Rep. Andy Boesenecker

The act declares emergency medical services as an essential service in the state and an integral part of the state's health-care infrastructure.      The act also declares that emergency medical service providers, whether responding on duty or as a volunteer and regardless of location, provide essential services when providing emergency ambulance services and nonemergency ambulance services.      The act also updates certain definitions related to emergency medical services, including the addition of a definition of 'out-of-hospital services', which term is defined to mean the furnishing of necessary health-care goods and services outside of a hospital setting but does not include prehospital setting transports.     The act clarifies that an off-duty emergency medical service provider is not obligated to respond to the scene of a medical emergency or provide emergency medical services.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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.)

Current law establishes a statewide integrated system of early childhood councils (councils) to improve and sustain the availability, accessibility, capacity, and quality of early childhood services. The act expands the powers, functions, and responsibilities of a council in implementing a comprehensive system of early childhood and family support programs and services (programs and services) within the council's community.     Current law establishes local coordinating organizations (LCOs) to increase access to, coordinate, and allocate funding for programs and services through work with the families, program and service providers, and local governments in a community and with the department of early childhood (department). Effective July 1, 2026, the act repeals provisions authorizing the creation and operation of LCOs and transfers the LCO rights, powers, duties, functions, and obligations concerning supporting access to and delivery of programs and services to the councils (transfer). If the transfer requires the consolidation, reassignment, or material modification of the duties of a council or LCO, the department may authorize a one-time extension of the transition period for up to 3 years.     Current law requires a council to develop a community strategic plan based upon an assessment of the early childhood needs in the council's designated service area (community strategic plan). The act requires a community strategic plan to address specified issues, including:Assisting families in applying for programs and services;Coordinating outreach efforts with other local entities and tribal agencies;Recruiting and coordinating providers to form a mixed delivery system that promotes family choice; andSupporting increased recruitment and retention of individuals in the early care and education workforce.     The act requires a council, in partnership with the department, to create, review, and revise a scope of work that reflects the community strategic plan and accurately represents the programs and services within the community, meets families' needs, and aligns with available appropriations and the department's statewide strategic planning process. Associated accountability metrics must also be reviewed and revised to align with the scope of work. The act specifies a council's new obligations regarding improving access to high-quality programs and services, early childhood workforce development, data-sharing agreements, outreach for holistic family services, and auditing.     The act establishes requirements for an agreement that sets forth the respective duties of a council and the department in implementing a community strategic plan (agreement). The act identifies the department's responsibilities for the coordinated distribution of public funding for programs and services; council training and technical assistance; dissemination of information about successful council strategies and innovations; and standards for communication, resolution of disputes, and contracting protocols. The act modifies the process for the department to approve or facilitate a waiver of the rules for the implementation of council projects.     The act requires the department to implement an annual performance review process for each council and solicit community feedback about a council's performance at intervals ranging from 3 to 5 years. If the department determines that a council is not meeting the requirements of the scope of work and accountability metrics contained in the agreement, the department may require the council to implement a performance improvement plan. If a council fails to make substantial progress toward addressing the issues raised in the performance improvement plan, the department may terminate the council's agreement.     The act makes substantive and technical conforming amendments to address the reallocation of responsibilities and functions from LCOs to councils, including administrative and funding provisions related to the Colorado child care assistance program and the Colorado universal preschool program.(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.)

The bill makes appropriations for matters related to the legislative department for the 2026-27 state fiscal year.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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 repeals the requirement for coroners, or other officials performing like functions, to report to the department of transportation (department) deaths resulting from traffic accidents on a monthly basis. The act requires coroners, or other officials performing like functions, to report all available toxicology results to the department for each deceased party who has died as a result of a motor vehicle crash. The report must be submitted by the final business day of each quarter of the calendar year.     If a participant in a crash dies within 30 days as a result of a crash, the act requires the law enforcement officer who was notified of, or investigated, the crash to submit an amended report to the department within five days after receiving a notification of the death.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act establishes information disclosure requirements for a licensed facility that offers on-site and residential services for individuals with dementia and dementia-related conditions, including Alzheimer's disease ('dementia care facility' or 'facility').     The act requires the department of public health and environment (department), in consultation with the state long-term care ombudsman or the ombudsman's designee, to create a dementia care services information form (form) by July 1, 2027. The form must include certain specified fields for the disclosure of information regarding a dementia care facility's dementia care services, including the facility's:Dementia training requirements for staff that are in addition to statutory training requirements;Guidelines for using restraints;Security features and procedures for addressing the needs of residents with dementia; andCriteria and processes to determine placement, transfer, or discharge of residents living with dementia.     The department may review and update the form to ensure that it facilitates the disclosure of the required information. After creating or updating the form, the department must provide the form to every dementia care facility in the state.     A dementia care facility must complete the form with responsive, accurate, and complete information regarding the facility's dementia care services. Beginning October 1, 2027, every dementia care facility shall:Provide its completed form to every individual who contacts the facility seeking dementia care services;Review and update the form when the facility's information changes to ensure the information on the form is current, complete, and correct;Publish the facility's current completed form on the facility's website; andMaintain on the facility's premises and have available for inspection a copy of the facility's current completed form, and produce the form upon request by the department during a survey or inspection of the facility.     The act requires the department to issue a citation to a facility that fails to maintain on its premises and have available for inspection its completed form or that fails to produce the form upon request by the department during a survey or inspection.     The department may adopt rules, as necessary, to implement the act's requirements concerning the form; except that the rules adopted by the department must not exceed applicable national standards. The department may use money from the assisted living residence improvement cash fund for the purposes of creating the form and adopting related rules.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act defines 3-dimensional printing to mean additive and subtractive manufacturing. The act prohibits knowingly manufacturing or producing a potentially functioning firearm, unfinished frame or receiver, large-capacity magazine, or rapid-fire device (firearm or firearm component) by 3-dimensional printing. The prohibition does not apply to a federally licensed firearm manufacturer, an instructor or student of an accredited gunsmithing program, or an institution that operates an accredited gunsmithing program. Unlawful 3-dimensional printing of a firearm or firearm component is a class 1 misdemeanor; except that a second or subsequent offense is a class 5 felony.     The prohibitions in the act only apply to potentially functional firearms and firearm components.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)