A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning a program for the care of community cats.
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill establishes a grant program to distribute money to encourage a pet animal facility, a pet animal rescue, and a spay and neuter organization located in Colorado (animal welfare facility) to trap, neuter, and return to its habitat a free-roaming domestic cat that may have a caretaker and is not socialized to humans (community cat). The adopt a shelter pet account in the pet overpopulation fund (account) provides the funding for the grant program. The Colorado pet overpopulation authority (authority) will award the grants pursuant to the direction of the authority's board of directors (board).
A prospective grantee may only apply for a grant biannually and may not receive money in consecutive years. The authority must not favor a particular animal welfare facility's business model over another when awarding grants. A pet animal facility must be licensed and in good standing with the department of agriculture and located in Colorado to be eligible for a grant. At least 20% of the money annually awarded for all grants from the account must be for trap-neuter-return program grants. A trap-neuter-return grantee may spend grant money only on:
- Trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, and ear-tipping community cats in Colorado;
- Veterinary care for the treatment and sterilization of community cats in Colorado;
- Education and outreach to promote public awareness of trap-neuter-return programs in Colorado and to encourage community participation;
- Training for community cat caretakers and animal control personnel in humane trapping and trap-neuter-return protocols in Colorado; and
- For an animal welfare facility that is a spay and neuter organization, veterinary materials and support for mobile clinics in Colorado.
The bill changes the composition of the board and the qualifications required to be on the board. The board member who represents the general public must not also be on the board of any animal welfare organization, and no board member may be from the same trade or industry group as another board member. The bill adds to the board a representative of No Kill Colorado or any successor organization and a representative of a spay and neuter organization.
The board must annually publish on the pet overpopulation fund website the name of each grantee receiving money from the pet overpopulation fund, the amount of each grant provided to a grantee, when a grantee received a grant, and the names of each board member.
The bill specifies that 70% of all grants awarded money from the pet overpopulation fund must be used for animal welfare facilities that are headquartered and located in a Colorado county with a population of 200,000 or less.
Page 2, Line 1Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
Page 2, Line 2SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds and declares that:
Page 2, Line 3(a) The pet overpopulation fund has provided funding for grants and programs that have decreased the overpopulation of Colorado's pets;
Page 3, Line 1(b) The pet overpopulation fund is overseen by the Colorado pet
Page 3, Line 2overpopulation authority, which is an entity not subject to administration
Page 3, Line 3by the state government, except for the appointment of its members by the commisioner of agriculture;
Page 3, Line 4(c) The adopt a shelter pet account in the pet overpopulation fund
Page 3, Line 5receives money donated through the sale of the adopt a shelter pet license
Page 3, Line 6plate to be used for spaying and neutering animals in animal shelters and rescues and to support overpopulation education programs;
Page 3, Line 7(d) The allocation of money in the adopt a shelter pet account is
Page 3, Line 8lacking in transparency and the public should have knowledge of the allocation of the money;
Page 3, Line 9(e) Colorado should not favor one shelter model or ideology over
Page 3, Line 10another in shelter and rescue operations because all shelter and rescue
Page 3, Line 11operations work to place pets in adoptive homes, save animal lives, work
Page 3, Line 12in tandem with municipalities and counties, assist in the reduction of pet
Page 3, Line 13overpopulation, and are licensed pursuant to the pet animal care facility act;
Page 3, Line 14(f) More than eighty percent of Americans support nonlethal
Page 3, Line 15solutions like spay and neuter programs and trap-neuter-return programs for managing pet and community cat populations;
Page 3, Line 16(g) Community cats have historically faced high euthanasia rates in animal shelters due to a lack of a human address and socialization;
Page 3, Line 17(h) Trap-neuter-return is a proven humane method to manage
Page 3, Line 18community cat populations, reduce the number of impounded community cats, and decrease nuisance complaints;
Page 3, Line 19(i) The use of trap-neuter-return programs leads to healthier, more
Page 4, Line 1manageable community cat populations while saving taxpayer money and resources;
Page 4, Line 2(j) Colorado rural communities receive proportionately less
Page 4, Line 3funding from the adopt a shelter pet account than urban communities and have a great need for resources; and
Page 4, Line 4(k) The implementation of trap-neuter-return programs in
Page 4, Line 5Colorado's rural communities is crucial because services are often lacking and community cat populations are expanding.
Page 4, Line 6(2) Therefore, the general assembly further finds and declares that
Page 4, Line 7there is a need to address the state's community cat population and that it
Page 4, Line 8is appropriate to use money in the adopt a shelter pet account of the
Page 4, Line 9Colorado pet overpopulation fund to support the sterilization and vaccination of community cats.
Page 4, Line 10SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 35-80-116.5, amend
Page 4, Line 11(2)(a) introductory portion, (2)(a)(VII), (2)(a)(VIII), and (5)(e); and add (2)(a)(IX), (2)(a)(X), (3)(d), (4.5), (5)(c.5), (8), and (9) as follows:
Page 4, Line 1235-80-116.5. Pet overpopulation authority - creation - duties
Page 4, Line 13and powers - pet overpopulation fund - adopt a shelter pet account
Page 4, Line 14- definitions. (2) (a) The powers of the Colorado pet overpopulation
Page 4, Line 15authority
shall bePage 4, Line 16(VII) One member of the general public
withPage 4, Line 17in animal welfare and who is not a member of a board of any animal welfare organization;
Page 4, Line 18(VIII) One representative of western Colorado;
Page 4, Line 19(IX) One representative of No Kill Colorado or any
Page 4, Line 20successor organization; and
Page 5, Line 1(X) One representative of a spay and neuter organization, as defined in subsection(9)(a)(V) of this section.
Page 5, Line 2(3) (d) Except as provided in 35-80-116.5 (2)(a)(VII), a board
Page 5, Line 3member may be a member of a board or subcommittee of a board
Page 5, Line 4of an animal welfare organization, but no more than one member
Page 5, Line 5of the board may be on the board or subcommittee of the board of the same animal welfare organization.
Page 5, Line 6(4.5) The board shall annually publish on the pet
Page 5, Line 7overpopulation fund website the name of each grantee receiving
Page 5, Line 8money from the pet overpopulation fund, the amount of each
Page 5, Line 9grant provided to a grantee, when a grantee received a grant, and the names of each board member.
Page 5, Line 10(5) (c.5) At least seventy percent of the money annually
Page 5, Line 11awarded for all grants that are funded by the pet
Page 5, Line 12overpopulation fund must be annually allocated for rural
Page 5, Line 13community facilities.The board shall consider awarding at
Page 5, Line 14least fifty percent of the funds designated for rural community facilities to counties with a population of fifty thousand or less.
Page 5, Line 15(e) (I) The authority shall use the
moneysPage 5, Line 16shelter pet account to support the
spayPage 5, Line 17medical costs of animals in animal shelters and rescues,
orPage 5, Line 18overpopulation education programs, and to support the
Page 5, Line 19trap-neuter-return grant program established in subsection
Page 5, Line 20(9)(b) of this section for the purposes described in subsection
Page 5, Line 21(9)(d) of this section; except that up to ten percent of the
moneysPage 5, Line 22money in the adopt a shelter pet account may be used for the
Page 5, Line 23administration of the account.
Page 6, Line 1(II) The Colorado pet overpopulation authority must not
Page 6, Line 2favor a particular shelter model when allocating money from the adopt a shelter pet account.
Page 6, Line 3(8) A pet animal facility applying for a grant described in
Page 6, Line 4subsection(9)(b) of this section from the adopt a shelter pet
Page 6, Line 5account must be licensed and in good standing pursuant to section 35-80-104.
Page 6, Line 7(9) (a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
Page 6, Line 8(I) "Animal welfare facility" means a pet animal facility,
Page 6, Line 9as defined in section 35-80-102 (11), a pet animal rescue, as
Page 6, Line 10defined in section 35-80-102 (11.2), or a spay and neuter organization, as defined in subsection(9)(a)(V) of this section.
Page 6, Line 11(II) "Community cat" means a free-roaming domestic cat that may have a caretaker and is not socialized to humans.
Page 6, Line 12(III) "Ear-tipping" means the removal of approximately one
Page 6, Line 13quarter of a community cat's left ear while under anesthesia, which serves as a visual indicator of sterilization.
Page 6, Line 14(IV) "Rural community facility" means an animal welfare
Page 6, Line 15facility that is headquartered and located in a Colorado county with a population of two hundred thousand or less.
Page 6, Line 16(V) "Spay and neuter organization" means a nonprofit
Page 6, Line 17organization primarily offering spay and neuter services
Page 6, Line 18performed by a licensed veterinarian, as defined in section 35-80-102 (8.7).
Page 6, Line 19(VI) "Trap-neuter-return grant program" means the grant program established in subsection(9)(b) of this section.
Page 7, Line 1(VII) "Trap-neuter-return program" means a nonlethal
Page 7, Line 2process of humanely trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating for
Page 7, Line 3rabies, ear-tipping, and returning community cats to their habitats.
Page 7, Line 4(b) The authority shall establish a trap-neuter-return
Page 7, Line 5grant program funded by the adopt a shelter pet account. The
Page 7, Line 6authority shall award money from the adopt a shelter pet
Page 7, Line 7account to animal welfare facilities located in Colorado to
Page 7, Line 8implement trap-neuter-return programs for the purposes described in subsection(9)(d) of this section.
Page 7, Line 9(c) At least ten percent of the money annually awarded
Page 7, Line 10for all grants that are funded by the adopt a shelter pet
Page 7, Line 11account pursuant to this section must be annually allocated for the trap-neuter-return grant program.
Page 7, Line 12(d) An animal welfare facility awarded money from the
Page 7, Line 13trap-neuter-return grant program is authorized to spend the money only on:
Page 7, Line 14(I) Trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, and ear-tipping community cats in Colorado;
Page 7, Line 15(II) Veterinary care for the treatment and sterilization of community cats in Colorado;
Page 7, Line 16(III) Education and outreach to promote public awareness
Page 7, Line 17of trap-neuter-return programs in Colorado and to encourage community participation;
Page 7, Line 18(IV) Training for community cat caretakers and animal
Page 7, Line 19control personnel in humane trapping and trap-neuter-return protocols in Colorado; and
Page 8, Line 1(V) For an animal welfare facility that is a spay and
Page 8, Line 2neuter organization, veterinary materials and support for mobile clinics in Colorado.
Page 8, Line 3SECTION 3. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 8, Line 4takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
Page 8, Line 5ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except
Page 8, Line 6that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V
Page 8, Line 7of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this
Page 8, Line 8act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take
Page 8, Line 9effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
Page 8, Line 10November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.