With Colorado’s 2025 legislative session starting Jan. 8, we decided to check in with Boulder County’s state lawmakers to see what bills they’ll be bringing forward this year.
Colorado’s projected $750 million budget shortfall is top of mind for elected officials as they propose new legislation. Judy Amabile, newly elected to the Senate District 18 seat after serving in the state house since 2021, will serve on the joint budget committee and as chair of the Senate’s appropriations body.
“The JBC formulates the overarching budget bill state lawmakers will vote on in March,” Amabile explained in an email to Boulder Weekly. “Our goal is to be fiscally responsible while balancing needs. We will have to make some very difficult choices.”
“We must find ways to help Colorado without creating a new cost to the budget,” Karen McCormick, the House District 11 Representative, wrote via email. McCormick’s proposed bills “should have little to no fiscal impact.”
Lawmakers are focused on economic relief in other ways, from a third attempt at universal, statewide healthcare to worker protections and safeguards against predatory business practices.
Junie Joseph, the HD10 Representative who this year fended off a primary challenge and won re-election, encouraged constituents to get involved.
“The work I do is only as effective as the input I receive from you,” Joseph wrote. “By staying engaged, you can help shape the policies that impact our lives and our future.”
Lawmakers’ written and emailed responses were edited for clarity and brevity.
Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis, SD17 and Representative Kyle Brown, HD12, did not respond to requests for comment. Incoming representatives Dan Woog, HD19, and Lesley Smith, HD49, also did not reply.
— Shay Castle
Mental health + health care
“This will be the third session that we present this bill for a vote,” wrote McCormick of a proposed analysis of “publicly financed, privately delivered” universal health care in Colorado.
“We need the data on whether or not this idea is possible, and a previous attempt at the ballot box failed partly because there were too many unanswered questions surrounding such a system,” McCormick wrote. “It is time we get the data so the people of Colorado know if we can move forward with the idea of a universal health care payment system.”
McCormick also plans to sponsor a bill reforming ambulance billing.
“When people call 911 for an ambulance, they don’t get a choice on who shows up at their door and have no way to know if their insurance policy will cover the entire cost or not,” she wrote. “With this bill, those followup invoices on ground ambulance services will be a thing of the past.”
Amabile is bringing forward legislation aimed at insurance parity for mental health care. It “mandates that private health insurers provide coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorders based on a determination of medical necessity by a qualified medical professional, not by the insurer,” she wrote.
Housing
Amabile is sponsoring legislation titled, “Community Investment Grants for Homeownership,” which “makes new financial resources available to communities to expand local homeownership,” she wrote.
“Housing access isn’t just about building affordable housing — it’s about protecting the people who live here now,” Joseph wrote. “This year, I’m working on legislation to strengthen renter protections, especially for seniors and other vulnerable residents. We need to put stronger guardrails around fees, notices and eviction processes to ensure that no one falls through the cracks.”
Economic relief
Joseph plans two bills to provide economic relief on the micro and macro levels.
“I’m working on a bill that could help address the state’s budget shortfall. While it’s still in the early stages, the idea is to convert a rebate into a tax credit that would free up $8 million in the state budget,” she wrote. “While $8 million might not solve the entire $700 million shortfall, every bit counts.”
She also intends to tighten regulation of companies that place boots on motor vehicles.
“Many of you, especially those in low-income neighborhoods, have reached out to me about how these companies target vulnerable residents — elderly people and non-English speakers — in an unfair and exploitative way. I’ve seen it myself, and it’s unacceptable.”
“We need to make sure that no one is unfairly taken advantage of, especially our most vulnerable members.”
Environment
McCormick, who will chair the House Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee, is bringing forward three pieces of water-related legislation.
One will create a task force “to study the issue we have with decreasing funding from severance tax from oil and gas operations and the ability to continue to fund important water projects throughout the state.”
“The goal is to find potential new revenue sources for water funding so that we can continue to pay for critical water projects and protect Colorado’s water well into the future,” she wrote.
Another bill would create a new permit type to “allow increased participation in the cleanup of abandoned mines,” McCormick wrote. “It is estimated that 1,800 miles of Colorado streams are impaired due to acid-mine-drainage-related pollutants, and approximately 5,000 legacy sites could be reclaimed to reduce the impacts to surface waters and watersheds through clean-up operations.”
In partnership with D49’s Smith, McCormick hopes to “further the state’s effort to promote water conservation efforts especially in regard to the use of non-functional turf. Non-functional turf is considered non-native grass that is used mainly for landscape purposes and has a high water consumption need.”
Joseph is “working on legislation that will help our residents retrofit their homes to be more energy-efficient. As the climate crisis grows, we must do everything we can to decarbonize our communities. But we can’t rely solely on developers to make this happen — we need to empower individuals to take action in their own homes.”
What about HB-1098?
The for-cause eviction bill, meant to provide stability and protection for renters, made it harder for nonprofits to provide temporary housing for families and individuals exiting homelessness.
The bill’s sponsors said they are planning a legislative fix, according to Judy Amabile.
“My colleagues who sponsored the bill recognize these issues and will bring a legislative fix forward in 2025,” Amabile wrote in response to emailed questions. “I will support logically exempting transitional housing providers from certain provisions of the bill, so that they can continue to provide critical short-term housing in our communities.”
None of HB-1098’s sponros responded to Boulder Weekly’s requests for comment. In December, District 3 Senator Nick Hinrichsen said he would be open to exploring a legislative fix, but did not elaborate on details or timing.
Other planned legislation + comments
Amabile
Efficacy: 91% (49 of 54 bills on which Amabile was a primary sponsor were sent to or signed by the governor) As calculated by Boulder Weekly
Mental Health
Behavioral Health Crisis Response Recommendations - Creates a repository of information regarding alternative response programs around the state (e.g., co-responder programs), addresses emergency mental health holds and mandates payment for additional inpatient treatment.
NGRI Subcommittee Recommendations - Modifies aspects of Colorado’s Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity statute.
Competency in Criminal Justice System Services & Bail - Modifies aspects of bail requirements for defendants who have been determined to be incompetent to proceed.
Deflection Supports for Justice-Involved Youth - Modifies aspects of the youthful offender system in the Department of Corrections.
County Jail Standards
Communication Rights for Persons in Custody - Clarifies that people in custody have the right to receive private and unrecorded telephone calls and audiovisual conferencing without cost from their attorney.
Financial Assistance for County Jails - Tasks the state judicial branch’s Underfunded Courthouse Facility Cash Fund Commission with expanding its purview to include jails, and evaluating grant applications by those jails for repairs, renovations, improvements and expansion.
Incentives for a Regional Jail Approach - Current law requires counties with a population of 2,000 or more to maintain a county jail. This bill allows counties to combine resources and gain efficiencies by operating a multi-jurisdictional county jail.
Business
Regulating liquor licenses - Takes steps to help Colorado’s independent liquor stores compete fairly with large, national chain retail stores.
Labeling transparency for intoxicating substances - Sets minimum labeling requirements and applies new regulations for marijuana and “natural medicine” product sales to create greater consumer awareness and safety.
Allowing credit unions to purchase bank assets - Allows credit unions to expand through regulated purchases of banks that are seeking to sell their assets.
Criminal Justice Reforms
Fairness and Transparency in Municipal Courts - Addresses glaring discrepancies in criminal sentencing between municipal courts (much harsher) and state district courts.
Deflection from the Criminal Justice System for Children Under 12 Accused of Crime - Mandates deflection from the criminal justice system and referral to appropriate treatment for children ages 10 or 11 who are accused of a crime.
Education
Community Schoolyards - Expands resources for outdoor play facilities to help our young people get outdoors, move and thrive.
For information and updates on any of the bills I am working on, people can contact my office to be added to our stakeholder lists: [email protected]
McCormick
Efficacy: 70% (21 of 30 bills sent to or signed by governor)
Update the Dangerous Dog Statute - This bill aims to update state law regarding dangerous dogs who inflict serious bodily injury on those who work in animal care fields such as animal control officers, shelter workers, dog groomers, veterinarians, etc. Currently these folks do not have equity in legal protections if they suffer serious bodily injury from a dog while on the job.
The bill will remove the exemption for animal welfare personnel so that all persons attacked to the degree of serious bodily injury, will have the same protections in law and the owner of the dog could be charged under the dangerous dog law.
Fix Gendered Language in Title 35 - The bill substitutes gender-neutral language for gendered language in title 35, the Department of Agriculture section of the Colorado Revised Statutes. For example, it will replace the pronoun “he” with “The Commissioner” or “the State Veterinarian.”
One title at a time, we will work to update our statute to remove outdated and antiquated language.
Choice of Gender on Death Certificates - Currently in many states (including Colorado) death certificates typically list the sex assigned at birth, rather than the gender identity a person has lived throughout their life. Colorado has enacted laws that allow for individuals to choose or change their gender marker on birth certificates and driver licenses. This bill would seek to do the same for death certificates.
Licensing of Dietitians - The purpose of this bill is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public by providing for the licensure of persons engaged in the practice of medical nutrition therapy, establishment of educational standards for those persons and regulation of their practice of dietetics and nutrition. Individuals are prohibited from engaging in or offering to provide medical nutrition therapy unless the individual is licensed by the board. Many states already regulate this profession and Colorado is soon to join them, making sure the public knows when they seek qualified and credentialed dieticians that they have been licensed and overseen by the state.
More on ambulance billing reform: This bill’s main function will be to prohibit an ambulance service from billing an individual covered under a health insurance coverage plan any outstanding balance for a covered service not paid for by an insurance carrier (excluding any co-insurance, deductible, or copayment amount required to be paid by the patient).
If a covered person makes a payment for an “out-of-network” ambulance service, the payment must be applied to the covered person’s in-network deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. This will close the loophole some areas in our state are experiencing when bills are received for ambulance services that the covered individual had every right to assume were covered by their insurance policy.
Joseph
Efficacy: 78% (21 of 27 bills sent to or signed by governor)
One of my colleagues, Bob Marshall, recently wrote, “The goal of being elected to any office should never be perpetual reelection and popularity, but to leave things better than you found them for future generations.”
As I prepare to begin my third term in the state legislature, this quote resonates with me deeply. It reminds me that my work isn’t about staying in office — it’s about making a real difference for the people I represent.
With the recent election and the trust you’ve placed in me, I’m asking myself: How can I ensure that Boulder is better off this year than it was last?
Over the last two years, I’ve worked with Disability Law Colorado to advance legislation that makes our community more accessible, and this year, I’m pushing for a bill that will require local governments to ensure their building codes meet or exceed international accessibility standards. Accessibility isn’t just a matter of following the law — it’s about ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability, can fully participate in community life.
In a society that often celebrates individuality, we cannot forget those who need our support the most. This bill will help create a more inclusive Boulder for all of us.
The bills outlined in this piece are just five of the key pieces of legislation I’m focused on this year. There are more, but these represent the issues that matter most to me and to our community.
Together, we can continue building a Boulder that works for everyone — where fairness, opportunity and community are at the center of our work. I’m excited for the year ahead and look forward to continuing this important work with all of you.