Senate committee advances voluntary $5 vehicle registration option to fund wildlife crossings (SB 26-141)

The Senate Transportation and Energy Committee voted to send Senate Bill 26-141 to the Committee on Finance with a favorable recommendation after adopting sponsor amendments designed to address administrative and public-education concerns raised by county clerks.

The bill would add an optional $5 contribution at the time of vehicle registration that would flow into a collision prevention fund. Sponsors said the fund would be managed—through a newly created account—by the state’s Bridge and Tunnel Enterprise (BTE), which the bill expands to include wildlife collision prevention infrastructure. Those dollars would be used for crossings and fencing; a portion (25%) would support Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s habitat connectivity work.

Supporters pointed to strong evidence and local experience. “When we build wildlife crossings in the right places and pair them with game fencing, we’re seeing reductions in wildlife-vehicle collisions of over 90%,” Senator Roberts said. Witnesses from conservation groups, local governments, AAA and volunteer firefighters described personal tragedies and economic costs; multiple witnesses cited data showing thousands of wildlife collisions statewide and large economic harms from resulting traffic disruptions and vehicle repairs.

County clerks asked for clarity and resources for implementation. Molly Fitzpatrick (Boulder County Clerk and Recorder) and other clerks said an opt‑out presentation at renewals would create education, printing and counter‑time costs and sought vendor fees, refund mechanisms and a timeline that ensured educational materials and vendor support would be ready before collections began. Sponsors said they negotiated L002 with clerks’ input and that the amendment addresses most concerns while preserving the voluntary nature of the contribution.

The committee adopted L002 (which updates implementation language and clerk consultation) and other sponsor‑proposed fixes and then voted to send the amended bill to Finance. The recorded vote was 7 to 2 in favor.

What happens next: The bill moves to the Finance Committee, where members will scrutinize the fiscal note, the education campaign financing, and governance language for the collision prevention fund.

Key quote: “By establishing the small voluntary $5 fee the bill will create a reliable funding source for projects to save lives and money,” Patrick Lane of Pew Charitable Trusts testified, summarizing supporters’ return‑on‑investment argument.

The committee’s action leaves open further negotiations on vendor fees, refund language and the timing and scope of the statewide education campaign; sponsors and clerks said they will continue to work together as the bill progresses.