New Laws Going Into Effect Today

Your Democratic majorites in the Colorado General Assembly got a lot done this year. By working with the community, they passed bills that gained a lot of support -- including bipartisan support -- and that will continue to move our statement forward. Here's some of the major bills that are going into effect today:

Expanding Opportunity & Building a Fair Economy 

• HB19-1013: This will help families with the high cost of child care.
• HB19-1280: This will help kick-start college savings for every baby born or adopted in Colorado, helping address the burden of higher education costs on students and their families. 
• SB19-002: This will increase protections for student loan borrowers by establishing licensing requirements for loan service providers and increasing enforcement of complaints.

Saving You and Your Family Money on Healthcare

• HB19-1001: This will require increased cost transparency by hospitals.
• HB19-1216: This will cap co-pays for life-saving insulin to $100/month.
• SB19-005: This will allow for the importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada.
• HB19-1010: This will implement protections for consumers when accessing freestanding emergency departments.
• HB19-1211: This will streamline access to care.
• HB19-1131: This will increase transparency of prescription costs for both prescribers and patients. 

• HB19-1008: The SHOP Act will help Colorado schools build or renovate career & technical education facilities, expanding opportunities for students to explore skills training and a range of career options.
• SB19-171: This will help students and adults pursuing careers in the trades access opportunity by building a directory of apprenticeship programs and coordinating with local workforce centers, businesses, and education institutions.   

• HB 19-1113: This will prevent pollution of precious water resources from future hardrock mining operations.
• HB19-127: This will protect water sources and firefighters from dangerous PFAS chemicals in firefighting foam.
• HB19-1003: This will increase access to renewable energy for Coloradans by expanding and streamlining the community solar gardens program.

Increasing Affordable Housing and Renters’ Rights

• HB19-1245: This will boost investment in affordable housing.
• HB19-1322: This will provide much-needed relief in areas across the state.
• HB19-1170: This will improve a renter’s rights if their home becomes uninhabitable or unfit for human habitation.
• HB19-1106: This will put reasonable limitations on the application fees landlords can charge prospective tenants.  

Pursuing Criminal Justice Reform 

• HB19-1275: This will expand access to record sealing to help more people successfully obtain and maintain housing and employment and move on from their past mistakes after they have served their sentences.
• HB19-1025: The “Ban the Box” bill gives former offenders a chance to demonstrate their qualifications for a job based on their merit and skill during an interview, rather than being immediately passed over because they checked “the box” indicating criminal history on an initial application form.
• SB19-231: This creates a scholarship program for former youth offenders who are pursuing a higher education, lowering the chance of recidivism and helping them become productive members of society.

• SB19-107: This will continue the legislature’s efforts to expand the deployment of broadband infrastructure across the state and close the digital divide. 

• SB19-068: This will require expanded disclosure of funding behind campaign communications.
• HB19-1318: This increases required transparency of political spending.
• HB19-1007: This establishes contribution limits for county candidates to better ensure a level playing field.  

• HB19-1278: This reduces wait times at voting centers.
• SB19-235: This expands automatic voter registration.
• SB19-202: This improves access for voters with disabilities.