The Colorado Secretary of State adopted new campaign finance regulations Friday to implement contribution limits passed earlier this year.

The changes stem from two bills approved 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.

With the new rules 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. 

HB-1156 will change the post-election report filing deadlines for public officials from 30 days to 35 days. It will 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 rules will take effect 20 days after publication in the Colorado Register.

The state held a public hearing to gather feedback on the new rules on Sept. 15. A recording of the hearing is available online. Any members of the public with questions or concerns regarding the new rules are asked to contact SOS.Rulemaking@coloradosos.gov.