Concerning the reporting of money handled by legislative groups, and, in connection therewith, requiring each legislative group to report money accepted, received, and expended to the legislative council staff and requiring the legislative c...
SB 26-108 would create a new reporting requirement for “legislative groups” in Colorado, defined broadly to include caucuses, committees, clubs, organizations, or other groups made up of one or more legislators that accept, receive, or spend money. Each active group would have to file a monthly report with Legislative Council staff listing all money and items received, accepted, or expended in the prior month, and groups with no financial activity would have to file a no-activity report. The bill also requires each group to provide and keep current contact information, including a designated legislative member responsible for official communications.
The bill directs Legislative Council staff to post these reports on a publicly accessible page on the General Assembly website, while redacting donor addresses before publication. It also requires anyone providing an item to a legislative group to give a written statement of the item’s dollar value. The bill excludes money or contributions already reportable under campaign finance law and money appropriated by the General Assembly, so it is aimed at group-level financial transparency rather than duplicating existing election reporting rules.
If enacted, the bill would add a new section to Colorado Revised Statutes title 24 governing disclosure by legislative groups and would impose recurring administrative duties on legislators participating in such groups. It would affect caucuses, legislative clubs, and similar organizations by requiring monthly filings, no-activity reports, donor-identification information, and updated contact records, while also shifting Legislative Council staff into a public-posting and redaction role. The measure would not change campaign finance reporting under article 45 of title 1, but would create a separate transparency regime for money handled outside that framework.
The available record shows no committee transcript or vote details, so there is no documented floor debate or recorded vote sentiment to assess. The bill’s structure suggests a transparency-focused approach, with the stated purpose of public reporting and online posting of legislative-group finances. However, its referral history ending in postponement indefinitely indicates the measure did not advance out of the Senate committee.
The main likely point of contention is the scope of the definition of “legislative group,” which reaches any legislator-based caucus, committee, club, organization, or group that handles money, potentially covering informal or issue-oriented groups as well as more formal caucuses. Another possible concern is the administrative burden of monthly reporting and no-activity filings, especially for small or low-activity groups. Privacy and donor-relations issues may also have been debated, since the bill requires public posting of reports while redacting donor addresses, and it compels disclosure of donor names, amounts, dates, and item values.