Rep. Tammy Story

The act requires the division of labor standards and statistics (division) in the department of labor and employment (CDLE), on or before January 15, 2027, to begin collecting data concerning temperature-related injury or illness or temperature-related emergencies at worksites and to:Develop a platform on CDLE's website where users can provide information about occurrences of temperature-related injury or illness or temperature-related emergencies;Obtain from the department of public health and environment (CDPHE) data that CDPHE has collected through its syndromic surveillance program regarding occurrences of heat-related injury or illness or heat-related emergencies; andCollect similar data from the division of workers' compensation and the Center for Improving Value in Health Care.     On or before July 1, 2028, the act requires the division to develop a model temperature-related injury and illness prevention plan (TRIIPP) that thereafter must be made available on CDLE's website. Additionally, the act requires the division to review and update the model TRIIPP at least every 5 years and grants the division authority to adopt rules necessary to implement the act.     $76,651 is appropriated from the general fund to the department for use by the division.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the division of administration in the department of public health and environment (division), no later than July 2029, to propose a final rule (rule) establishing certain limits on the emission of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide (emission limits) from an electric generating unit (unit) that is owned or operated by an electric utility; is located in the state; and emitted 200 tons or more of nitrogen oxides, or sulfur dioxide, or both in calendar year 2024 (covered unit). The rule must require compliance with the emission limits as soon as practicable after December 31, 2034, and must not cover units that, before December 31, 2029, have ceased operations; burn natural gas, fuel oil, or both only; or have certain systems installed. A unit that operates after December 31, 2034, must install certain pollution controls and comply with the emission limits on or before December 31, 2034.     An owner or operator of a unit is required to provide quarterly emission reports showing compliance with the rule to the division. On August 1, 2029, the air quality control commission in the department of public health and environment (AQCC) must submit to the general assembly a list of any units that are subject to a federal order. If there are any units subject to a federal order, the AQCC must also submit to the general assembly recommendations on whether to amend the requirements for units subject to federal order.     An investor-owned utility or wholesale electric cooperative that is the owner or operator of a unit is required, beginning 150 days after the issuance of a federal order requiring the unit to remain operating after the unit was scheduled to retire (order) and continuing every 90 days until the order is no longer in effect, to file a report with the public utilities commission (commission) that contains certain information about the costs to operate the unit and the amount of electricity generated by the unit. The commission must make these reports publicly available. An investor-owned utility is also permitted to submit an application for a financing order to recover the costs of complying with an order.     Any decision by the commission approving or modifying a portfolio in an electric resource plan of an investor-owned utility serving more than 500,000 customers must approve an amount of accredited capacity that allows the investor-owned utility to reliably achieve certain retirement and carbon dioxide emission reduction requirements. This requirement applies to an investor-owned utility serving more than 500,000 customers until the division determines that the investor-owned utility has achieved certain carbon dioxide emission reductions or until the investor-owned utility has retired all covered units, whichever is later.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryHJR 1028 is a joint resolution that declares the Colorado House of Representatives' intent to honor a $2 million investment in school funding studies by creating a multi-year plan to address their findings. The bill directs the legislature to review the recommendations from two recent studies, which found that current school funding levels are inadequate and teacher salaries are too low, and to decide which study's methodology to follow for implementation. It requires the development of a structured plan that includes revenue triggers to phase in changes aimed at improving school funding equity and teacher compensation.

Maddy summaryHR 1007 is a commemorative resolution honoring Colorado's 150th anniversary of statehood in 2026. The bill directly affects the people of Colorado and various government officials by formally recognizing the state's history, culture, and achievements. Its key provisions call on citizens to celebrate this milestone with gratitude and dedication to liberty while committing to preserve natural resources, promote civic education, and strengthen infrastructure. The resolution does not create new laws or funding but serves as a symbolic acknowledgment of the state's legacy and future goals.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a resolution that formally honors Colorado law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. It expresses gratitude for their role in protecting communities and encourages residents to engage with police to build trust. The measure does not create new laws or funding but serves as a public acknowledgment of officers' work and challenges.

Currently, the 'Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado' provides that certain cancers contracted by firefighters are considered occupational diseases presumed to have been a result of the firefighters' employment. A firefighter's employer or an insurer may rebut this presumption by showing by a preponderance of the medical evidence that the cancer did not occur on the job.     The act expands the types of cancer that are considered occupational diseases and strengthens the rebuttable presumption to require an employer to show clear and convincing evidence that the cancer did not occur on the job.     The act exempts firefighters who are employed by the state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

An interchange fee is a fee established, charged, or received by a payment card network for the purpose of compensating an issuer for its involvement in an electronic payment transaction. The act states that a payment card network shall not, whether directly or indirectly:Establish, charge, or include in a fee schedule an interchange fee if:The interchange fee is or includes a percentage multiplied by the gross dollar amount of a transaction conducted with a debit card or credit card; andThe fee does not exclude from the gross dollar amount of the transaction any amount attributable to a tax on the transaction; orIncrease the rate or amount of fees that apply to the nontax portion of a transaction in an attempt to, or in a manner that would, circumvent the prohibition on interchange fees established by the act.     The act exempts electronic payment transactions involving a debit card or credit card issued by a person, or agent of a person, that issues a debit card or credit card to a cardholder (issuer) that:Did not, during any point in the previous calendar year, hold consolidated worldwide banking and nonbanking assets, including assets of affiliates, other than trust assets under management, of more than $60 billion; orAs of February 1, 2026, had contracted to brand the card with the brand of a financial institution chartered or authorized to do business in this state that did not, during any point in the previous calendar year, hold consolidated worldwide banking and nonbanking assets, including assets of affiliates, other than trust assets under management, of more than $60 billion.An issuer that satisfies either of these exemption descriptions must identify to a payment card network all of the issuer's debit cards and credit cards that are used for exempted transactions. The payment card network shall not, whether directly or indirectly through an agent, contract, requirement, condition, penalty, technological specification, or inducement or otherwise:Deny such a card access to transaction processing systems; orImpose any fee increase or penalty on the issuer or on a financial institution branded on the card for any costs of upgrades or configurations to payment and processing systems that may be necessary to comply with the act with respect to such cards.     If a payment card network violates the act's prohibitions, a merchant, consumer, or other person that is injured as a result of the violation may bring a civil action against the payment card network. The act sets forth the penalties to be awarded in such an action.     For the 2026-27 state fiscal year and each state fiscal year thereafter, the act requires each retail business that has more than 500 employees statewide on the effective date of the act to apply any savings resulting from the act to reducing prices for consumers or investing in employee wages or benefits.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

On or before December 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the act requires each transportation broker that administers nonemergency medical transportation to medicaid members to submit certain information to the department of health care policy and financing (state department) regarding transportation providers that the transportation broker contracts with. Beginning January 1, 2027, the state department is required to include this information in its annual 'SMART Act' presentation.     The act changes the term 'qualified alien' to 'qualified noncitizen' to align with federal requirements.     If the state department plans to implement, apply, or enforce new multiple procedure payment reductions for outpatient therapy services, the act requires the state department to provide notice to the impacted providers of the changes at least 6 months prior to implementing the changes and to hold at least one stakeholder meeting to discuss the payment reductions.     The act requires the state department to reimburse a provider who is licensed and authorized to prescribe, dispense, compound, or administer medication-assisted treatment in a jail setting.     The act requires the medical services board to adopt rules before January 1, 2027, to comply with federal community engagement requirements and requires the state department make available on its website data on the community engagement requirements and their impact on medical assistance enrollment.     The act requires the state department to collect direct care service cost to administrative cost ratio information from home- and community-based service provider agencies and submit a report to the general assembly detailing the information collected.     The act repeals the state medical assistance and services advisory council.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires that school districts test the vision of students in pre-kindergarten, in addition to testing the vision of students in kindergarten and the first, second, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth grades.     The act updates terminology by replacing the word 'sight' with the word 'vision'.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act prohibits individuals lawfully permitted to provide psychotherapy services in the state (regulated professionals) from allowing an artificial intelligence system (AI system) to interact with clients in any form of therapeutic communication without synchronous, real-time interaction between the regulated professional, the AI system, and the client, or generate therapeutic recommendations or treatment plans without review and approval by the regulated professional.     Except for educational, administrative, simulation, or training purposes or as part of a research program, a regulated professional shall not use an AI system to provide, direct, or guide psychotherapy, clinical intervention, counseling, diagnosis, treatment planning, or other activity that constitutes the practice of psychotherapy with an individual or group unless the use satisfies the conditions specified in the act. At initial client contact, a regulated professional shall inform clients of the prohibitions regarding use of AI systems in the practice of psychotherapy. Regulated professionals may be disciplined by the appropriate licensing board in the department of regulatory agencies for violations of this act.     The act allows regulated professionals to use an AI system to assist in providing administrative support or supplementary support, as these terms are defined in the act, for psychotherapy services if the regulated professional maintains responsibility for reviewing any outputs of the AI system used to provide administrative support or supplementary support. If a client's therapeutic session will be recorded or transcribed through the use of an AI system, the regulated professional must disclose in advance the use of an AI system and the purposes for its use, and obtain written, informed consent from the client.     The act does not prohibit a regulated professional from using an AI system within accredited or approved educational, instructional, or professional training programs, so long as the AI system is used solely for educational, administrative, simulation, or training purposes and is not deployed, marketed, or represented as a tool for use with clients, patients, or the public. Further, a regulated professional may be involved in the development, testing, or evaluation of an AI system solely for research purposes under the oversight of a federally registered institutional review board, so long as the AI system is not offered to consumers or used outside of the research setting.     The act does not apply to regulated professionals who use or recommend the use of technology in the state that does not diagnose or treat mental health disorders, clearly discloses that the technology is not a substitute for clinical care, and:Provides self-help, therapeutic homework, coaching, patient navigation, guided meditation, journaling, or other tools specified in the act; orIs regulated by the federal food and drug administration.     Except as provided in the act, the act also makes it an unfair or deceptive trade practice under the 'Colorado Consumer Protection Act' for an individual, corporation, or entity (person) to use any term, letter, or phrase in the use of an AI system in a manner that:Indicates or implies that the AI system's outputs are provided by, endorsed by, or equivalent to services provided by a regulated professional;Represents that the AI system provides psychotherapy services; orRepresents that a user's data is confidential in a manner that would lead a reasonable user to believe that the privacy of their data is protected in a manner similar to therapist-client confidentiality.      The act does not impose liability on a regulated professional for defects in or failures of an AI system that are attributable to the developer or deployer of the AI system.     Further, under conditions specified in the act, nothing in the act prohibits a person from developing, testing, or evaluating an AI system solely for research purposes or using an AI system in educational, instructional, or training programs. In addition, it is not an unfair or deceptive trade practice for a person to use a technology that does not diagnose or treat mental health disorders, clearly discloses that the technology is not a substitute for clinical care, and:Provides self-help, therapeutic homework, coaching, patient navigation, guided meditation, journaling, or other tools specified in the act; orIs regulated by the federal food and drug administration.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)