MONTE VISTA — Tyler Garrett, Director of Government Relations with the Rocky Mountain Farm Bureau, provided an information-packed update at Tuesday’s Southern Rocky Mountain Agriculture Conference and Trade Show in Monte Vista with a focus on legislation currently being considered in Colorado state government.  

There are four themes running through much of the 2025 legislation, he told the audience, beginning with the one that will likely determine the outcome of multiple areas. 

The first theme, according to Garrett, is very straightforward. “There’s no money,” he said. The state of Colorado is facing a $700 million shortfall and departments are being asked to “trim” their budget.  

As he explained, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) budget for FY 24-25 is $77,204,736, representing approximately .2 percent of statewide appropriations and .1 percent of the General Fund appropriations. CDA is being asked to trim $1 million. 

Against that backdrop, CDA is making budget requests in four areas, the first of which is animal disease traceability support related to the highly pathogenic avian flu. Their second request is continuation of soil health programs, considered to be a strong mitigator in dealing with drought.  

The second theme is, naturally, water, specifically as it relates to savings, administration, efficiency and measurement.  

Legislation currently in process in this area includes HB25-1014 and “Increasing Efficiency in the Division of Water Resources”. That bill has passed out of committee and is headed to appropriations. 

HB25-1099 “Water Quality Data Standards” has just been introduced and is not, as of Tuesday, assigned to a committee. HB25-1106 would remove limitations on collecting precipitation. That bill has also just been introduced. HB25-1115 would “limit turf in new residential development”, also yet to be assigned to a committee.  

HB25-1115 would support “Water Supply Measurement and Forecasting Program”, an area that would seem to be of increasing importance. HB25-1115 has just been introduced and is not yet assigned to a committee. 

SB25-039 “Future of Severance Taxes and Water Funding Task Force” would appropriate funding to create a task force to explore the impact of severance taxes on water resources. 

The third theme, as Garrett explained, relates to rural development with three bills under consideration. HB-1056 concerns broadband, a long-standing priority in rural areas. The bill “Local Government Permitting Wireless Telecommunications” sets parameters for local governments to approve an application by a telecommunications provider for the siting and construction of a new wireless telecommunications facility or for the substantial change of an existing wireless telecommunications facility. 

HB25-1080 would provide just as the bill’s name suggests: “Wireless Telephone Infrastructure Deployment Incentives.” That bill has just been introduced. 

Finally, SB25-039 exempts agricultural buildings from the collection and reporting requirements for energy use that apply to other structures.  

The last two themes relate to energy transition and Colorado’s workforce. 

HB25-1040, which has just been introduced, would add nuclear energy as a clean energy resource. HB25-1042 would establish a workforce advisory council to consider air quality control rules that impact people who work in industries impacted by air quality. Last, SB25-037 would provide assistance to those communities who are experiencing a loss in revenue in the transition from leasing land for oil and gas to other forms of energy. 

The fifth theme, as Garrett lays it out, concerns the workforce, beginning with HB25-1001 “Enforcement Wage Hour Laws”, a bill that contains four sections governing actions taken by an employer related to the wages paid to employees. 

HB25-1021 provides tax incentives for employee-owned businesses. This bill has just been introduced and is not yet assigned to a committee. 

Finally, SB25-005 relates to Worker Protection Collective Bargaining and, if passed, would eliminate the requirement for a second election to negotiate a union security clause in the collective bargaining process. The bill passed out of committee and appropriations and has been sent to the Senate Committee of the Whole. 

Within a 30-minute period, Garrett also highlighted other bills that have either just been introduced or are working through the system. Any additional information on any of the bills listed can be found by going to https://leg.colorado.gov/ and entering the number of the bill.