Rep. Cecelia Espenoza

The act updates the 'Uniform Antitrust Pre-Merger Notification Act' (act) with amendments to the act adopted by the Uniform Law Commission by:Defining 'Uniform Antitrust Pre-Merger Notification Act' for purposes of the act;Requiring the filing of a Hart-Scott-Rodino form with the Colorado attorney general (AG) within one business day after filing with the federal government (rather than contemporaneously);Requiring the AG to provide a secure means to accept and store materials they receive under the act;When receiving information from the attorney general of another state that has also enacted the act, requiring the AG to provide assurances to the other attorney general that the AG will maintain the confidentiality of the documents or information they receive;Requiring the AG to destroy or return the materials submitted to them within 120 days after the close of the transaction subject to disclosure under the act or the conclusion of any legal proceeding directly related to the transaction subject to disclosure under the act, whichever is later; andRequiring the AG to provide written notice and a 3-day period to cure before imposing civil penalties against a person for noncompliance with the Hart-Scott-Rodino form filing requirements.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act repeals the office of the judicial discipline ombudsman, effective July 1, 2027, which was established in 2023 to act as an independent and confidential advisor on judicial discipline procedures and workplace culture.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act exempts Colorado courts' e-filing system from the requirement that users certify that they will not disclose personal identifying information obtained from the system for federal immigration enforcement.     The act authorizes a public health agency to inspect or examine a facility that houses or detains individuals who are noncitizens for purposes of civil immigration proceedings.     Under current law, the department of public health and environment is authorized to inspect facilities that house or detain individuals who are noncitizens for purposes of civil immigration proceedings. The act expands the inspection authority, including the frequency of inspections and things that are subject to inspection. A facility that refuses to allow the inspection is subject to a civil penalty. The department of public health and environment is authorized to set fees for inspections and deposit the money from the fees in the immigration facility inspection and detention cash fund, which is created in the state treasury.     The act authorizes the department of public health and environment to require facilities that house or detain individuals who are noncitizens for purposes of civil immigration proceedings to comply with requirements, including health and safety standards and reporting requirements. A facility that fails to comply is subject to a civil penalty. The act requires the department of public health and environment to submit an annual report to the attorney general concerning facilities' compliance with these new requirements and make the report publicly available on its website.     The act requires the P.O.S.T. board to establish training standards related to peace officer compliance with current laws concerning civil immigration detainers. P.O.S.T.-certified peace officers must complete the training before December 31, 2027.     The act requires the attorney general to develop and make publicly available a policy regarding current laws concerning the protection of personal identifying information.     The act appropriates $107,283 to the department of public health and environment from the immigration facility inspection and detention cash fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Pursuant to existing law, when an administering state agency awards a grant to a nonprofit organization (grantee), the grantee is generally required to access the grant award by applying for the reimbursement of costs incurred in completing the activity for which the administering state agency awarded the grant.     Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the act allows an administering state agency to advance a payment to a grantee only for a state-funded grant subject to certain requirements.     The administering state agency shall:Have an existing process or develop a new process that is approved by the state controller to dispense an advance payment;Disclose the availability of advance payment in any notice of a grant funding opportunity, grant solicitation, request for applications, or other announcement issued to prospective grantees;Ensure that any advance payment to a grantee is the minimum amount needed to achieve the outcome of actual, immediate cash requirements of the grantee in carrying out the grant objective; and Use the office of the state controller's risk assessment tool to determine whether a grantee is high, medium, or low risk and allow advance payment only to a grantee that is determined to be low risk. An administering state agency may modify the considerations in the risk assessment tool depending on the specific situation.     The grantee shall:Provide an itemized budget to the administering state agency for the eligible costs that the advance payment will cover, the indirect or other costs that the grantee needs to operate, a spending timeline, and a workplan developed as specified by the administering state agency;Submit documentation to support the need for advance payment; If required by the administering state agency and stipulated within the grant agreement, obtain insurance in an amount commensurate with the assessed risk determined by the administering state agency ;Establish procedures to minimize the amount of time that elapses between the transfer of money and the expenditure of the money by the grantee;Provide a progress report to the administering state agency following the expenditure of an advance payment; andDisclose certain internal controls to the administering state agency.      The grantee shall propose the minimum amount needed to achieve the grant objective and the controller of the administering state agency shall review and determine whether to accept the amount or propose an alternative amount. The controller of the administering state agency shall forward advance payment requests to the state controller for approval.     A grantee shall return to the administering state agency all unused money provided as an advance payment but not expended within the grant agreement timeline. A grantee that is paid a percentage of the total value of the payments under a grant agreement immediately upon executing the grant agreement must comply with all of the reporting requirements specified in the grant agreement.     If an administering state agency or the office of the state controller denies a grantee's request for advance payment, the administering state agency shall provide the grantee with a written explanation of the deficiencies in the application for advance payment that determined the decision to deny the request. The administering state agency shall make the elements and results of the risk assessment available to the grantee.     The act does not prevent an administering state agency, in providing advance payment to a grantee, from using a waiver process available through fiscal rules adopted by the state controller or rules adopted by a federal governmental entity to dispense a percentage of the total value of the payments under the grant agreement to the grantee immediately upon executing or renewing the grant agreement.     Nothing in the act limits, prohibits, or supersedes any existing payment or grant-making authority or powers of a state agency.     For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $34,146 from the general fund to the department of personnel for use by the division of accounts and control to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a two-mile stretch of Colorado Highway 14 in Weld County as 'Mono & Matt Road' to honor Edwardo 'Mono' Hernandez and Matthew Garcia, two high school basketball players who died in a 2014 traffic accident. The legislation authorizes the Colorado Department of Transportation to install signs for the new name and allows the department to accept donations for this purpose while exploring a cooperative agreement with Weld County for future maintenance. By placing the names on a specific roadway, the bill creates a permanent physical tribute to the students in the location where the accident occurred.

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.

The act prohibits employers from making deductions from the wages or compensation of an employee for personal protective equipment. The act also requires an employer with 500 or more employees who are engaged in the slaughter of livestock or the rendering or packaging of meat to provide its employees reasonable access to restrooms. The division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment may fine an employer who fails to provide restroom access.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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.

The act creates the retail theft prevention advisory board (advisory board) in the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety (division). The advisory board shall develop procedures related to applying for a grant for the retail theft prevention grant program created in the act; review grant applications and award grants; collect and analyze data related to organized felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud trends, losses, prosecutions, and outcomes in Colorado; and develop policy recommendations in coordination with state and federal partners on how to combat felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud.     The act creates the retail theft prevention grant program in the division. A state or local law enforcement agency, district attorney's office, multijurisdictional or regional task force, or tribal law enforcement agency may apply for a grant, which may be used to investigate and prosecute organized felony-level retail theft or gift card fraud; develop or invest in technology, data-sharing systems, and analytics tools to analyze felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud metrics; provide training and technical assistance to retailers or law enforcement agencies; and develop prevention and deterrence initiatives specific to felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud.     Beginning January 2028, the act requires the division to annually report during its 'SMART Act' hearing certain information about the retail theft prevention grant program and felony-level retail theft in Colorado.     The act extends the crime prevention through safer streets grant program (safer streets grant program) to November 1, 2029, and makes the retail theft prevention grant program an allowable use of the money appropriated for the safer streets grant program. On July 1, 2027, $200,000 of the unexpended and unencumbered money remaining at the end of the 2026-27 state fiscal year from the money appropriated for the safer streets grant program reverts to the general fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the department of corrections (department) to furnish an individual being discharged from the department's custody a release allowance of at least $100, free of any deductions. Beginning by September 15, 2027, and annually thereafter, the department is required to collect and report discharge data, including the number of individuals released from department correctional facilities, the number and percentage of released individuals who received the release allowance, and the total amount of money spent on release allowances. The department must issue a report to the general assembly annually. The act repeals provisions requiring the department to give an individual a ticket to leave prior to discharging the individual from a correctional facility.     The act requires eligible offenders to participate in the department's existing program to procure state-issued identification cards for offenders (program), unless the offender affirmatively opts-out of the program. Beginning by September 15, 2027, and annually thereafter, the department is required to collect data on the process of securing necessary identification documents to issue state identification cards and issue a report to the general assembly. The report must include the number and percentage of offenders released with an identification card, birth certificate, and social security number and the number and percentage of offenders who were ineligible to participate in the program and the reason for ineligibility.     The department is prohibited from charging an offender a fee to obtain a state identification card, and any fee incurred in the process of securing an offender's identification documents to create the state identification card must be assessed after the offender has been released and may be consolidated with existing restitution, fees, or other legal financial obligations owed by the offender.     The department of public health and environment shall assist the department in securing necessary identification documents.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)