HB 1227: Minors' Rights in Dependency & Neglect Proceedings - Colorado

Final Act → Signed Act · 3 edits · Jun 3, 2026

MINOR

This bill amends Colorado statutes to strengthen the rights of children and youth in dependency and neglect cases. It clarifies that these young people have legal standing to object to case dismissals and ensures they receive proper notice for all hearings. The changes also update the official title and formatting of the legislation.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on dependency and neglect proceedings, but it expands the procedural protections available to children and youth by explicitly granting them the right to object to dismissal and clarifying the duties of their legal representatives.

REQUIREMENT

Amended existing law to explicitly state that children and youth have the legal standing to object to the dismissal of their dependency or neglect cases if they believe abuse or neglect occurred.

Updated the duties of guardians ad litem and counsel for youth to ensure full participation in proceedings, including appeals, and clarified that they must provide developmentally appropriate notice to the child.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting inconsistencies, capitalization, and spacing in the text of the bill and the associated legal statutes.

Rerevised → Final Act · 4 edits · May 19, 2026

MODERATE

This bill clarifies the legal standing of children and youth in dependency and neglect cases, ensuring they have a right to attend hearings and participate fully in all matters affecting them, including appeals. It also establishes a specific court hearing process if a county agency seeks to dismiss a case before the adjudicatory hearing, requiring the agency to prove a reasonable basis for dismissal if the child objects. Additionally, it clarifies that counsel for youth must ensure full representation through pending appeals.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on dependency and neglect proceedings but adds specific procedural requirements for case dismissals and clarifies the extent of legal representation required for youth.

REQUIREMENT

Added a specific requirement that if a county department seeks to dismiss a petition before the adjudicatory hearing and the child objects, the court must hold a hearing to determine if the department has a reasonable basis for dismissal.

Clarified that counsel for youth must ensure the child participates fully in proceedings, including appealing matters to the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court.

Strengthened the language affirming that children and youth have legal standing regarding all matters related to their interests, not just attendance.

TECHNICAL

Added a note indicating the bill is prepared for signatures and includes instructions on how to check legislative status.

Revised → Rerevised · 4 edits · May 6, 2026

MODERATE

The bill text was updated from a 'Revised' version to a 'Rerevised' version, incorporating additional amendments adopted by the Senate. The primary change involves adding four new Senators (Amabile, Benavidez, Coleman, Exum, Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Lindstedt, Snyder, Weissman) to the Senate sponsorship list, while removing the specific note about amendments adopted on second reading. A new header indicates the bill is now at the 3rd Reading Unamended stage in the Senate.

TECHNICAL

Added new names of Senators to the Senate sponsorship list.

Removed the specific text noting that amendments were adopted on second reading in the second house.

Added a header indicating the bill is at the 3rd Reading Unamended stage in the Senate dated May 6, 2026.

Changed the document title from 'REVISED' to 'REREVISED' to reflect the inclusion of all amendments.

Reengrossed → Revised · 3 edits · May 5, 2026

MINOR

The bill has been reprinted as 'Revised' instead of 'Reengrossed,' indicating it was amended during the second reading in the second house rather than the first. The Senate sponsorship was expanded to include a new sponsor, Daugherty. The effective date section and related footer text were removed from the main body of the bill, likely because the final effective date is set by law or will be added later, while the bill summary text was updated to reflect the new 'Reengrossed' status.

Scope change

The bill's substantive scope and applicability appear unchanged; the revision reflects procedural updates from the legislative process rather than new policy.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was changed from 'REENGROSSED' to 'REVISED' to reflect that amendments were adopted during the second reading in the second house.

A new Senate sponsor, Daugherty, was added to the list of sponsors.

The specific effective date text (Section 3) and associated footer page numbers were removed from the main body of the bill.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Apr 21, 2026

MINOR

The bill text was updated to reflect its new status as a 'Reengrossed' version, indicating that amendments adopted during the House of Introduction phase have been incorporated. The list of co-sponsors was expanded to include seven additional legislators, and a specific date (April 21, 2026) was added to the header, likely marking a procedural milestone or deadline.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was changed from 'ENGROSSED' to 'REENGROSSED' to indicate that amendments have been adopted and the bill is being reintroduced.

Seven new names were added to the list of House co-sponsors, expanding the coalition supporting the bill.

A specific date, April 21, 2026, was inserted into the header, likely serving as a procedural marker for the reengrossed version.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Apr 17, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to clarify the process for dismissing child dependency petitions. The changes ensure that if a child or youth objects to a dismissal, the court must hold a hearing to determine if there is a reasonable basis to keep the case open, rather than automatically dismissing it. The bill also explicitly states that a child cannot file a petition on their own behalf and clarifies that these changes do not limit the right to a jury trial.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's application to dismissal hearings was refined to require judicial review of the county department's decision to dismiss a case when the child objects.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for a court hearing if a child or youth objects to the dismissal of a petition, ensuring the case proceeds only if the county department shows a reasonable basis for dismissal.

Clarified that the child or youth must object through a guardian ad litem or counsel for youth to trigger the hearing process.

Explicitly stated that a child or youth cannot file a petition on their own behalf.

Reordered and clarified the conditions under which a dismissal is granted versus when a hearing is required.

Minors' Rights in Dependency & Neglect Proceedings

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors