Rep. Michael Carter

Currently, a contractor on a private construction project has a statutory right to secure payment with a general mechanic's lien. However, if the contractor knowingly files on the lien for an excessive amount, the contractor forfeits all rights to the lien and is liable to the person against whom the lien was filed for costs and attorney fees. A contractor on a public construction project has a similar right to secure payment by filing a verified statement of claim, which requires the project owner to withhold funds sufficient to pay the claim, usually in the form of a bond. The act clarifies that a public construction contractor who knowingly files a verified statement of claim for an excessive amount forfeits all rights pursuant to the verified statement of claim. Thus, the act aligns, for both a private and public construction contractor, the penalty for claiming an excessive amount on a lien or verified statement of claim to the loss of rights related to that lien or verified statement of claim, respectively.     The act expressly allows for a private mechanic's lien or public verified statement of claim to include costs otherwise allowed under a contract in the lien or verified statement of claim amount, including costs incurred as a result of delay, lost productivity, or other disruption to the work. The act also clarifies that an award by a court for an amount less than the amount claimed in a lien or verified statement of claim does not render the amount claimed excessive.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The fire and police pension association (association) provides disability retirement and survivor benefits (disability and survivor benefits) for eligible members of the association (members) who become disabled or die. The act recodifies and reorganizes the disability and survivor benefits statutes, removes outdated provisions, and clarifies ambiguous language. In addition, the act makes the following modifications to the disability and survivor benefits statutes:Removes the current requirement that the association require every member who applies for disability retirement benefits to have 3 independent medical exams and instead authorizes the board of the association (board) to appoint a medical advisor to assess the needs of each applicant for disability retirement benefits;Authorizes the board to adopt rules to streamline the appeal process for disability retirement benefit applicants who are denied benefits;Allows the association to require a member who is occupationally disabled to participate in a rehabilitation and retraining program to help the member gain additional skills and knowledge so the member can earn a wage doing a job other than being a police officer or firefighter;Clarifies that a member who is a total disability retirement benefit recipient will begin receiving a cost of living adjustment when the member starts receiving a total disability retirement benefit;Clarifies eligibility for a member to apply for disability retirement benefits; Repeals the statute that makes an employer liable for the payment of disability retirement benefits if a member's disability existed at the commencement of employment, the employment was not ordered by a court, and the employer failed to require the member to complete and file a health history form prior to commencing employment; andRequires members to fill out a health history form, which notifies the association of any preexisting health conditions, prior to employment.     The act does not change the amounts of disability retirement and survivor benefits or the length of time a member must be employed to be eligible for a benefit, nor does it require additional money from the state, employers, or members.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act includes approved facility schools in the definition of 'employer' for purposes of the public employees' retirement association (PERA) and allows an approved facility school to apply to the PERA board to affiliate with PERA.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis bill urges the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Farmers Market Association to maintain and strengthen their partnership to support farmers' market managers across the state. It recognizes that most market managers are volunteers who need expertise, training, and resources to handle tasks like event planning, food safety, and vendor coordination. The resolution aims to help sustain local farmers' markets that provide fresh produce to communities and support small-scale producers who rely on these venues for sales.

Maddy summaryHJR 1017 is a joint resolution urging the federal government to fulfill its obligations under the 1986 Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement. It specifically calls for action to address infrastructure gaps affecting two tribes: the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, who have settled water rights but cannot access or use them due to missing pipelines (e.g., from Lake Nighthorse) and deteriorating irrigation systems (like the PRIIP, requiring $126 million in repairs). The resolution highlights federal failures to fund operations, maintain infrastructure, and enable tribes to utilize their legally secured water for agriculture, municipal use, and economic development. As a procedural resolution, it does not create new law but formally requests federal action to resolve these longstanding barriers.

March 31 is currently known as 'Cesar Chavez Day' and may be voluntarily observed as a state legal holiday. The act repeals 'Cesar Chavez Day' and changes this voluntary legal holiday for March 31, 2026, and March 31, 2027, to instead be known as 'Farm Workers Day'.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution establishes March 31, 2026, as Farm Workers Day in Colorado to honor the contributions of agricultural workers to the state's economy and food supply. The measure recognizes that farm workers make up a significant portion of Colorado's rural workforce, including many immigrant and Latina women who face unique challenges in the industry. The resolution acknowledges the historical efforts of farm worker organizations that fought for better pay, safety, and union rights, while celebrating the dignity and hard work of those who grow and harvest food. Copies of the resolution will be sent to state officials and the UFW Foundation to commemorate this observance.

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution recognizes Earth Day and the International Day of Zero Waste while reaffirming Colorado's commitment to environmental stewardship. It encourages citizens, businesses, and organizations to participate in sustainability events on March 30 and April 22, 2026, and to adopt waste-reducing practices in their daily lives. The resolution also calls for the state to evaluate its own operations for greater efficiency and sustainability, though it does not create new laws or funding.

The act permits a health facility to allow patients who are terminally ill and who are registered in the state's medical marijuana program to use medical marijuana within the health facility, subject to certain parameters. The act requires a health facility that allows such use to document the patient's medical marijuana program registration and medical marijuana usage in the patient's medical records and develop guidelines for and impose restrictions on the possession, usage, storage, and administration of medical marijuana to ensure the safety of others, safe facility operations, and compliance with other laws. A health facility is not required to handle medical marijuana for a patient.     The act prohibits the department of public health and environment (department) from requiring compliance with the act as a condition for a health facility to obtain or renew a license or certification that it is required to carry to operate as a health facility. Additionally, the act prohibits the department from requiring compliance if compliance would result in a violation of state law, a loss of federal funding, noncompliance with the federal medicare or medicaid programs, or noncompliance with accreditation or licensing requirements. Lastly, the act allows a health facility to suspend compliance with the act's provisions in the event that, and only as long as, a listed federal entity takes an action that requires the health facility to suspend its compliance with the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act amends the law and adds new provisions to law relating to access to vaccines as follows:     For the cervical cancer vaccine: (Sections 3 and 14)Updates insurance coverage statutes to refer to the vaccine as the human papillomavirus vaccine, rather than the cervical cancer vaccine; Recognizes coverage for both women and men;Authorizes the commissioner of insurance to adopt coverage rules for the vaccine if the advisory committee on immunization practices to the centers for disease control in the federal department of health and human services (ACIP) no longer recommends the vaccine; andUpdates language in the cervical cancer immunization program to define the cervical cancer vaccine as the human papillomavirus vaccine and to refer in the program to underinsured minors, rather than just uninsured female minors, since both male and female minors receive the vaccine;     Under Colorado law, a naturopathic doctor must provide a parent or legal guardian with a copy of the most recent schedule of immunizations recommended by the ACIP. The act removes references to ACIP and requires a naturopathic doctor to refer patients to a schedule of immunizations established by rule of the state board of health (board of health) (Sections 4 and 5);     The act authorizes pharmacists to exercise independent prescriptive authority for vaccines and requires the state board of pharmacy to review and repeal record-keeping rules for vaccines (Sections 6 and 7);     In the context of vaccines required for school entry, updates vaccine-related liability limitation provisions to limit liability for injuries if the vaccine was administered to a child of any age according to the schedule of immunizations established by the board of health or to ACIP's schedule referenced in Colorado law (Section 8);     The act also does the following:Directs the board of health, in adopting rules addressing which vaccines are to be administered to infants, to consider the recommendations of ACIP, as well as the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other similar entities (Section 9);Removes the prohibition on the use of state money for infant immunization programs if the state does not receive federal money for the infant immunization programs, and requires any additional general fund money for the programs to be appropriated through the annual state budget process or emergency supplemental process (Section 10);For claims brought on or before January 30, 2029, adds pharmacies, manufacturers, and wholesalers to liability limitation provisions for hospitals, clinics, and other providers relating to the handling, storage, and distribution of vaccines for infants. Manufacturer and wholesaler liability limitation provisions are removed from the law for claims brought on or after January 31, 2029 (Section 11).Authorizes the department of public health and environment to consider vaccines adopted by the board of health by rule, recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other similar entities, in addition to ACIP, in recommending the purchase of vaccines, sending notifications concerning overdue vaccines and vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, and when considering equivalent vaccines (Section 12).     The act creates the 'Adult Immunization Act' (act), which applies to individuals at least eighteen years old. A person that administers a vaccine or other immunizing agent to an adult is not liable for civil damages for injury or death of an adult caused by a vaccine or immunizing agent if:The vaccine or immunizing agent was administered according to the schedule of immunizations establish by the board of health by rule, after considering recommendations from ACIP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other similar entities;There were no medical contraindications; and The vaccine or immunizing agent was administered in accordance with generally accepted clinical methods.     For claims brought on or before January 30, 2029, against a hospital, clinic, pharmacy, manufacturer, wholesaler, or provider arising from injuries resulting from the handling, storage, or distribution of vaccines, there is no liability unless the injuries are the result of the negligent failure of an employee of the hospital, clinic, pharmacy, or manufacturer, wholesaler, or provider to conform to recognized standards to protect public health. Manufacturer and wholesaler liability protections are removed from the law for claims brought on or after January 31, 2029 (Section 15).     The act authorizes the department of health care policy and financing to purchase for the children's basic health plan vaccines that are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other similar entities, in addition to those recommended by ACIP (Section 16).(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)