By Kevin Lundberg | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
With the start of 2025, several new laws and regulations become effective for the people of Colorado.
There will now be a requirement (SB24-065) that a driver of any age must use a hands-free system to make calls while driving. With the almost constant use of smartphones in everyday life, my guess is virtually everyone subject to these rules will be violating this law from time to time.
In 2020, HB20-1343 set January 1, 2025, as the date requiring new caging systems for Colorado’s large egg producers. This unrealistic rule for chickens is, so to speak, coming home to roost. It has already caused shortages and skyrocketing prices for eggs.
HB24-1348 requires Secure Firearm Storage in a Vehicle while unattended. They must be locked up in a trunk or hard case, effectively disarming citizens in their cars.
New, stricter child restraint laws go into effect, thanks to HB24-1055.
But wait, there is more to what the 74th legislature and Gov. Jared Polis have imposed on Colorado citizens, for many of their new laws took effect much sooner than Jan. 1, 2025. Here is a “short” list of what I consider the worst laws that came out of 2024:
HB24-1017 Bill of Rights for Foster Youth — This bill cuts out foster families who are not supporting the transgender ideology.
HB24-1039 Non-Legal Name Changes — This one forces all public schools to play the pronoun game with their students.
HB24-1124 Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation — This makes nonprofit organizations subject to Colorado’s discrimination laws. It looks like a way to force nonprofit organizations to capitulate to the LBGT ideology.
HB24-1174 Concealed Carry Permits & Training — Turns over concealed carry instruction to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. This will make concealed carry permits more difficult to obtain and renew.
HB24-1175 Local Governments Rights to Property for Affordable Housing — This is called socialism, where the government is given extra power to own and control more property.
HB24-1229 Presumptive Eligibility for Long-Term Care — Will allow all illegal aliens long-term care.
HB24-1280 Welcome, Reception, & Integration Grant Program — More sanctuary state laws.
HB24-1338 Cumulative Impacts & Environmental Justice — The title of this bill is “Concerning measures to advance environmental justice by reducing cumulative impacts of air pollution.” This will become a dangerous weapon that government will have to bludgeon any business they deem as violating whatever environmental justice means, at that time…
HB24-1341 State Vehicle Idling Standard — How dare you think that it is a good idea to warm up your car on a bitterly cold morning?
HB24-1346 Energy & Carbon Management Regulation — More control on our daily lives to chase their fictitious fear of carbon dioxide.
HB24-1349 Firearms & Ammunition Excise Tax — Creates a new tax on guns and ammunition. At least it required a vote of the people to go into effect, and so it did.
HB24-1353 Firearms Dealer Requirements & Permit — Creates a required state firearms permit for all firearms dealers.
HB24-1459 Birth Equity Concerning protections for birthing persons. — Say what? I guess the legislature cannot say woman anymore. Or maybe they do not know what a woman is?
SB24-014 Seal of Climate Literacy Diploma Endorsement — I passed over this one at first, but after a second look I realize this is a big corruption of our schools. It is giving special honors to any student who buys into the climate alarmism, and gives them this special distinction if they become actively involved in this destructive hoax.
SB24-053 Racial Equity Study — This is the first step toward the reparations madness.
SB24-084 Attorney General Duties to Prevent Mis- & Dis-information — It is quite appropriate that this is numbered 84, as in the book by George Orwell: 1984. Whatever happened to the First Amendment?
SB24-094 Safe Housing for Residential Tenants — Here is another bill to make people feel good, but in reality it drives up the cost of renting and depresses the number of houses that are available to rent (because it makes being a landlord that much more difficult).
SB24-182 Immigrant Identification Document Issuance — It repeals the law that required someone to live in Colorado for at least two years to receive an identification document under the “Colorado Road and Community Safety Act” if that individual is not lawfully present in the United States.
SB24-189 Gender-Related Bias-Motivated Crimes — More trans, woke terminology and policies… This adds transgender to the potential hate crimes list.
SB24-195 Protect Vulnerable Road Users — The title alone smells fishy. This bill actually authorizes CDOT and the state patrol to use automated vehicle identification systems on all roads in Colorado. These are the systems that automatically catch any violation of road rules and allow the driver to be automatically fined for the infraction. This potentially sounds like Big Brother on steroids.
SB24-200 Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in Child Welfare — Incorporates “equity, diversity, & inclusion” principles into child welfare policies. Need I say more?
SB24-214 Implement State Climate Goals — The title says enough.
SB24-229 Ozone Mitigation Measures — More heavy-handed control of oil and gas. This adds licensing requirements for oil and gas, more monitoring and stiffer penalties to the industry.
SB24-230 Oil & Gas Production Fees — These “fees” are a punitive tax on oil and gas production to fund transit projects. This is a tax, which makes it an illegal act of legislation without a vote of the people. It is part of a “deal” the big players in oil and gas made to supposedly get the governor off their back. They have been trying that game for decades and all it has gotten them is the most expensive state in the Union for oil and gas production. BTW, ultimately “We the People” pay for this cost-of-living increase which this new tax creates.
Kevin Lundberg is formerly a state senator and host of The Lundberg Report weekly grassroots call.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.