Colorado State Legislature

Coloradans are on edge as climate change is fueling bigger, more destructive fires that are destroying entire neighborhoods and forcing evacuations all sound the state. Some forecasters say things could get worse this summer than they’ve ever been.

The dust is just starting to settle in the aftermath of Colorado’s legislative session. Lawmakers were frantically working Wednesday night to pass dozens of bills just minutes before a midnight deadline. But not everything got through. Here are some of the highlights from the final weeks of Colorado’s legislative session.

The dust is starting to settle at the Colorado State Capitol after the legislative session ended late last night. And Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources has confirmed avian flu in a deceased great horned owl.

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced a new round of funding for water projects this week. And Democrats at the Colorado state Capitol have passed a bill they say will protect elections from insider threats.

Colorado lawmakers have passed a bill they say includes the most money they have ever spent on affordable housing projects. And they have rejected an effort to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products.

Arizona is among the states to see cuts to its water reserves this year, thanks to a federal plan to hold back water in Lake Powell, and state officials say while they’re prepared for a drier future, more work needs to be done. And Colorado lawmakers are quickly advancing a bill they say will save residents seven hundred million dollars in property taxes over the next two years.

Colorado lawmakers are on the verge of passing a bill to address a spike in fentanyl overdose deaths. And the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is allocating 4 million dollars to fund habitat restoration across the state.

The Colorado House has passed a bill to ban sales of flavored tobacco products. And the US Department of Agriculture announced it will be investing thirty million dollars in the San Juan National Forest.

Colorado lawmakers are considering a proposal to increase safety measures in Colorado’s assisted-living facilities to protect residents and prevent abuse and neglect of older Coloradans. Among other protections, Senate Bill 154 would require facilities to give residents at least 30 days' notice of discharge and create a transparent appeals process.

Colorado lawmakers say they will pass a bill to provide hundreds of millions in property tax relief over the next two years. And the Ute Mountain Ute tribe is receiving a grant worth one and a half million dollars from the Colorado Housing and Finance authority.