Senate Bill 25-055 Revised

A Bill for an Act

• Page 1, Line 101Concerning measures to involve youth in environmental

• Page 1, Line 102justice, and, in connection therewith, making an

• Page 1, Line 103appropriation.

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/.)

Representative Hugh McKean Colorado Youth Advisory Council Review Committee. The environmental justice advisory board in the department of public health and environment (advisory board) advises the environmental justice ombudsperson, develops recommendations related to adverse environmental effects on disproportionately impacted communities, and supports the implementation of a grant program to finance environmental mitigation projects. Section 1 of the bill replaces one voting member of the advisory board with a youth voting member who is between 14 and 21 years of age and adds one youth nonvoting member to the advisory board.

Section 2 requires the Colorado energy office (office), on or before December 31, 2025, to develop and post on its website best practices for the adoption and financing of clean energy resources in schools. The office is required to periodically update the best practices and post the updates on its website.

• Page 2, Line 1Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

• Page 2, Line 2SECTION 1.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, 25-1-134, amend

• Page 2, Line 3(2)(b), (2)(c) introductory portion, (2)(c)(I), (2)(c)(III), and (2)(d)(I); and add (2)(c)(III.5), (2)(d)(III), and (2)(d.5) as follows:

• Page 2, Line 425-1-134.  Environmental justice - ombudsperson - advisory

• Page 2, Line 5board - grant program - definitions - repeal. (2)  Environmental

• Page 2, Line 6justice advisory board. (b)  Except as otherwise provided in this

• Page 2, Line 7subsection (2), the members of the advisory board are appointed by the

• Page 2, Line 8governor. The governor shall make the initial appointments as soon as

• Page 2, Line 9practicable, but no later than four months after July 2, 2021. An

• Page 2, Line 10appointing authority may remove a member of the advisory board for

• Page 2, Line 11malfeasance in office, failure to regularly attend meetings, or any cause that renders the member unable or unfit to discharge the member's duties.

• Page 2, Line 12(c)  The advisory board consists of the following twelve fourteen

• Page 2, Line 13members who, to the extent practicable, must reside in different

• Page 2, Line 14geographic areas of the state, reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the

• Page 2, Line 15state, and have experience with a range of environmental issues, including air pollution, water contamination, and public health impacts:

• Page 2, Line 16(I) (A)  Four Five voting members appointed by the governor, who

• Page 2, Line 17must be or have been residents of a disproportionately impacted

• Page 3, Line 1community, one of whom is an individual who is fourteen years of

• Page 3, Line 2age or older but less than twenty-two years of age at the time of appointment.

• Page 3, Line 3(B)  Except as provided in subsection (2)(c)(I)(C) of this

• Page 3, Line 4section, the youth voting member described in this subsection

• Page 3, Line 5(2)(c)(I) is first appointed as a nonvoting member pursuant to

• Page 3, Line 6subsection (2)(c)(III.5) of this section and, after serving one year

• Page 3, Line 7of the member's term, becomes a voting member pursuant to this

• Page 3, Line 8subsection (2)(c)(I) and subsection (2)(d)(III) of this section for the remainder of the member's term.

• Page 3, Line 9(C)  On or before September 15, 2025, the governor shall

• Page 3, Line 10appoint an individual who is fourteen years of age or older but

• Page 3, Line 11less than twenty-two years of age at the time of appointment to

• Page 3, Line 12serve a single one-year term as a youth voting member of the

• Page 3, Line 13advisory board. Thereafter, this youth voting member's seat on

• Page 3, Line 14the advisory board shall be filled pursuant to the process

• Page 3, Line 15described in subsection (2)(c)(I)(B) of this section. This subsection (2)(c)(I)(C) is repealed, effective July 1, 2026.

• Page 3, Line 16(III)  The executive director of the department, or the executive director's designee, as a nonvoting member; and

• Page 3, Line 17(III.5)  An individual who is fourteen years of age or older

• Page 3, Line 18but less than twenty-two years of age at the time of

• Page 3, Line 19appointment, as a youth nonvoting member appointed by the governor; and

• Page 3, Line 20(d) (I)  Except as provided in subsection (2)(d)(II) subsections

• Page 3, Line 21(2)(d)(II) and (2)(d)(III) of this section, each member's term of

• Page 3, Line 22appointment is four years. Voting members may serve no more than two

• Page 4, Line 1terms; except that a youth voting member who is fourteen years

• Page 4, Line 2of age or older but less than twenty-two years of age at the

• Page 4, Line 3time of appointment may serve only a single term. The governor

• Page 4, Line 4shall fill any vacancies on the advisory board, including for the remainder

• Page 4, Line 5of any unexpired term. A member appointed to fill a vacancy may serve

• Page 4, Line 6the remainder of the unexpired term of the member whose vacancy is being filled, and this remainder counts as one term for that appointee.

• Page 4, Line 7(III)  A youth member who is fourteen years of age or older

• Page 4, Line 8but less than twenty-two years of age at the time of

• Page 4, Line 9appointment and who is appointed as a youth nonvoting member

• Page 4, Line 10pursuant to subsection (2)(c)(III.5) of this section serves a single

• Page 4, Line 11two-year term. After serving one year of the member's two-year

• Page 4, Line 12term, the member becomes a youth voting member pursuant to

• Page 4, Line 13subsection (2)(c)(I)(B) of this section for the remainder of the member's term.

• Page 4, Line 14(d.5) (I)  The governor shall make the initial appointment

• Page 4, Line 15of the youth nonvoting member appointed pursuant to

• Page 4, Line 16subsection (2)(c)(III.5) of this section on or before September 15, 2025.

• Page 4, Line 17(II)  This subsection (2)(d.5) is repealed, effective July 1, 2026.

• Page 4, Line 18SECTION 2.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 24-38.5-123 as follows:

• Page 4, Line 1924-38.5-123.  Best practices for clean energy resources in

• Page 4, Line 20schools - creation - updates - publication. (1)  On or before

• Page 4, Line 21December 31, 2025, the Colorado energy office shall develop

• Page 4, Line 22and post on its website best practices for adopting and financing

• Page 5, Line 1clean energy resources in schools. The best practices must include:

• Page 5, Line 2(a)  A description of clean energy resources and their costs and benefits;

• Page 5, Line 3(b)  For each clean energy resource described in

• Page 5, Line 4subsection (1)(a) of this section, a list of recommended providers of the clean energy resource in the state;

• Page 5, Line 5(c)  Any grants, loans, and other financing sources

• Page 5, Line 6available to schools to help finance the use of clean energy resources in schools; and

• Page 5, Line 7(d)  Resources that students may use in developing

• Page 5, Line 8proposals for the adoption and financing of clean energy resources in their schools.

• Page 5, Line 9(2)  The Colorado energy office shall periodically review

• Page 5, Line 10and update the best practices and post any updates made to the best practices on its website.

• Page 5, Line 11SECTION 3.  Appropriation. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year,

• Page 5, Line 12$5,042 is appropriated to the department of public health and

• Page 5, Line 13environment. This appropriation is from the community impact cash fund

• Page 5, Line 14created in section 25-7-129 (1), C.R.S. To implement this act, the

• Page 5, Line 15department may use this appropriation for environmental justice program costs.

• Page 5, Line 16SECTION 4.  Act subject to petition - effective date. Section 3

• Page 5, Line 17of this act takes effect only if Senate Bill 25-265 becomes law, and the

• Page 5, Line 18remainder of this act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the

• Page 5, Line 19expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general

• Page 5, Line 20assembly; except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section

• Page 6, Line 11 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item,

• Page 6, Line 2section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section,

• Page 6, Line 3or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general

• Page 6, Line 4election 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.