Rep. Yara Zokaie

Maddy summaryHJR 1002 is a commemorative resolution honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It does not create new laws or policies. The resolution recognizes Dr. King's legacy through historical context about his civil rights leadership, his "I Have a Dream" speech, and his role in key legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It specifically acknowledges Colorado's history of observing MLK Jr. Day, noting that Colorado became the 50th state to recognize the holiday in 2000. The resolution serves only to formally commemorate Dr. King's life and work, with no direct effect on citizens or new government requirements.

Maddy summarySJR 3 is a procedural resolution scheduling a joint meeting of Colorado's Senate and House of Representatives on January 16, 2026, to hear a message from representatives of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council and Southern Ute Tribal Council. It directs the appointment of a six-member committee (three from each chamber) to escort tribal representatives to the session. The resolution recognizes the tribes' historical and cultural contributions to Colorado but does not create new laws or policies. This is a formal procedural step to facilitate the tribal message, not a substantive legislative change.

The act establishes visitation as a right for a person confined in a correctional facility (confined person). The department of corrections (department) may: Limit visitation for a confined person who is in restrictive housing or as a sanction following a conviction for a class 1 code of penal discipline violation; Reduce, but not eliminate, the number of visits available per week to a confined person as a result of an increase in the person's custody classification level; Temporarily deprive visitation as necessary for facility operations or for the safety of the facility, persons in the facility, and the general public; and Deny or cancel visitation for a confined person at any time as necessary to comply with requirements imposed by a court order, for victim safety, to prevent communication with a co-defendant, to preserve the integrity of a criminal investigation, to comply with treatment protocols, or for any other reason required by law. Video visits may supplement, but must not take the place of, in-person visits when in-person visits are permitted. If a confined person provides the department with reasonable notice that a requested visitation is for virtual attendance at a funeral or during or immediately following the birth of a child in the person's family, the act requires the department to make all reasonable efforts to allow the person to participate in the visitation via virtual attendance, or, if virtual attendance is not possible, via telephone. The department may adopt policies to govern visitations, including policies necessary to allow visitation as part of routine facility operations. The act states that it does not create a private right of action. The act permits a confined person to file a grievance with the department if the confined person alleges deprivation of visitation. The department is required to include information about visitation and grievances in its annual SMART Act hearing. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Section 20 of article X of the state constitution (TABOR) defines "fiscal year spending" as not including either "damage awards" or "property sales". Although TABOR does not define either "damage award" or "property sale", the TABOR implementing statutes do. The act clarifies both of these definitions for state fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2024. The act clarifies that "damage award", as used for the purpose of determining whether specific money received by the state is subject to the TABOR limitation on state fiscal year spending, includes certain fines and monetary penalties imposed by the state. The act also clarifies that "property sale", as used for the purpose of determining whether specific money received by the state is subject to the TABOR limitation on state fiscal year spending, includes certain specified types of sales by the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act enacts the "Uniform Antitrust Pre-Merger Notification Act", drafted by the Uniform Law Commission. The act: Requires a person filing a pre-merger notification with the federal government under the federal "Hart-Scott-Rodino Act" that has its principal place of business in the state or directly or indirectly has annual net sales in the state of at least 20% of the filing threshold to contemporaneously file with the state attorney general complete electronic copies of the Hart-Scott-Rodino form and any additional documentary material that the person filed with the pre-merger notification; Requires the attorney general to keep the filed form and documentary material confidential, subject to specified exceptions; and Authorizes the attorney general to impose a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 per day of noncompliance on any person that fails to comply with the filing requirement. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $68,052 from the general fund to the department of law to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act prohibits residential rental agreements, in relation to a tenant's death, from requiring acceleration of rent beyond the end of the month or more than 10 business days after the dwelling unit is vacated after notice to the landlord of the tenant's death, whichever is later. Further, the act prohibits the enforcement of terms in rental agreements that authorize liquidated damages or other penalties if the rental agreement is terminated before the end of its term due to the death of a tenant. The act authorizes a landlord to take possession of the dwelling unit without filing an eviction action or otherwise obtaining a court order if the personal representative of the tenant's estate notifies the landlord of the surrender of the premises or,30 days after the death of the tenant, rent remains unpaid or substantially all of the tenant's property has been removed. In addition, a landlord may retain a security or damages deposit sufficient to cover costs of damages caused by the death of the tenant. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires an employer or the employer's insurer to use the division of workers' compensation's (division) utilization standards when responding to a request for authorization from a treating physician, and, if they do not, the director of the division may deem the services as authorized, reasonable, and necessary and require payment for the services by the employer or the employer's insurer. The act provides injured workers control over the selection of their primary treating physician in workers' compensation cases, allowing them to choose from any level I or level II accredited physician through the division subject to geographic limitations. The act creates the mechanism by which an injured worker may select the treating physician and requires the employer or insurer to choose the physician when an injured worker is unable or unwilling to select the treating physician. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act extends the Emily Keyes - John W. Buckner organ and tissue donation awareness fund indefinitely. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act implements and describes the operation of the pediatric primary care practice program (primary care program) in the department of early childhood (department). The purpose of the primary care program is to provide funding and support to a pediatric primary care medical practice (medical practice) to integrate into the medical practice a professional who specializes in whole-child and whole-family health and well-being. The department shall contract with an implementation partner (primary care partner) to implement, operate, and administer the primary care program. The primary care partner shall create and implement a team-based, research-informed pediatric primary care practice evidence-based model (evidence-based model). The evidence-based model must be a comprehensive approach to guide pediatric care medical practices to deliver services to children from birth to 3 years of age and their families. The primary care partner shall: Establish an application and selection process with the department for select medical practices to participate in the primary care program; Review applications from medical practices and select applicants to participate in the primary care program; Work with selected applicants to complete assessments on the applicants' community health-care systems, health and well-being practices, and related concerns; and Train and support the medical practices selected to participate in the primary care program to maintain fidelity to the evidence-based model. The executive director of the department may adopt rules to carry out the purposes of the primary care program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires a metropolitan district that is a party to a lease or rental agreement that was effective as of January 1, 2025, or later and was filed with the county assessor's office in support of a claim for a property tax exemption based on the use of the property for purposes of the metropolitan district to file with the county assessor's office a statement (statement) describing: The metropolitan district's use of the leased property; The metropolitan district's authority to use the leased property for the metropolitan district's purposes; Any use of the leased property by a private person for private purposes; and Any disclosure filed by a member of the board of directors of the metropolitan district in accordance with certain laws that govern disclosures of conflicts of interest. If the statement includes a disclosure that relates to the leased property and is filed by a member of the board of directors of the metropolitan district in accordance with certain laws that govern disclosures of conflicts of interest, the county assessor shall, within 14 days of receipt of the statement, submit the statement to the metropolitan district's governing body. Within 63 days of receipt of the statement, the governing body shall issue a written decision including findings of fact and a conclusion as to whether the leased property is used for a public purpose. If the governing body concludes that the leased property is not used for a public purpose, the leased property is not exempt from taxation, and the county assessor shall implement the governing body's decision. The decision of the governing body is not subject to appeal and does not give rise to any private right of action. The act clarifies that a leasehold interest in real or personal property that is owned by a private person and that has been leased to the state or a political subdivision of the state, the use and possession of which has been leased back to a private person for private purposes, is taxable to the owner. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)