Senate repasses House Bill 1056 after conference panel narrows tolling language for wireless permits

The Colorado Senate on April 10, 2025, repassed House Bill 1056, a measure that revises local-government permitting rules for wireless telecommunication facilities after a conference committee amended tolling provisions to add guardrails.

Senator Roberts, a sponsor of the Senate version, told colleagues the conference committee retained tolling language but tightened it to prevent unintended delays while preserving the bill’s intent to improve cellular coverage. “We are still keeping that tolling language. It will allow local governments to toll these wireless infrastructure applications,” Senator Roberts said on the floor.

The conference report adopted the amended tolling language and, Roberts said, included additional limits “to make sure that it didn’t get out of hand and that we were still honoring the intent of the bill, which is to get our constituents better cell phone coverage.” The committee report was adopted unanimously in conference committee, according to the transcript.

On a subsequent roll call for repassage the Senate recorded 29 ayes and 4 no votes; Senators Frizzell, Bazely, Pelton R, and Winter were recorded as voting no. Two senators were excused. The motion for repassage was made by Senator Roberts.

The transcript shows debate focused on the tolling language (the ability of local governments to temporarily halt or toll wireless permit applications) and on balancing expedited deployment of wireless facilities with local control. The text of the conference amendment and the specific guardrails were described on the floor but detailed statutory text was not read into the record during the repassage discussion in the segment captured by the transcript.

No further formal action or implementation steps were recorded in the Senate segment of the transcript beyond the repassage vote recorded that day.