Bill > HB1079

This bill expands the jurisdiction of the Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) to include special district and school district officials and certain employees. Specifically, the bill defines "school district official" as a board member and "school district employee" as the superintendent or head administrative officer who is directly hired and supervised by the school board. Similarly, "special district official" is defined as a board member, and "special district employee" is an employee directly hired and supervised by the special district's board. The IEC will now have the authority to hear complaints, issue findings, assess penalties, and provide advisory opinions on ethics issues involving these officials and employees, applying the standards of conduct outlined in Article XXIX of the state constitution. The bill acknowledges that expanding the IEC's jurisdiction will likely increase the number of ethics complaints and require additional resources. To address this, the bill includes an appropriation of $120,856 for the 2025-26 fiscal year to support an additional 0.8 full-time equivalent (FTE) position for the commission and legal services. The bill will take effect after the 90-day legislative period, with the possibility of a referendum petition potentially delaying implementation until the November 2026 election.

Budget and Finance, Housing and Urban Affairs, Military Affairs and Security

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1079