By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director A proposal to ban the charging of fees for unedited body-worn camera footage, released to the public under the 2020 Law Enforcement Integrity Act, died Friday when the Colorado House amended and then defeated a controversial whistleblower bill. Facing criticism from both Republican and Democratic representatives, the sponsors of House Bill 24-1460 tried to pass a stripped-down version of their measure that only included the creation of a law enforcement whistleblower working group. The strike-below amendment — without the body-cam footage provisio ..read more

By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director State senators Wednesday killed a bill that would have given state and local government entities more time to respond to Colorado Open Records Act requests to address what proponents called the “abuse” of CORA. Sen. James Coleman, a Denver Democrat who chairs the five-member Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, voted against House Bill 24-1296 along with Republican Sens. Larry Liston of Colorado Springs and Mark Baisley of Woodland Park. The committee members didn’t explain their opposition to the measure, which changed considera ..read more

By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director People who want library books removed from circulation or reclassified on library shelves could no longer remain anonymous under a bill garnering support in the Colorado legislature. Senate Bill 24-216, which passed the Senate Education Committee on Monday evening, would make public library “request for reconsideration” forms subject to disclosure under the Colorado Open Records Act rather than records protected by Colorado’s library-user privacy statute. In a case involving the Crested Butte News, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled last year tha ..read more

By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director A bill advanced by state senators Thursday would give county clerks up to 20 working days to comply with Colorado Open Records Act requests during election seasons, except for requests made by journalists. Senate Bill 24-210, which makes multiple election-related law changes, lengthens the required response time for clerks during a period that starts 60 days before an election and ends when a clerk certifies the official abstract of votes cast. In that period, clerks “may extend the period for production of records” up to 10 extra working days bey ..read more

By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director A bill narrowly passed by a Colorado House committee Tuesday night includes a provision that prohibits law enforcement agencies from charging fees for unedited body-worn camera footage released to the public under the 2020 Law Enforcement Integrity Act. The language in House Bill 24-1460 addresses demands by the Boulder Police Department and some other agencies for hundreds or thousands of dollars before providing video of incidents in which there is a complaint of officer misconduct. (Credit: iStock, gorodenkoff) A lawsuit filed earlier this mont ..read more

By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director A bill to require the livestreaming of meetings of state and local boards, councils and commissions “will not go forward” in the 2024 Colorado legislative session because of its high estimated cost, the measure’s sponsor told constituents in a newsletter this week. “A huge disappointment for me this Session has been the large Fiscal Notes from various Colorado State Departments/Governor,” wrote Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Greenwood Village. “As a result our efforts for people — particularly persons with disabilities — to have access to public m ..read more

By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director A bill in the Colorado legislature aimed at curbing the “abuse of CORA” no longer contains a provision for labeling certain requesters of public records as “vexatious.” Representatives removed the controversial language from House Bill 24-1296 on Friday after Rep. David Ortiz argued it was “problematic” for people with disabilities and others who use the Colorado Open Records Act to fight for their rights in court. CORA “is really how we go after getting information to try and litigate our rights, and we don’t want to be able to be declared vexati ..read more

By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director The title is set for a proposed Colorado initiative to repeal newly enacted legislation that narrows the definition of “public business” in the Colorado Open Meetings Law as it applies to the General Assembly and lets lawmakers communicate by email and text message without it being a “meeting” under the statute. But the measure is still a long way from making it onto the November statewide ballot. Even if proponent Jon Caldara decides the language approved Wednesday by the Ballot Title Setting Board is easy enough for voters to understand, it coul ..read more

By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director A lawsuit challenges the Boulder Police Department’s insistence that a news organization pay the city nearly $3,000 to get video of a 2023 fatal shooting of a 51-year-old woman by officers. Yellow Scene Magazine requested the body-worn and dash-cam footage under Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act, passed in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The law does not have a fee provision, and it sets a timetable for the required release of unedited video and audio recordings of incidents “in which there is a complaint of peace ..read more

By Jeffrey A. Roberts CFOIC Executive Director State lawmakers Wednesday made significant adjustments to a bill that closes autopsy reports on minors, adding a deceased child’s name to the summary of information that must be released to the public following a death. Disclosing the name is “absolutely vital,” 9NEWS investigative reporter Kevin Vaughan told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing earlier in the week. “Without it, this measure would sanction failing, neglecting and abusing children to death in secrecy to protect the privacy of the people and systems who let tho ..read more