This timeline records major statutory developments in Colorado open meetings, open records, and adjacent access law. It is not a complete list of every amendment in CRS source notes.
1968: CORA's core public-records provisions are enacted. CRS source notes for sections 24-72-201 through 24-72-205 trace their origin to 1968 session laws.
1972-1973: Colorado's Sunshine Act/open meetings law originates through the 1972 initiated measure and 1973 session-law codification. Current sections 24-6-401 and 24-6-402 carry source notes for "Initiated 72" and 1973 session laws.
1977: The Criminal Justice Records Act is added as part 3 of article 72. CORA's public-record definition is amended to exclude criminal justice records subject to part 3, creating a durable boundary between ordinary public records and criminal justice records.
1991: The open meetings declaration and meetings section are substantially rewritten, establishing much of the modern COML structure.
1996: The General Assembly modernizes COML and CORA for electronic communications. COML adds the elected-official electronic-mail rule and chief executive officer finalist process. CORA adds correspondence, custodian, electronic mail, work product, and the e-mail monitoring policy requirement.
1999: CORA adds the deliberative-process privilege provision now codified at section 24-72-204(3)(a)(XIII).
2001: COML adds electronic recording requirements for executive sessions. CORA adds the executive-session record-access mechanism in section 24-72-204(5.5), plus remedy/procedure amendments.
2012: COML adds the secret-ballot restriction for formal action, with leadership and search-committee exceptions.
2014: COML subsection (9) is amended to strengthen standing and fee provisions. CORA adds the research and retrieval fee structure in section 24-72-205(6).
2017: SB17-040 adds CORA's digital-format rights, including searchable/sortable production rules and procedures for format denials.
2019: COML local-meeting notice provisions are amended to move local bodies toward online notice. CORA adds legislative workplace harassment and address-confidentiality changes that affect records access.
2021: HB21-1025 clarifies when e-mail exchanges among elected officials count as COML meetings by excluding non-merits scheduling, forwarding, inquiry-response, and later-discussion communications. HB21-1051 modifies chief executive officer finalist provisions and related records provisions.
2022: HB22-1110 adds the school district and charter school chief executive officer finalist negotiation/interview executive-session category now codified in section 24-6-402(4)(i).
2023: SB23-286 substantially modernizes CORA practice by restricting identification demands, strengthening digital-searchable/sortable production, prohibiting conversion to non-searchable format, barring per-page fees for digital/electronic records, requiring electronic payment where public entities accept it for other services, requiring e-mail retention reporting, and opening certain elected-official sexual-harassment records after culpability findings.
2024: SB24-157 creates General Assembly-specific COML rules for contemporaneous quorum, written communications, and the definition of General Assembly public business. The act takes effect March 12, 2024.
2025: SB25-147 adds the PERA board of trustees to the COML local-public-body definition and requires PERA board meeting and website transparency changes.
2025: SB25-077, a broad CORA modification bill, is vetoed on April 17, 2025. Its bill-page summary identifies current access-administration fault lines but it is not current law.
2026: SB26-107 is introduced in the 2026 Regular Session to modify CORA. As captured, it is a live bill, not enacted law.
Best next historical step: capture the original 1968 CORA session laws, 1973 Sunshine Act session-law text, the 1977 CJRA enactment, and major 1991, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2014, and 2017 amendment chapters into the raw package.