Co state representative - andrew boesenecker

CO State Representative - Andrew Boesenecker

Party: Democrat | District: House District 53 (West Fort Collins / 80521 area)

2026-05-13

• HB 1430 (Colorado Budget Protection Act) passes both chambers: On the final day of the 2026 legislative session, the House voted 43-19-3 to concur with Senate amendments, completing passage. The bill is contingent on Initiative 175: if I-175 qualifies for and passes the November ballot, HB 1430 offsets its estimated $700M general fund impact by temporarily reducing gas excise taxes and vehicle registration fees. Awaiting Governor's signature.
  

Sources:
- Road funding fight roils Colorado Capitol — Colorado Sun
- HB26-1430 — Colorado General Assembly

2026-05-15

• Speaker Pro Tempore: Boesenecker is currently serving as Speaker Pro Tem in the Colorado House.
  
• Colorado Budget Protection Act (HB 1430): Co-sponsored with Rep. Emily Sirota. This referred measure would go to voters in the 2026 general election and is designed to offset revenue from Initiative No. 175 (backed by the Colorado Contractors Association, up to $700M for roads) by reducing gas excise taxes and late vehicle-registration fees — effectively keeping transportation funding neutral.
  
• Running for reelection: Declared candidacy for the June 30, 2026 Democratic primary for HD-53.
  
• Legislature end of session: The Colorado legislature entered its final 10 days around May 4 with hundreds of bills still unresolved, including measures Boesenecker is involved with.
  
• Passenger rail announcement: Joined elected officials and community organizations to announce support for joint-service passenger rail connecting Denver and Fort Collins by January 1, 2029. The letter was signed by 39 elected officials and 17 community organizations.
  
• HOME Act: Boesenecker is a sponsor of the HOME Act, legislation allowing schools, nonprofits, and transit districts to use underutilized land for housing development.
  

Sources:
- Representative Andrew Boesenecker — Colorado General Assembly
- Colorado lawmakers return for 2026 legislative session — KOAA

2026-05-17

• Post-session town hall: Co-hosted a legislative wrap-up town hall at the Fort Collins Old Town Library (3–4:30 p.m.) with Sen. Cathy Kipp, Sen. Janice Marchman, Rep. Yara Zokaie, and Rep. Lesley Smith. The event recapped the 2026 session, which adjourned May 13.
  

Sources:
- Fort Collins-area lawmakers wrap up session with town hall — Yahoo/AOL News

2026-05-26

• Initiative 175 coalition grows to 57 organizations: A coalition calling for the Colorado Contractors Association to withdraw Initiative 175 before today's petition deadline grew to 57 organizations. This directly affects the viability of Boesenecker's HB 1430 — if I-175 does not qualify for the ballot, HB 1430 becomes moot. Whether petitioners submitted signatures by the May 27 deadline will determine the November ballot landscape for transportation funding.
  

Sources:
- Coalition requesting Colorado Contractors withdraw proposed Initiative 175 grows to 57 organizations — Yellow Scene

2026-05-28

• Initiative 175 petition submitted — HB 1430 still in play: Proponents of Initiative 175 turned in over 188,000 petition signatures on May 26 (before the May 27 deadline), despite the 57-organization opposition coalition urging withdrawal. The Secretary of State's office has until June 25, 2026 to validate the signatures. If validated, I-175 earns a spot on the November ballot — activating Boesenecker's HB 1430 as the counterbalance measure designed to protect the general fund from I-175's estimated $700M annual impact. If signatures fall short of the ~125,000 required valid signatures, HB 1430 becomes moot.
  

Sources:
- Two Colorado Ballot Proposals Complete Petitioning for 2026, Three Others Fail — Westword
- 2025-2026 Initiative Filings — Colorado Secretary of State

2026-06-05

• I-175 withdrawal deadline June 15 — negotiations stalled: Restore Our Roads (CCA) and the 57-organization opposition coalition remain at an impasse. CCA CEO Tony Milo has said HB 1430 is "not an acceptable compromise yet" — he objects to being asked to withdraw I-175 before a working group is even appointed. Polling shows strong voter support for I-175, giving proponents leverage to hold out. If proponents withdraw by June 15, HB 1430's working group pathway activates. If not, the Secretary of State validates signatures by June 25; ~124,238 of 188,000+ submitted must be valid for I-175 to appear on the November ballot — and HB 1430's full tax-cut mechanism kicks in.
  
• Front Range Passenger Rail — SB 26-172 signed: Gov. Polis signed SB 26-172 updating the Front Range Passenger Rail District for the planned "Colorado Connector" Fort Collins-to-Pueblo passenger rail service. Boesenecker has been a vocal supporter of Fort Collins rail access.
  
• June 30 primary: Boesenecker is uncontested in the Democratic primary for HD-53.
  

Sources:
- Compromise proposal adds twist to transportation-funding showdown — TSS Colorado
- Signatures submitted for Colorado Initiative 175 — Ballotpedia

2026-06-07

• Northern Front Range Passenger Rail coalition: Boesenecker is among 39 elected officials and 17 community organizations expressing unified support for delivering the Colorado Connector passenger rail service — Denver to Fort Collins — by January 1, 2029. This follows Governor Polis signing SB 26-172 on May 26, which refocused the Front Range Passenger Rail District on the Fort Collins–to–Pueblo corridor.
  
• I-175 countdown — 8 days to June 15 deadline: No resolution between the Colorado Contractors Association (Restore Our Roads) and the 57-organization opposition coalition as of today. CCA CEO Tony Milo has stated HB 1430 is "not an acceptable compromise yet," objecting to withdrawing the petition before a working group is formed. If no withdrawal by June 15, the Secretary of State validates signatures by June 25; if ≥124,238 of 188,000+ are valid, I-175 goes to the November ballot and HB 1430's full tax-cut mechanism activates automatically.
  

Sources:
- HOME Act legislation — andybforcolorado.com
- Bill to Update Front Range Passenger Rail District Becomes Law — CO House Dems
- Compromise proposal adds twist to transportation-funding showdown — TSS Colorado

2026-06-08

• I-175 — 7 days to withdrawal deadline: No new developments reported. The June 15 deadline for Restore Our Roads (Colorado Contractors Association) to withdraw Initiative 175 ticks down. If withdrawn by June 15, HB 1430's working group provision activates; if not, the Secretary of State has until June 25 to validate signatures, and a valid count sends I-175 to the November ballot — triggering HB 1430's full gas/vehicle tax-cut mechanism automatically.
  
• Primary ballots mailing (HD-53 uncontested): Boesenecker is unopposed in the June 30 Democratic primary for HD-53.
  

Sources:
- Coalition Requesting Colorado Contractors Withdraw Initiative 175 — Yellow Scene Magazine
- State Revenue Supporting Road Transportation — Colorado General Assembly

2026-06-10

• I-175 WILL NOT be withdrawn — Restore Our Roads announces (June 9): The Colorado Contractors Association's Restore Our Roads campaign announced yesterday it will not withdraw Initiative 175 by the June 15 deadline. This ends the possibility of the compromise working group that HB 1430 offered as an off-ramp. What happens next:
  
  • Secretary of State validates signatures by June 25 — needs 124,238 valid signatures out of 188,000+ submitted.
    
  • If validated → I-175 goes to the November 2026 ballot as a constitutional amendment.
    
  • If voters pass I-175 in November → HB 1430's full gas-tax and vehicle-registration-fee reduction mechanism kicks in automatically (2027–2030), offsetting the estimated $700M annual general-fund impact by cutting revenue rather than reallocating it.
    
  • Boesenecker's counterbalance strategy now proceeds as designed: voters will see both I-175 and its fiscal consequences on the same ballot cycle.
    

Sources:
- Colorado road funding campaign rejects calls to withdraw Initiative 175 — Colorado Sun
- Restore Our Roads Colorado — restoreourroadsco.com

2026-06-19

• I-175 signature validation — 6 days (June 25 deadline): The Secretary of State's office has until June 25 to validate the 188,000+ petition signatures submitted for Initiative 175. The threshold is 124,238 valid signatures, plus 2% of registered voters in each of the 35 state senate districts. If validated, I-175 goes on the November 2026 ballot as a constitutional amendment — and HB 1430 (Boesenecker's counterbalance bill) automatically kicks in if voters approve it, reducing gas excise taxes and vehicle registration fees 2027–2030.
  
• HD-53 primary uncontested: Boesenecker has no opposition in the June 30 Democratic primary. The legislature adjourned May 13.
  

Sources:
- Signatures submitted for Colorado initiative — Ballotpedia News
- Colorado road funding campaign rejects calls to withdraw Initiative 175 — Colorado Sun

2026-06-22

• I-175 signature validation — 3 days (June 25 deadline): The Secretary of State's office has until Wednesday, June 25 to validate the 188,000+ petition signatures. Threshold: 124,238 valid signatures plus 2% of registered voters in each of 35 state senate districts. If validated, I-175 goes on the November ballot and HB 1430 activates automatically if voters approve it.
  
• HD-53 primary uncontested. 8 days to June 30 primary. Dark money flooding Colorado statehouse primaries (~$2M) is not targeting HD-53 or SD-14 — the spending is concentrated in Denver metro, Boulder, and Aurora districts.
  

Sources:
- Nearly $2M of dark money has flooded into Democratic statehouse primaries — Colorado Sun

2026-06-24

• I-175 QUALIFIED for November ballot (announced June 23): The Colorado Secretary of State confirmed that Initiative 175 ("State Revenue Supporting Road Transportation") has enough valid signatures to appear on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. Of 189,355 submitted signatures, 143,112 were validated — exceeding the 124,238 threshold. The per-district requirement (2% of registered voters in each of the 35 state senate districts) was also met. This is a constitutional amendment that would restrict transportation-related revenue to road/bridge construction, repair, and Colorado State Patrol operations. HB 1430 (Boesenecker's counterbalance bill) now activates automatically if voters approve I-175 in November, reducing gas excise taxes and vehicle registration fees from 2027–2030.
  
• HD-53 primary uncontested. 6 days to June 30 primary.
  

Sources:
- Proposed Initiative #175 Qualifies for General Election Ballot — Colorado SOS
- Road-funding initiative in Colorado qualifies for November ballot — Colorado Politics

2026-06-30

• PRIMARY DAY — uncontested in HD-53. Boesenecker faces no opposition in the June 30 Democratic primary for House District 53.
  
• HB 1430 signed into law: The Colorado Budget Protection Act (co-sponsored by Boesenecker and Rep. Emily Sirota) was signed by Governor Polis after passing the legislature 43-19-3 on the final day of session (May 13). The law is contingent: it activates automatically only if voters approve I-175 in November 2026, reducing the gas excise tax (22¢→14¢/gal), special fuel tax (20.5¢→13¢/gal), vehicle registration/road-safety surcharge by 38%, and road-usage fee (6¢→4¢/gal) from 2027–2030 to offset I-175's ~$700M annual general-fund impact.
  
• I-175 is on the November ballot: Certified June 23 (143,112 of 189,355 signatures validated — exceeds the 124,238 threshold). If voters approve the constitutional amendment in November, HB 1430's tax reductions kick in automatically. November 3 is decision day.
  

Sources:
- HB26-1430 — Colorado General Assembly
- Proposed Initiative #175 Qualifies for General Election Ballot — Colorado SOS