PPIAC has a long history of legislative advocacy. In 1977, the oldest PI licensing law in the country was repealed in Colorado. PPIAC was formed the following year with the goal of restoring mandatory licensing as one of its main objectives. Over the years, PPIAC has brought forth several efforts to restore licensing. Mandatory licensing in Colorado was finally restored in 2015, but to achieve this goal there was a long road with many relationships built with legislators along the way.

With several attempts to restore licensing ending in disappointment in the years and decades following the repeal, PPIAC needed to do something different. Ironically, a bill introduced in 2010 which would have put many investigators out of business provided the catalyst to begin the needed relationships with legislators. HB10-1012, known as the anti-surveillance bill, would have severely limited the ability for private investigators to conduct surveillance for insurance purposes. The profession, along with the assistance of several key allies, was able to successfully kill the bill. PPIAC’s newly formed relationship with Senator Linda Newell would prove to be invaluable to the association’s future legislative endeavors.

The following year, PPIAC used this momentum to convince legislators to pass the voluntary PI license bill (HB11-1195) into law. Because of the voluntary nature of this bill and inability to assure both consumer and PI title protection, it was met with uncertainty and was ultimately repealed. PPIAC continued to push for mandatory licensing.

In 2012, PPIAC supported HB12-1231. This bill brought Colorado’s Driver Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) in line with the Federal DPPA and recognized licensed private investigators when requesting DMV records. This bill passed and was signed into law.

In 2013, PPIAC introduced a mandatory PI license bill. Unfortunately, PPIAC’s winning streak came to an end when SB13-259 did not pass. The profession was beginning to feel there was no end in sight to the licensing drought. Thankfully, PPIAC’s allies encouraged the association to press forward with licensing.

The very next year, yet another PI licensing bill, SB14-133 was introduced and passed through the Colorado legislature. In 2015, a viable and stable PI licensing program was finally put in place. There were concerns of the success of this program as the financial deficit created from the voluntary program was rolled into the mandatory program. However, that deficit was repaid very quickly, and Colorado private investigators now benefit from one of the lowest PI licensing fee structures in the US.

PPIAC’s legislative representation as the voice of the profession continues to date. Please check back for more updates on PPIAC’s legislative achievements!