HB 1052: Rights for Victims of Certain Crimes - Colorado

Rerevised → Final Act · 5 edits · Jun 1, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Colorado's Victim Rights Act to explicitly define new critical stages where victims have the right to be informed or heard, including hearings on crime lab misconduct and post-conviction relief. It clarifies that defendants cannot serve as legal representatives for child or at-risk adult victims and ensures victims are notified of crime lab investigations. The changes aim to strengthen victim protections by formalizing notification procedures and preventing conflicts of interest in victim representation.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of victim rights by adding specific critical stages to the legal process and clarifying eligibility rules for victim representatives.

DEFINITION

Added specific definitions for 'critical stages' to include crime lab misconduct notices, post-conviction relief hearings, and restitution assessment hearings.

Added a specific exclusion stating that a defendant cannot be a 'lawful representative' for a child or at-risk adult victim.

REQUIREMENT

Modified notification requirements to ensure victims are informed of crime lab investigations and post-conviction hearings.

Added a requirement for district attorneys to notify victims of crime lab wrongful actions within 91 days or before trial.

Added a right for victims to request the use of preferred names, abbreviations, or pseudonyms during hearings.

Revised → Rerevised · 2 edits · Apr 30, 2026

MINOR

The bill version was updated from 'Revised' to 'Rerevised' to incorporate additional Senate amendments. The Senate sponsorship list was expanded to include several new co-sponsors, and a new header was added to indicate the bill was read in the Senate on April 30, 2026, without amendments.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect the 'Rerevised' status and include a specific Senate reading date of April 30, 2026, marking the bill as unamended at that stage.

The list of Senate co-sponsors was expanded to include ten new legislators (Ball, Benavidez, Bright, Catlin, Coleman, Cutter, Daugherty, Exum, Frizell, Gonzales J., Jodeh, Kipp, Kirkmeyer, Kolker, Lindstedt, Marchman, Mullica, Pelton R., Rich, Roberts, Rodriguez, Snyder, Sullivan, Weissman) who joined the original sponsors Carson and Wallace.

Reengrossed → Revised · 4 edits · Apr 29, 2026

MODERATE

The bill's status was updated from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect amendments adopted during the second reading in the second house. The Senate sponsorship was expanded to include Wallace alongside Carson, and the bill summary was updated to reflect the current legislative stage.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was changed from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to accurately reflect the legislative process stage.

A new line was added to the title indicating amendments were adopted on second reading in the second house.

Senate sponsorship was updated to include Wallace in addition to Carson.

The bill summary date and reading status were updated to reflect the current legislative timeline.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Apr 22, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include additional sponsors and updated the summary date to April 22, 2026. Substantively, the text includes a new provision prohibiting a defendant or alleged offender from acting as a 'lawful representative' or designee for a child or at-risk adult victim. This change strengthens victim rights by preventing potential conflicts of interest where the accused could influence the representation of vulnerable victims.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include new sponsors in the House and Senate, and the substantive scope was modified to add a specific restriction on who can represent certain vulnerable victims.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a prohibition preventing a defendant or alleged offender from serving as the lawful representative or designee for a child or at-risk adult victim.

Updated the bill summary date to April 22, 2026, and changed the status from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' to reflect all adopted amendments.

REQUIREMENT

Added new sponsors to the House and Senate lists, expanding the coalition supporting the legislation.

Introduced → Engrossed · 6 edits · Apr 21, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add new critical stages where victims have rights, specifically regarding restitution hearings and certain family court hearings. It also clarifies that a defendant cannot represent a child or at-risk adult victim and expands the list of situations where a victim does not need to be present in court.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include new specific hearings (restitution and specific family court hearings) as critical stages where victims have rights, and it added a definition for 'at-risk adult' to clarify eligibility restrictions.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'at-risk adult' by referencing section 18-6.5-102 to clarify who is protected from being represented by a defendant.

Added a new critical stage for an evidentiary hearing on post-conviction petition for relief held pursuant to section 16-12-312.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new critical stage requiring notification to victims when a restitution assessment hearing is held pursuant to section 18-1.3-603.

Added new critical stages for hearings held pursuant to sections 24-72-706, 24-72-709, 24-72-710, 18-1.3-103.7, and 19-2.5-1118.5.

Modified the list of critical stages where a victim does not need to be present in court to include the new hearings mentioned above.

Added a new critical stage for receipt of notice regarding a crime laboratory employee engaging in wrongful action.

Rights for Victims of Certain Crimes

What changed between versions

How they voted

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