SB 36: Prison Population Management Measures - Colorado

Final Act → Signed Act · 6 edits · Jun 2, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from SB 36 to SB 26-036 and updated its title to reflect a focus on operational efficiency alongside population management. The core policy changes involve modifying notification thresholds, requiring specific acknowledgments from recipients, and adding new mandates for case managers to review inmate eligibility for community corrections programs within seven days.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include new requirements for department case managers to actively review and refer eligible inmates to community corrections boards, in addition to existing notification protocols.

TECHNICAL

The bill number was changed from SB 36 to SB 26-036, and the title was updated to explicitly mention increasing operational efficiency.

REQUIREMENT

The notification threshold for triggering prison population management measures was adjusted from a vacancy rate of three percent to four percent.

New requirements mandate that department case managers must review inmate eligibility for community corrections placement and initiate referrals within seven days of determining eligibility.

The notification to the governor and parole board must now be updated every thirty days while mandates are in effect, including estimates of population reduction needed.

Specific instructions for requesting community corrections bed information and investigating capacity expansion were updated to clarify timelines and reporting requirements.

ENFORCEMENT

A new requirement was added for individuals and entities receiving notifications to provide written acknowledgment of receipt and confirm compliance.

Rerevised → Final Act · 7 edits · May 21, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was updated from a draft version to a final act ready for signature, incorporating extensive amendments that significantly expanded the number of government officials and entities required to receive notifications about prison overcrowding. The changes also added specific operational requirements for community corrections providers to identify eligible inmates for release and investigate the expansion of community bed capacity.

Scope change

The bill's scope of notification was expanded to include numerous new recipients such as district attorneys, judges, probation officers, and county sheriffs, in addition to the original list of officials.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that all notified individuals and entities must acknowledge receipt of the notification in writing and confirm compliance.

Added a mandate for the department to notify the governor and parole board every 30 days while overcrowding mandates are in effect, including an estimate of the inmate population reduction needed.

Expanded the list of notified parties to include the office of community corrections, community corrections boards, district attorneys, judges, probation officers, and county sheriffs.

Added requirements for community corrections providers to review statutory criteria for transition inmates and provide a list of those eligible for intensive supervision programs.

Added a requirement for the office of community corrections to investigate expanding capacity for inmate transition beds and report results to the department and joint budget committee.

TIMELINE

Changed the notification deadline to within 48 hours after the vacancy rate falls below the threshold for 30 consecutive days.

DEFINITION

Clarified that the vacancy rate tracking includes both correctional facilities and state-funded private contract prison beds.

Revised → Rerevised · 3 edits · May 7, 2026

MINOR

The bill was re-revised to incorporate additional House sponsors and update the reading status to reflect that it is now unamended following the third reading. These changes are administrative updates that expand the list of legislators supporting the bill and clarify its procedural status without altering the bill's substantive policy, scope, or requirements.

TECHNICAL

Added four new House sponsors (Boesenecker, Brown, Camacho, Carter, Clifford, English, Garcia, Jackson, Lindsay, Mabrey, Nguyen, Phillips, Sirota, Story) to the list of supporters.

Updated the header text to indicate the version is 'REREVISED' and includes amendments adopted in the Second House, replacing the previous 'REVISED' status.

Added a new line indicating the bill is in its '3rd Reading Unamended' status as of May 7, 2026, in the House.

Reengrossed → Revised · 2 edits · May 6, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reclassified from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect amendments adopted during the second reading in the House. The most significant substantive change is the deletion of the 'finds that' section, which previously detailed the specific reasons for the bill, including the date the prison vacancy rate was triggered and the lack of data on current management measures. This removal eliminates the legislative findings that established the context for revising the prison population management measures.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's stated findings has been narrowed by removing the introductory section that cited specific dates and data gaps as justification for the legislation.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted the 'finds that' section containing legislative findings about prison overcrowding triggers, the specific date of the vacancy rate drop, and the lack of data on current management measures.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill header from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' and updated the amendment status text to reflect changes adopted in the second house.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Apr 22, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include additional Senate sponsors and updated the bill summary to reflect amendments adopted during the third reading. The text provided shows the beginning of a substantive amendment to prison population management laws, which appears to be added or modified in this version, though the full details of the new requirements are not visible in the excerpt.

Scope change

The bill's scope now includes additional sponsors and incorporates amendments adopted in the House of Introduction, updating the legislative record to reflect the current version of the law.

TECHNICAL

Added new Senate sponsors (Amabile, Benavidez, Coleman, Cutter, Exum, Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Marchman, Rodriguez, Wallace) to the bill's sponsorship list.

Updated the bill summary header to indicate it is 'Reengrossed' and includes amendments adopted in the House of Introduction, replacing the previous 'Engrossed' status.

REQUIREMENT

Introduced new statutory language regarding prison bed vacancy rates, requiring the department to track vacancies monthly and notify specific parties if the rate falls below a certain threshold for thirty consecutive days.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Apr 21, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to add the Appropriations committee to its oversight and updated the legislative summary to reflect Senate amendments. Substantively, the text of the bill was modified to change the prison bed vacancy rate trigger from 3% to 4% and extended the notification deadline from 30 consecutive days to 48 hours after the threshold is met.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include the Appropriations committee in its legislative process, and the substantive scope of the prison population management measures was altered by raising the vacancy rate threshold and shortening the response time.

REQUIREMENT

The trigger for mandatory prison population management measures was changed from a 3% vacancy rate to a 4% vacancy rate.

TIMELINE

The deadline for notifying relevant parties after the vacancy rate threshold is met was shortened from 30 consecutive days to 48 hours.

SCOPE

The Appropriations committee was added to the list of Senate committees reviewing the bill.

Prison Population Management Measures

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