← Hearings

Review and Comment Hearing for Initiative #265

Tuesday, March 17, 2026·▶ Watch / Listen

In an advisory review-and-comment hearing, Legislative Council staff pressed the backers of proposed Initiative #265 — a constitutional amendment stripping 'artificial persons' of the power to spend on politics — on First Amendment collisions, murky terminology, and how it could ever be enforced. No vote was taken; the session is a required pre-circulation review, not a decision on the measure.

Key Actions

·Initiative #265 — limits on political spending by artificial personsAction

Notable Quotes

In Citizens United versus Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310, the U.S. supreme Court held that the government may not suppress political speech on the basis of the speaker's corporate identity. Have the proponents considered whether prohibiting artificial persons from exercising political spending power conflicts with the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and controlling federal case law?

Allison Killen (Office of Legislative Legal Services)The central legal hurdle for any measure barring corporate political spending — staff put the controlling precedent squarely to the proponents at the outset.

+ 4 more quotes

Unlock the full summary

Subscribe to see every key action, the full discussion, amendments, and notable quotes.

Sign in to subscribe
TranscriptPreview
All right. This is the review and comment hearing for proposed initiative measure 2025. 2026, number 265 concerning limits on political spending by artificial persons. It is March 13th at 1:03pm I am Alexa Kelly. I'm with Legislative Council staff. Allison Killen, staff attorney with the Office of Legislative Legal Services. I'm Evanna Dallas, here just to represent our initiative as a private citizen. Sherry Stieg, one of the proponents. Great. So section 1:41,005:1. Yeah, there is. Okay. Sorry. Just thought. Council. Oh, no, Liz. Oh, sorry. We do. For the record, we do have both of our proponents here. Okay. Sorry. It is. It is a crucial statement. So we want to make sure. Section 1 40, 151, the Colorado Revised Statute requires the directors of Legislative Council staff and the Office of Legislative Legal Services to review and comment on initiative petitions for proposed laws and amendments to the Colorado Constitution. We hereby submit our comments and questions to you regarding the appended proposed initiative. The purpose of this statutory requirement of the directors of Legislative Council Staff and the Office of Legislative Legal Services is to provide comments and questions intended to aid designated representatives and the
Continue reading

Subscribe to unlock the full transcript, summary, and search across all Colorado committee hearings.

Sign in to subscribe