Session Overview
During the 2023 legislative session, we focused on many big issues, including gun violence prevention, protecting reproductive rights, record improvements in public school funding, improving air quality, lowering greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change, and reducing the cost of housing, healthcare, and prescription drugs.
Cathy’s Bills in the 2023 Session
House Bills
HB23-1001 Expanding Assistance For Educator Programs
- This bill expands last year’s bill (HB22-1220) which gave stipends to income qualified student teachers and offered some student loan forgiveness to educators.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & McLachlan ~~ Sen. Zenzinger
HB23-1017 Electronic Sales and Use Tax Simplification System
- This bill from the Sales and Use Tax Simplification (SUTS) Task Force seeks improvements to make it easier for businesses to remit sales taxes in Colorado.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & Bockenfeld ~~ Sen. Bridges & Van Winkle
HB23-1091 Continuation of Child Care Contribution Tax Credit
- This bill continues and slightly expands the Child Care Contribution Tax Credit.
- Sponsors: Rep. Pugliese & Kipp ~~ Sen. Marchman & Rich
HB23-1134 Require Electric Options In Home Warranties
- This bill will ensure consumers have the opportunity to replace a gas appliance with an electric appliance when an appliance replacement is deemed necessary.
- Sponsors: Rep. Joseph & Kipp ~~ Sen. Cutter
HB23-1143 Fed Authorize Firearms or DACA Peace Officers
- This bill creates a path to allow DACA recipients to become peace officers. This will help increase both the number and diversity of peace officer applicants.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & Armagost ~~ Sen. Gonzales
HB23-1161 Environmental Standards For Appliances
- This bill updates (HB19-1231 New Appliance Energy and Water Efficiency Standards) and ensures these standards are updated in the future without the need for future legislation, accelerates the phase-out of mercury containing lightbulbs, and limits emissions from newly purchased common furnaces, boilers, and water heaters.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & Willford ~~ Sen. Cutter
- Concerning the implementation of measures to advance thermal energy service.
- Sponsors: Rep. Lieder & Kipp
Senate Bills
- This bill will help to ensure that people no longer in K-12 schools have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma or high school equivalency.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & Catlin ~~ Sen. Zenzinger & Kirkmeyer
SB23-087 Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program
- Teachers are a new Federally recognized apprenticeship program. This bill makes adjustments to Colorado law to ensure these apprenticeships will work here in Colorado. This bill will give paraprofessionals and others a path to becoming a licensed teacher without having to stop working to attend an educator preparation program.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & Wilson ~~ Sen. Marchman & Baisley
SB23-099 Special Education Funding
- This bill was referred by the Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance to improve funding for special education.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & Frizell ~~ Sen. Zenzinger & Kirkmeyer
SB23-110 Transparency For Metropolitan Districts
- This bill writes current best practices for Metro Districts into law.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & Taggart ~~ Sen. Marchman & Zenzinger
- This bill modifies the administration of retail delivery fees by permitting a retailer to pay the RDF on behalf of the purchaser
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp ~~ Sen. Fenberg & Sen. Van Winkle
SB23-191 Colorado Dept of Public Health & Environment Organics Diversion Study
- This bill would create a study regarding diversion of organic materials from landfills.
- Sponsors: Senator Cutter, Representatives Kipp & Joseph
SB23-192 Sunset Pesticide Applicators Act
- This bill concerns the continuation of the “Pesticide Applicators’ Act”, and, in connection therewith, implementing recommendations contained in the 2022 sunset report by the department of regulatory agencies regarding the act.
- Sponsors: Senators Priola & Roberts, Representatives Kipp & McLachlan
SB23-266 Neonic Pesticides As Limited-use Pesticides
- The bill requires that the commissioner of agriculture adopt rules designating neonicotinoid pesticides as limited-use pesticides, limiting their use to licensed pesticide applicators, and authorizing only licensed dealers to sell them.
- Sponsors: Senator Priola and Reps. Kipp and Brown
SB23-287 Public School Finance
- Concerning the financing of public schools, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & McLachlan ~~ Sen. Zenzinger & Lundeen
SJR23-004 Uniform Sale and Use Tax On Construction Material
- This Senate Joint Resolution from the Sales and Use Tax Simplification (SUTS) Task Force concerns uniformity among municipalities that locally collect sales and use tax on construction materials, including the issuance of building permits.
- Sponsors: Rep. Kipp & Bockenfeld ~~ Sen. Bridges & Van Winkle