HB 25-1185: Child Conceived from Sex Assault Court Proceedings - Colorado

Rerevised (04/04/2025) → Revised (04/03/2025) · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill adds a new requirement for petitioners to submit a sworn affidavit alleging they are victims of sexual assault that resulted in the child's conception. It also expands documentation requirements when a parent has been convicted of sexual assault or related acts, ensuring these cases are handled with additional scrutiny.

Scope change

The bill now applies to cases where the petitioner is a victim of sexual assault leading to conception, and to cases involving parents convicted of sexual assault or related offenses.

ELIGIBILITY

Requires petitioners to submit a sworn affidavit alleging they are victims of sexual assault that resulted in the conception of the child to be relinquished.

REQUIREMENT

Mandates documentation of a parent's conviction for sexual assault or related offenses when included in the petition for relinquishment.

Final Act (04/24/2025) → Rerevised (04/04/2025) · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill was reorganized and reformatted from its final signed version to a revised version for legislative tracking. The substantive policy content regarding court proceedings for parent-child relationships when a child was conceived from sexual assault remains unchanged, including provisions for petitioning to terminate legal relationships and exemptions from counseling fees.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; only the document structure and formatting were modified.

TECHNICAL

The document was restructured from a final signed version with signatures and legislative history notes to a revised version showing reading dates and committee assignments.

Formatting was updated to include standardized bill headers, reading dates, and committee listings instead of signature notes and explanatory footnotes.

Page numbers and bill reference formatting were adjusted to match the revised legislative document style.

Signed Act (05/01/2025) → Final Act (04/24/2025) · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill was finalized as a signed act with minor formatting corrections and a note added indicating it has been prepared for official signatures. The substantive content remains focused on allowing victims of sexual assault to petition for termination of parent-child legal relationships when a child was conceived through sexual assault.

Scope change

No substantive scope change; the bill's purpose and applicability remain the same as the original version.

TECHNICAL

Added a note indicating the bill has been prepared for signatures and directing readers to check legislative status for Governor action.

Corrected a typo in the sponsor list, changing 'I lamrick' to 'Hamrick'.

Fixed a grammatical error in the text, changing 'TI TAT' to 'THAT' in the victim eligibility section.

Corrected formatting inconsistencies in the petition documentation requirements, adjusting spacing and alignment.

Fixed a word choice error in Section 3, changing 'shall MUST' to 'shall cease' for clarity.

Reengrossed (03/10/2025) → Signed Act (05/01/2025) · 5 edits · May 1, 2025

MODERATE

This bill was amended to clarify and expand protections for parents who are victims of sexual assault and wish to relinquish their child. The changes ensure these victims are exempt from counseling requirements and court fees, and are divested of all legal obligations including child support upon relinquishment. The bill also adds a sworn affidavit as acceptable documentation and clarifies the standardized form requirements for the court administrator.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include sworn affidavits as valid documentation and to explicitly exempt victims from counseling and fee requirements, ensuring broader applicability for victims without convictions.

REQUIREMENT

Added a sworn affidavit from the petitioner as an acceptable form of documentation to prove the child was conceived as a result of sexual assault.

ELIGIBILITY

Clarified that victims of sexual assault who have not yet secured a conviction may still file petitions if they can prove the allegation by a preponderance of the evidence.

EXEMPTIONS

Explicitly exempts relinquishment petitioners who are sexual assault victims from counseling requirements and fees for guardians ad litem or counsel.

ENFORCEMENT

Strengthened the final order of relinquishment to ensure it divests the parent of all legal obligations, including child support, at the time of relinquishment.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting errors and clarified the standardized petition form requirements for the state court administrator to develop by January 1, 2026.

Engrossed (03/07/2025) → Reengrossed (03/10/2025) · 3 edits · Apr 4, 2025

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include additional co-sponsors and updated the bill summary to reflect that it is now in its 3rd reading unamended version. The most substantive change removes exemptions from counseling requirements and fees for guardians ad litem or counsel for youth in specific cases involving sexual assault convictions or where the petitioner is a victim of sexual assault.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding petitioner exemptions was narrowed by removing protections that previously exempted petitioners from counseling requirements and certain fees in sexual assault-related cases.

TECHNICAL

Added multiple new co-sponsors to the House sponsorship list, expanding the bill's legislative support.

Updated the bill summary header to indicate this is the 'Reengrossed' version with all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction, and added a date of March 10, 2025.

REQUIREMENT

Removed exemptions that previously prevented courts from requiring petitioners to satisfy counseling requirements or pay fees for guardians ad litem or counsel for youth in cases involving sexual assault convictions or where the petitioner is a victim of sexual assault.

Introduced (02/10/2025) → Engrossed (03/07/2025) · 4 edits · Apr 4, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to clarify and strengthen protections for parents who are victims of sexual assault when seeking to relinquish their child. The changes ensure that these parents can provide documentation of their victim status and are exempt from certain counseling requirements. Additionally, if the court grants relinquishment, the parent is fully divested of all legal obligations, including child support.

Scope change

The bill now explicitly applies to parents who are victims of sexual assault that resulted in the child's conception, with specific procedural protections added for this group.

REQUIREMENT

Parents who are victims of sexual assault resulting in conception are now exempt from counseling requirements when petitioning for relinquishment.

The petition for relinquishment must now include documentation regarding the sexual assault or conception.

ELIGIBILITY

The court must find, based on a preponderance of evidence, that the petitioner is a victim of sexual assault before granting certain exemptions.

ENFORCEMENT

When a final order of relinquishment is granted, the parent is divested of all legal obligations, including child support.

Child Conceived from Sex Assault Court Proceedings

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