House Bill 25-1198

BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Froelich and Brown, Boesenecker, Clifford, Lindsay, Lindstedt, Mabrey, Rutinel, Velasco;

also SENATOR(S) Winter F., Bridges, Cutter, Jodeh, Kipp, Michaelson Jenet, Sullivan, Wallace.

Concerning the creation of a regional planning roundtable commission.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1.  Legislative declaration. (1)  The general assembly finds and declares that:

(a)  Uncoordinated and unplanned growth, together with a lack of common goals expressing the public's interest in the wise use of state lands, poses a threat to economic resources and resiliency, the environment and climate, affordable and decent housing, access to adequate public facilities and services, and the health, safety, and high quality of life enjoyed by Colorado residents;

(b)  It is in the public interest that communities, local governments, regional and state agencies, and both the public and the private sectors take integrated and comprehensive actions to manage growth and economic opportunity;

(c)  It is in the public interest to ensure that the use of land, the provision of adequate facilities and services, wise use of resources, and the availability of housing for all occur in a manner that protects citizens, communities, economic interests, businesses, and the environment from preventable threats and hardships;

(d)  Local governments, in partnership with regional and state agencies, are key to providing support, knowledge, insight, and encouragement to help communities thrive and to be sustainable, resilient, and equitable;

(e)  Laws, rules, and regulations addressing local master planning, as well as regional and state strategic planning, have been developed at different points in time and vary in their content, character, and intent;

(f)  Some laws, rules, and regulations that address planning are advisory, while others address requirements of statewide, regional, and local significance;

(g)  There are many state laws that address planning issues incrementally and independently of other related issues, which leads to planning that is piecemeal and often one-dimensional;

(h)  Contemporary planning requires integrated approaches to complex interrelated challenges through a more unified framework;

(i)  Successfully and efficiently addressing 21st century planning challenges require an integrated and comprehensive approach;

(j)  A unified planning framework that recognizes interrelationships among contemporary topics and issues is needed to achieve truly comprehensive planning;

(k)  A unified planning framework will simplify the planning process by addressing challenges that are interdependent and mutually reinforcing;

(l)  A unified planning framework makes planning more accessible and easier to understand for community members, decision-makers, and staff and for both the public and private sectors;

(m)  Where there are common borders and related regional issues among jurisdictions, regional roundtables provide an opportunity to provide consistency and compatibility among planning policies and implementation;

(n)  A unified planning framework allows for local customization and tailoring among Colorado's distinct regional and local places;

(o)  A common planning framework provides a mechanism for ensuring that interrelated topics and issues can be addressed in distinct regional and local contexts; and

(p)  Resource lands, rural lands, urban lands, and resort communities are each distinct and have their own challenges and opportunities that require customized planning approaches.

SECTION 2.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 24-32-3709.5 as follows:

24-32-3709.5.  Regional planning roundtable commission - establishment - facilitating - notice to revisor - definition. (1)  The regional planning roundtable commission is created in the department of local affairs.

(2)  The commission is a type 2 entity, as defined in section 24-1-105, and exercises its powers and performs its duties and functions under the department of local affairs.

(3) (a)  The commission consists of twenty-one members appointed as follows:

(I)  One member representing the Colorado Municipal League, or any successor organization, appointed by the Colorado municipal league or the successor organization;

(II)  One member representing Colorado Counties, Inc., or any successor organization, appointed by Colorado counties, inc., or the successor organization;

(III)  One member representing the department of agriculture, appointed by the commissioner of agriculture;

(IV)  One member representing Counties and Commissioners Acting Together, or any successor organization, appointed by the executive director of Counties and Commissioners Acting Together or the executive director's designee;

(V)  Three members representing community planning professionals, appointed by the executive director of the department of local affairs;

(VI)  One member who is a Colorado resident representing an Indigenous community, as defined in section 24-33.5-2601 (2), and who is a member of a federally recognized tribe with historic ties to Colorado;

(VII)  One member representing the department of natural resources, appointed by the executive director of the department of natural resources;

(VIII)  One member representing the Colorado energy office, appointed by the director of the Colorado energy office;

(IX)  One member representing the Colorado department of transportation, appointed by the executive director of the Colorado department of transportation;

(X)  One member representing the department of local affairs, appointed by the executive director of the department of local affairs;

(XI)  One member representing the Special District Association of Colorado, or any successor organization, appointed by the Special District Association of Colorado or the successor organization;

(XII)  One member with expertise in affordable housing, appointed by the executive director of the department of local affairs;

(XIII)  One member representing a regional council of governments, appointed by the regional council of governments selected for this purpose by the governor;

(XIV)  One member with expertise in climate and environmental issues, appointed by the executive director of the department of public health and environment;

(XV)  One member with expertise in tourism, appointed by the Colorado tourism office; and

(XVI)  Four members, each representing a distinct region of the state, each appointed by the executive director of the department of local affairs.

(b)  Appointments to the commission shall be made with a consideration of the ethnicity, gender, and geographic representation of the members of the commission.

(c)  The initial appointments to the commission shall be made no later than September 30, 2025.

(d)  Each member of the commission who is appointed pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section serves at the pleasure of the relevant appointing authority. The term of appointment is three years; except that the term of the members initially appointed pursuant to subsections (3)(a)(XIII) and (3)(a)(XVI) of this section is two years.

(4)  Members of the commission serve without compensation and without reimbursement for expenses.

(5) (a)  The member of the commission appointed by the executive director of the department of local affairs pursuant to subsection (3)(a)(X) shall convene the first meeting of the commission as necessary to elect a chair and establish the commission procedures and operation framework.

(b)  After meeting pursuant to subsection (5)(a) of this section, the commission shall only meet when a local government requests assistance in addressing a regional opportunity or challenge. When meeting to provide this assistance, the commission shall:

(I)  Define a region for purposes of establishing a regional roundtable to assist in addressing the regional opportunity or challenge;

(II)  Considering local expertise, suggest who should serve on the regional roundtable established in connection with addressing the regional opportunity or challenge; and

(III)  Identify state resources available to assist in addressing the regional opportunity or challenge.

(6)  The commission may:

(a)  Consider assisting in the establishment of an integrated framework for planning, which framework shall consider the following topics, at a minimum:

(I)  Natural environment systems;

(II)  Development patterns;

(III)  Housing and housing needs;

(IV)  Transportation;

(V)  Sustainable infrastructure;

(VI)  Economic opportunity and employment; and

(VII)  Healthy communities; and

(b)  Hear presentations from and have discussions with relevant persons.

(7)  On or before December 31 of the year after which the commission first meets, and on or before December 31 each year thereafter, the commission shall report to the transportation, housing, and local government committee of the house of representatives and the local government and housing committee of the senate, or any successor committees. The report must include a description of any assistance that the commission has provided to local governments.

(8)  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, "commission" means the regional planning roundtable commission.

(9) (a)  The department may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources to implement this section. The department shall not implement this section until it receives an amount of gifts, grants, and donations that it deems necessary to implement this section.

(b)  Notwithstanding section 24-75-1305, for state fiscal year 2026-27 and any subsequent fiscal year, the general assembly may appropriate money from the general fund for the implementation of this section.

(10)  Subsections (1) to (8) of this section will take effect if the department receives an amount of gifts, grants, and donations that it deems necessary to implement this section. The director shall notify the revisor of statutes in writing of the date on which the condition specified in this subsection (10) has occurred by emailing the notice to revisorofstatutes.ga@coleg.gov. Subsections (1) to (8) of this section take effect upon the date identified in the notice that the department has received an amount of gifts, grants, and donations that it deems necessary to implement this section or, if the notice does not specify that date, upon the date of the notice to the revisor of statutes.

SECTION 3.  Act subject to petition - effective date. (1)  Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, this act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.

(2)  Section 1 of this act and sections 24-32-3709.5 (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8), Colorado Revised Statutes, as enacted in section 2 of this act, shall only take effect upon receipt of the notice to the Revisor of Statutes required by section 24-32-3709.5 (10), Colorado Revised Statutes, as enacted in section 2 of this act.