CO HB1029

Establishes standard definitions for authority verbs "must" and "shall" in Colorado Revised Statutes to clarify legislative intent and distinguish between different legal obligations.

Defines "must" to mean a person or thing is required to meet a condition for a consequence to apply, without imposing a duty on the person.

Defines "shall" to mean a person has a duty.

Applies only to statutes enacted on or after the effective date and only to language appearing in small capital font in session laws, preserving interpretation of pre-existing statutes.

Takes effect August 7, 2013, subject to referendum petition approval by voters in November 2014.