House committee removes some Senate amendments from CORA modernization bill
A bill to modernize Colorado’s public records law survived a state House panel in a form closer to the way it was introduced earlier in the legislative session.
Public Records Laws
Party lines separate lawmakers on bill to require disclosure of presidential candidates’ tax returns
Frustrated by President Donald Trump’s refusal to release his income tax returns, Democratic state House members endorsed a bill that would require presidential and vice presidential candidates to disclose at least five years of personal returns to qualify for the general election ballot in Colorado.
Legislation would change availability of public information on juveniles charged as adults
Under House Bill 17-1204, a judge would have to order a juvenile be charged as an adult to trigger the public release of arrest and criminal records.
Governor signs bill opening state records on wage-law violations
With Gov. John Hickenlooper’s signature on House Bill 17-1021, Colorado no longer will treat wage-law violations as “trade secrets” that must be kept from the public.
‘Cooling-down’ period for open-records disputes advances in Colorado legislature
A required “cooling-down period” aimed at resolving open-records disputes without litigation continued its easy journey in the Colorado legislature.
Modernizing Colorado’s open-records law: Where Senate Bill 40 stands as it goes to the House
Senate Bill 17-040 is about clarifying the public’s right to obtain digitized government records in useful file formats that make it easier to analyze the information contained in those records. But as passed by the Colorado Senate, the bill is now about other things as well.
Colorado Senate passes digital open-records bill, adds exemption for ‘critical infrastructure’
The Colorado Senate endorsed a heavily amended version of the open-records modernization bill, adding a broad exemption to bar the disclosure of records that “could endanger public safety or the operation of critical infrastructure.”
Wage-theft transparency bill clears another hurdle in Colorado legislature
State lawmakers moved a step closer to letting the Colorado Division of Labor publicly disclose whether a company has cheated it workers.
Lawmakers endorse optional ‘cooling-off period’ to resolve records disputes without litigation
A Colorado House committee endorsed a completely reworked proposal to encourage the resolution of open-records disputes without litigation. The new version of HB 17-1177 essentially makes mediation optional.
Digital public records bill heads to Senate floor with amendments intact and an appropriation
The open-records modernization bill survived the Senate Appropriations Committee, but lawmakers retained amendments that could let governments withhold some records now available for public inspection.