Bill
HJR 1031
Designates January 11, 2027, as the session convening date and creates an alternative, complex deadline schedule (Rule 22B) for the 76th General Assembly.
HJR 1031 (2026A) – Summary
Purpose and scope
- This House Joint Resolution designates a specific convening date for the First Regular Session of the Seventy-Sixth General Assembly in Colorado.
- It also adds a new Joint Rule (22B) establishing an alternative deadline schedule for the 76th General Assembly, detailing how legislative deadlines would operate based on the convening date.
Designated convening date
- The bill designates Monday, January 11, 2027, as the convening date for the First Regular Session of the Seventy-Sixth General Assembly.
New joint rule: 22B – Alternative Deadline Schedule
- Applicability: Joint Rule 22B applies to the First Regular Session of the Seventy-Sixth General Assembly, including any deadlines related to the session before it convenes. It supersedes conflicting provisions in Joint Rules 23(a)(1) and 24(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A) to the extent that those rules reference deadlines set under Rule 23(a)(1).
- Purpose: Establishes a reorganized calendar and deadlines for organizing the session, including when bills may be introduced, how many bills a member may request, and other procedural milestones.
- Key deadline structure (highlights):
- Early-bird deadlines tied to December 1, 2026 and December 15, 2026 for members’ bill requests and prefiling actions.
- 5-day, 7-day, 12-day, 19-day, 26-day, 29-day, 33-day, 47-day, 54-day, 59-day, 66-day, 78-day, 82-day, 85-day, 89-day, 92-day, 96-day, 100-day, 101-day, 106-day, 107-day, 108-day, 113-day, 115-day, 117-day, and 120-day milestones are laid out for various steps (e.g., drafting requests, filing bills, committee reporting, final passages, appropriations processes).
- Specific emphasis on deadlines related to bills that increase the number of judges and to the long and supplemental appropriations bills.
- An explicit exclusion for all bills in the Appropriations Committee and all bills in the Legislative Council acting as a committee of reference on the day of the asterisked final passage deadline, with a memo process for identifying which bills are exempt.
- House and Senate rule amendments: The Joint Rules for both chambers are amended to reflect the new deadline sequencing, including revised schedules for introducing bills, committee reporting, and final passage timing.
Eligibility and limits (procedural)
- Provisions specify limits on how many bills a member may request prior to certain dates (e.g., up to three bills requested before December 1/December 15; certain drafting requests capped at five).
- Guidance for members who will serve in the next General Assembly but are not current members, including how prefiled bills are treated.
- Rules governing bill drafting requests and information requirements for the Office of Legislative Legal Services.
Effective date
- The joint rule (22B) is repealed effective January 1, 2028, suggesting the alternative schedule is temporary for the 76th Assembly, after which standard rules may apply.
Impact
- For lawmakers: A reorganized, prescriptive timeline to file, draft, and move bills, with explicit deadlines that differ from current schedules.
- For staff: A detailed framework to prioritize fiscal notes, printing, distribution, and committee actions aligned with the new dates.
- For the public: A predictable, though compressed/expanded sequence of legislative deadlines that could affect budgetary and education-related legislation, particularly around appropriations.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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