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February 16, 2024 SB 24-157
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
Fiscal Note
Drafting Number:
Prime Sponsors:
LLS 24-1032
Sen. Fenberg
Rep. McCluskie;
deGruy Kennedy
Date:
Bill Status:
Fiscal Analyst:
February 16, 2024
Senate State Affairs
Josh Abram | 303-866-3561
josh.abram@coleg.gov
Bill Topic: COLORADO OPEN MEETINGS LAW FOR THE G ENERAL ASSEMBLY
Summary of
Fiscal Impact:
No fiscal impact. The bill modifies open meetings and open records law related to
meetings and communications of members of the General Assembly. The bill has no
impact on state or local revenue or expenditures.
Appropriation
Summary:
No appropriation is required
Fiscal Note
Status:
The fiscal note reflects the introduced bill.
Summary of Legislation
The bill changes and clarifies the application of the Colorado Open Meetings Law and the
Colorado Open Records Act with respect to meetings and communications of the General
Assembly and its members.
Under current law, when a public body conducts public business or if a majority of members or
a quorum of members is in attendance, the public must be notified in advance and minutes of
the meeting must be recorded. This bill establishes that for the purposes of applying the open
meetings law to the General Assembly, “public business” means legislation and bills, resolutions,
and memorials, or other matters being considered by a statutory committee, any interim
committee, or a committee of reference. Public business does not include matters that are
administrative, interpersonal, or logistical if the merits or substance of matters are not discussed.
Additionally, a quorum can only be established when the full membership of a public body of
the legislature is meeting at the same time. A quorum must be contemporaneous to require
public notification and meeting minutes. Finally, the bill establishes that written communications
exchanged between two or more members of the General Assembly, including electronic
communication, are not subject to open meeting laws; however, a record of the communication
may be subject to inspection if required under open records law.
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February 16, 2024 SB 24-157
Assessment of No Fiscal Impact
The bill clarifies application of the open meetings law and open records act with respect to
meetings and communications of the General Assembly. These changes will have no impact on
the workload or expenditures of any of the Legislative Department service agencies, and is
assessed as having no fiscal impact.
Effective Date
The bill takes effect upon signature of the Governor, or upon becoming law without his
signature.
State and Local Government Contacts
All Legislative Service Agencies
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit the General Assembly website.