“First do no harm” is a principle long associated with medical ethics, but it’s just as apt a lodestar for those concerned with good governance.

And for the first time in recent years, Coloradans made it through a legislative session without significant new harms to the state’s energy sector.

That’s not to say that some lawmakers didn’t try. Progressive lawmakers floated terrible proposals that ranged from condescending—like the mandatory gas station shame stickers proposed in House Bill 25-1277—to downright irresponsible, including the Governor’s proposal to move the goalposts on the state’s 100% renewable energy deadline by an entire decade.

Fortunately, however, these ideas didn’t make it out from under the Gold Dome.

Meanwhile, the session did deliver some positive reforms. After three years of partisan failure, a bill to classify nuclear energy as “clean” under state law not only made it out of the legislature, but it was signed into law by Jared Polis. That aligns Colorado with more than a dozen other states in acknowledging that the country’s largest and most reliable source of emissions-free power must be part of any decarbonization plan.

In a session bogged down by structural budget deficits and preoccupation with the federal government, energy policy sanity mostly prevailed until next year.

Even small victories are worth celebrating.

-Jake Fogleman, Director of Policy

Calling all Arapahoe County residents. Want to have a say in how booze gets approved? Now’s your chance! The county is looking for residents to serve on its Liquor Advisory Board—a group that reviews new alcohol licenses, location changes, and other spirited issues. You just need to be 25 or older, live in the county, and have no ties to the alcohol biz. If you love good civic drama and want to help keep the process fair and transparent, apply now!

Kathleen Chandler, Director, Citizen Involvement Project

The Legislative Session ended last week. The fiscal policy center is breathing a slight sigh of relief, as many of the most egregious fiscal bills were either lost, gutted, or never introduced. You can thank the state constitution and TABOR for that. TABOR forced legislators to reprioritize needs over wants to balance the budget during their self-inflicted “budget crisis.”

However, the General Assembly can always find a way to disappoint us. Here is a very brief sample of the good, bad, and ugly for fiscal-related bills this session:

The good:

•HJR-1023, which would have used taxpayer money to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of TABOR, was lost.

•Thankfully, one bill that would have sought to change our state’s flat income tax into a progressive tax was never introduced. Although not introduced this year, expect it to return next year.

The bad:

•SB-135, which would have created a bipartisan DOGE-like authority for Colorado, was unceremoniously defeated in committee along party lines.

•HB-1335 adjusts the availability of the Family Affordability Tax Credit (FATC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in the event of budget challenges next year. If only someone had warned of the revenue impacts of those tax expenditures.

The ugly:

•HB25-1005 creates two income tax credits to support Colorado’s film festival industry. Because nothing says budget crisis like willfully decreasing state revenue by millions of dollars for the ambiguous returns of Sundance moving to Boulder.

•HB25-1010 prohibits price gouging in the sales of specific goods and services during a declared disaster. Prices of the said goods and services may not increase by more than 10% from before the declared disaster began. However, prices rise during disasters due to a combination of constrained supply and increased demand. Intervening in the market exacerbates shortages of essential goods.

Stay tuned for more updates as the state government concludes its session and finalizes the budget package.

-Nash Herman, Policy Analyst

There was some especially good news from this legislative session. Beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, all Colorado public school kindergarten through third-grade children must be screened for dyslexia. This is an enormous win for children with dyslexia and their parents. Originally, the requirement was to begin in the 2026-2027 school year, but the bill was amended in the House. The delay was disappointing.

A Chalkbeat article details some of the past attempts by parents and students to pass a legislative requirement for screening. Over the years, I have listened to heartbreaking testimonies from children explaining to legislators their struggles and how their lives changed once their parents paid for testing and for either tutors or private schools equipped to teach them to read. Intervening with proper reading instruction at an early age is key for future learning and self-esteem. Often, these children feel like they are dumb, and the emotional harm can be long lasting.

Using 2020-2021 data from the Colorado Department of Education, the advocacy group credited with the recent successful efforts, COKid, estimates that 12 percent of Colorado’s students are dyslexic.

In 2021, we published The Science of Reading: What Every Colorado School Board Member Should Know and sent the publication to every school board member and superintendent in the state. A few months ago, a school board member told me she keeps her marked-up copy by her computer. It was praised by an official at the Colorado Department of Education, and one literacy specialist, the wife of a school board member, requested additional copies because “There is nothing else out there like it.” We hired a literacy specialist to author the paper, and she explained the need for dyslexia screening among other needed reforms.

With summer break around the corner, I hope you will spend time reading to your children and grandchildren. You will find our SchoolChoiceForKids.org reading enrichment pages helpful.

-Pam Benigno, Director, Education Policy Center

In Complete Colorado, Mike Krause updates readers on the latest legislation signed by Governor Polis.

Amy Cooke pens a guest op-ed on Colorado’s forced march towards energy uncertainty.

Ari Armstrong gives his take on House Bill 25-1312.

*Available on all major platforms*

Join us for some wining and some whining on the latest Colorado Legislative session. It’s gouda brie a great time!

Date: Thursday, May 15, 2025
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Independence Institute
727 East 16th Avenue
Denver, CO 80203