Under current law, the "Protection of Individuals from Restraint and Seclusion Act" contains parameters concerning exceptions for the use of restraint and seclusion for various agencies, including for public schools. The act removes public schools from the "Protection of Individuals from Restraint and Seclusion Act" and creates the "Protection of Students from Restraint and Seclusion Act" that is specific to local education providers. The act: Prohibits any form of restraint, as defined in the act, (restraint) and seclusion, except as provided; Establishes guidelines for acceptable use of restraint and seclusion; Requires a local education provider that uses restraint or seclusion to train its employees and agents; Requires a local education provider to document instances of restraint or seclusion and notify the student's family of certain instances of restraint or seclusion; No later than July 1, 2025, requires each local education provider to establish an annual review process for their use of restraint and seclusion; and Annually, beginning June 30, 2026, requires each local education provider to submit a report to the department of education summarizing their use of restraint and seclusion. The state board of education shall adopt rules for the implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies in its 2024 sunset review and report on the rural alcohol and substance abuse prevention and treatment program by continuing the program until September 1, 2030. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (department) in its sunset review and report on the HOA information and resource center (center). The center was scheduled to repeal on September 1, 2025. The act: Continues the center until September 1, 2030; Clarifies that the director of the division of real estate in the department is the appointing authority for the HOA information officer who is the head of the center; and Makes a technical change to refer to the HOA information officer by title, rather than by "he or she", to reflect gender-neutral language in statute.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act permits the state, a county, a city and county, a school district, or a municipality to, with approval from a school district's board of education, install and utilize automated vehicle identification systems (system) on the school district's school buses to detect a driver of a vehicle that overtakes a stopped school bus with actuated visual signal lights in violation of current law. A school district that installs and utilizes a system for this purpose must enter into a memorandum of understanding with one or more law enforcement agencies. If a system detects a violation, the state, a county, a city and county, or a municipality may impose a civil penalty of up to $300. The act creates a rebuttable presumption that when an image produced by a system includes an electronic indicator signifying that a school bus's visual signal lights are actuated, the visual signal lights are presumed to be actuated and operational and the school bus is presumed to be stopped to receive or discharge school children. The act mandates that the fines collected through the use of the system must not be used as the basis for the compensation to the system manufacturer or vendor and that the compensation must not be based exclusively upon the number of citations issued or revenue generated by the system.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For design-build transportation contracts administered by the department of transportation (department) "best value" means the overall maximum value of a proposal to the department after considering all of the evaluation factors described in the specifications for the transportation project or the request for proposals. The act requires that those evaluation factors include: Project schedule; Innovative solutions; Improved quality; Sustainability; Environmental impact; Initial cost; Long-term life-cycle cost of the transportation project; Resilience; Increased scope; and Aesthetics.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
In accordance with the statutory requirement that the public employees' retirement association (PERA) determine whether the employer contribution rate for the Denver public schools (DPS) division of PERA must be adjusted to assure the equalization of the DPS division's ratio of unfunded actuarial accrued liability over payroll to the PERA school division's ratio of unfunded actuarial accrued liability over payroll at the end of the 30-year period that began on January 1, 2010, beginning on July 1, 2025, the act reduces the total employer contribution rate for the DPS division from 10.4% to 7.4% of salary. In addition, the act: Reduces the percentage of salary that is allocated to the DPS division health care trust fund from 1.02% of member salaries to .20% of member salaries, which will allow PERA to apply the remaining .82% of the allocation to pension liabilities; For 5 years beginning July 1, 2025, excludes the DPS division from the annual allocation of the money that is directly distributed to PERA by the general assembly; and For 5 years beginning July 1, 2025, removes the DPS division from the calculation that PERA annually uses to determine whether an automatic adjustment to member and employer contribution rates and annual increase amounts will occur.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Health benefit insurance plans (health benefit plans) include coverage for gender-affirming health care as part of individual and group health benefit plans. "Gender-affirming health care" is defined in the act as supplies, care, and services of a medical, behavioral health, mental health, psychiatric, habilitative, surgical, therapeutic, diagnostic, preventive, rehabilitative, or supportive nature relating to the treatment of gender dysphoria (gender-affirming health care). The act codifies gender-affirming health care treatments in statute and prohibits a health benefit plan from denying or limiting medically necessary gender-affirming health care, as determined and prescribed by a physical or behavioral health-care provider. The act authorizes the health insurance affordability board to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations and to use those gifts, grants, or donations to cover abortion costs and to ensure access to legally protected health-care activity. The act exempts prescriptions for testosterone from the tracking requirements of the prescription drug use monitoring program and blocks archived records concerning testosterone use from view. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates a postsecondary and workforce readiness funding model that includes 3 types of funding: Start-up funding, innovation grant funding, and sustain funding. The state board of education (state board) is authorized to adopt rules concerning these funding sources. For the 2025-26 budget year through the 2027-28 budget year, the department of education (department) shall use a formula to determine each local education provider's start-up funding, which is used for eligible expenses that are associated with developing and implementing a postsecondary and workforce readiness program. Start-up funding gradually phases out and repeals after the 2027-28 budget year. Beginning in the 2028-29 budget year, innovation grant funding through the John W. Buckner postsecondary and workforce readiness innovation grant program, created in the department, is available to certain local education providers for eligible expenses that are associated with developing and implementing a postsecondary and workforce readiness program that aligns with the state's workforce demands or priorities. Local education providers that are required to adopt a priority improvement plan or a turnaround plan, or that authorize schools that are required to adopt a priority improvement plan or turnaround plan, for the current or prior budget year, or local education providers that demonstrate, or authorize a school that demonstrates, a low level of attainment on the postsecondary workforce readiness indicator for the prior school year are eligible for innovation grant funding. Beginning in the 2026-27 budget year, sustain funding is used to reimburse local education providers' expenses for students who, in the preceding budget year, successfully satisfied postsecondary credit, industry-recognized credential, or work-based learning requirements. For the 2026-27 budget year, of total sustain funding, a certain percentage is available for reimbursing postsecondary credit attainment, reimbursing industry-recognized credentials, and reimbursing work-based learning. For the 2027-28 budget year, and budget years thereafter, the state board may adjust the percentages for these categories. Beginning in January 2028, the department is required to annually report, as a part of its "SMART Act" presentation, findings regarding the effectiveness of consolidating the postsecondary and workforce readiness programs and funding streams. By November 1, 2029, the department is required to report to the joint budget committee findings regarding the effectiveness of consolidating the postsecondary and workforce readiness programs and funding streams. The act repeals the accelerating students through concurrent enrollment program and career development success program after the 2025-26 budget year. Upon passage, the act repeals the: Concurrent enrollment expansion and innovation grant program; and John W. Buckner automatic enrollment in advanced courses grant program. The act requires the department to convene a working group that includes educators to report its findings and recommendations to the joint budget committee concerning the effectiveness of the teacher retention and preparation program (TREP) and the pathways in technology (p-tech) early college high schools. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act: Adjusts appropriations made in the 2025-26 long bill; Appropriates $5,018,715 from the general fund and state education fund to the department for use by student pathways to implement the act; and Appropriates $160,073 from the general fund to the department for use by school quality and support to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes the director (director) of the division of professions and occupations in the department of regulatory agencies (division) to license dietitians and nutritionists if they meet the requirements specified by the act and the rules adopted by the director pursuant to the act. On and after September 1, 2026, an individual is prohibited from engaging in or offering to provide medical nutrition therapy unless the individual is licensed by the director. The act creates the dietetics and nutrition advisory committee in the division, which is responsible for advising the director in the regulation of medical nutrition therapy and the implementation of the act. An individual who desires to practice as a dietitian must file with the director: An application for a license; Proof of completion of educational requirements and supervised practice experience; and Proof of compliance with examination requirements or proof of holding a valid, current registration with the Commission on Dietetic Registration. An individual who desires to practice as a nutritionist must file with the director: An application for a license; Proof of completion of educational requirements and supervised practice experience; and Proof of compliance with examination requirements. Until September 1, 2028, the director may waive the examination requirement and may grant a nutritionist license to an applicant who meets specified criteria. The director may deny or refuse to renew a license, suspend or revoke a license, or impose probationary conditions on a license. The director may also issue warnings to or seek injunctive relief against a licensee or applicant for licensure who has engaged in specified grounds for discipline or unprofessional conduct. The director may issue a provisional license to practice as a dietitian or a nutritionist upon the filing of an application with the appropriate fees, submission of evidence of successful completion of the educational and supervised practice requirements, and submission of evidence that the individual has applied to take the required licensing examination. The act exempts specified individuals from the licensing requirements established by the act. An individual who practices or offers or attempts to practice as a dietitian or nutritionist without being licensed pursuant to the act and who is not exempted from licensure commits a class 2 misdemeanor. The director shall adopt rules as necessary to implement the act. The act is scheduled for repeal on September 1, 2035. Before the repeal, the functions of the director in regulating dietitians and nutritionists are scheduled for review in accordance with the sunset law. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $100,584 from the division of professions and occupations cash fund to the department of regulatory agencies to implement the act. VETOED by Governor 5/23/2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, a person who does not have lawful immigration status must submit an affidavit stating that they have either applied for lawful presence or will apply for lawful presence as soon as they are eligible when the person is applying for: In-state student tuition classification; or An identification document pursuant to the "Colorado Road and Community Safety Act". The act repeals these affidavit requirements. Under current law, a jail custodian is generally required to release a defendant within 6 hours after the defendant has been granted a personal recognizance bond or is prepared to post bond. The act prohibits the jail custodian from delaying a defendant's release for the purpose of an immigration enforcement operation. Under current law, a criminal defendant may petition a court to vacate a guilty plea to a class 1 or class 2 misdemeanor or a municipal offense if the criminal defendant alleges that: They were not adequately advised by defense counsel of adverse immigration consequences of a guilty plea; They did not knowingly, intelligently, or voluntarily waive the right to counsel because they were not advised that the right to counsel includes the right to be advised regarding immigration consequences of a guilty plea; or The guilty plea was constitutionally infirm. The act extends the ability to petition a court to vacate a guilty plea to class 3 misdemeanors as classified at the time of the plea, traffic misdemeanors, and petty offenses. Under current law, state agencies and state agencies' employees are: Required to comply with provisions that limit the disclosure, collection, and access to a person's personal identifying information; Required to annually report certain information concerning requests made for a person's personal identifying information; and Subject to a civil penalty for an intentional violation of the requirements. The act extends these requirements concerning a person's personal identifying information to political subdivisions and their employees, and repeals the annual reporting requirements concerning requests made for a person's personal identifying information. The act creates minimum requirements for a public child care center, public school, local education provider, public institution of higher education, public health-care facility, or publicly supported library concerning information collection and access to its information, facilities, or property, and creates a civil penalty for an intentional violation of certain requirements. Under current law, a peace officer who is employed by the Colorado state patrol, a municipal police department, a town marshal's office, or a county sheriff's office is prohibited from arresting or detaining an individual on the basis of a civil immigration detainer request. The act extends the prohibition to a peace officer designated by the state as a peace officer. Under current law, a probation officer or probation department employee is prohibited from providing personal information about an individual to federal immigration authorities. The act extends this prohibition to a pretrial officer or pretrial services office employee. The act prohibits a military force from another state from entering the state without the governor's permission, unless the military force from another state is acting on federal orders and acting as a part of the United States armed forces. The act adds and amends definitions concerning "precise geolocation data" within the "Colorado Privacy Act". The act prohibits a controller from selling a consumer's sensitive data without obtaining consent. Under current law, a person is not subject to civil arrest while the person is present at a courthouse or on its environs, or while going to, attending, or coming from a court proceeding. The act extends this to while a person is receiving treatment in a related facility, which is a facility where programs and services are provided in relation to a court proceeding. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act decreases an appropriation made in the long bill of: $54,900 from the general fund to the department of labor and employment; and $3,393 from the general fund to the department of personnel.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)