Rep. Ryan Gonzalez

For purposes of the 'Victim Rights Act', the act prohibits a defendant or alleged offender in the underlying case from being the 'lawful representative' of a victim or the victim's designee if the victim is a child or an at-risk adult.     The act creates new rights for a victim under the 'Victim Rights Act', including the right to:Be notified by the district attorney if the district attorney receives a notice that a crime laboratory employee engaged in a wrongful action that includes a crime against the victim and a notice that an evidentiary hearing on post-conviction petition for relief is held;Request to be referred to by an abbreviation, pseudonym, initials, or another preferred name during hearings; andBe heard at a restitution assessment hearing.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act implements changes to the practices of the state work force development council (council), including by:Streamlining requirements for the council's talent pipeline report based on industry changes over the last several years;Creating greater flexibility to allow the council to develop certain criteria for the creation of career pathways based on data and feedback collected by the council;Updating the duties of the council to better reflect the council's current education, training, and workforce preparation practices; andAmending the directives for and duties of the position of the postsecondary and workforce readiness statewide coordinator, who works under the direction of the council, to better align with the updated working structure of that position as related to several other entities.     The act decreases the 2026-27 state fiscal year general fund appropriation to the department of labor and employment for use by the division of employment and training, as reflected in the annual general appropriations act, by $46,605, unless the amount of general fund money appropriated for use for the council is less than the adjustment or no general fund money is appropriated for use for the council.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates a process for employers and licensed insurance producers to update an employer's experience modification factor when:An open claim is reported by an insurance carrier to the rating bureau with a higher open claim amount than the amount after the claim was closed; andThe lower claim amount would reduce an employer's experience modification factor at least .05 compared to the previously released experience modification factor or from above 1.0 to 1.0 or below.     The employer must notify the insurance carrier between the time the claim is reported to a rating bureau and 31 days after the employer's rating effective date. The insurance carrier is required to credit the employer for a premium change resulting from the revised experience modification factor.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the 'Colorado Artist Company Act', which authorizes a person in the state to create a limited liability company with a stated artistic mission (artist company), which artist company is subject to state law applicable to limited liability companies except where specified in the act.     An artist company must state its artistic mission in its articles of organization or operating agreement and be formed and owned by one or more individuals that create works of authorship or artistic expression comprising written, oral, visual, graphic, literary, musical, audiovisual, digital, or performing art in any medium (artists). Artists must own not less than 51% of all voting securities of the artist company at all times (required ownership percentage).     A limited liability company that meets the required ownership percentage may elect to become an artist company by amending its articles of organization or its operating agreement to state its artistic mission and by complying with certain other requirements.     A person may form an artist company by filing with the Colorado secretary of state articles of organization. The articles of organization may specify certain ownership, governance, artistic work distribution, tax treatment, and dissolution structures.     An artist company may accept capital in any form and its members and managers have certain duties specified in the artist company's articles of organization or operating agreement along with the duties imposed by state law applicable to limited liability companies.     Members of an artist company may assign or exclusively license intellectual property to an artist company as an in-kind capital contribution. An artist company's articles of organization or operating agreement may require artist-members to assign or exclusively license to the artist company artistic work created during membership that relates to the artistic mission of the artist company. An artist company's articles of organization or operating agreement may provide for certain procedures and terms regarding the admission and departure of members.     An artist company may elect at formation, or at the time of election to become an artist company, to be a public benefit artist company (public benefit artist company) by stating in its articles of organization or operating agreement, if any, that it is a public benefit artist company and setting forth in its articles of organization or operating agreement, if any, one or more specific public benefits to be promoted by the artist company. The members and managers of a public benefit artist company are subject to certain additional duties. A public benefit artist company must provide its members and donors with an annual statement specifying certain information as to the public benefits and artistic mission of the public benefit artist company.     Upon the dissolution of an artist company or public benefit artist company, artistic work assigned or licensed by artist-members to the artist company or created by artist-members of the artist company reverts to the artist-member, except as specified in the articles of organization or operating agreement and subject to certain security interests, licenses, and obligations. After giving effect to artistic work reversionary rights, the assets of the artist company must be distributed in accordance with the articles of organization or operating agreement or, if not specified in the articles of organization or operating agreement, pro rata to members based on ownership percentages.     $93,878 is appropriated from the department of state cash fund to the department of state. To implement this act, the department of state may use the appropriation as follows:$5,478 for use by the business and licensing division for personal services; and$88,400 for use by the information technology division for personal services.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act modifies legislative interim committee activities during the 2026 legislative interim (interim). Specifically, the act:Prohibits the legislative council of the general assembly from prioritizing any requests for interim committees, including task forces, for the 2026 interim;For an interim committee that meets during the 2026 interim, limits the number of acts the interim committee can request to be drafted to 5 and can recommend for introduction to 3;Prohibits members serving on statutorily created interim committees and state entities from receiving per diem and travel expenses for attending interim committee meetings during the 2026 interim;Prohibits meetings, field trips, and legislative recommendations and reports by, and suspends for one year certain reports required to be submitted to, existing interim committees, including the capital development committee; legislative oversight committee for Colorado jail standards; American Indian affairs interim committee; legislation inside advisory council review committee; Colorado health insurance exchange oversight committee; legislative oversight committee concerning the treatment of persons with behavioral health disorders in the criminal and juvenile justice systems; pension review commission and pension review subcommittee; legislative oversight committee concerning tax policy; and sales and use tax simplification task force;Prohibits meetings and other activities of the transportation legislation review committee and the water resources and agricultural review committee during the 2026-27 state fiscal year; andRepeals the legislative emergency preparedness, response, and recovery committee and the statewide health care review committee.     The act decreases the appropriations in House Bill 26-1333, concerning the payment of the expenses of the legislative department, for the 2026-27 state fiscal year for the legislative department as follows:The general fund appropriation for the general assembly is decreased by $183,699;The general fund appropriation for the legislative council is decreased by $161,162, and the related FTE is decreased by 1.9 FTE; andThe general fund appropriation for the committee on legal services is decreased by $108,336, and the related FTE is decreased by 1.4 FTE.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act defines 'first responder' to include:A peace officer;A firefighter;A volunteer firefighter;An emergency medical service provider; orA mental health professional who responds in a professional capacity to a justifiable medical emergency.     Existing law requires the emergency medical and trauma services advisory council (council) to review and approve new rules and modifications to rules prior to the adoption of such rules or modifications by the state board of health. The act requires the council to make recommendations for, instead of approve, rules and modifications to rules concerning emergency medical and trauma services prior to the adoption of such rules or modifications by the state board of health.     Beginning January 1, 2027, the act requires the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to reimburse the following entities under the 'Colorado Medical Assistance Act':An ambulance service for ground transportation by an ambulance or other vehicle to a hospital or other destination as deemed appropriate by the ambulance service's medical director;An ambulance service for treatment on the scene of a medical emergency, which treatment does not result in ground transportation; andA qualified provider, an ambulance service, or an agency for evaluation by telemedicine of a person being treated by an ambulance service or an agency for the purpose of preventing the need to transport the person to a hospital.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the department of health care policy and financing and the behavioral health administration to publish on each department's website an easily accessible list of secure transportation providers that have contracts with managed care entities and behavioral health administrative services organizations, as applicable.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, the Colorado homeless contribution tax credit (credit) may only be claimed through state income tax year 2026. The act amends the credit to allow taxpayers to claim the credit through state income tax year 2030.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act allows the division of fire prevention and control to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations to implement the requirements of the firefighter behavioral health benefits program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

In current law, a person who is a member of the Colorado National Guard who is accepted for enrollment at a designated institution of higher education (member) has all their tuition costs waived. All tuition waiver costs are currently funded by the state from money in the Colorado National Guard tuition fund.     The act changes the funding mechanism of the Colorado National Guard tuition waiver program by requiring each designated institution of higher education to waive the remaining balance of a member's tuition cost in excess of the amount of any private, state, or federal financial assistance received. The act requires the department of military and veterans affairs to reimburse each institution for 50% of the cost of tuition waived by the institution and requires the general assembly to appropriate money to the Colorado National Guard tuition fund to cover the reimbursement.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)