Committee advances bill to create voluntary wild-horse specialty license plate to fund fertility control

A Colorado House committee on Wednesday advanced House Bill 1306, which would create a voluntary wild‑horse specialty license plate and route donor funds into a custodial Wild Horse Fund at the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

The bill's sponsor described the plate as a way for Coloradans to donate directly to programs for humane wild‑horse management. "This is not a mandate, it's not a tax, it's a choice," the sponsor told the committee, asking members for a yes vote.

Wayne East, Ag Wildlife Programs Manager at the Colorado Department of Agriculture, said the state lacks a sustained funding source to continue fertility‑control and habitat projects launched by earlier laws and working groups. "Please support the Wild Horse license plate so we can continue to partner with our partner agencies like the BLM, our volunteers, and the organizations to help Colorado's wild horses," East said.

Witnesses representing conservation groups and volunteer darting teams described field results they said show fertility control can reduce foal births without removals. "That is proof of concept at scale," Sandra Hagen Solon of American Wild Horse Conservation said, citing outcomes from long‑running programs. Volunteer darters testified to multi‑year treatment counts and reduced foaling rates in specific herd management areas.

Members pressed administration witnesses on fiscal mechanics, focusing on TABOR treatment and Department of Revenue (DOR) production and tab fees tied to specialty plates. The fiscal analyst explained that while donations directed into the Wild Horse Fund are written in the bill as custodial (TABOR‑exempt) revenue, the standard plate production and tab fees collected by DOR remain subject to TABOR rules and drive near‑term DOR expenditures.

There were no amendments. Representative Camacho moved the bill to Appropriations with a favorable recommendation, seconded by Representative Gonzales. The committee recorded a 6–5 favorable recommendation and sent HB1306 to the Committee on Appropriations.

The next step is a hearing in Appropriations, where fiscal details and any implementation language will be further reviewed.