May 28, 2025
A Recap of Colorado Farm Bureau's Activity in the Legislative Session
The 75th General Assembly kicked off in January with a slightly different makeup than in previous sessions. Democrats in the House lost their supermajority in the November 2024 elections, with party control narrowing from 46-19 to 43-22; this prevents the legislature from referring a proposal to the ballot with a 2/3 party line vote and any party-line veto overrides. The Senate makeup remained the same in the previous session, with Democrats holding a 23-12 control. Legislators introduced 657 bills, passing 488 of them, which included addressing a $1.2 billion deficit.
CFB took official positions (support, oppose, monitor, amend) on 53 bills,‘supporting’ 23 of them. 18 of those passed through the legislature and are either headed to the Governor or have already been signed.
Farm Policy and Trade (Meat Labeling, Eggs, Semi-automatics, Permanent Trailer Registration)
CFB supported and testified on legislation that passed the legislature and was signed by Governor Polis preventing food processing plants from selling cell-cultivated meat that is misbranded as a meat product. HB25-1203: Misbranding Cultivated Meat Products as Meat, also requires the seller or retailer to label cell-cultivated meat clearly as such.
While addressing properly labeled meat was successful, unfortunately efforts to repeal the cage-free egg mandate was not, as HB25-1074: Change Confinement Standards Egg-Laying Hens, died in the House Agriculture Committee early in the session. This would have repealed a mandate in Colorado regarding the confinement standards of egg-laying hens whose eggs are sold. CFB testified in support of this bill, saying livestock producers should have the flexibility to make management decisions in response to consumer demand and when new technologies become available.
Legislation addressing the sale of semiautomatic firearms, SB-003: Semiautomatic Firearms and Rapid-Fire Devices, passed through the legislature and has been signed by the Governor. Several amendments were added throughout the entire process, watering down the original language implementing an outright ban. However, those who seek to purchase a semiautomatic riffle or semiautomatic shotgun with detachable magazines and gas-operated semiautomatic handguns with detachable magazines would need to apply for eligibility with their local sheriff, and pass a safety course approved by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Safety course requirements for those who were previously hunter certified would be shorter. The bill also allows sheriffs to deny an application if they have a ”reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the applicant will present a danger to themselves or others.”
HB25-1121: Permanent Trailer Registration, allows for the permanent registration for class Class B and Class D trailers under current ownership has passed the legislature the last week of session, which states an owner of a trailer may register their trailer one time, and the registration does not expire until the trailer changes ownership. Permanent trailer registration requires owners to pay two years of ownership tax and a registration fee of $55.82. CFB signed on to a letter encouraging support for this legislation.
Natural Resources Energy and Environment (Climate emissions, Outdoor Rec, SLB Workgroup, Agricultural Buildings Exempt from Energy Use Requirements)
In a few bills that show victories in the legislature can come in different forms, HB25-1119: Require Disclosures of Climate Emissions, would have required businesses in Colorado with total revenues exceeding $1 billion to publicly disclose its total greenhouse gas emissions during the preceding calendar year. CFB was one of many stakeholders to testify against this bill in the House Energy and Environment Committee, stating it would have required burdensome data-gathering and reporting requirements for farms selling into supply chains, and that the onerous reporting requirements would have disqualified many small farms from doing business with public companies. The bill was defeated in committee on a bipartisan vote.
CFB was successful in amending HB25-1332: State Trust Lands Conservation & Recreation Work Group, which creates the State Trust Lands Conservation and Recreation Work Group in the Department of Natural Resources to study opportunities to advance conservation, climate resilience, biodiversity, and recreation on state trust lands.
Signed by Governor Polis, this newly created group will be tasked with recommending how to substantiate the balance between revenue generated by the State Land Board with conserving the long-term value to state trust lands. The 21-person committee will consist of members with subject matter expertise, members representing various stakeholder groups, as well as non-voting members representing the DNR, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the Department of Education (CDE), and the Department of Agriculture (CDA). CFB also worked with bill sponsors and stakeholders to add three additional agricultural representatives who are either an agricultural producer or represent a statewide agricultural organization. Language was also added during the legislative process that directs the work group to consider the private property rights of lessees and adjacent landowners, as well as the benefits agricultural leases play as a vital role in Colorado’s economy and land management.
SB25-039: Agricultural Buildings Exempt from Energy Use Requirements, clarifies agricultural buildings are exempt from existing energy use reporting requirements under the Buildings Performance Program in the Colorado Energy Office. This bill, signed by the Governor, specifies the definition of an agricultural building as a building or structure used to house agricultural implements, hay, unprocessed grain, poultry, livestock, or other agricultural products or inputs.
Private Property (KSP, Landowner Immunity, Efforts to Reduce Food waste/gleaning)
In what was one of CFB’s biggest priorities of the 2025 legislative session, SB25-128: Agricultural Worker Service Providers Access Private Property, passed out of the legislature. This fixes the Key Service Provider language included in the Agricultural Workers' Rights Act of 2021 and gives protections to farmers and ranchers whose private property rights were at risk from this provision. This regulation previously allowed for unfettered access to farms and ranches for anyone considered a "key service provider," creating major concerns for private property rights, food and animal safety and liability, and many other issues. CFB helped spearhead these efforts along with other ag stakeholders to ensure passage, including testimony and letters of support.
Rural Business (extreme temps, cottage foods, workers comp)
In a win for farmers and ranchers, HB25-1286: Protecting Workers in Extreme Temperatures was defeated. This bill would have regulated work in extreme temperatures and was postponed indefinitely after business groups, including the Colorado Farm Bureau, vehemently opposed what would have implemented new temperature based measures above 80 degrees and below 30 degrees. The bill also triggered workplace and worker modifications in the event of a wind-chill factor with 20-mile-per-hour gusts, and stipulated the temperature of water provided for hydration. CFB signed on to a fact sheet put together by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce stating the legislation would have been overly burdensome on businesses and would halt important infrastructure projects.
On the other side, HB-1190: Expanding Colorado Cottage Foods Act, was defeated in the House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee early in the session. Given the short name “The Tamale Act,” the bill would have expanded the current law allowing products made for consumption produced in home kitchens (jellies/jams, spices, baked goods, etc.) to also allow for items requiring refrigeration. CFB supported this bill given the organization’s support for the expansion of opportunities to sell ag products.
One of the larger bills that will affect rural businesses is HB25-1300: Workers’ Compensation Benefits Proof of Entitlement, which changes how workers compensation claims are handled. The bill, which would expand patient choice from four employer-offered options to any accredited provider within a 70-mile range – or 100 mile range if there are three or less – was amended in the last two days of session to delay implementation until 2028. The bill's original language included a shift in the burden of proof from the claimant to the employer, though that was removed during the committee process. As of this writing it is unclear if Governor Polis will sign or veto the legislation.
Water
CFB took a position of support on HB25-1311: Deductions for Net Sports Betting Proceeds. Currently, sports betting revenue is allocated to the Water Plan Implementation Cash Fund and is annually appropriated to the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) through the annual CWCB projects bill. This allows the CWCB to use the appropriated funds for water project grants, where to date 470 grants have been issued through FY2023-24.
Many sports betting websites and apps offer ‘free bets’ to players as a promotional tool to get more people to use their services, and with that, they have been able to deduct these bets when calculating proceeds. This bill changes the law where these websites will no longer be able to deduct these free bets starting in FY2026-27, which will create more funding for the Colorado Water Plan.
Wildlife
In a win on the wolf front, Governor Polis signed SB25-038: Wildlife Damage Personal Protection Information, which protects the personal information of those who submit claims for damages caused by wildlife. This means that those who submit depredation claims will have their names and addresses protected from the Colorado Open Records Act. CFB was an adamant supporter of this legislation, testifying in support in both the House and Senate, and are grateful for the work by the bill sponsors.
CFB also helped defeat HB25-1258: Scientific Wildlife Management, which would have required the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to use “the best available wildlife and ecological science to adopt rules that benefit wildlife, whole ecosystem health, and all Coloradoans.” CFB testified against the vague and unproven language being put forth, which was rejected handily by the House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee.
Honorable Mention: Colorado State Budget
Looming over the legislature this past session was how to fill the $1.2 billion budget deficit. While many state programs were cut across the board, two programs within SB25-206: Long Appropriations Bill (State Budget) that are important to the ag industry were kept intact: The first was funding for the wildlife depredation claims, which are used for those who submit a claim to CPW for the depredation of livestock. The second funding that remained was that which us relied on by the Colorado Agricultural Addiction and Mental Health Program (CAAMHP). At the encouragement of CFB and leadership of Representative, Dusty Johnson, this funding was preserved.