A few weeks ago, Colorado's Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee heard the Pesticide Applicators' Act (PAA) sunset. The PAA regulates pesticide applicators under the authority of the Department of Agriculture, and its sunset review provides an opportunity to improve how the state manages pesticides. Currently, the PAA does not allow for local innovation that could help protect unique natural resources and public health.

Revising the PAA to reintroduce a level of local control over pesticide application is one of our primary goals this legislative session, and we are working diligently with local and state leaders, educators, community members, and other conservation and health-oriented organizations to make these crucial changes happen.

To emphasize why revisions to the current PAA are badly needed, it is critical that legislators hear testimony, from community members and leaders, on topics such as children's and farmworkers' health, biological approaches to pest management, and about the importance of a pesticide preemption repeal.

Read here about proposed revisions to the PAA. (NOTE: scroll down to view 2023 Legislative Efforts and PAA-related content.) And stay tuned for updates on the PAA's progress and news of other environmental health-related bills to be heard during this legislative session!