Local Government Impact Hearings

Second Regular Session Seventy-fifth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED HOUSE BILL 26-1140 LLS NO. 26-0575.03 Nicole Myers x4326 HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Winter T., SENATE SPONSORSHIP Pelton R., House Committees Senate Committees State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs A BILL FOR AN ACT CONCERNING A REQUIREMENT THAT THE STAFF OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARINGS FOR CERTAIN LEGISLATIVE MEASURES DURING A REGULAR LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

FACILITATE A LIMITED NUMBER OF LOCAL Bill Summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.) The bill allows the speaker of the house of representatives, the minority leader of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the minority leader of the senate (legislative leadership) to Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.

Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law. Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.

each select up to 5 legislative measures to have a local government impact hearing during a regular legislative session. A local government impact hearing is a dedicated time that is at least one hour and not more than 2 hours at the beginning of a scheduled committee hearing for a legislative measure during which one or more local governments or organizations that represent local governments may present testimony to the committee regarding the potential effects of the legislative measure on local governments within the state. If a member of legislative leadership selects a legislative measure to have a local government impact hearing, the member must: ! Determine which committee of reference will hold the local government impact hearing if the legislative measure is assigned to more than one committee of reference; and ! Notify the chair of the applicable committee of reference and the staff of the legislative council that the legislative measure will have a local government impact hearing. If a member of the legislative leadership selects a legislative measure to have a local government impact hearing, the staff of the legislative council is required to include the local government impact hearing on the calendar as part of the regularly scheduled legislative hearing for the legislative measure in the applicable committee of reference. During the local government impact hearing, one or more local governments or statewide organizations that represents local governments may provide testimony regarding the impact of the legislative measure on local governments for the duration of the local government impact hearing without other limitations on the length of testimony. The bill requires the director of research of the legislative council to develop procedures for the implementation of local government impact hearings.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 2-2-328 as follows: 2-2-328. Committees of reference - local government impact hearing - legislative measures - definitions. (1) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE REQUIRES:

(a) "LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP" MEANS THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, AND THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE.

(b) "LOCAL GOVERNMENT" MEANS A COUNTY, CITY AND COUNTY, OR MUNICIPALITY.

(c) "LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING" MEANS A DEDICATED TIME THAT IS AT LEAST ONE HOUR AND NOT MORE THAN TWO HOURS AT THE BEGINNING OF A SCHEDULED COMMITTEE HEARING FOR A LEGISLATIVE MEASURE DURING WHICH ONE OR MORE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS OR STATEWIDE ORGANIZATIONS THAT REPRESENT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MAY PRESENT TESTIMONY TO THE COMMITTEE REGARDING THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE LEGISLATIVE MEASURE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WITHIN THE STATE.

(2) (a) COMMENCING WITH THE FIRST REGULAR SESSION OF THE SEVENTY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND DURING EACH REGULAR LEGISLATIVE SESSION THEREAFTER, THE STAFF OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHALL FACILITATE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING ON ANY LEGISLATIVE MEASURE SELECTED TO HAVE SUCH A HEARING BY A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.

(b) EACH MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP MAY SELECT UP TO FIVE LEGISLATIVE MEASURES DURING A REGULAR LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO HAVE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING IN THE MEMBER'S RESPECTIVE CHAMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP MAY SELECT A LEGISLATIVE MEASURE TO HAVE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING BASED ON THE MEMBER'S PREFERENCE OR IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST RECEIVED BY THE MEMBER PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (2)(c) OF THIS SECTION.

(c) A LOCAL GOVERNMENT, STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION THAT REPRESENTS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, OR OTHER INTERESTED PARTY MAY CONTACT A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP TO REQUEST THAT THE MEMBER SELECT A LEGISLATIVE MEASURE TO HAVE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING.

LEADERSHIP SELECTS A LEGISLATIVE MEASURE TO HAVE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING, THE MEMBER MUST:

(I) IF THE MEMBER OF LEGISLATIVE DETERMINE WHICH COMMITTEE OF REFERENCE IN THE MEMBER'S CHAMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WILL HOLD THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING IF THE LEGISLATIVE MEASURE IS ASSIGNED TO MORE THAN ONE COMMITTEE OF REFERENCE; AND (II) NOTIFY THE CHAIR OF THE APPLICABLE COMMITTEE OF REFERENCE AND THE STAFF OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED LEGISLATIVE HEARING IN THE APPLICABLE COMMITTEE OF REFERENCE, THAT THE LEGISLATIVE MEASURE WILL HAVE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING.

(d) IF THE STAFF OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL RECEIVES NOTIFICATION FROM A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (2)(c) OF THIS SECTION, THE STAFF OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHALL INCLUDE THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING, INCLUDING THE LENGTH OF THE HEARING, ON THE CALENDAR AS PART OF THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED LEGISLATIVE HEARING FOR THE LEGISLATIVE MEASURE IN THE APPLICABLE COMMITTEE OF REFERENCE.

(3) (a) THE CHAIR OF THE APPLICABLE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE OF REFERENCE SHALL DETERMINE THE LENGTH OF A LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING, SO LONG AS THE SCHEDULED LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING IS AT LEAST ONE HOUR AND NOT MORE THAN TWO HOURS.

(b) DURING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING, ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT OR STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION THAT REPRESENTS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MAY PROVIDE TESTIMONY REGARDING THE IMPACT OF THE LEGISLATIVE MEASURE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR THE DURATION OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING WITHOUT OTHER LIMITATIONS ON THE LENGTH OF TESTIMONY.

(c) WHEN THE TIME ALLOTTED FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IMPACT HEARING HAS EXPIRED OR WHEN ALL OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS OR STATEWIDE ORGANIZATIONS THAT REPRESENT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE FINISHED WITH THEIR TESTIMONY, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST, THE COMMITTEE SHALL PROCEED WITH REGULAR PUBLIC TESTIMONY FOR THE LEGISLATIVE MEASURE, AND THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE MAY IMPOSE TIME LIMITATIONS OR OTHER RESTRICTIONS ON SUCH TESTIMONY THAT ARE IN THE NORMAL COURSE OF THE COMMITTEE'S BUSINESS.

(d) ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT OR STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION THAT REPRESENTS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MAY PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TESTIMONY REGARDING THE SAME LEGISLATIVE MEASURE DURING THE REGULAR PUBLIC TESTIMONY PERIOD FOR THE COMMITTEE.

(4) NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1, 2026, AND NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1 EACH YEAR THEREAFTER, THE DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHALL DEVELOP AND MEMORIALIZE IN A LETTER TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, PROCEDURES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS SECTION.

SECTION 2. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August 12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.