhand smoke and emissions from tobacco, marijuana, and electronic smoking devices continue to be an issue in Colorado. Since 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified secondhand tobacco smoke as a known cause of cancer.
2025 Fiscal Note Staff Assignments by Subject Area
2025 Fiscal Note Staff Assignments by Subject Area.
Overview of the Office of the Attorney General
The Attorney General is a statewide elected official who acts as the chief legal representative of the state and the chief executive officer of the Department of Law. The Attorney General and the Department of Law together are known as the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. This issue brief...
Colorado Open Records Act Maximum Hourly Research and Retrieval Fee
Programs and Resources for Persons Experiencing Homelessness
Homelessness affects thousands of individuals and families across Colorado. Among U.S. states, Colorado has the 8th highest number of residents experiencing homelessness. This memorandum describes the scope of homelessness in the state and provides an overview of the programs and resources...
2024 Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee Final Report
Section 10-22-107, C.R.S., establishes the Colorado Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee (oversight committee) for guiding the implementation of the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange, which currently does business under the name Connect for Health Colorado (exchange), and making...
Summary of 2024 Health Care and Health Insurance Legislation
Many pieces of legislation regarding health care and health insurance made their way through the 74th General Assembly. Most of the legislation fell into the following categories: removing barriers to treatment, and licensing requirements.
The Colorado Recall Process
A recall is a process that allows voters to remove and replace an elected official before the official’s term ends. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Colorado is one of 19 states that allow for the recall of state and local elected officials.
While the recall...
Public Participation in the Legislative Process
Legislative committees are a very important part of Colorado's legislative process. At a legislative committee hearing, citizens have an opportunity to express their views and have them incorporated into the official legislative record. In Colorado, every bill receives a public hearing by one of...
2025 Fiscal Note Staff Assignments by Subject Area
2025 Fiscal Note Staff Assignments by Subject Area.
Funding Mechanisms and Fiscal Notes
This memorandum is intended for use by policymakers, legislative drafters, and budget analysts to understand the different funding mechanisms that may be used in legislation. It describes how different funding mechanisms in legislation impact the state budget and how they are shown in fiscal...
State and Federal Immigration Laws
The U.S. federal government holds exclusive authority to regulate immigration, including who may enter the country and under what conditions. Nevertheless, states can enact laws that impact immigrants and influence the enforcement of federal immigration laws, provided that these state laws do...
2024 October Colorado General Assembly Digital Accessibility Report
In accordance with Section 24-34-802 (1)(c)(II), C.R.S., The Colorado General Assembly Digital Accessibility Report outlines the ongoing efforts made by the staff of the legislative branch of the State of Colorado to improve and maintain a digital landscape that is inclusive and accessible to...
2024 June Colorado General Assembly Digital Accessibility Report
In accordance with Section 24-34-802 (1)(c)(II), C.R.S., The Colorado General Assembly Digital Accessibility Report outlines the ongoing efforts made by the staff of the legislative branch of the State of Colorado to improve and maintain a digital landscape that is inclusive and accessible to...
Visitor Guide to the Colorado State Capitol
2024 American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee Final Report
Submitted herewith is the final report of the American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee. This committee was created pursuant to Interim Committee Request Letter 2024-003. The purpose of this committee is to build better relationships between American Indian communities and the legislative...
Health Care Prior Authorization Practices
Prior authorization—sometimes referred to as preauthorization or precertification—is a process by which an insurer reviews a request for health care services or drugs before consenting to cover the costs of the proposed treatment. Upon receiving a request, an insurer can approve or deny the...
Summary of 2024 State Government and Immigration Legislation
During the 2024 legislative session, the General Assembly considered bills concerning state government, including addressing topics related to elected officials, state agencies, the Colorado Open Records Act, and accessibility. Additionally, the General Assembly considered legislation addressing...
Smart Government Act
The State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent Government Act (SMART Act) was adopted in 2010 by House Bill 10-1119. This bill...