Colorado LegiSource

An informational and educational resource for the Colorado General Assembly by the Office of Legislative Legal Services.

Author: olls

  • Use the Bill Versions to Map Your Way Through the Legislative Process

    by Patti Dahlberg

    Every “i” has been dotted, every “t” has been crossed. A bill has been drafted, redrafted, discussed among colleagues and stakeholders, and then redrafted again. It’s time to introduce the bill into prime time! This first version of the bill, not surprisingly, is called the introduced (or printed) bill. After introduction, a bill may proceed through the legislative process without amendment or it may be heavily amended at every stage. Either way, each floor action on a bill will create a new version of the bill, leaving it with a new name and a stamp indicating where the bill is in the process, the date it was considered, and whether it was amended. (more…)

  • Bill Summaries — Your Source for the “Quick and Dirty” on a Bill

    by Patti Dahlberg

    You’re running late, you’re trying to get a handle on the bills they just called up on special orders, and there are seven bills on your committee calendar for this afternoon. When you need to quickly remind yourself of what’s in a bill, check the summary that appears on the first page of every bill. While the bill summary probably will not tell you all you need to know, it can jog your memory. But before you rely too heavily, if the bill has already passed out of the house of introduction, remember to check for an updated summary. (more…)

  • A New Interpretation of “Amendment 41” and Gifts of Travel: Maybe You Can Attend that Conference!

    by Jennifer Gilroy

    By this point in your career as a legislator, you know that, under Amendment 41, you may not accept a scholarship or reimbursement for travel, hotel accommodations, and registration expenses to attend a conference, even one directly related to your public duties as a member of the General Assembly, unless: (more…)

  • Tax Check-off Programs — “Check it out, check it off!”

    by Patti Dahlberg

    Thirty-six years ago, Colorado became the first state in the country to allow a taxpayer to “check-off” a voluntary contribution to a state program. That’s right — the Colorado Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund became, in 1977, the first state income tax check-off fund in the United States. Today, across the country and in nearly every state, there are hundreds of check-off funds. Colorado was also the first state to have a collaborative, statewide public awareness campaign — Checkoff Colorado — supported by all of the nonprofit programs that are included on the state income tax form. (more…)

  • To Really Drill Down on an Issue, Consider Creating an Interim Study Committee

    by Patti Dahlberg and Julie Pelegrin

    Do you ever feel like things during the legislative session are just going too fast and that certain bills and topics need much more in-depth study time than they can get during the legislative session? Well, there’s an “app” for that – so to speak. It’s called a legislative interim study committee or an “interim committee”. When a legislator has a specific topic that he or she feels deserves time for in-depth study and testimony from a variety of experts in the field, the legislator may introduce a bill or joint resolution to create an interim committee. (more…)

  • Let the Sun Shine In! Open Meetings Help Ensure Transparency in State Government

    by Julie Pelegrin

    Throughout Colorado people like to open their homes to take advantage of the 300-plus days of sunshine the state gets each year. By law, Colorado’s government is required to open its meetings to let the sunshine — and the public — in. (more…)

  • Make it More Personal with a Tribute

    by Patti Dahlberg

    Do you know of any organizations or individuals in your district that deserve recognition for their contributions to the community or congratulations for attaining a significant achievement?  Maybe the local high school won the championship for the first time or a middle school science whiz won a nationwide science competition. Perhaps the local XYZ Club just raised $150,000 for a charity or someone from your district discovered a lost civilization. (more…)

  • Bill Title Questions…and Answers

    by Julie Pelegrin

    As committees begin hearing more bills and considering more amendments, it’s likely that more questions will arise around bill titles. What is the single subject of this bill? Does this amendment fit within the bill title? Should I amend my bill title? Can I amend my bill title? Following are some quick Q&As designed to help understand the use and application of bill titles in the Colorado General Assembly. (more…)

  • So…You’ve Just Been CORA’d. Now What Do You Do?

    by Chuck Brackney and Bart Miller

    You may first encounter the Colorado Open Records Act, or CORA (§24-72-200.1, et seq.), as an unfamiliar e-mail in your inbox. The message may come from someone you’ve never met or even heard of, and it may contain a rather startling request for copies of “all e-mails sent or received by Representative Smith, as well as all telephone records, for the period January 1 to May 1, 2013.”  Believe it or not, all of these records of communications are potentially subject to release in response to an open records request. (more…)

  • Leftover Campaign Funds are Useful Even After the Election

    by Bob Lackner

    With the start of the legislative session, the memory of your months of electioneering are beginning to fade, but there is one continuing, nagging concern: What to do about the leftover money in the campaign account? You may be worried about the legal consequences of possessing these moneys and confused about what, if anything, you can do with the money. This article gives guidance to legislators in answering these questions. (more…)