Things are moving along in the Colorado legislature with bills making their way through the system. Here’s a look at some of the issues we’re following — and check out our bill tracker, where we update the status of bills as they make their way through the legislative process.
► Bill passes providing liability protection for landowners who allow recreational access
A bill creating a liability shield encouraging private landowners to provide public recreation access on their property is headed to Gov. Jared Polis after passing unanimously in the Colorado House of Representatives on Friday. The bill had already passed in the Senate.
► New bills in Colorado legislature take aim at oil and gas industry over Front Range’s poor air quality
Democratic state legislators on Thursday rolled out an ambitious suite of bills aimed at improving the Front Range’s air quality — among the worst in the nation — by taking specific aim at the oil and gas industry.
RELATED: Redlined neighborhoods in Denver, Commerce City have more air pollution, CU study finds
► Colorado voters may decide whether first-degree murder defendants can be held without bail
Colorado lawmakers want to change the state constitution so that first-degree murder defendants can once again be held in jail without bail.
► Colorado could give millions in tax dollars to cities willing to build more housing near transit
State lawmakers’ latest attempt to boost denser housing in Colorado cities would give local governments a choice: Embrace newly required density goals and unlock millions of dollars in grants and tax credits to help achieve them. Or flout the new mandate, lose out on millions more in shared tax money — and then be required to incorporate the density goals anyway.
► Colorado legislators pitch open-meetings changes as pragmatic, but will too much happen outside public view?
Government transparency advocates say a bill aimed at loosening open-meetings restrictions for the Colorado legislature would risk making the Capitol’s inner workings too opaque to the public.
► Rural Colorado colleges band together to ask state for millions in funding
Three Colorado universities are banding together to ask the state government for millions of dollars to offset the unique challenges of running rural institutions of higher education.
► Dating app safety, tax credit for renters under consideration at Colorado Capitol this week
It’s a short workweek at the Colorado Capitol, but lawmakers are looking to keep things moving on a slate of proposals that touch on protections for renters, social media limits, gig working and more.
► TikTok time limit? Pop-up warnings proposed for Colorado youth on social media late at night.
Legislators will soon wade into a public debate over constitutional rights, consumer protections, parental responsibility and quickly evolving technologies whose owners are themselves trying to adapt to evolving research on youth wellness. Some social media platforms have begun adding time limits or alerts on their own.
► Colorado Democrats want to use TABOR refund money to fight child poverty, help care workers with new credits
Colorado Democrats are eying a large portion of the state’s $1.8 billion-plus surplus this year to provide child tax credits targeted to help lower-income families — along with another slice devoted to helping people working in health- and child-care fields.