Colorado state representatives voted along party lines to pass a bill establishing additional inspection requirements for immigration detention centers and expanding civil liabilities related to sharing information with federal immigration authorities.

It’s the latest proposal to come out of the state Capitol ,which has embraced so-called “sanctuary laws,” which limit or prohibit cooperation with federal authorities on enforcing immigration laws.

Notably, House Bill 1276 permits the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to require ICE detention facilities to comply with certain health and safety standards and pay for environmental impact studies.

It expands a current law prohibiting employees of state agencies or political subdivisions from disclosing an individual’s immigration status to federal authorities by extending civil penalty liability to the employer. It additionally requires the state’s Peace Officers Standards and Training Board to train law enforcement officers on federal immigration law and mandates the Attorney General’s Office to develop policies on the sharing of personally identifying information with federal immigration authorities.

Supporters of the legislation said it’s necessary amid deaths in ICE detention facilities, while critic argued lawmakers are wasting their time debating another immigration measure when Colorado faces numerous problems, including a budget deficit of more than $1 billion.

Rep. Ryan Gonzalez, R-Greeley, said he could not get behind the measure, despite amendments to make it “easier to agree with.”

“I’m still struggling with the idea that while Colorado roads are deteriorating, our health care system is failing, students in K-12 are not performing at grade level, and our budget is out of control, we are spending time debating federal policy that I struggle to believe is acting in a manner that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want me to believe it is,” he said.  “I wanted to get to a yes, I really did, but I just couldn’t get there.”

Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, said local law enforcement’s resources should be dedicated to serving their communities and not enforcing federal immigration laws.

Garcia claimed that 46 people have died in ICE detention facilities so far this year. Many of them were denied medical care, she said, calling it “appalling.”

Routine inspections of detention facilities — Colorado is currently home to one, in Aurora, but there are a number of other temporary holding facilities around the state — would help prevent individuals from enduring the conditions reported at facilities around the country, including inadequate food and lack of medical care, Garcia said.

Republicans requested that the bill be procedurally brought back to the Judiciary Committee, saying the six amendments made on the House floor resulted in a completely different legislation than what was introduced.

“With the amount of changes and everything that has been done to this bill, it’s so heavily amended, it’s almost like a brand-new bill,” said Rep. Rebecca Keltie, R-Colorado Springs, who sits on the Judiciary Committee. “The bill that passed through Judiciary, this is not it.”

Reps. Lorena Garcia, D-Adams County said the amendments have resulted in the state’s law enforcement organizations moving from opposition to neutral on the bill.

“We have done a lot of work in this bill to address constitutional concerns,” she told members.

The motion to bring the bill back to committee failed.

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-Fort Morgan, sought to place a cap on how much the state could charge detention facilities for inspections — $1,600 for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, and $900 for every year following.

“I don’t want it to become a tax where we’re using it to pay for other initiatives because we’re in a tight budget year,” Johnson said.

“We cannot cap a fee that is being used to ensure that our neighbors are safe,” responded Rep. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins. “If we do that without knowing what the need is and how much of this fee is needed to ensure the health and safety of Coloradans, we end up not meeting the intent of this bill.”

House Bill 1276 passed on a 42-21 vote and will next be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the Senate, it is sponsored by Democratic Sens. Mike Weissman and Iman Jodeh.