The act repeals reporting requirements that have already been fulfilled and do not contain a future repeal date. The act repeals duties related to repealed reports and repeals task forces, working groups, and review counsels created to make outdated reports.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act corrects a citation within the definition of 'active duty' in the 'Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children'.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Maddy summaryHB 1303 corrects technical errors in Colorado's energy and carbon management laws. It replaces the incorrect reference to the "International Code Council Exam F31" (which does not apply to welders) with specific, relevant industry exams required for welder certification on oil and gas process lines, including API Standard 1104 and ASME Section IX. The bill also updates terminology from "oil and gas operations" to "energy and carbon management operations" throughout statutes to align with the commission's regulatory authority. These changes affect welders seeking certification for oil and gas work and ensure statutory references match current regulatory scope.
The act requires coaches of youth athletic activities to complete a biennial mental health education course. The required mental health education course must address a coach's impact on the mental health of a youth athlete, a wellness framework for youth athletes, mental health disorders, trauma, substance abuse, and suicide prevention. The act requires a coach of a youth athlete, or other designated personnel, to advise the parent or guardian of the youth athlete to seek a medical evaluation from a licensed health-care provider for appropriate medical and behavioral health guidance if the youth athlete is removed from play for a suspected concussion.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires measures to improve equity in maternal health, including:Requiring the Colorado medical board to consider, as part of its stakeholder process for continuing medical education, a requirement that a physician complete continuing medical education on cultural competence and equity in maternal care;Requiring the state board of nursing rules relating to continuing education to include rules relating to health-care provider attention to cultural competence and equity in providing health-care services;Authorizing the department of public health and environment (CDPHE), subject to available appropriations, to provide a health survey to additional birthing parents, beyond those currently surveyed, and to compile the data if surveyed;Requiring a health facility that provides labor and childbirth services to make available to a birthing parent and a birthing parent's companion, electronically or in writing, a statement on respectful labor and childbirth regarding rights and components, including freedom from harm, privacy and confidentiality, informed consent, and allowing a birthing parent to have a birthing companion present at the birth, and to make available information, including telephone contact information, for the appropriate state or federal agency to receive a complaint alleging discrimination in labor and childbirth services;Subject to available federal grant funding for the maternal health task force (task force) established by CDPHE, ensuring that the maternal health task force includes at least one advocate representing populations with the worst maternal mortality outcomes in the state; andBeginning October 1, 2026, with respect to CDPHE's Colorado maternal mortality review committee, changing the reporting to the general assembly every 3 years concerning maternal health outcomes and equity from July to October and requiring the reporting of certain maternal health outcomes for populations known to have the worst maternal mortality outcomes in the state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new educational requirements for individuals seeking to become licensed school counselors in Colorado. To qualify for an initial school counselor license, applicants must now hold a master's degree or higher specifically in school counseling from an accredited institution, with the program requiring at least 48 graduate semester credit hours. The legislation aims to ensure that school counselors entering the profession have comprehensive graduate-level preparation in counseling practices, student development, and strategies to support students facing behavioral and academic challenges. This change directly affects current and future school counselor candidates in Colorado who must meet these updated academic standards to obtain their professional license.
The act continues the compliance advisory panel to the air pollution control division in the department of public health and environment for 10 years, until September 1, 2036, pursuant to the provisions of the sunset law.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, courts may not assess or collect administrative fees, costs, and surcharges in juvenile delinquency cases involving a juvenile under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court when a juvenile has been charged with or adjudicated of certain crimes. The act adds that courts or the state is prohibited from assessing or collecting administrative fees, costs, and surcharges assessed against a juvenile or the juvenile's parents, guardian, or legal custodian when the juvenile was under 18 years old when the crime was committed.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act prohibits a person who possesses a record or report (record) of child abuse or neglect from releasing identifying data or information contained in the record to a person who is not authorized to receive the information or data. The act clarifies what constitutes identifying data in a record. The act adds an assigned designee of a person named in a record who is acting on the person's behalf as a person who may have access to child abuse or neglect records if the assigned designee presents a valid release of information signed by an authorized person. The act allows a person named in a record as an alleged abused or neglected child who is in possession of a record in which they are named or, with the person's consent, the person's attorney or guardian ad litem, to disclose and make use of the record, including for the purpose of litigation or to obtain treatment or services. Except as expressly authorized in law, a criminal defendant may only access a record after an in camera review by the court in which the court finds that access to the record is necessary for the resolution of an issue. The act requires each county department of human or social services to establish and submit to the state department of human services a process current and former clients may use to obtain access to their case records. The act repeals the penalties associated with a person who improperly releases or willfully permits or encourages the release of data or information contained in the records to a person not permitted to access the information and makes it a petty offense for the department of education or a school district, charter school, or nonpublic school to release data or information contained in a record to a person not permitted to access the information.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law defines illicit massage businesses as businesses that engage in massage but also engage in human-trafficking-related offenses. The act expands the definition of 'illicit massage business' to include a massage business that engages in crimes other than human-trafficking-related offenses. Current law states that if a local government adopts a resolution or ordinance to establish business licensure requirements or to prohibit unlawful activities relating to illicit massage businesses, the resolution or ordinance must not be more restrictive than the requirements set forth in state law. The act removes this limitation. The act clarifies that a local government may adopt a resolution or ordinance for the purposes of deterring illicit massage businesses; preventing human trafficking; protecting legitimate massage therapy businesses; and safeguarding public health, safety, and welfare. The act also allows a local government to impose local licensing requirements in addition to those requirements prescribed in state law. Current law allows a local government to impose an administrative fee not to exceed $150 for issuing or renewing a license. The act removes the $150 cap on such fees. If a local government imposes an administrative fee, the amount of the fee must be reasonably related to the costs of the local government in administering the resolution or ordinance and the licensing of massage facilities. The fee must not exceed $500 unless necessary to cover the local government's costs of administering the resolution or ordinance and licensing the massage facilities in its jurisdiction. The fee may be adjusted yearly for inflation or deflation. Current law exempts businesses that held licenses before August 10, 2022, from the administrative fees. The act removes this exemption. The act allows a local government to establish additional grounds to deny, revoke, or suspend a license. The act provides that, if a local government establishes business licensure requirements for massage facilities, the resolution or ordinance adopted by the local government must prohibit ownership of massage facilities by the types of persons that are prohibited from ownership in current law. Current law states that preventing the operation of illicit massage businesses is a matter of statewide concern, and licensing and regulation of massage facilities is a matter of mixed statewide and local concern. The act states that preventing the operation of illicit massage businesses is a matter of mixed statewide and local concern. The act requires a local government that adopts a resolution or ordinance related to the local regulation of massage facilities on or after August 13, 2026, to consider the impacts of the resolution or ordinance on legitimate massage therapy businesses and conduct outreach to massage therapists and massage therapy businesses in the local government's jurisdiction and statewide organizations of massage therapists.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
