House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources

Thursday, February 19, 2026·1h 42m·▶ Watch / Listen

The House agriculture panel modernized Colorado's farm and ranch tax definitions and euthanized a veterinary advisory committee that never meets, both without dissent, before a coal-country hiring-preference bill drew the day's only split vote.

Key Actions

·Sunset Veterinary Pharmaceutical Advisory CommitteePassed

+ 2 more actions

Notable Quotes

“the simple answer was that chickens and pigs don't graze. Our understanding is that pigs basically are rooting around in the dirt and chickens are grain fed. However, through these discussions, additional research, and lots of conversations with ranchers, we've confirmed that certain breeds of pigs and chickens are bred for pasture based grazing.”
Brenda Dones (Weld County Assessor, Colorado Assessors Association) · witness — The assessors' reversal explains why the bill was needed — county officials had been denying the ag classification to legitimate pasture-based livestock operations based on a mistaken assumption.

+ 4 more quotes

Votes

Referred to Committee of the WholeAction

Yes (12)Lesley Smith, Tisha Mauro, Lori Garcia Sander, Lori Goldstein, Dusty Johnson, Mandy Lindsay, Meghan Lukens, Matthew Martinez, Katie Stewart, Tammy Story, Larry Don Suckla, Karen McCormick

Excused (1)Ty Winter

Referred to Committee of the WholeAction

Yes (12)Lori Goldstein, Dusty Johnson, Mandy Lindsay, Meghan Lukens, Matthew Martinez, Lesley Smith, Katie Stewart, Tammy Story, Larry Don Suckla, Tisha Mauro, Karen McCormick, Lori Garcia Sander

Excused (1)Ty Winter

Referred to Committee of the WholeAction

Yes (11)Lesley Smith, Katie Stewart, Tammy Story, Dusty Johnson, Tisha Mauro, Karen McCormick, Lori Goldstein, Mandy Lindsay, Meghan Lukens, Matthew Martinez, Ty Winter

No (2)Larry Don Suckla, Lori Garcia Sander

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TranscriptPreview

Natural Resources Committee will come to order. Ms. Kelly, please call the roll. Representatives Garcia. Sander. Present. Goldstein. Here. Johnson. Here. Lindsey. Here. Lukens. Excused. Martinez. Here. Smith. Here. Stewart. Here. Sorry. Here. Sukla. Here. Winter. Excused. McCormick. Here. Madam Chair. Here. We will now Hear Senate Bill 2610. Will the bill sponsors stay at the table? Have a seat. But just stay right where you are and go ahead and thank you, Madam Speaker. Go ahead. Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the introduction. Good morning members. It is great to see you all today. I am very excited to be here with my CO Prime, Representative McCormick, to share with you Senate Bill 10. I first want to share my thanks to the members of the Water Resources and Agricultural Review Committee, the Colorado Assessors association, the Farm Bureau, our Colorado Livestock association and the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union who have all been great partners in helping us bring forward this bill since the interim of 2024. So we're talking. Over the last two years, the water Resources and Ag Review Committee has grappled with how the agricultural land property tax exemption, something that's been in existence now…

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