Advocacy

CML Advocacy Team

Beverly Stables, Interim Legislative Advocacy Manager
Beverly covers issues regulated to substances, hemp, criminal justice, special districts, immigration, public safety, municipal courts, telecom/broadband/IT, Utilities, and State Department/Offices (DOLA, DOR, CDPS, Dept. of Law, Judiciary, Office of Resiliency and Recovery, OIT, SIPA, and PUC).

Elizabeth Haskell, legislative and policy advocate
ELizabeth's issues include beer and liquor; employment and labor; economic development; retirement/pensions; taxation and fiscal policy; lottery and gaming; historic preservation, municipal debt and finance; purchasing; and State Department/Offices (PERA/FPPA, EDDC/OEDIT, CDLE, DOLA, DOR, and GOCO).

Owen Brigner legislative and policy advocate
Owen's issues include criminal justice, public safety, governmental immunity, and immigration. He also assists in training and answering inquiries for municipal officials on various topics).

Emma Donahue, legislative and policy advocate
Emma's issues include advocating municipal interests before the state legislature, elections, natural resources and environment, oil and gas, open meetings and open records, severance tax, water, and wildfires. She also assists in training and answering inquiries for municipal officials on various topics.

2025 CML Box Score

Support and Oppose Bills

• CML box score of support and oppose bills
• CML-followed House bills
• CML-followed Senate bills

Statehouse Report

Click here to view the most recent Statehouse Reports.

Legislative Priorities

Laws Enacted

2025 Colorado Laws Enacted Affecting Municipal Governments is now available. Past editions are available here.  

Legal

Legal Services

Amicus Library

CML advocates in support of municipal interests in state and federal courts. The CML legal team maintains an amicus curiae program. You can also visit our amicus brief library dating back to 1950.

Amicus Update

January 29, 2025

CML filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in the Colorado Supreme Court in support of the City of Salida in a dispute over the city’s authority to issue amplified noise permits that allow exceedances of limits in the Noise Abatement Act. The Supreme Court’s decision will resolve divergent opinions issued by separate panels of the Court of Appeals in Hobbs v. City of Salida, 550 P.3d 193 (Colo. App. 2024), and Freed v. Bonfire Entertainment, 556 P.3d 817 (Colo. App. 2024). CML’s briefing highlights the traditional role of statutory municipalities like Salida in regulating noise and promoting important social and cultural events and activities. Read CML’s brief in the Amicus Library.

January 14, 2025

At the Court’s invitation, CML filed amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) briefs in the Colorado Supreme Court in support of the Cities of Westminster and Aurora to defend the home rule authority of municipalities to define municipal offenses and penalties. In three municipal court cases, the defendants challenged the cities’ municipal offenses for theft, trespass, and motor vehicle trespass. The defendants argue that the local laws violate constitutional guarantees of equal protection because the potential local penalties are more severe than penalties for similar state crimes. They also argue that the local laws are preempted by 2021 state laws that reclassified crimes under state law and reduced the associated penalties. CML’s briefing highlights the important role that municipal courts play in the justice system and the constitutional home rule authority to define municipal offenses and penalties.  Read CML’s briefs in the Amicus Library.

Legal Corner

CML's legal team provides regular commentary on municipal legal issues in CML's biweekly newsletter. Read CML's legal corners here.

Municipal Law Update

CML's legal team provides members with a monthly summary of state and federal legal decisions, administrative rulemakings, and legal news involving municipalities. Reach out to Denise White if you would like to receive the Municipal Law Update.