The Colorado Office of Policy, Research and Regulatory Reform (COPRRR), part of the Executive Director’s Office at the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), has released its 2025 sunset reports. These documents have been delivered to the Colorado General Assembly and are available to the public on COPRRR’s website.
Patty Salazar, Executive Director of DORA, stated, “Colorado strives to be at the forefront of balanced regulation and regulatory reform. Through the sunset process, we provide the General Assembly with comprehensive and thoughtful recommendations for changes to government programs. Protecting consumers while minimizing regulatory barriers for Coloradans is more important than ever.”
This year’s reviews covered 22 state government programs with the goal of identifying ways to reduce regulatory burdens while maintaining consumer protections. According to COPRRR, stakeholder feedback helped highlight opportunities for improving organizational processes and updating policies in energy, workforce, and healthcare. The reviewed programs span multiple state departments including DORA, Public Health and Environment, State, Public Safety, Human Services, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Colorado State University, and the State Forest Service.
Brian Tobias, Director of COPRRR, commented, “While consumer protection is front and center in all that we do, we also seek to find the balance between protecting the public and eliminating unnecessary regulatory burdens. Public participation is vital to the sunset process. When conducting sunset reviews, we strive to include as many interested parties as possible. We try to make hearing your voice as easy as possible. We implement various engagement strategies, such as accepting written comments, conducting in-person interviews, and holding town halls, among others. We also encourage you to contact us directly if you have questions or want to participate in any of our future reviews.”
Among the key recommendations:
– Regulation should continue for professions such as physicians, physician assistants, anesthesiologist assistants, podiatrists, barbers and cosmetologists, bail bonding agents, and real estate brokers. The Division of Professions and Occupations was also reviewed as required by statute.
– Licensure requirements should remain for substance abuse treatment programs using controlled substances, subdivision developers, fire suppression contractors and inspectors, hemodialysis centers and technicians, and barber and cosmetology businesses.
– Several state programs were recommended for continued oversight. These include the Public Utilities Commission’s regulation of utilities and transportation services; registration requirements under the Colorado Securities Act; regulation under the Professional Boxing Safety Act; oversight through the Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act; water vessel registration; activities of the Cold Case Task Force; Forest Health Council; Food Systems Advisory Council; and the Compliance Advisory Panel required by federal law.
– Some programs were recommended for discontinuation. These include the Biomass Utilization Grant Program due to limited use; the Business Intelligence Center Advisory Board because its work is largely finished; the Veterinary Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee which has not met since 2021; and the Kidney Disease Prevention and Education Task Force upon completion of its mandate in September 2026.
The full reports and information about future sunset review schedules are accessible at coprrr.colorado.gov.
