The Colorado Secretary of State began considering new campaign finance regulations on Monday, issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking and scheduling a public hearing. 

The potential changes stem from two bills passed during this year’s legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis: House Bill 1060, which caps contribution amounts made to school board candidates, and House Bill 1156, which updates reporting requirements for public officials.

If the preliminary rules to implement the bills are approved, HB-1060 will limit contributions to school board candidates to $2,500 for individuals and $25,000 for small donor committees. Currently, there is no limit on how much someone can give a school board candidate, resulting in individual contributions as high as $40,000 in the last couple of election cycles.

The Democrat sponsors of HB-1060 argued that contribution limits keep candidates accountable and avoid the appearance of impropriety. For candidates running for the state House or Senate, individual contributions are already limited to $400.

Tens of millions of dollars waiting to be reclaimed by Colorado residents

HB-1156 would change the post-election report filing deadlines for public officials from 30 days to 35 days. It would also remove duplicative language and clarify that candidates seeking reelection do not need to re-file a personal disclosure statement if they already have a statement on file.

The public hearing will be held on Sept. 15 at 11 a.m. to discuss the preliminary draft rules to implement HB-1060 and HB-1156.

The public is invited to testify at the hearing or to submit written comments to SOS.Rulemaking@coloradosos.gov. The hearing will be conducted in-person at the Department of State’s Office and via webinar. To register for the webinar, click here.