Governor Polis Completes State-Wide Bill Signing Tour, Signing New Laws to Reduce Housing Costs, Make Colorado Safer and Save People Money

Thursday, June 5, 2025

DENVER - Today, Governor Polis completed his 2025 bill state-wide signing tour, signing bills passed by Democrats and Republicans during the landmark 2025 legislative session. Governor Polis signed 476 bills, 87.5% of which were bipartisan, breaking down barriers to housing Coloradans can afford, increasing funding for students and teachers, enhancing public safety, saving people money, protecting the domestic and wild animals Colorado calls home, and protecting and expanding access to outdoor recreation. 

“This session we continued delivering on our commitment to reduce the cost of living in our state by passing laws to build more housing people can afford, increase student funding to drive student success, improve public safety and more. I am proud of the progress we delivered this year and was thrilled to travel the state from Grand Junction to Alamosa, Keenesberg, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins and more to sign these transformational laws in the communities that make Colorado the best state in the nation to live, raise a family, and thrive,” said Governor Polis. 

MORE HOUSING NOW: 

IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY: 

  • SB25-310 - Proposition 130 Implementation: This law supports funding for local law enforcement agencies to help recruit peace officers by providing financial reimbursements and tuition assistance for initial and continuing education and training for peace officers, as well as pay incentives and bonuses. The bill also provides funding to ensure that the families of fallen officers get the support they need after losing their loved one in the line of duty.
  • HB25-1062 Penalty for Theft of Firearm: This law cracks down on gun theft by reclassifying firearm theft as a class 6 felony regardless of the value of the firearm stolen.
  • HB25-1171 - Possession of Weapon by Previous Offender Crimes: This law adds first-degree motor vehicle theft to the list of criminal offenses that would make an individual ineligible to possess a firearm.
  • SB25-281 - Increase Penalties Careless Driving: adjusts penalties for persons convicted of careless driving, making each individual seriously injured or killed in a careless driving event a separate violation and clarifies that careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury or death is an included crime for the purposes of the "Victim Rights Act”.
  • A State Budget to Make Colorado Safer: Governor Polis continues working to make Colorado safer for everyone and by signing this year’s budget, Colorado continues investing in preventing and addressing crime. This includes:
    • Youth Crime Prevention: Helping to prevent at-risk youth from entering the criminal justice system through increased funding for prevention services.
    • Community Corrections Capacity: The budget also provides $2.4 million to invest in community corrections placement, increasing capacity.
    • Supporting Crime Victims: Additionally, this budget implements Colorado’s Proposition KK, designating $30.0M in spending authority to crime victims' services, $8 million for mental health services, and $1 million for school safety.
    • $15 million ongoing for critical public safety communication infrastructure, supporting over 1,000 local, regional, state, tribal, and federal public safety entities.
    • Funding for CBI’s Colorado Gangs Database: The Colorado Gangs database (CoG) is an application that stores gang information such as gang names, gang members, gang contacts, and is used by law enforcement as an investigative tool. It allows law enforcement the ability to add and change any information about the gangs, tracking gangs, and gang members that they contact during patrol or other investigative efforts conducted by law enforcement. This information is also queryable in the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC), which provides law enforcement with the most accurate information possible.
  • HB25-1146 - Juvenile Detention Bed Cap: This law allows judicial districts to utilize more juvenile detention beds to ensure that individuals deemed high-risk do not re-enter communities before receiving the rehabilitative services they need.
  • SB25-168 - Prevention of Wildlife Trafficking: This law will crack down on wildlife trafficking to keep Coloradans and wildlife safe. 

FULLY FUND SCHOOLS AND SUPPORT COLORADO’S WORKFORCE: 

  • HB25-1320 - School Finance Act: This legislation implements Colorado’s student-focused school finance formula without bringing back the budget stabilization factor. It also increases per-pupil funding again to $11,864, an increase from FY24-25 of $412 per student, or an average of $9,000 per classroom.
  • SB25-315 - Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness Programs: This legislation realigns Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness administration and funding to ensure all students have the opportunity to graduate high school with postsecondary credit, an industry-recognized credential, or work-based learning experience.
  • HB25-1278 - Education Accountability System: This legislation modernizes Colorado’s K-12 accountability system for the first time since 2009 to better measure student outcomes, including the creation of a new sub-indicator to support postsecondary and workforce readiness before graduation.
  • HB25-1192 - Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement: This legislation ensures that every student takes a course incorporating all financial literacy standards before they graduate high school, as well as practice filling out financial aid forms so that they are equipped with the know-how to plan for and secure their financial futures.
  • HB25-1038 - Postsecondary Credit Transfer Website: This law will support students by providing more information about how their credits earned through prior learning, concurrent and dual enrollment, and GT Pathways courses will transfer to each Colorado public institution. By allowing students to evaluate and compare the value of their transfer credits across institutions and programs, students can save money and more successfully plan their educational journeys. 

DRIVING COLORADO’S ECONOMY: 

SAVING PEOPLE MONEY: 

FREE STATE OF COLORADO: 

 

BOLD CLIMATE GOALS AND IMPROVING AIR QUALITY: 

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