SB25-148 would revise Colorado’s campaign finance laws in several ways, all aimed at increasing disclosure and extending reporting windows for political spending. The bill broadens the period during which certain pre-election communications are treated as “electioneering communications” for disclosure purposes, adding communications made within 90 days before a primary election and between the primary and general election. It also shortens the deadline for reporting large independent expenditures from 48 hours to 24 hours during those same periods.
The bill further requires more detailed disclaimers on independent expenditures and electioneering communications by identifying the three largest contributors to the person or entity paying for the communication. It creates new written-affirmation requirements for nonprofit entities and federally registered committees that give $1,000 or more to Colorado committees, issue committees, independent expenditure committees, or political organizations, and it bars recipient committees from accepting those funds unless the required affirmation is provided. The bill also expands the existing lobbyist contribution ban so it applies year-round, and it extends the restriction to anyone who has been a professional lobbyist within the prior six months.
Impact
If enacted, SB25-148 would amend multiple sections of Colorado’s Fair Campaign Practices Act and related disclosure provisions in Title 1, Article 45 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. It would expand the scope of reportable electioneering communications, accelerate independent-expenditure reporting, add contributor-identification requirements to certain political communications, and impose new documentation and retention obligations on committees receiving funds from nonprofits and federal committees. It would also broaden the lobbyist contribution prohibition in section 1-45-105.5 to apply outside legislative session and to recent former professional lobbyists.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill faced mixed or negative sentiment in committee. Two amendment votes passed unanimously, but the bill itself was not advanced: a motion to refer the bill to the Committee of the Whole failed 2-3, and a subsequent motion to postpone the bill indefinitely passed 3-2. That pattern indicates some support for parts of the proposal, but not enough agreement to move the bill forward in its introduced form.
Contention
The main points of contention appear to be the bill’s expanded disclosure and donor-tracing requirements, especially the new obligations for nonprofits, federal committees, and political communications to reveal additional contributor information. Another likely point of dispute is the year-round lobbyist contribution ban and the extension to recent former lobbyists, which broadens current restrictions significantly. Supporters would likely frame the bill as a transparency measure, while opponents may view it as burdensome, overly expansive, or potentially chilling to political participation and fundraising.