Forest Health Council legislative committee reviews bills, flags funding and procurement risks
December 23, 2025 | Department of Natural Resources, State Agencies, Organizations, Executive, Colorado
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The Colorado Forest Health Council legislative committee met Feb. 21 to review its 2026 recommendations and to discuss the status of several bills the council has been tracking.
Commissioner Jody Shattuck McNally, chair of the committee, said she had testified in hearings for House Bill 25-1078 and House Bill 25-0007 and that both bills had passed out of committee, but may advance only with amendments. “They didn’t have a lot of questions for the Forest Health Council,” McNally said about the hearings where the council and other state partners testified.
James, a staff member supporting the council, told the group both bills include appropriations clauses and are now awaiting action in appropriations committees. He said sponsors reduced an initial $1,000,000 appropriation in one bill to $250,000 to improve its chance of moving through the General Assembly. “They did take that down to just be $250,000,” James said, noting the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) could still alter those figures.
The committee spent significant time on Senate Bill 11, an advanced-detection AI camera proposal. James and others said sponsors had attempted to place the program within the Colorado State Forest Service’s Incentives for Local Governments grant program. Committee members and agency staff raised operational and procurement concerns: the draft law as written appeared to favor a single vendor, could create exclusivity for one company and raised questions about who would receive or control the data the cameras collect.
Allison Lerch, staff to the council, summarized guidance from the Department of Natural Resources and the Attorney General’s office about agency involvement: DNR employees can participate in strictly educational events related to the bills, but the statute and procurement rules limit how the State Forest Service could host or operate a vendor-run detection program without clear funding and contracting authority.
On the broader fiscal outlook, James warned the group that Colorado’s budgeting rules, including TABOR, and differing forecasts between the Legislative Council and the governor’s Office of State Planning and Budget mean appropriations are likely to be tight. He said the forthcoming quarterly forecasts will give a clearer picture of what the state can afford and that current constraints are likely to continue into the next fiscal year.
The committee did not take formal votes on legislation during the meeting. Members said they will watch amendments to SB11 and appropriations actions closely and will circulate annualized funding figures and any updated bill language to the group.
Adjournment: The committee adjourned by voice vote at the conclusion of the scheduled business.
Commissioner Jody Shattuck McNally, chair of the committee, said she had testified in hearings for House Bill 25-1078 and House Bill 25-0007 and that both bills had passed out of committee, but may advance only with amendments. “They didn’t have a lot of questions for the Forest Health Council,” McNally said about the hearings where the council and other state partners testified.
James, a staff member supporting the council, told the group both bills include appropriations clauses and are now awaiting action in appropriations committees. He said sponsors reduced an initial $1,000,000 appropriation in one bill to $250,000 to improve its chance of moving through the General Assembly. “They did take that down to just be $250,000,” James said, noting the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) could still alter those figures.
The committee spent significant time on Senate Bill 11, an advanced-detection AI camera proposal. James and others said sponsors had attempted to place the program within the Colorado State Forest Service’s Incentives for Local Governments grant program. Committee members and agency staff raised operational and procurement concerns: the draft law as written appeared to favor a single vendor, could create exclusivity for one company and raised questions about who would receive or control the data the cameras collect.
Allison Lerch, staff to the council, summarized guidance from the Department of Natural Resources and the Attorney General’s office about agency involvement: DNR employees can participate in strictly educational events related to the bills, but the statute and procurement rules limit how the State Forest Service could host or operate a vendor-run detection program without clear funding and contracting authority.
On the broader fiscal outlook, James warned the group that Colorado’s budgeting rules, including TABOR, and differing forecasts between the Legislative Council and the governor’s Office of State Planning and Budget mean appropriations are likely to be tight. He said the forthcoming quarterly forecasts will give a clearer picture of what the state can afford and that current constraints are likely to continue into the next fiscal year.
The committee did not take formal votes on legislation during the meeting. Members said they will watch amendments to SB11 and appropriations actions closely and will circulate annualized funding figures and any updated bill language to the group.
Adjournment: The committee adjourned by voice vote at the conclusion of the scheduled business.
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