HB 25-1332
Fiscal Note
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
HB 25-1332: STATE TRUST LANDS CONSERV & REC WORK GROUP
Prime Sponsors:
Rep. McCormick
Sen. Roberts; Wallace
Published for: House Ag., Water, & Natural Res.
Drafting number: LLS 25-1047
Fiscal Analyst:
Josh Abram, 303-866-3561
josh.abram@coleg.gov
Version: Initial Fiscal Note
Date: April 18, 2025
Fiscal note status: The fiscal note reflects the introduced bill.
Summary Information
Overview. The bill creates the State Trust Lands Conservation and Recreation Work Group in the
Department of Natural Resources to study opportunities to advance conservation, climate resilience,
biodiversity, and recreation on state trust lands.
Types of impacts. The bill is projected to affect the following areas in FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27 only:
State Expenditures
Appropriations. For FY 2025-26, the bill requires an appropriation of $427,840 to the Department of
Natural Resources.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts
Type of Impact
1
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
State Revenue $0 $0
State Expenditures $471,515 $62,174
Transferred Funds $0 $0
Change in TABOR Refunds $0 $0
Change in State FTE 2.0 FTE 0.5 FTE
1
Fund sources for these impacts are shown in the table below.
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April 18, 2025 HB 25-1332
Table 1A
State Expenditures
Fund Source
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
General Fund $0 $0
Cash Funds $427,840 $51,255
Federal Funds $0 $0
Centrally Appropriated $43,675 $10,919
Total Expenditures $471,515 $62,174
Total FTE 2.0 FTE 0.5 FTE
Summary of Legislation
The bill requires that the executive director of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
convene a State Trust Lands Conservation and Recreation Work Group to study opportunities to
advance conservation, climate resilience, biodiversity, and recreation on state trust lands.
The workgroup consists of voting members with subject matter expertise and members
representing stakeholder groups, as well as non-voting members representing the DNR,
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the Department of Education (CDE), and the Department of
Agriculture (CDA). The DNR must appoint voting members by June 2025.
The workgroup must convene by September 2025, meet at least four times, issue an interim
report by February 2025, and make final recommendations by July 2026 to the Governor, the
General Assembly, the State Land Board (SLB), and the executive director of the DNR. The
workgroup must be assisted by a professional facilitator, solicit public input, and engage subject
matter specialists as needed including experts on the economy, landscape ecology, and climate
resilience.
By October 2025, the SLB must review all existing parcels to determine if the lands are managed
primarily to preserve long-term returns, review and update all existing stewardship trust
management plans to achieve conservation purposes and required corrective actions, and report
this and other pertinent information to the work group.
By December 2026, the SLB must consider the work group’s recommendations and adopt an
administrative policy or rules governing the implementation of conservation leases and related
instruments on state trust lands, and a process to substantiate how the board balances revenue
generation with conserving the long-term value of state trust lands.
State Expenditures
The bill increases state expenditures in the DNR by $471,515 in FY 2025-26, and by $62,174 in
FY 2026-27. These costs, paid from the State Land Board Trust Administration Fund, are
summarized in Table 2 and discussed below. The bill also minimally affects workload in CPW,
CDE, and CDA to participate as representatives on the workgroup. Page 3
April 18, 2025 HB 25-1332
Table 2
State Expenditures
Department of Natural Resources
Cost Component
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
Personal Services $202,458 $50,615
Operating Expenses $2,560 $640
Capital Outlay Costs $6,670 $0
Professional Facilitator $200,000 $0
Travel Reimbursements $16,152 $0
Centrally Appropriated Costs $43,675 $10,919
Total Costs $471,515 $62,174
Total FTE 2.0 FTE 0.5 FTE
Staff
The DNR will have an absorbable workload impact in the current FY 2024-25 to begin the
procurement process for a professional facilitator and to make appointments to the workgroup.
In FY 2025-26, the department requires 2.0 FTE Program Managers to conduct an analysis of all
existing leases on Long-term Stewardship Trust parcels to determine primary purposes of those
leases and review and update all existing management plans, and to conduct additional
required research in support of the workgroup’s statutory charge. Staff reduces to 0.5 FTE in
FY 2026-27 to provide final assistance with policy development and workgroup
recommendations, and to assist the commissioners in adopting rules.
Professional Facilitator
The DNR will contract with a professional facilitator to assist the workgroup with all statutory
requirements, analyses, and the production of interim and final reports. Based on recent projects
of similar complexity completed by the department, this cost is estimated at 800 hours of
contracted service at $250 per hour.
Travel Reimbursements
The workgroup consists of roughly 17 members attending a minimum of four meetings. It is
assumed that on average, six members of the workgroup will attend meetings in person and the
remaining members will attend virtually. Costs for in person attendance include lodging,
per-diem, and mileage.
Other Agency Impacts
The CPW, CDE, and CDA are required to provide representatives to participate in the workgroup.
This workload effort can be accomplished within existing appropriations. Page 4
April 18, 2025 HB 25-1332
Centrally Appropriated Costs
Pursuant to a Joint Budget Committee policy, certain costs associated with this bill are
addressed through the annual budget process and centrally appropriated in the Long Bill or
supplemental appropriations bills, rather than in this bill. These costs, which may include
employee insurance, supplemental employee retirement payments, leased space, and indirect
cost assessments, are shown in the expenditure table above.
Technical Note
The bill requires a detailed analysis of all Long-Term Stewardship Trust Parcel Leases by
October 1, 2025. Assuming the bill takes effect in the current FY 2024-25, and that the DNR has
acquired the staff capacity and professional facilitation necessary to begin this effort
immediately on July 1, 2025, three months may not be sufficient to complete the work.
Effective Date
The bill takes effect upon signature of the Governor, or upon becoming law without his signature.
State Appropriations
For FY 2025-26, the bill requires an appropriation of $427,840 from the State Land Board Trust
Administration Cash Fund to the Department of Natural Resources, and 2.0 FTE.
State and Local Government Contacts
Agriculture
Education
Natural Resources
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.