SB 25-061
Fiscal Note
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
SB 25-061: FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES & CONSTRUCTION OF LAWS
Prime Sponsors:
Sen. Simpson
Rep. Weinberg; Joseph
Published for: Senate Judiciary
Drafting number: LLS 25-0345
Fiscal Analyst:
John Armstrong, 303-866-6289
john.armstrong@coleg.gov
Version: Initial Fiscal Note
Date: February 12, 2025
Fiscal note status: The fiscal note reflects the introduced bill.
Summary Information
Overview. The bill clarifies which laws passed by the General Assembly do and do not apply to the
Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
Types of impacts. The bill is projected to affect the following areas on an ongoing basis:
Minimal State Workload
Local Government
Tribal Government
Appropriations. No appropriation is required.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts
Type of Impact
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
State Revenue $0 $0
State Expenditures $0 $0
Transferred Funds $0 $0
Change in TABOR Refunds $0 $0
Change in State FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE
Page 2
February 12, 2025 SB 25-061
Summary of Legislation
The bill states that laws passed by the General Assembly are presumed not to apply to the
Southern Ute Indian Tribe, its land, or its members, unless the law explicitly states that it applies
to these populations. This presumption does not apply to non-Indians in tribal lands, nor does
the presumption exempt tribal members from civil and criminal laws that apply to the
municipalities within the Southern Ute Tribal Reservation.
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe may pass its own laws to adopt any law passed by the General
Assembly and may notify the legislative and executive branches of which laws it intends to
enforce within its lands.
State Expenditures
To the extent that the legislative and executive branches are notified of laws the Southern Ute
Indian Tribe will enforce within its lands, workload will increase to record these notices as
appropriate. No change in appropriations is required for any agency.
Local and Tribal Governments
If the Southern Ute Indian Tribe enacts legislation that adopts a law passed by the General
Assembly, workload will increase for legal representatives of the tribal government to
communicate with the executive and legislative branches.
Local governments located near the Southern Ute Tribal Reservation may have increased
workload to communicate with the tribe regarding legislation.
Effective Date
The bill takes effect 90 days following adjournment of the General Assembly sine die, assuming
no referendum petition is filed.
State and Local Government Contacts
Judicial
Law
Southern Ute Indian Tribe
Legislative Legal Services
Secretary of State
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.