Law enforcement is required to report to the peace officers standards and training board (P.O.S.T. board) certain information related to peace officer conduct for inclusion in a searchable database. The act requires the head of the law enforcement agency providing the report to certify the accuracy of the information in the report. When certain peace officer conduct is reported, the peace officer is entitled to a show cause hearing. Upon request of the P.O.S.T. board, the agency providing the report shall provide the P.O.S.T. board with all documents relevant to the discipline for which the peace officer was placed in the database. If a law enforcement agency refuses to provide the records, the P.O.S.T. board may subpoena the records. If the court grants the subpoena, the court may order the law enforcement agency to pay the P.O.S.T. board's attorney fees, costs, and fees related to the subpoena. The act prohibits the P.O.S.T. board from including information in the database if the information is received from an agency that does not employ or has not employed the subject of the information. If an agency fails to report the information, the agency is subject to a fine. A peace officer who is included in the searchable database can appeal the officer's inclusion in the database. When a peace officer is added to the database, the P.O.S.T. board shall provide the officer with information on its website about how to appeal that action. The act requires the peace officer's disciplining law enforcement agency to provide the P.O.S.T. board with all documents relevant to the discipline for which the officer was placed in the database. If a law enforcement agency refuses to provide the records, the P.O.S.T. board may subpoena the records. If the court grants the subpoena, the court may order the law enforcement agency to pay the P.O.S.T. board's attorney fees, costs, and fees related to the subpoena. The act gives the P.O.S.T. board the authority to remove entries from the database that are in error. Under current law, the P.O.S.T. board shall permanently revoke a peace officer's certification and record that information in the database if the officer is found civilly liable for the use of unlawful physical force or is found civilly liable for failure to intervene in the use of unlawful force and the incident resulted in serious bodily injury or death to another person. The act gives the P.O.S.T. board the discretion to permanently revoke a peace officer's certification in those cases. If a law enforcement agency is investigating a peace officer for an incident that could result in a database report, the law enforcement agency shall inform the peace officer of the agency's duty to report that information and the consequences of the reporting. The act prohibits a law enforcement agency from agreeing to a settlement with a peace officer that includes the agency agreeing to not report the information to the database. Current law requires a law enforcement agency to provide a peace officer's personnel records, when they receive a waiver for the records, to another law enforcement agency that is considering employing the peace officer. The act requires a law enforcement agency or governmental agency that submits the waiver to another agency and does not receive the records to report that fact to the P.O.S.T. board. The P.O.S.T. board may contact the agency, and if the agency does not provide the disclosure within 6 calendar days, the P.O.S.T. board shall not provide the agency with P.O.S.T. board funding for a period of one year and the agency may be subject to fines. The act allows a person to maintain their P.O.S.T. certification if they are not working as a peace officer but are working for a law enforcement agency in a non-peace-officer role and they maintain the annual P.O.S.T. board training requirements. In 2024, the general assembly provided temporary peace officer status to administrators of judicial security. The act makes the status permanent. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act prohibits a peer support team member from disclosing, without the consent of the recipient of peer support (recipient), the confidential communications made by the recipient during a peer support interaction, with specified exceptions. With respect to an exception for which disclosure is permissible, a peer support team member who discloses or does not disclose a communication with a recipient is not liable for damages in a civil action for disclosing or not disclosing the communication. The act expands an exception allowing specified mental health professionals to disclose confidential information when a recipient makes a threat against an individual or themself or makes a threat that, if carried out, would result in harm to an individual or themself. In addition, a peer support team member is exempted from the prohibition on disclosure established by the act if: The peer support team member was a witness or a party to the incident that prompted the delivery of peer support services; A recipient admits to committing a crime or provides information pertaining to the recipient or another individual that is indicative of criminal conduct; Criteria related to an individual's participation as a witness in a court proceeding are met; or A recipient makes a threat involving damage or destruction of private or public property.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The "Identity Theft and Financial Deterrence Act" was set to repeal September 1, 2025. The act implements the department of regulatory agencies' recommendations to: Continue the "Identity Theft and Financial Fraud Deterrence Act" until September 1, 2036; Repeal the identity theft and financial fraud board; and Repeal the current cash fund funding structure; allow appropriation of money from the general fund to the department of public safety (department); and allow the department to accept gifts, grants, and donations to staff the Colorado investigators unit. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $653,345 from the identity theft and financial fraud fund to the department for use by the Colorado bureau of investigation and decreases appropriations made to the department for use by the Colorado bureau of investigation from the identity theft and financial fraud fund by $653,345. Money appropriated to the department to staff the Colorado investigators unit is subject to available appropriations. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the behavioral and mental health excise tax cash fund that is designated to hold money received from the firearm and ammunition excise tax (Proposition KK) for certain behavioral health-related purposes. Current law requires $8 million that is received from Proposition KK to be transferred to the behavioral and mental health cash fund. The act requires this money to instead be transferred to the behavioral and mental health excise tax cash fund. The act requires the state treasurer to transfer the Proposition KK money in the behavioral and mental health cash fund to the behavioral and mental health excise tax cash fund. Current law repeals the behavioral and mental health cash fund on July 1, 2032. The act changes the repeal date to July 1, 2027. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows the Centennial correctional facility-south c-tower to be used to temporarily house protective-, close-, and medium-custody inmates for the duration of the Sterling correctional facility access controls project (project). The use of the Centennial correctional facility-south c-tower is permitted only after the department of corrections (department) determines that there are no suitable beds available to house an inmate in another department facility. The act requires the department to, at least 30 days prior to relocating any inmates, provide a structured relocation plan to the joint budget committee and the house of representatives judiciary committee and the senate judiciary committee, or their successor committees, and to update those committees during the project. The plan must include, but is not limited to: What programs or classes will be available to the inmates; What behavioral health and medical care will be available; What employment opportunities will be available and the rate of pay for each employment opportunity; What recreational opportunities will be available; What visitation opportunities will be available; How many hours a day an inmate will be allowed out of their cell based on their medium- or close-custody level or protective custody status; Whether, prior to transfer, the department plans to conduct a reclassification or other custody review on any medium-security inmate to determine whether the inmate is appropriate to progress or have an override to minimum-restrictive custody; and An estimate of how long inmates will be temporarily held at Centennial correctional facility-south c-tower and if the relocations will be based on the duration of the project at the Sterling correctional facility. The act also requires the department to provide updates on the status of the access controls project at its "SMART Act" hearing required by section 2-7-203. The act appropriates $1,829,000 from the general fund to the department to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The act authorizes the department of health care policy and financing (department) to seek federal authorization to determine a member's eligibility for reenrollment without checking federally approved electronic data sources or requesting additional information if the member's income consists solely of social security income or another source of stable income or assets or if the member's income or assets have not changed since the initial verification during the application process. The act requires the department to modify the questions asked by medical professionals when verifying a member's need for long-term services and supports and allows a treating licensed medical professional who has a bona fide physician-patient relationship with a member to sign the documentation necessary to verify a member's need for long-term services and supports. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements the legislative recommendations of the child support commission by: Updating the child support guidelines schedule; Updating the monthly incomes eligible for a reduced low-income adjustment; and Replacing the current parenting time credit with a formula that provides parents credit for all overnights spent with that parent. The act appropriates $137,250 to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology to provide information technology services to the department of human services. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For persons required to report child abuse or neglect, the act: Requires reports to be submitted as soon as possible, but within 24 hours, after receiving information of child abuse or neglect; Provides that reports are not required if the person: Receives the information outside of the person's professional capacity that would require a report; or Is connected to an attorney representing a party involved in a suspected child abuse or neglect case that would require a report under current law; Removes victim's advocates from the list of professions required to report child abuse or neglect; Prohibits reports based on a family's race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or disability; and Prohibits the delegation of the duty to report to a person who does not have firsthand knowledge of the suspected child abuse or neglect. For entities that employ a mandatory reporter, the act: Authorizes the entity to develop protocols for making the report if the protocols comply with state law and regulations; and Prohibits representatives of the entity from deterring or impeding a person from filing a report. The act requires a county department of human or social services (county department) to assign a referral identification number to each report of child abuse or neglect. If a mandatory reporter contacts the child abuse reporting hotline system (hotline) or a county department about a suspected child abuse or neglect report and the hotline or department gives the mandatory reporter the referral identification number of a related report that was previously filed, the mandatory reporter is deemed to have satisfied the reporting requirements. The act appropriates $5,375 to the state department of human services for training. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act codifies the federal "Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978" into state law as the "Colorado Indian Child Welfare Act" (CO-ICWA) and provides additional protections for Indian children and children known or determined to be Indian children under state law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Section 1 of the act amends the state public financing cash fund (fund) statute in 2 ways. First, the act removes the limit on the amounts included in the issuance or incurrence of certain financial obligations by the state that the state treasurer credits to the fund. Second, the act modifies the fund so that bond counsel approval is no longer needed before money in the fund is used to reimburse the state treasurer for certain verifiable costs. Section 2 allows the state treasurer to use a security token offering for state capital financing and adopt rules as necessary to do so. Section 3 creates a new special purpose authority: The building urgent infrastructure and leveraging dollars authority (authority). The authority's primary purpose is to finance infrastructure projects that are ready for construction or commencement. As used in this context, an infrastructure project includes the development, construction, repair, improvement, operation, maintenance, decommissioning, or ownership of: A transportation infrastructure project, an infrastructure project in a transit-oriented community, a county courthouse facility, a transportation facility; utility infrastructure; renewable energy infrastructure; recycling infrastructure; energy efficiency infrastructure; an education facility; water infrastructure; information technology capital construction; affordable and accessible housing infrastructure; or digital, social, or other infrastructure related to economic development. The powers of the authority are vested in a 13-member board with the following membership: The state treasurer or the state treasurer's designee; The state architect or the state architect's designee; The chair of the capital development committee of the general assembly or any successor committee; A member of the capital development committee of the general assembly or any successor committee who is the longest serving member on the committee and who is a member of the major political party other than the party of the chair of the committee; A representative of a statewide organization representing counties, appointed by the governor; A representative of a statewide organization representing municipalities, appointed by the governor; The executive director of the Colorado education and cultural facilities authority or their designee; A representative of a statewide organization of general and specialty commercial construction contractors, appointed by the governor; A representative of a statewide employee organization representing building and construction trade workers, appointed by the president of the senate; An individual representing service employees, appointed by the state treasurer; An individual with a background in finance who has experience with pension fund management, appointed by the state treasurer; and An individual with a background in commercial lending representing an institution insured by the federal deposit insurance corporation, appointed by the state treasurer. The state treasurer or the state treasurer's designee serves as the chair of the board and is required to call the first meeting of the board no later than January 1, 2026. Among other powers, the authority may: Make and execute agreements, contracts, and other instruments as necessary to achieve the authority's purposes, including contracting with the officers, personnel, and consultants of the state treasurer to achieve its purposes; Charge to and collect from state agencies and persons fees and charges in connection with the authority's loans or other services; Issue and sell building urgent infrastructure and leveraging dollars bonds, payable solely from the building urgent infrastructure and leveraging dollars bonding fund created within the authority; Invest and deposit money; Finance or participate in the financing of eligible projects or any interest in such a project; except for projects that are within the statutory authority of the Colorado housing and finance authority; and Facilitate the funding of infrastructure projects. The infrastructure and long-term development assistance program (program) is created in the authority to allow the authority to provide financing for eligible projects. The act requires the authority to develop policies and procedures necessary to implement the program. At a minimum, the policies and procedures must specify application criteria, an application process, and a selection process for the authority to determine which eligible projects it will finance or assist in financing through the program. The authority must pay for such financing out of the eligible project revolving fund created in the authority. The act also requires that the authority allow the Colorado educational and cultural facilities authority a right of first refusal for the financing of eligible projects. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, the statute of limitations to bring certain claims against a real estate appraiser does not start until the party filing the claim has discovered, or should have discovered, an alleged defect in the appraisal. The act requires a claimant to bring an action against a real estate appraiser (appraiser) within 5 years after the date the appraisal report is completed and transmitted to a client. The 5-year limitation does not apply to an action against an appraiser for a defective appraisal report or service if the action is brought by: A consumer who is an original party to a residential mortgage loan or residential real estate transaction; or A mortgage originator who must repurchase a loan. The 5-year limitation also does not apply to an action for fraud, for misrepresentation, or for a discriminatory housing practice brought against an appraiser. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
A community integrated health-care service (service) is an out-of-hospital medical service that may be provided by an emergency medical service provider who obtains a community paramedic endorsement. A community integrated health-care service agency (agency) is an entity or sole proprietorship that manages and offers services. The act implements the recommendations in the 2024 sunset report by the department of regulatory agencies by: Continuing the regulation of agencies by 9 years to 2034; Clarifying that a suspension of, a revocation of, or a refusal to renew an agency's license due to a disqualifying felony or misdemeanor conviction of an owner, manager, or administrator of the agency includes circumstances in which the owner, manager, or administrator entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to the felony or misdemeanor; Updating language to be gender neutral; Changing references from "consumers" to "patients or clients"; Referencing the definition of service in the statutes governing the regulation of agencies; and Defining "service" to include mobile integrated health care and, as determined by rule by the state board of health, care and services provided by practitioners other than community paramedics.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
