21 ways lawmakers changed Colorado this year
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In the more than 750 bills and resolutions introduced in the 120-day legislative session, dozens made significant changes that reshaped Colorado.
Here's a rundown of what happened and what it means for you.
Housing
🚫 Prohibit unreasonable evictions by limiting the reasons landlords can use to oust residents.
🔨 Grant renters more power to demand building repairs from landlords for safety reasons.
X Ban local government occupancy limits on housing except for safety reasons.
Technology
📲 Add pop-up notifications on social media apps to make teenagers aware of problematic use and create resources for parents.
🤖 Require some companies to disclose the use of artificial intelligence to consumers.
📵 Prohibit the use of a cellphone while driving, except for hands-free devices.
Money
🧒 Provide lower-income parents a tax credit worth up to $3,200 to help relieve child poverty.
🚗 Impose new fees on rental cars, up to $3 a day, to go toward building passenger rail service in Colorado.
🛢 Add new fees on a barrel of extracted oil to collect $175 million a year, including $116 million for passenger rail and transportation projects.
💰 Exempt all Social Security income from state taxes for taxpayers aged 55 to 64 with income between $75,000-$95,000, ending the $20,000 cap.
Education
🍎 Require public schools to refer to students by their preferred name aligning with their gender identity.
🏥 Build a new medical school at the University of Northern Colorado.
😎 Provide a tax credit for college tuition and fees, essentially making college free for two years for students with household income below $90,000 on tuition and fees.
Guns
🚫Prohibit firearms in most state and local government building areas; colleges and schools; and child care centers.
🔫 Add new limits to who can carry a concealed handgun by excluding people convicted of certain misdemeanors and tightening training requirements.
Other
⛔ Make it a crime to advance "fake electors" designed to overturn certified election results.
😸 Allow telehealth veterinary visits after an initial appointment, require notice to pet owners about outbreaks at boarding facilities and mandate sterilization on all rescue pets brought to Colorado.
💀 Revamp the state's funeral home regulations to require licensing and more inspections after the discovery of decaying bodies and other wrongdoing.
🚘 Create a special license plate honoring Chicano culture for those who make a donation to a related nonprofit organization.
🌲 Authorize the state to reintroduce wolverines to the wilds of Colorado.
🍺 Remove the prohibition on alcohol sales on Christmas Day.