‘Bill drafting transparency’ measure dies in Colorado House committee
A state House committee killed legislation to require the online publication of bill drafts more than a month before the start of each session of the Colorado General Assembly.
Colorado Legislature
House committee passes bill to create free website for Colorado high-court opinions
With civil court records now free to access online in Colorado, the state may soon also post the text of high-court opinions — going back to statehood — in a searchable format and at no cost to the public.
Colorado lawmakers remove open-ended Sunshine Law exception from legal services committee bill
Revising rules for the legislature’s Committee on Legal Services for the first time since 1981, Colorado lawmakers proposed an open-ended exception to the Sunshine Law that would let the committee make decisions by email — no public meeting required.
CFOIC’s 2021 year in review: sole finalists, internal affairs records, body-cam footage, peace officer database, disinformation, a judge’s order to ‘be kind’
Court rulings top CFOIC’s 2021 list of Colorado transparency highlights and lowlights, with the most impactful paving the way for a state law change that lets governments publicly name just one finalist for chief executive positions like university president, city manager and school superintendent.
Secretary of State proposes ‘comprehensive money-in-politics’ system for Colorado campaign finance, lobbying
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office wants to overhaul and combine its online campaign-finance and lobbyist disclosure platforms to create “a comprehensive money-in-politics system” for candidates, lobbyists and the public, members of the state legislature’s Joint Technology Committee were told.
Sole-finalist law goes into effect; state Supreme Court declines review of appellate ruling against Daily Camera
The Colorado Supreme Court will not review an appellate court’s reversal of a ruling against the University of Colorado regents for refusing to publicly disclose the names and applications of all six candidates interviewed for the president’s job that went to Mark Kennedy in 2019.
Requests for police internal affairs records do not have to identify a specific incident, Colorado Supreme Court rules
The Colorado Supreme Court removed a frustrating barrier for some requesters of police internal affairs records, deciding that criminal justice agencies may not withhold completed IA files from the public simply because the requester has not referenced a “specific, identifiable incident” of alleged misconduct by an officer.
Wrap-up: Sole finalist, police transparency bills mark 2021 Colorado legislative session
The 2021 Colorado legislative session produced a mixed bag of good and not-so-good developments for those concerned about government transparency.
Amendments to police bills address public access to internal affairs records, body-cam footage, Brady lists and news media access to encrypted radio traffic
One change will impact the release of body-worn and dashboard camera footage, and another might help mitigate the loss of public information caused by the encryption of police radio transmissions. Two additional provisions address public access to records of completed police internal affairs investigations and lists of officers who have credibility issues.
Colorado House bill prohibits HOAs from banning signs and flags based on their message
Homeowners’ associations could not ban signs and flags based on their content or message under a bill making its way through the Colorado General Assembly.