With civil court records now free to access online in Colorado, the state may soon also post the text of high-court opinions — going back to statehood — in a searchable format and at no cost to the public.

House Bill 22-1091, which passed the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, is similar to a bill that died along with many others during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It would require the Colorado Judicial Department to make every published opinion of the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Court of Appeals available on its website by Mar. 1, 2024.

“The premise is that the law should be freely and accurately available to everyone, lawyers and non-lawyers alike,” said Democratic Rep. Mike Weissman of Aurora, who introduced the bill with Republican Rep. Matt Soper of Delta.