Colorado lawmakers debate transgender rights, rideshare regulation, deepfake porn in final hours of legislative session

Colorado lawmakers were debating bills regarding transgender rights, rideshare regulation and deepfake porn ahead of the final hours of legislative session. 

House Bill 25-1312 regarding transgender rights passed the Colorado Senate Tuesday after hours of debate and significant revisions. The Colorado House needs to concur with the Senate amendments before the bill heads to the Gov. Jared Polis. 

The final version of HB 25-1312 requires schools to have gender neutral dress codes and to use transgender student preferred names if they allow nicknames. It also defines dead-naming -- referring to a transgender person by something other than their chosen name and pronoun -- a form of discrimination.

Sponsors ultimately removed the most controversial provision of the transgender rights bill, which would have required courts to consider whether a parent is gender affirming when deciding child custody cases.

The governor's office shared in a statement, "Governor Polis appreciates the work of the bill sponsors and all the advocates involved in the bill's progression, especially in removing the controversial changes to family law from the bill and will review the final version when it reaches his desk."

A contentious bill regarding rideshares also underwent big changes in the final days after Uber threatened to leave the state. House Bill 25-1291 was brought by state Rep. Jenny Willford (Col-D) who says she was sexually assaulted by a Lyft driver.

Under the measure, rideshare companies would have to do background checks on drivers every six months and review complaints within 7 days. But a provision mandating audiovisual recordings was made optional if both the driver and rider don't object.
The bill is expected to pass the Senate Wednesday, and the House then needs to concur with the Senate amendments.

The governor's office indicated Polis still has concerns with the bill saying, "Governor Polis is committed to making Colorado safer for everyone, including making sure ridesharing companies are keeping riders and drivers safe. He has shared concerns about privacy, conflicts with federal and existing state law, and the ability of the bill to be successfully implemented ... at this point there remain significant legal and policy concerns."

The House took up Senate Bill 25-288 criminalizing intimate deepfakes in the final hours of the session. The measure makes it a crime to digitally alter pictures of real people to create fake nudes. Victims can also sue for up to $150,000 in damages.

Some lawmakers tried and failed to strip a provision providing immunity for the platforms used to make the images. The bill passed the House, so it returned to the Senate and repassed there. 

The Colorado General Assembly adjourns Wednesday.