As the 2026 legislative session moves into March, Colorado lawmakers are advancing proposals spanning civil rights actions, criminal justice oversight, financial services and workforce policy.
Below are notable bills introduced or actively moving through the legislature this month.
House Bills
HB26‑1322 — Civil Actions for Conversion Therapy Survivors
- Issue: Provides a legal pathway for survivors of conversion therapy to seek damages against providers and supervisors
- Why it matters: Reinforces Colorado’s policy against conversion therapy and strengthens civil accountability
- Legal lens: Civil liability, LGBTQ+ rights
- Sponsors: A Valdez (D), K. Van Winkle (D), L. Cutter (D), K. Mullica (D)
HB26-1318 — Traffic Safety Near Schools
- Issue: Expands definitions and regulatory frameworks governing school zones and automated traffic enforcement near schools
- Why it matters: May alter how municipalities deploy traffic cameras and enforce speed restrictions in school safety corridors
- Legal lens: Local government authority, traffic enforcement law, automated surveillance policy
- Sponsors: Froelich (D), K. Nguyen (D)
HB26-1317 — Unified Postsecondary Talent Development System
- Issue: Creates a statewide plan to consolidate workforce development oversight within the Department of Higher Education
- Why it matters: The measure would reshape how Colorado coordinates workforce training, higher education and economic development programs
- Legal lens: Administrative law, state-agency authority, workforce policy governance
- Sponsors: McCluskie (D), R. Taggart (R), J. Bridges (D), L. Frizell (R)
HB26-1316 — Private Membership Club Covenants
- Issue: Prohibits new residential covenants requiring homeowners to purchase membership in private clubs tied to property ownership
- Why it matters: Addresses disputes in planned developments where mandatory memberships can function as private assessments
- Legal lens: Property law, covenant enforceability, homeowner association regulation
- Sponsor: Hamrick (D)
HB26-1315 — Accurate Documents for Parole Determinations
- Issue: Requires audits of risk assessments and correctional records used in parole decisions.
- Why it matters: Addresses potential errors in risk-assessment systems that affect inmate classification and parole outcomes
- Legal lens: Criminal procedure, corrections oversight, due-process considerations
- Sponsors: Soper (R), C. Espenoza (D), J. Carson (R), M. Weissman (D)
HB26-1310 — Wildfire Resiliency Grant Funding
- Issue: Requires ongoing legislative appropriations for wildfire-mitigation home-hardening grants
- Why it matters: Increases reliance on mitigation programs to address climate-driven wildfire risk
- Legal lens: Environmental policy, state appropriations authority, disaster-mitigation funding
- Sponsor: Story (D)
HB26-1311 — Retainage Surety Bond Construction Contracts
- Issue: Allows contractors to substitute a surety bond in place of retainage withheld in construction contracts
- Why it matters: Could alter payment practices across the construction industry by shifting risk allocation between contractors, owners and subcontractors
- Legal lens: Construction law, contract law, surety regulation
- Sponsors: Carter (D), M. Duran (D), S. Bright (R), M. Snyder (D)
HB26-1307 — Sunset Colorado Medical Board
- Issue: Continues the state medical board following a regulatory sunset review
- Why it matters: Determines whether Colorado’s primary physician-licensing authority will continue operating under revised regulatory recommendations
- Legal lens: Professional licensing law, administrative oversight
- Sponsors: Gilchrist (D), B. Bradley (R), K. Mullica (D), J. Rich (R)
HB26-1305 — Licensing of Behavioral Health Facilities
- Issue: Aligns Colorado statutes with federal rules governing inpatient behavioral-health treatment facilities
- Why it matters: Could expand capacity for inpatient mental-health treatment across the state
- Legal lens: Health-care regulation, Medicaid compliance, licensing law
- Sponsors: Lukens (D), D. Roberts (D)
HB26-1304 — History Colorado Mineral Rights Disposal
- Issue: Authorizes History Colorado to dispose of certain mineral rights held by the state historical society
- Why it matters: Raises questions about state management of historic assets and mineral ownership
- Legal lens: Natural resources law, state-property authority
- Sponsors: Lindsay (D), T. Winter (R), B. Pelton (R), N. Hinrichsen (D)
HB26-1303 — Technical Changes to Energy and Carbon Management Statutes
- Issue: Updates statutory language governing energy development and carbon-management regulation
- Why it matters: May affect permitting, enforcement and regulatory interpretation for the state’s energy sector
- Legal lens: Energy law, regulatory interpretation, administrative procedure
- Sponsors: Bradley (R), M. Carter (D), M. Ball (D), M. Catlin (R)
Senate Bills
SB26-134 — Payment Card Network Fees
- Issue: Regulates fees imposed by payment card networks on merchants and financial transactions
- Why it matters: Could reshape the economics of credit card processing and merchant payment systems
- Legal lens: Financial-services regulation, antitrust considerations, interstate commerce
- Sponsors: Lindstedt (D), I. Jodeh (D), M. Duran (D), J. McCluskie (D)
SB26‑133 — Colorado Artist Companies
- Issue: Authorizes creation of artist‑focused limited liability companies that must have a stated artistic mission and be majority‑owned by artists
- Why it matters: Allows existing LLCs meeting ownership requirements to convert into artist companies, offering flexibility for small creative enterprises
- Legal lens: Business entity creation, corporate governance, cultural policy
- Sponsors: Bridges (D), Catlin (R), M. Martinez (D), R. Taggart (R)
SB26-131 — Sports Betting Consumer Protections
- Issue: Establishes safeguards against abusive practices in sports betting operations
- Why it matters: Addresses consumer protections in the online gambling market
- Legal lens: Gaming regulation, consumer protection law
- Sponsors: Ball (D), B. Pelton (R), S. Woodrow (D), D. Woog (R)
SB26-128 — Sales Tax Exemption for Destination Management Companies
- Issue: Exempts certain destination-management service fees from state sales and use tax
- Why it matters: Tourism and events companies argue the change will make Colorado more competitive in the convention market
- Legal lens: Tax policy, statutory interpretation of sales-tax exemptions
- Sponsors: Snyder (D), B. Kirkmeyer (R), M. Lukens (D)
SB26-120 — Missing Person Training and Higher-Education Reporting
- Issue: Requires law-enforcement training and enhanced reporting requirements related to missing-person cases
- Why it matters: Seeks to improve coordination among universities and law-enforcement agencies
- Legal lens: Criminal procedure, higher-education compliance
- Sponsors: Marchman (D), K. Wallace (D), Y. Zokaie (D), B. Bradley (R)
— State Bill Special Report is a biweekly feature of bills to watch while the Colorado General Assembly is in session. The report is courtesy of State Bill Colorado, a product of our publisher Circuit Media.