SUMMARY

This measure will allow the state to retain and spend an amount of state revenue equal to the amount of state public K-12 education funding in excess of the TABOR limit and to increase state public K-12 education funding by up to 2% per year, creating the “positive factor” in the school finance formula. The amount of the positive factor compounds annually for 10 years. A district’s share of the positive factor is calculated proportionally based on the district’s total program under the new school finance formula. Districts would be able to use the positive factor funding only for increasing teacher pay, improving teacher retention, lowering class sizes, and increasing access to career and technical courses.

Lastly, the act updates provisions regarding the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, the Family Affordability Tax Credit, and the Affordable Housing Financing Fund to ensure that voter approval of the act does not adversely impact those programs. An amendment to the bill late in the process added provisions for any remaining funds to be appropriated for disability services and school services and to increase annual contact hours, and finally to programs prioritizing child care and full-day preschool.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

We support policies that provide an equitable, quality public education for all children from pre-K through grade 12.

SUMMARY

This measure institutes a graduated income tax. The 97% of Colorado taxpayers making less than $500,000 would receive a tax cut; those at the very top would pay more. The additional revenue raised would be voter-approved and exempt from the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) spending cap. Revenue would go toward K–12 education, health care, and early childhood care and education, plus free school meals.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

The measure is estimated to increase state revenue by nearly $1 billion in budget year 2026–27 (when it is in effect for only half the year) and by nearly $2 billion in 2027–28, with amounts growing thereafter as population and income grow. Because this is a voter-approved revenue change, the additional revenue is exempt from TABOR and may be spent — directed toward K–12 education, health care, early childhood care and education, and Healthy School Meals for All. The measure has no impact on TABOR refunds or how they are refunded.

SUMMARY

SHALL GILPIN COUNTY WAIVE THE 5.25% PROPERTY TAX REVENUE LIMIT IMPOSED BY PART 17 OF ARTICLE 1 OF TITLE 29, C.R.S., FOR THIS TAX YEAR AND ALL FUTURE TAX YEARS; AND SHALL THE COUNTY BE FURTHER AUTHORIZED TO COLLECT, RETAIN, AND SPEND ALL REVENUES AND OTHER FUNDS RECEIVED FROM ANY SOURCE WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO PROPERTY TAXES AND GAMING REVENUE WITHOUT LIMITATION UNDER ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION OR ANY OTHER REVENUE OR SPENDING LIMITATION OTHERWISE APPLICABLE BY LAW FOR THIS TAX YEAR AND ALL FUTURE TAX YEARS; WITH ALL SUCH REVENUES TO BE COLLECTED, RETAINED, EXPENDED, TRANSFERRED, RESERVED, OR USED FOR CORE INFRASTRUCTURE AND MAINTENANCE INCLUDING ROADS, BRIDGES, WILDFIRE  AND FLOOD MITIGATION; AND SHALL THIS AUTHORIZATION BE CUMULATIVE OF AND NOT LIMIT ANY PREVIOUSLY APPROVED VOTER AUTHORIZATION TO RETAIN OR SPEND REVENUES ALL AS A VOTER APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE?

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

Commonly referred to “De-Brucing,” the ballot issue has been passed by 53 other counties in Colorado. This measure only applies to county property taxes in excess of the 5.25% revenue limit. It has no impact on state TABOR refunds.

Issue 1A would not impact state level TABOR refunds and is estimated to result in less than $20 of property tax credit (in years which these occur) for the average household in Gilpin County. The majority of property tax credits would come from gaming properties in the City of Black Hawk.

See the Gilpin County website for more: https://gilpincounty.colorado.gov/tabor

SUMMARY

This citizen initiative proposes changing the Colorado Revised Statutes. It would increase the felony classifications and prison sentencing ranges required for fentanyl and certain synthetic opioid offenses in every category (manufacture, dispensing, sale, distribution, and possession); create mandated treatment for certain drug felony violations based on possession amount; and narrow or eliminate sentencing exemptions, limiting judges’ ability to take individual circumstances into consideration when determining criminal sentences.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

The ballot measure will increase state revenue by moving current fees and fines for misdemeanor offenses collected by the Denver County Court to fees and fines for felony offenses collected in state district court, while increasing state expenditures associated with more judges hearing additional cases in state district court, and public defenders providing services to defendants in longer, more complicated felony cases. The same factors will increase costs at the local government level, with the exception of Denver County Court.

Incarcerating additional individuals in state prison will reduce workforce participation, which may reduce economic activity from labor and spending and may increase government spending on prisons and social welfare programs. To the extent that the ballot measure decreases criminal activity or mandated drug treatment reduces illegal drug use, those otherwise impacted by crime or drug use may experience better economic outcomes.

SUMMARY

This initiative reclassifies human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude as a class 1 felony and mandates a sentence of life in prison without parole or release for those convicted. The Initiative also makes anyone knowingly trading anything of monetary value to buy or sell sexual activity with a minor guilty of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

We steadfastly oppose human trafficking and believe human traffickers should be severely punished. However, the new definition of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude is broad and can include human trafficking victims. The further broadening of the crime by this initiative to include persons knowingly trading anything of monetary value to buy or sell sexual activity with a minor makes the prosecution of human trafficking victims more likely. There are also concerns that the new definition of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude is vague enough to include parents assisting out-of-state children obtain reproductive and gender-affirming care.

Additionally, the initiative mandates prison sentences of life without parole or release for all those convicted of this crime, without consideration of the circumstances of the crime and individuals’ situations and roles. The League believes judges should have discretion in sentencing guilty persons and should take into account the circumstances of the crime and the defendant’s situation and role.

SUMMARY

This ballot measure would ban children from playing on sports teams that differ from the gender they were assigned at birth. It would also require all schools and athletic associations to label teams as male, female, or co-ed, replacing Colorado’s current inclusive Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) policy.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

This measure takes away the freedom of families to decide which sporting activities are best for their children.

It goes too far. It creates unintended consequences for every student by allowing anyone to question whether a young person “looks” like they belong on a team, which could result in harassment and harm.

It distracts from real priorities like keeping kids healthy and safe. Kids should be able to learn and play without being questioned or subjected to invasive scrutiny.

It conflicts with Colorado law that already protects students’ right to participate in activities safely and fairly.

We trust families to make the best decisions for their children. Colorado already has clear, inclusive policies for school sports. This measure is vague, unnecessary and discriminatory.

SUMMARY

The measure prohibits a health care professional from performing, prescribing or administering surgery on reproductive anatomy of anyone under 18 years old in response to their perception of sex or gender unless they have a medically verifiable disorder of sex development. The measure prohibits the state government and insurance carriers, including Medicaid, from paying for these surgeries. The measure applies broadly to treatment by doctors, nurses, mental health professionals, and others in the healing arts.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

Families, with the doctors and medical professionals they trust, should have the freedom to decide what health care is right for their child. This ban takes that choice away and puts the government in the middle of private family decisions. We trust families to make private medical decisions for their children without government interference.

The measure’s defined terms are vague and lead to unintended consequences for young people. For example, this measure could keep minors from receiving life-saving treatment for cervical or testicular cancers.

The measure distracts from real priorities like keeping kids healthy and safe while undermining Colorado’s law that already protects access to necessary medical care.

The measure undermines medical best practices that are supported by every major American medical association and proven to improve health outcomes and reduce suicide risk.

SUMMARY

Proposition 136 caps both the individual and corporate income tax rates at the current rate of 4.4%, permanently limiting the maximum Colorado income tax rate. The measure is designed to counter Amendment 87, which proposes a graduated income tax that would cut rates for most taxpayers while increasing the rate on the highest incomes.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

For fiscal year 2025–26, individual and corporate income taxes supply 66.35% of the funds available to the General Fund. The current fiscal impact of Proposition 136 is zero: capping the rate at the existing 4.4% does not by itself change state revenue or expenditures.

Caveat: If both Amendment 87 and Proposition 136 were to pass and be held to exist concurrently — with only Proposition 136’s lower rate for each category of revenue being implemented — the revenues collected from the income tax would drop below existing tax collections.

SUMMARY

Proposition 137 directs the state to keep and spend an amount equal to the state sales tax already collected on sporting goods and outdoor equipment — estimated at about $175 million in FY 2027–28 — exempting it from the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) and dedicating it to wildlife, land and water conservation, wildfire mitigation, and outdoor recreation. It is not a new tax and does not change what shoppers pay; it changes where the money goes.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

The measure is estimated to dedicate about $175 million in FY 2027–28 to the four conservation funds, exempt from TABOR. Because this revenue would no longer be available for general purposes, the measure reduces what the General Fund could otherwise spend on other state services by an equivalent amount.

SUMMARY

This measure would add a new section 17 to article XVII in the Colorado Constitution. This section would require law enforcement officials to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security within 72 hours after charging a person with a crime if:
a)  The person is not lawfully present in the United States, or the status of the person’s lawful presence is unknown after a reasonable attempt has been made to determine it; AND
b)  1) The person is charged with a crime of violence as defined by Colorado law, OR
2) The person has been convicted of a prior felony.

The proposed new law states that law enforcement has a duty to make a reasonable effort to determine whether the person is lawfully present in the United States.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

This measure may result in workload increases for state and local law enforcement officers to determine a charged person’s immigration status. To the extent that the measure results in more people being removed or deported, those residents’ contributions to the state and local economies will be reduced. If the initiative reduces crime, state and local economies may benefit.

This law could lead to unintended consequences or potential abuse, in two different ways:

1)  A person who is a lawful resident or U.S. citizen could be subjected to this provision in error. Some errors could be caused by racial profiling.

2)  If a person is charged with a crime of violence, that does not mean they are guilty. The person is entitled to due process protections, including the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

SUMMARY

This citizen initiative proposes adding a new Section 17 to Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution, creating a constitutional right for consumers to purchase, and for distributors and utilities to sell, natural gas for cooking or heating in homes or businesses throughout the state.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

Any appropriations required to implement the measure would be addressed through the annual or supplemental budget process if voters approve it. State agencies would provide technical assistance to local governments on building codes that conflict with the measure, and local governments with codes that restrict natural gas in developments would need to modify permitting processes to conform. The measure may affect implementation of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan.

SUMMARY

This measure amends the Colorado Constitution to create a right to hunt, fish, and harvest fish and wildlife by traditional methods — covering all species managed by the state except non-game species, endangered species, or any species illegal to hunt under federal law. It establishes hunting and fishing as the preferred means of managing wildlife populations, while preserving the state’s authority to regulate hunting, fishing, and wildlife management where necessary for sound scientific conservation and management, public safety, or to preserve future hunting and fishing opportunities.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

Hunting and fishing are already legal in Colorado; the measure would give them constitutional standing and make them the “preferred” management method. The measure preserves the state’s authority to regulate for sound science, public safety, or to preserve future hunting and fishing opportunities.

Opponents argue a constitutional right is unnecessary because hunting and fishing are already legal, and warn it could restrict future wildlife protections and conflict-management tools, limit the power of voters, the Legislature, and CPW to shape policy, and invite litigation over undefined terms such as “traditional methods.”

SUMMARY

This measure amends the Colorado Constitution to require voters who vote by mail to sign and include an identification number — the last four digits of their Social Security number, or their Colorado driver’s license or state identification card number — on the outside of the mail ballot for any federal or state election. Any Colorado ID used must comply with the federal REAL ID law. Voters could correct missing or incorrect information, and a county clerk could not count the ballot unless the problem is fixed.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

Maintains current law, under which mail ballots are verified by signature comparison and bipartisan judge review, without an added identification number.

SUMMARY

This measure is a constitutional amendment requiring that all state and local ballot questions be written in plain language at no more than an 8th-grade reading level. It also prevents state law from mandating language — before, after, or within a ballot title — that conflicts with the plain-language question for citizen-initiated measures.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

Maintains current law, under which ballot-title requirements — including the recent “accessible language” standard added by HB26-1320 — are set by statute and can be changed by the legislature.

The measure would apply to both state and local ballot questions. The Title Board and other bodies that write ballot questions would need to apply the new plain-language and reading-level standards when setting titles.

SUMMARY

This measure would amend Article V, Section 44 of the Colorado Constitution by adding a new subsection to govern mid-decade congressional redistricting. If congressional maps are modified for the 2028 election or any election thereafter, the measure requires the Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission (ICRC) to reconvene and hold three public meetings, and requires any changed map to be approved by the Colorado Supreme Court. The court could not approve a map that fails to preserve whole communities of interest, that was drawn to favor one political party, or that was not approved by the ICRC.

RATIONALE FOR STANCE

The measure does not prohibit mid-decade redistricting. Instead, it reenacts safeguards already in the Colorado Constitution and applies them to any mid-decade change: preservation of whole communities of interest, a prohibition on maps drawn to favor one party, at least three public meetings, and approval by both the ICRC and the Colorado Supreme Court.

The measure applies to the 2028 congressional election and any election thereafter. It concerns congressional maps modified outside the usual once-a-decade redistricting cycle.