The act repeals the requirement for the general assembly to appropriate money in the 2026-27 state fiscal year for the out-of-school time program grant program (grant program). The act reduces the appropriation for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of education for use by the grant program by $1,750,000.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, as a supplement to the state accountability system in the department of education, a local accountability system may be established by a local education provider to measure the performance of public schools and school districts in achieving student success and system effectiveness. The act repeals the local accountability system law, which includes the local accountability system grant program. The act reduces the members of the accountability, accreditation, student performance, and resource inequity task force from 26 to 25 by removing the task force member who is a superintendent who represents a rural school district that participates in the repealed local accountability system grant program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act reduces by $5.2 million the appropriation for the Colorado academic accelerator grant program for the 2023-24 state fiscal year, which is available for expenditure through the 2026-27 state fiscal year.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, with certain exceptions, royalties and other payments for the depletion or extraction of a natural resource on public school lands is credited to the state public school fund, which is also known as the permanent fund. The act requires that:For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $25 million of this money be credited to the state public school fund; andFor the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $45 million of this money be credited to the state public school fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act repeals the teacher recruitment education and preparation program (TREP) after the 2026-27 budget year. The act repeals the teacher recruitment and preparation program and pathways in early technology early college high schools working group on July 1, 2027. On July 1, 2026, the act requires the state treasurer to transfer $799,200 from the electrifying school buses grant program cash fund to the state education fund. The general assembly declares that TREP may receive funding from the state education fund. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the act caps the amount that a district receives for a student participating in TREP under the school finance formulas at $7,104. The act increases the cash fund appropriation to the department of education for state share of districts' total program funding and decreases the cash fund appropriation for extended high school in the 2026-27 long bill in order to fund TREP for the 2026-27 state fiscal year. The amount of the changes is contingent on whether House Bill 26-1364, concerning the calculation of the consumer price index for the 2025 calendar year, becomes law.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

On and after January 1, 2027, the bill prohibits the recording of a new covenant or declaration that purports to encumber residential property by requiring the owner to acquire and pay for membership in a private membership club.The bill requires a private membership club to provide a property owner with certain information related to the budget and operations of the private membership club by mailing information to property owners and posting the information on the private membership club's public website.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act creates the postsecondary talent development system transition advisory committee (transition committee) to develop a transition plan that includes recommendations to integrate oversight of higher education and workforce development programs (transition plan). The transition committee shall begin meeting by July 1, 2026, and shall submit the transition plan by November 1, 2026, to the joint budget committee; the house of representatives business affairs and labor committee; the house of representatives education committee; the senate business, labor, and technology committee; and the senate education committee. The transition plan must include recommendations about the structure of the department of higher education (department), including a recommendation to rename the department; recommendations about transitioning various offices, agencies, programs, and functions to the department or other state agencies; and recommendations about how the department will coordinate with the department of education's postsecondary workforce readiness and student support activities. Effective July 1, 2028, the executive director of the Colorado commission on higher education is renamed the executive director of the department (executive director). The governor appoints, with the consent of the senate, the executive director.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act defines school zones as all roadways within at least 1,000 feet of a school property boundary, except state highways unless they are designated as part of a school zone with the written approval of the Colorado department of transportation, and including school zones established before August 12, 2026, that are 200 feet or more from a school property boundary. A school zone must have appropriate signs posted indicating it is a school zone and that the penalties and surcharges within the school zone will be doubled. The act allows a local government that has jurisdiction over a school zone to reduce the size of a school zone after first holding a public hearing, but the act does not allow a school zone to be reduced to less than 200 feet from a school property boundary. Additionally, the act does not prohibit local governments from expanding school zones to beyond 1,000 feet from a school property boundary. The act limits requirements the state, a county, a city and county, or a municipality must complete regarding placing and using an automated vehicle identification system along a safe route to school. The act allows a local government to designate a portion of a roadway immediately adjacent to a school property boundary as a school street and requires the local government to post signs indicating it is a school street if the local government has jurisdiction to do so. The local government may close a school street to traffic. If there is traffic on the school street, the maximum speed limit is 10 miles per hour and vehicles must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, bicyclists, or micromobility users. The local government may suspend additional traffic provisions on the school street that endanger pedestrians, bicyclists, or micromobility users.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill prohibits an employer from:Subjecting an employee to an adverse employment action in response to the employee's disclosure of, or communication about, the employee's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression or to the employee's status as a transgender, nonbinary, or transitioning individual; orRetaliating against an employee who supports, assists, or advocates for a coworker, student, or client in exercising their right to nondiscrimination, including by referring to an individual by their chosen names, pronouns, or personal titles.The bill allows an employee to determine the names, pronouns, and personal titles that are used to refer to the employee in the workplace, and the bill requires an employer, upon notification by an employee, to update all internal and public-facing records to reflect the employee's chosen name. If an employee chooses a name other than the employee's legal name, an employer must use the employee's legal name only where such use is required by law.The bill prohibits an employer from having a workplace dress code that imposes different requirements on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. An employer must allow each employee access to a restroom and changing facility that corresponds with the employee's gender identity.An employer operating a public building must ensure that the building includes at least one restroom that is compliant with the federal "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" and accessible to all individuals, regardless of the individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. An employer must provide private, nonbathroom spaces for nursing or pumping, which spaces are available to all parents regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.An employer must ensure equal access to certain employment benefits without regard to an employee's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.The bill requires every public employer to provide a voluntary, employee-initiated process for the development and implementation of a written transition plan for a transgender or transitioning employee. Upon request by an employee, a public employer shall promptly engage in good faith discussions with the employee, and, if applicable, the employee's designated union representative, to develop a transition plan. A transition plan may include consideration of:Internal and external communications regarding the employee's transition;Scheduling and approval of any absences related to the transition process;Procedures for updating and using the employee's chosen names, pronouns, and personal titles in employment contexts; andTraining or educational opportunities for coworkers, students, or other stakeholders to promote understanding of the experiences in the workplace of transgender individuals and individuals who are transitioning.An employee of a private employer may request to collaborate with their employer to develop and implement a transition plan.The bill requires an employer to permit an employee to use the employee's available sick or personal leave time for the purpose of changing the employee's legal name or obtaining gender-affirming medical care, including recovery time.The bill requires a public employer to provide annual training to all employees regarding inclusive workplaces and support for LGBTQ+ employees. The department of labor and employment (department), in consultation with labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, must develop and make available training materials for this purpose.The department may receive and investigate complaints alleging violations, issue findings and orders to provide relief, and refer cases involving egregious or willful violations to the Colorado civil rights division or to the attorney general. The types of relief that the department may order include a fine in an amount not to exceed $5,000 for each violation.The department is required to adopt rules to implement and enforce the bill.The bill takes effect June 1, 2028.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act allows an injured person to bring a cause of action for claims of injury caused by sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts (efforts) against a licensed mental health professional and allows the cause of action to be commenced at any time without limitation. Specifically, the act applies to a civil cause of action brought against a licensed mental health professional who seeks to direct a patient toward a predetermined sexual orientation or gender identity outcome or eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of a particular sex or gender. The act permits the injured individual, or the individual's personal representative or estate if the individual is deceased, to recover economic, noneconomic, and exemplary damages, and any other damages deemed appropriate by the court. A cause of action may be brought as a survival action within 5 years after the death of the person who underwent efforts.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill modifies the definition for an 'eligible nonprofit organization' that may receive a disbursement from the school security disbursement program. The modified definition requires that the nonprofit be based in Colorado. and provide school safety incident response, violence prevention, and behavioral health training and expertise at no cost to local education providers, law enforcement agencies, and other first responders from Colorado. The bill requires the department of public safety to disburse all grant money awarded pursuant to the disbursement program for use in the upcoming school year no later than August 1 of that same calendar year. The bill directs the department to give priority to applicants that commit to providing their training to local education providers, local law enforcement agencies, and other local first responders at no charge.(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Under current law, the title board must set a ballot title for an initiative petition that is brief, does not conflict with another title for an initiative petition filed for the same election, and is in the form of a question that may be answered 'yes/for' or 'no/against' and that unambiguously states the principle of the provision sought to be added, amended, or repealed by the initiative. The act adds a requirement that the title board write a ballot title using accessible language, which means plain language that is understood by the widest possible audience. In determining whether a ballot title is written using accessible language, the title board may consider whether the title:Avoids using legal, technical, or specialized terminology when possible;Clearly identifies the principal change in law or policy proposed by the proposed statutory or constitutional amendment;Avoids unnecessary qualifiers, double negatives, and overly complex phrasing;Organizes clauses so that the effect of a 'yes/for' or 'no/against' vote is readily understood; andPresents necessary information within the ballot title in a logical and readable order. In addition, current law requires that specific language appear in the ballot title for certain initiatives that increase or reduce tax revenue. For initiatives that reduce state tax revenue or local district property tax revenue through a tax change, this required language must appear at the beginning of the ballot title. For initiatives that increase tax revenue for any district through a tax change, this required language must appear directly after language required by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. The act modifies these statutory provisions so that the required ballot title language must only be substantially similar to the specific statutory language and may appear anywhere in the ballot title. The act applies to initiative petitions submitted to the secretary of state for title setting on or after the effective date of the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill prohibits the taking of beavers on public land for a recreational purpose or commerce in beaver fur, parts, or products. The parks and wildlife commission may adopt rules to implement the prohibition and, if the commission adopts rules, the rules must ensure that the role of beavers in the wildfire resiliency of public land is protected. A violation of the prohibition carries certain penalties.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act eliminates an annual transfer of $2.1 million from the limited gaming fund to the innovative higher education research fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act repeals the requirement for the department of higher education to contract for the use of an online platform by institutions of higher education in Colorado that assists students in accessing public benefits.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)