Colorado Lawmakers Advance Broad Security Plan Following Nationwide Political Attacks

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Gazette

Colorado legislators unveiled a 60‑page bill that would dramatically expand protections for elected officials, staff, and judicial employees, responding to a string of high‑profile attacks nationwide and growing safety concerns inside the state’s courthouses and Capitol.

Introduced earlier this week, House Bill 1422 contains nearly 30 sections. Among those provisions is the establishment of an Administrator of Legislative Safety, a law enforcement officer who would serve as a point of contact for members and employees of the General Assembly to discuss matters of personal safety and work alongside the Colorado State Patrol.

Because the bill was introduced without a fiscal note, its potential cost to the state remains unknown.

Sponsored by Rep. Chad Clifford, D-Greenwood Village, Senate President James Coleman, D-Denver, and Sen. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, HB 1422 also expands the list of individuals who are under the protection of the Colorado State Patrol while at the Capitol, and repeals a requirement for candidate disclosure statements and descriptions of candidates’ property to be publicly available on the Secretary of State’s website.

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