Gov. Jared Polis visited Summit County and the Yampa Valley on Wednesday to sign several bills into law, including measures that sponsors say will protect Colorado’s wetlands.

The governor also signed measures that seek to increase health care access for rural communities.

In Silverthorne, Polis signed House Bill 1379 and House Bill 1435.

HB 1379 is state lawmakers’ response to the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, which stripped critical protections away from about one million acres of Colorado wetlands. 

The bill requires the state’s Water Quality Control Commission to establish rules by the end of 2025 for a statewide program regulating the discharge of dredged or fill material into state waters. Oversight and enforcement of dredge and fill authorizations will fall under the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The bill also allocates approximately $1 million over the next three years to implement the program. 

The bill was sponsored by House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, and Rep. Karen McCormick, D-Longmont, as well as by Sens. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Kirkmeyer lauded the bill’s passage, saying it “now provides certainty for Coloradans and, more importantly, this bill will protect our critical streams and wetlands.”

“Colorado is a headwaters state, and our rivers supply millions of people in the United States with water needed for drinking, agriculture, industry and outdoor recreation,” she said. “We are proud that this bill will protect our environment and protect critical investments in affordable housing as our state grows towards a responsible future.”

McCluskie added, “After the Supreme Court removed important protections and left our waterways in jeopardy, we knew we must take action now to secure Colorado’s water future. As this bill is signed into law, we are now one step closer to a Colorado-specific approach to protecting our streams, rivers and wetlands.”

House Bill 1435 is the annual projects bill for the Colorado Water Conservation Board. 

The breakdown of the $220 million in the bill for 2024 includes $23 million in water plan grant funding, which is supported by sports betting revenue; $2 million for turf replacement; $2 million for innovative water forecasting; $4 million for drought planning; $165 million in loan funds for water supply projects; and, $20 million for the Shoshone water right acquisition on the Colorado River.

The bill was sponsored by McCormick and Rep. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, along with Roberts and Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa.

“Water is life in Colorado and today I was proud to protect our water resources that are essential for our agriculture, our economy, and our way of life,” Polis said. 

At Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs, Polis signed two additional water bills — Senate Bill 197 and House Bill 1362.

The first bill allows owners of decreed storage water rights to lend their water to the Colorado water conservation board for stream reaches without decreed instream flow rights and requires the board to establish an agricultural water protection program in all water divisions.  

The bill was sponsored by Roberts and Sen. Perry Will, R-New Castle, and McCluskie and Catlin from the House.

The second bill allows graywater treatment systems to be installed in new construction projects and permits the use of graywater statewide, unless a local government elects to prohibit it. The bill was sponsored by Reps. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, and Catlin, and Roberts and Simpson.

In Hayden, Polis signed two bills aimed at driving economic development in rural areas and increasing access to childcare. 

House Bill 1001 extends the state’s rural jump-start program, which incentivizes businesses to move to rural areas through benefits like tax exemptions and grants. The bill increases the allowable administrative cost of the grant program and extends the new business and new hire income tax credits until Jan. 1, 2031. It also limits the Office of Economic Development’s approval of rural jump-start zones to three per year in counties with populations under 100,000. 

The bill was sponsored by Lukens and Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, along with Roberts and Simpson.

House Bill 1237 establishes three new programs within the Division of Housing to support the development of child care facilities: a technical assistance program, a planning grant program, and a capital grant program. The bill requires the Division of Housing to collaborate with the Department of Early Childhood to develop policies and provide annual reports on the programs’ progress and impacts. 

“We are proud to build on the success of Rural Jump-Start and help even more businesses plant roots and grow in our incredible rural communities. This effort drives economic development and creates new jobs across our state,” said Polis. “I’m proud to break down barriers to access for childcare, helping more families get the needed support to be able to raise their kids and work.” 

The bill was sponsored by Reps. Mary Bradfield, R-Colorado Springs, and Lukens, with Sens. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, and Janice Rich, R-Grand Junction.  

Polis then traveled to Craig, where he signed SB 190, which expands the Rural Opportunity Office’s role in supporting diversification and workforce training in “coal transition communities.” The bill defines these communities as those where coal-powered electricity plants, coal mines, or any related manufacturing or transportation hubs were operational at any time in 2017.  

The bill creates refundable tax credits — one incentivizing businesses to use freight rail in coal transition communities and another encouraging railroad operators to maintain rail access in these communities. Additionally, the bill designates coal transition communities as “enterprise zones,” which allow for additional tax incentives for local businesses. 

“This law will help make mountain passenger rail a reality, while supporting a just transition and creating more economic opportunities for workers in communities like Craig,” said Polis. 

The bill was sponsored by Roberts in the Senate, and Lukens and McCluskie in the House.

Finally, Polis visited Frisco, where he signed Senate Bill 168 and House Bill 1219. 

SB 168 requires the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to provide reimbursement for providers using telehealth remote monitoring for certain Medicaid members. In addition, the bill creates the telehealth remote monitoring grant program to provide funds to rural outpatient facilities. 

The bill also requires the health care agency to provide coverage for continuous glucose monitors for Medicaid members. 

“Part of reducing healthcare costs means increasing access and that’s what this law does. Telehealth is an important tool for Coloradans across the state to get the care they need, but especially in our rural communities,” Polis said. 

The bill was sponsored by Roberts and Simpson in the Senate and McCluskie and Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista in the House.

HB 1219 expands state funding for firefighter benefits to include part-time and volunteer firefighters. It also requires employers to provide “heart and circulatory malfunction benefits” and participate in a cancer benefits program — if they have the sufficient funds.

In addition, the bill requires employers to participate in a trust that offering health screenings for law enforcement officers, if funding is available. The bill appropriates funding for each of these programs through 2029. 

“Our first responders help protect Coloradans and communities across our great state year round and this bill is about returning the favor by strengthening benefits for our firefighters,” Polis said.

The bill was sponsored by McCluskie and Rep. Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, and Sens. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling and Kyle Mullica, D-Northglenn.

Colorado Politics’ Marianne Goodland contributed to this story.