State Legislature
Monitoring the legislative process is integral to keeping a finger on the pulse of dynamic water policy in the state. On behalf of its diverse constituents in southwestern Colorado, the Southwestern Water Conservation District (SWCD) tracks state water bills closely. SWCD works toward ensuring the views and priorities of southwestern Colorado are considered as new laws are enacted affecting our State’s water resources.
SWCD provides regular written summaries of water-related bills during the session, which are found below. These summaries are distributed via email as a service to interested stakeholders. If you would like to sign up for these regular email updates or receive zoom invites to these meetings, please check the legislative updates box when signing up for emails. The SWCD Board of Directors discusses proposed state legislation in biweekly special meetings. We hope you find these services informative and beneficial.
SWCD took a position of support on the following legislation:
- HB24-1435 – CWCB Projects Bill
- SWCD board took the position of support at their April Board Meeting (04/10/24)
- SJR24-004 – Approval of Water Project Revolving Fund Eligibility Lists Administered by the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority
- SWCD Board voted to take a position of support on SJR24-004.
- SB24-199 – Species Conservaation Trust Fund Projects
- SWCD board took the position of support at their April Board Meeting (04/10/24)
SWCD took a position of amend on the following legislation:
- SB24-197 – Task Force Recommendations
- SWCD board took the position of amend at their April Board Meeting (04/10/24) to remove industrial water element as it wasn’t approved by the Drought Task Force.
SWCD is monitoring the following legislation:
- HB24-1379 – Regulation of State Waters #2
- SB24-005 – Prohibit Landscaping Practices for Water Conservation
- Signed by Governor
- SB24-026 – Agriculture & Natural Resouces Public Engagement Requirement
- Waiting for the Goveners signature
- SB24-127- Regulation of State Waters #1
The first regular session of the 74th Colorado General Assembly will convene on January 9, 2023.
SWCD took a position of support for the following Legislation:
SB23-177 CWCB Water Projects Funding Bill 03/16/2023SWCD took a position of Amend for the following Legislation:
SB23-270 Stream Restoration Bill (Supported 1st tier, amend 2nd tier) 04/13/2023
SB23-295 Task Force – (Amend to keep task force balanced) 04/27/2023
SWCD took a position of opposition for the following Legislation:
SB23-213 Land Use 04/13/2023
Bill Tracking and Reports:
SWDC Bill Tracking List March 29SWCD Bill Report March292023 February Bill Tracking Sheet
The second regular session of the 73rd Colorado General Assembly adjourned on May 11, 2022. The first regular session of the 74th will convene on January 9, 2023.
SWCD supported the following 2022 legislation, all of which passed and were signed into law by the governor:
- SJR22-002 Water Projects Eligibility List
- SB22-028 Groundwater Compact Compliance Fund
- SB22-114 Fire Suppression Ponds Water Rights
- SB22-158 Species Conservation Trust Fund Projects
- HB22-1151 Turf Replacement Program
- HB22-1316 CWCB Construction Fund Projects
SWCD opposed the following 2022 legislation, which was postponed indefinitely:
Below are SWCD’s summaries of water-related legislation.
SWCD State Legislative Final Report 6-1-22SWCD State Legislative Report 3-14-22SWCD State Legislative Report 3-1-22SWCD State Legislative Report 2-17-22SWCD State Legislative Report 2-3-22SWCD State Legislative Report 1-20-22
The first regular session of the 73rd Colorado General Assembly adjourned on June 8, 2021.
Below are the 2021 legislative summaries from SWCD.
Click here for the bill status report provided by Colorado Water Congress.
SWCD State Legislative Final Report 6-28-21SWCD State Legislative Report 6-3-21SWCD State Legislative Report 5-17-21WCD State Legislative Report 5-3-21SWCD State Legislative Report 4-19-21SWCD State Legislative Report 4-5-21SWCD State Legislative Report 3-29-21SWCD State Legislative Report 3-22-21SWCD State Legislative Report 3-8-21SWCD State Legislative Report 2-22-21