Delivering Real Results for Colorado: Gov. Polis Signs Landmark Housing Bill Into Law, Celebrates Actions for Coloradans on Education, Housing, Public Safety

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DENVER - Today, Governor Polis marked the end of the successful 2025 legislative session with House Speaker McCluskie, Senate President Coleman, House Majority Leader Duran, Senate Majority Leader Rodriguez and Lt. Governor Primavera and then signed SB25-002 - Regional Building Codes for Factory-Built Structures to break down barriers to modular housing and discussed the successful 2025 legislative session.

"We are delivering real results for hardworking Coloradans, and during this session, we took major actions that will create more housing Coloradans can afford, support students and educators, cut through government red tape, and improve safety across our state. It's fitting that I'm signing the modular housing bill, a law that will create more housing options that Coloradans can afford, to kick off the next 30 days of bill signings. We know our work is far from over, and I will continue looking for new opportunities to make life better for all Coloradans," said Governor Jared Polis.

During his 2025 State of the State address, the Governor outlined key priorities for the legislative session that would build on Colorado's work to break down barriers to housing, improve public safety in Colorado communities, and invest in students and educators. These successful legislative priorities resulted in new laws that will help reduce costs and strengthen Colorado communities.

MORE HOUSING NOW:
IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY:
  • SB25-310 - Proposition 130 Implementation: This law supports funding for local law enforcement agencies to help recruit peace officers by providing financial reimbursements and tuition assistance for initial and continuing education and training for peace officers, as well as pay incentives and bonuses. The bill also provides funding to ensure that the families of fallen officers get the support they need after losing their loved one in the line of duty.
  • HB25-1062 Penalty for Theft of Firearm: This legislation cracks down on gun theft by reclassifying firearm theft as a class 6 felony regardless of the value of the firearm stolen.
  • HB25-1171 - Possession of Weapon by Previous Offender Crimes: This legislation adds first-degree motor vehicle theft to the list of criminal offenses that would make an individual ineligible to possess a firearm.
  • SB25-281 - Increase Penalties Careless Driving: adjusts penalties for persons convicted of careless driving, making each individual seriously injured or killed in a careless driving event a separate violation and clarifies that careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury or death is an included crime for the purposes of the "Victim Rights Act".
  • Budget to Make Colorado Safer: Governor Polis continues working to make Colorado safer for everyone and by signing this year's budget, Colorado continues investing in preventing and addressing crime. This includes:
    • Youth Crime Prevention: Helping to prevent at-risk youth from entering the criminal justice system through increased funding for prevention services.
    • Community Corrections Capacity: The budget also provides $2.4 million to invest in community corrections placement, increasing capacity.
    • Supporting Crime Victims: Additionally, this budget implements Colorado's Proposition KK, designating $30.0M in spending authority to crime victims' services, $8 million for mental health services, and $1 million for school safety. $15 million ongoing for critical public safety communication infrastructure, supporting over 1,000 local, regional, state, tribal, and federal public safety entities.
    • Funding for CBI's Colorado Gangs Database: The Colorado Gangs database (CoG) is an application that stores gang information such as gang names, gang members, gang contacts, and is used by law enforcement as an investigative tool. It allows law enforcement the ability to add and change any information about the gangs, tracking gangs, and gang members that they contact during patrol or other investigative efforts conducted by law enforcement. This information is also queryable in the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC), which provides law enforcement with the most accurate information possible.
  • HB25-1146 - Juvenile Detention Bed Cap: This legislation allows judicial districts to utilize more juvenile detention beds to ensure that individuals deemed high-risk do not re-enter communities before receiving the rehabilitative services they need.

FULLY FUND SCHOOLS AND SUPPORT COLORADO'S WORKFORCE:
  • HB25-1320 - School Finance Act: This legislation implements Colorado's student-focused school finance formula without bringing back the budget stabilization factor. It also increases per-pupil funding again to $11,864, an increase from FY24-25 of $412 per student, or an average of $9,000 per classroom.
  • SB25-315 - Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness Programs: This legislation realigns Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness administration and funding to ensure all students have the opportunity to graduate high school with postsecondary credit, an industry-recognized credential, or work-based learning experience.
  • HB25-1278 - Education Accountability System: This legislation modernizes Colorado's K-12 accountability system for the first time since 2009 to better measure student outcomes, including the creation of a new sub-indicator to support postsecondary and workforce readiness before graduation.
  • HB25-1192 - Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement: This legislation ensures that every student takes a course incorporating all financial literacy standards before they graduate high school, as well as practice filling out financial aid forms so that they are equipped with the know-how to plan for and secure their financial futures.
  • HB25-1038 - Postsecondary Credit Transfer Website: This law will support students by providing more information about how their credits earned through prior learning, concurrent and dual enrollment, and GT Pathways courses will transfer to each Colorado public institution. By allowing students to evaluate and compare the value of their transfer credits across institutions and programs, students can save money and more successfully plan their educational journeys.

DRIVING COLORADO'S ECONOMY:
  • HB25-1005 - Tax Incentive for Film Festivals: This legislation supports film festivals in Colorado and helped the state land the iconic Sundance Film Festival, starting in 2027, which will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefits and thousands of jobs.
  • HB25-1090 - Protections Against Deceptive Pricing Practices: This legislation will help eliminate fees that drive up costs and get rid of deceptive practices that make Coloradans spend more money than they want.
  • HB25-1010 - Prohibiting Price Gouging in Sales of Necessities: This bill makes it illegal to artificially raise prices after the Governor declares a disaster emergency, protecting Coloradans from this harmful practice.
  • HB25-1001 - Enforcement Wage Hour Laws: This legislation combats wage theft, ensuring that more workers are paid fairly, on time, and in full. It enhances enforcement of Colorado's wage and hour laws, disincentivizes violations, and provides the Department of Labor and Employment with new tools to prevent and address wage theft.

FREE STATE OF COLORADO:
  • SB25-001 - Colorado Voting Rights Act: This legislation will strengthen Colorado's gold-standard elections system and help more Coloradans make their voices heard at the ballot box.
  • HB25-1281 - Title Register & Drive Kei Vehicles: This legislation gives Coloradans the freedom to own and drive Kei vehicles, supporting better air quality and choice for Coloradans.
  • SB25-014 - Protecting the Freedom to Marry: (https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb25-014) This law enforces the ballot measure approved by Colorado voters that protects every Coloradan's right to marry who they love.
  • SB25-129 - Legally Protected Health-Care Activity Protections (https://SB25-129) and SB25-183 - Coverage for Pregnancy-Related Services: (https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB25-183) This past November, voters from every corner of Colorado overwhelmingly voted to enshrine reproductive freedom into our state constitution. Gov. Polis and the legislature aligned state law with the will of voters to strengthen access to reproductive care (https://www.colorado.gov/governor/news/governor-polis-signs-bills-protect-coloradans-privacy-and-healthcare-freedom-law-signs), protect Coloradans' privacy from Washington, DC, and safeguard freedoms.
  • Gov. Polis and Lt. Gov. Primavera have sounded the alarm over proposed Medicaid (https://www.colorado.gov/governor/news/colorado-governor-polis-and-lt-governor-primavera-urge-congressional-delegation-protect-health) cuts Republicans in Congress want to make that will throw hundreds of thousands of Coloradans off their health care. Gov. Polis has been outspoken about federal cuts to wildfire (https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/23/crazy-forest-service-cuts-ignite-fear-fury-over-wildfire-risks-00301499) prevention staff and Americorps cuts. (https://www.facebook.com/jaredpolis/posts/colorado-just-filed-a-lawsuit-against-the-trump-administrations-abrupt-cuts-to-f/1232351478463568/)

BOLD CLIMATE GOALS AND IMPROVING AIR QUALITY:
  • HB25-1267 - Support for Statewide Energy Strategies: (https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1267) This legislation builds on our EV success by empowering the Division of Oil and Public Safety to adopt retail EV charging rules to promote consistency and provide for a more seamless EV charging experience.
  • HB25-1269 Building Decarbonization Measures: (https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1269) This law will make it simpler for buildings to comply with statewide standards by complying with a local standard and will help achieve the administration's 2030 carbon emission reduction targets.


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