More than 200 new state laws take effect Wednesday, including measures to lower college tuition costs, expand privacy regarding neurological data, reform law enforcement conduct rules, and reintroduce wildlife.
It鈥檚 normal for such a large number of laws to take effect at this time of year because laws passed in the spring are automatically implemented 90 days after the legislative session adjourns unless they specify otherwise or are petitioned. Many of them will not have a direct impact on most Coloradans.
A full list of new laws going into effect is available in the state鈥檚 .
The Colorado Promise
officially launches the Colorado Promise tax credit program that will reimburse up to two years of tuition for low-income college students. The credits will become available starting in the 2025 tax year.
鈥淎s one of the first members of my family to go to college, I want to make it possible for every aspiring student to afford higher education and achieve their dreams,鈥� Bill sponsor Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, said. 鈥淲ith this law going into effect, more students will be able to complete their degree and afford the cost of college, which for too many middle-income families is unaffordable.鈥�
To qualify, a student must have an annual household income of $90,000 or less and enroll within two years of graduating high school. The tax credits will be limited to in-state tuition at a public university, community college, or technical school. Students also have to complete at least six credits and have a minimum 2.5 GPA for the reimbursed semesters.
Law enforcement and first responder misconduct
Two measures going into effect Wednesday limit law enforcement use of 鈥減rone restraints鈥� and prohibit first responders鈥� use of the term 鈥渆xcited delirium.鈥�
A prone restraint is when a law enforcement officer restrains someone while they鈥檙e lying face-down on the ground. going into effect Wednesday requires police departments to develop new policies and training around when prone restraints can be used and how to administer medical aid to subjects under such restraints.
鈥淭his is an important continuation of the police accountability work we鈥檝e been doing at the Colorado State Capitol since the deaths of Elijah McClain and George Floyd,鈥� Bill sponsor Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, said. 鈥淭oo many people in Colorado and across the country, particularly in Black and Brown communities, have lost their lives when peace officers inappropriately deploy prone restraint. This law will save lives.鈥�
bans first responders from using the term 鈥渆xcited delirium.鈥� Police and paramedics used the term to classify Elijah McClain鈥檚 condition before administering a fatal dose of ketamine in 2019.
Typically, it鈥檚 been used to describe individuals who are agitated or hyperactive but critics say the term is disproportionately used to refer to Black and Latino people and to absolve law enforcement of culpability. The term was pulled from state law enforcement training documents last year.
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Neurological data privacy
Wearable technology that scans brain activity is becoming more common, and companies that make these devices can use and potentially sell the data they collect. That data has been largely unregulated until now.
taking effect Wednesday adds a person鈥檚 neurological information to the list of 鈥渟ensitive data鈥� in the Colorado Privacy Act. It also compels companies to disclose how they use the data, requires them to get consumer content for using the data for identification purposew, and allows consumers to access, delete, and correct their neurological data.
Similar bills are being considered in California and Minnesota.
Wolverine reintroduction
Less than a year after the first wolves were reintroduced into the Colorado wilderness, one of the new laws kicks off the reintroduction of another alpine predator: wolverines.
The largest member of the weasel family was wiped out in Colorado in the early 20th century, and lawmakers behind the bill say reintroducing them will contribute to enhanced biodiversity and restoring the North American wolverine鈥檚 historic range.
The agriculture industry has concerns about the bill, but Colorado Parks and Wildlife鈥檚 Brian Dreher said wolverines rarely attack livestock when he testified in support of the bill this spring.
鈥淥ver the last several decades since wolverine have recolonized the lower 48 states, only two documented cases have been recorded,鈥� Dreher said.
Like Colorado鈥檚 approach to wolves, the law would require state compensation for livestock lost to wolverines. It would also direct Colorado Parks and Wildlife to conduct an environmental study and develop a reintroduction plan before any animals are released.
Other laws going into effect
creates qualification requirements for county coroners. Counties with a population of 150,000 or more will need to have a coroner be certified as a death investigator or forensic pathologist be certified. It will apply to coroners elected after Nov. 5.
Portions of that will increase concealed carry training requirements go into effect Wednesday. They include new qualifications for firearm instructors and how they are verified by local sheriffs. The remainder of the law, which includes increased training requirements for concealed carry permit holders goes into effect next year.
Some other laws also taking effect Wednesday:
