Colorado has a rich history of protecting the right of the public to know what our government is doing. In 1972, Colorado Common Cause was instrumental in passing our nation’s first “Sunshine Law,” which requires all meetings of two or more members of any state public body to be open to the public (if public business is being discussed). We have also worked to vastly improve the Colorado Open Records Act (commonly known as CORA), which guarantees the right of every Coloradan to gain access to public records.

While Colorado has a firm grounding in our open records and meetings laws, many of these laws were written before the 21st Century, and must be modernized. In 2017 we took the first step by giving the public access to government records in a digital format. This allows the public to request and receive a digital file (such as an Access database), as opposed to a 1,000-page printout. We will continue our work to improve our open records and meetings laws in the coming years.

Lobbying:

In 2006, we helped draft and pass Amendment 41, which was overwhelmingly supported by Colorado voters. This law prohibits lobbyists from giving gifts to legislators, and placed a $50 limit on gifts from public servants to legislators. Before its passage, lobbyists gained unfair access to public officials by, for example, taking them to professional sporting events. These gifts now are prohibited, and the culture of gift giving is fading from Colorado politics.

Amendment 41 also placed a two-year revolving door restriction on legislators seeking to become lobbyists after they leave public office. This mandatory “cooling down” period prohibits legislators from immediately registering as a lobbyist or engaging in lobbying activities.

Colorado lobbyists must register with the Secretary of State, submit monthly reports on their lobbying for or against bills and policies, and their compensation. This information is available on the Colorado Secretary of State’s website.