SENATE BILL 22-012
BY SENATOR(S) Donovan, Bridges, Buckner, Coleman, Cooke, Coram,
Fields, Gardner, Gonzales, Hinrichsen, Holbert, Kirkmeyer, Liston,
Lundeen, Moreno, Priola, Scott, Simpson, Smallwood, Sonnenberg, Story,
Winter, Woodward, Fenberg;
also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Hooton, Bernett, Lindsay, Snyder, Soper,
Valdez A., Van Beber.
C
ONCERNING VERSIONS OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly
hereby finds and declares that:
(a) Access to the Colorado constitution is a primary tool in our
state's democracy. The Colorado constitution establishes the basic
framework of the state's government and protects citizens' individual rights.
Since 1910, it has provided Coloradans with the unique right to initiate
laws, to hold referenda on laws enacted by the general assembly, and to
amend the constitution.
(b) With over one hundred fifty amendments in its history, the
NOTE: This bill has been prepared for the signatures of the appropriate legislative
officers and the Governor. To determine whether the Governor has signed the bill
or taken other action on it, please consult the legislative status sheet, the legislative
history, or the Session Laws.
________
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material added to existing law; dashes
through words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law and such material is not part of
the act. constitution has been shaped and reshaped as the needs of Coloradans have
transformed. Its thirty-nine founding delegates, representing every district
in the Colorado territory, created a "rights first" approach to their new
constitution, declaring the rights of the citizens before specifying the
structure of the government.
(c) From its early days as a tri-lingual document to its current form,
the constitution is an informative, challenging, and inspirational document
that establishes the rights, duties, and responsibilities of the citizens of
Colorado and establishes the structure of our state government;
(d) From water to women's right to vote, the original Colorado
constitution and its subsequent amendments illustrate our values and our
process of determining who we are as Coloradans; and
(e) A hundred years after America's constitution boldly asserted
people to be endowed with natural rights in addition to the rights granted by
law, the Colorado constitution reaffirmed this ideal by stating a bill of rights
first. This and other foundational philosophies are made clear in the
Colorado constitution.
(2) The general assembly further finds and declares that the history
contained in the Colorado constitution is an important asset and that the
original constitution, as well as updated digital and hard copies of the
constitution, should be easily and freely available to all people in the state.
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 24-80-116 as
follows:
24-80-116. Display of original state constitution in state capitol
- on-line display of state constitution - educational opportunities.
(1) O
N OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 28, 2023, THE STATE ARCHIVIST SHALL
SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE
FOR THE CREATION OF A PERMANENT PUBLIC DISPLAY OF THE ORIGINAL
DRAFT OF THE
COLORADO CONSTITUTION INSIDE THE STATE CAPITOL
BUILDING
. THE PROPOSAL SHALL INCLUDE SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW AND
WHERE THE ORIGINAL DRAFT OF THE
COLORADO CONSTITUTION SHOULD BE
DISPLAYED AND STORED AND A PROPOSAL FOR THE ORIGINAL DRAFT OF THE
COLORADO CONSTITUTION TO BE DISPLAYED IN GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
OTHER THAN THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING
. HISTORY COLORADO SHALL
PAGE 2-SENATE BILL 22-012 ADVISE AND CONSULT WITH THE STATE ARCHIVIST REGARDING THE
CREATION ON AN APPROPRIATE DISPLAY THAT WILL SAFEGUARD THE
ORIGINAL DRAFT OF THE
COLORADO CONSTITUTION . THE STATE CAPITOL
BUILDING ADVISORY CO MMITTEE SHALL EVALUATE THE PROPOSAL AND
CONSIDER WHETHER TO APPROVE THE PROPOSAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES FOR PLACING OTHER DISPLAYS WITHIN THE
STATE CAPITOL BUILDING PURSUANT TO SECTION
24-82-108 (3)(h). THE
STATE CAPITOL BUILDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE SHALL ALSO EVALUATE THE
PROPOSAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH BEST PRACTICES FOR DISPLAYING HISTORIC
DOCUMENTS IN A MANNER THAT SAFEGUARDS THE DOCUMENTS AGAINST
DETERIORATION
. THE DISPLAY MAY INCLUDE OTHER OBJECTS AND
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS RELATED TO THE ADOPTION AND HISTORY OF THE
COLORADO CONSTITUTION . THE STATE ARCHIVIST SHALL COLLABORATE
WITH HISTORY
COLORADO TO ENSURE ADHERENCE TO THE BEST PRACTICES
WHEN PRESENTING THE
COLORADO CONSTITUTION IN THE EXISTING
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OF THE STATE CAPITOL AND GOVERNMENT
BUILDINGS OTHER THAN THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING
.
(2) T
HE STATE ARCHIVIST, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HISTORY
COLORADO, SHALL CREATE AN ONLINE EXHIBITION OF THE COLORADO
CONSTITUTION
, INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS THERETO CURRENTLY IN
EFFECT
. THE EXHIBITION SHALL INCLUDE ASPECTS OF EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES AND HISTORY AND SHALL ENSURE THAT THE ELECTRONIC
COPY OF EACH VERSION OF THE
COLORADO CONSTITUTION CREATED
PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC IN A SEARCHABLE
FORMAT THROUGH THE WEBSITE OF THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ARCHIVES AND
HISTORY
COLORADO. THE STATE ARCHIVIST MAY CONTRACT WITH AN
ONLINE EXHIBIT DESIGN COMPANY TO DETERMINE THE BEST PRACTICES
WHEN PRESENTING THE
COLORADO CONSTITUTION IN AN EDUCATIONAL
FORMAT THAT IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND USER
-FRIENDLY FOR THE GENERAL
POPULATION OF THE STATE
. THE EXHIBIT DESIGN COMPANY MAY
COORDINATE AS NECESSARY WITH THE STATE ARCHIVIST
, HISTORY
COLORADO, THE OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE LEGAL SERVICES, THE SECRETARY
OF STATE
'S OFFICE, AND OTHER RELEVANT GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN THE
CREATION OF THE ONLINE EXHIBITION
.
(3) T
HE STATE ARCHIVIST, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HISTORY
COLORADO, SHALL CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO PROVIDE UPDATED PHYSICAL
COPIES OF THE CONSTITUTION OR OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
RELATED TO THE UPDATED PHYSICAL COPY OF THE
COLORADO
PAGE 3-SENATE BILL 22-012 CONSTITUTION WITHIN STATE OFFICES. THE STATE ARCHIVIST AND HISTORY
COLORADO SHALL ENSURE THAT THE CONSTITUTION WILL BE EASILY
ACCESSIBLE AND USER
-FRIENDLY FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION OF THE
STATE
.
(4) T
HE STATE ARCHIVES:
(a) R
EMAINS THE LEGAL CUSTODIAN OF THE ORIGINAL DRAFT OF THE
COLORADO CONSTITUTION AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTINUING
PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF THE ORIGINAL DRAFT IN ACCORDANCE
WITH SECTION
24-80-106;
(b) M
AY ALLOW THE ORIGINAL DRAFT OF THE COLORADO
CONSTITUTION TO BE REMOVED PERIODICALLY FROM THE DISPLAY FOR
RESTORATION PURPOSES OR TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE FOR OCCASIONAL
TEMPORARY MUSEUM OR OTHER APPROPRIATE SECURE DISPLAYS
; AND
(c) MAY SOLICIT, ACCEPT, AND EXPEND ANY BEQUESTS , GIFTS,
GRANTS, OR DONATIONS OF ANY KIND FROM ANY PRIVATE SOURCE FOR THE
PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTING THIS SECTION
. NO APPROPRIATION SHALL BE
MADE OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND OR ANY CASH FUND FOR EXPENDITURES
INCURRED BY DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL OR ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT OR
AGENCY TO CARRY OUT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION
.
SECTION 3. Act subject to petition - effective date. 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
PAGE 4-SENATE BILL 22-012 November 2022 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official
declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.
____________________________ ____________________________
Steve Fenberg Alec Garnett
PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES
____________________________ ____________________________
Cindi L. Markwell Robin Jones
SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APPROVED________________________________________
(Date and Time)
_________________________________________
Jared S. Polis
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
PAGE 5-SENATE BILL 22-012