Rep. Lindsay Gilchrist

The"Freedom From Intimidation In Elections Act" is created and prohibits any individual from intimidating, threatening, or coercing or attempting to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any individual for: Voting or attempting to vote; Urging or aiding any individual to vote or attempt to vote; Exercising any powers or duties to administer elections, including vote counting, canvassing, and election certification; or The individual's status as a past or present participant in the administration of elections. The act specifies that an individual who carries a visible firearm, imitation firearm, or toy firearm while interacting with or observing any of the specified election-related activities is presumed, in the absence of any affirmative showing to the contrary by a preponderance of the evidence, to have engaged in intimidation prohibited by the act; except that the presumption does not apply to a law enforcement officer or a uniformed security guard acting within the scope of their authority, and mere possession of a holstered firearm by such an officer or guard while interacting with or observing any of the specified election-related activities does not violate the Act. An aggrieved individual, an election official, a designated election official, the secretary of state, or the attorney general may enforce the provisions of the act. A suit brought by an election official, a designated election official, the secretary of state, or the attorney general does not preclude a contemporaneous private suit by an aggrieved individual to enforce the provisions of the act. In a suit to enforce the provisions of the act, a court may grant relief enjoining the use or carrying of firearms by a defendant beyond the existing prohibitions on using or carrying firearms in or near polling locations drop boxes and in or on the property of ceratin types of government buildings. To prevail in a suit to enforce the provisions of the act, a plaintiff is not required to prove that a defendant intended to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any individual, except to prove an attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, but a court may consider evidence of intent in determining the appropriate relief. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill creates the fostering success pilot program (pilot program) in the department of human services (department). The pilot program is a 2-part program, which includes: The supplemental support for foster students program (supplemental support program), which awards $2,000 scholarships annually to a foster care provider, kinship foster care provider, or a non-certified kinship care provider (provider) who cares for a youth in the legal custody of a county department of human or social services until the youth graduates from high school; and The milestone incentives program (milestone program), which awards $1,000 to a youth for successfully graduating from high school. On or before September 30, 2025, subject to available appropriations, the department shall contract with a third-party administrator (administrator) to develop, implement, and administer the pilot program. The department shall contract with an administrator that is: A nonprofit organization; Experienced working with students and families; and Experienced administering student scholarship and grant programs. On or before December 31, 2025, subject to available appropriations, the department shall establish a timeline for: Announcing the pilot program; Accepting applications from youth and their providers; and Selecting youth and their providers to participate in the pilot program. The department shall select youth and provider participants in the order of applications received. A youth and their provider selected to participate in the pilot program must participate in the supplemental support program and the milestone program. The administrator may contract with one or more private entities to develop and implement a system to establish scholarship accounts that allows payment to qualifying vendors by electronic means from an online portal. The administrator shall: Ensure that the scholarship account is accessible through an online portal for the provider to facilitate payments to a qualifying vendor for the supplemental support program; Ensure the transfer of scholarship funds from the online portal directly to a qualifying vendor without direct access to scholarship funds by a provider; and Distribute money to each scholarship account. The administrator shall ensure that a youth has sole access to the milestone program award funds. There are no restrictions on how the youth may use the milestone program award funds. On or before July 1, 2028, the administrator shall administer a survey to youth and their providers to receive feedback on the pilot program. On or before October 31, 2028, the administrator shall report to the department the following information: The number of participants selected for the pilot program; The amount of money awarded through the pilot program; The survey results from youth and their providers; and How the pilot program affected the youth's performance in school. On or before December 31, 2028, the department shall submit a report summarizing the information collected from the survey to the education committees of the house of representatives and senate, the health and human services committees of the house of representatives and senate, or their successor committees. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill requires nonprofit hospitals (hospitals) to use 340B profits to decrease out-of-pocket costs for low-income patients. details prohibited uses of 340B profits for nonprofit hospitals. The bill requires entities covered under the federal 340B drug pricing program that are hospitals licensed by the state to report information related to their participation in the 340B program, their use of 340B program profits, their provision of charity care, their payments to third parties for 340B program-related services and compliance, and their use of contract pharmacies. The bill grants sole community hospitals and critical access hospitals unrestricted access to, and delivery of, 340B drugs. The bill requires the joint budget committee to annually issue a request for information to the department of health care policy and financing and to the department of personnel and administration for information related to the losses and costs to the state medical assistance program that arise from a nonprofit hospital's participation in the 340B drug program. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Maddy summaryHouse Joint Resolution 25-1030 expresses the State of Colorado's strong opposition to the use of forced labor in the production of goods. The resolution states that Colorado will use its purchasing power to support businesses that ethically source or manufacture products without forced labor. It also encourages state and local economic development offices to attract businesses that avoid these labor practices. This joint resolution aims to influence state and local government purchasing decisions and promote ethical business standards.

Maddy summaryHJR 25-1026 designates Colorado State Highway 402, from United States Highway 287 to Interstate 25, as the "Rep. Hugh McKean Memorial Highway." It also authorizes the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to accept donations for the initial placement of signs and to explore agreements with Larimer County for sign maintenance.

Beginning in 2026, the bill authorizes an increase to the health insurance affordability fee assessed and collected from insurance carriers (carriers) by up to one percentage point to implement and administer the health insurance affordability enterprise (HIAE). The bill includes objectives for the commissioner of insurance (commissioner) to consider in determining whether to increase the HIAE fee, including, in part, maintaining HIAE programs to achieve a premium reduction in the reinsurance program and to provide subsidies for individuals with low income who purchase insurance on the Colorado health benefit exchange. The commissioner shall notify carriers of the amount of the HIAE fee for the upcoming calendar year. The bill changes the allocation of the HIAE fee assessed for 2026, dedicating up to 40% each to state-subsidized individual health coverage plans purchased by qualified individuals and to the reinsurance program cash fund, with the remaining revenue allocated for other purposes specified in the bill, including new and emerging health insurance affordability initiatives. The bill authorizes the enterprise to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations for the purposes of the HIAE. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill sets the reimbursement rates that a health insurance carrier (carrier) may reimburse a health-care provider (provider) for covered services for the state employee group benefit plans (state group benefit plans) and for small employer group benefit plans (small group plans). The bill prohibits a provider that is subject to the reimbursement limitations from billing or collecting payment from a person covered under a state group benefit plan or small group plan for any outstanding balance for covered services that is not reimbursed by the carrier, except for the applicable in-network coinsurance, copayment, or deductible amounts. The bill requires a carrier to provide cost and quality of care information to the commissioner of insurance (commissioner) in the case of small group plans and to the director of the department of personnel (director) in the case of state group benefit plans, at the request of the commissioner or director, as applicable, and prohibits a carrier from entering into an agreement with a provider or third party that would restrict the carrier from providing the information. By September 1, 2027, and by September 1 each year thereafter, the director is required to provide a report to the governor's office, the state treasurer's office, and the joint budget committee that states the amount of calculated savings in general fund expenditures (calculated savings), if any, for health plan reimbursement for the prior fiscal year as a result of the reimbursement limits for state group benefit plans. The director is also required to include in the report the cost to the department in determining the calculated savings. By September 15, 2027, and by September 15 each year thereafter, of the money from the calculated savings, the state treasurer is required to transfer an amount equal to the department's costs in determining the calculated savings to the group benefit plans expenditure savings cash fund (expenditure savings cash fund), which is created in the bill, and specified percentages of the calculated savings from the general fund to the primary care fund and to the expenditure savings cash fund. The bill also requires the executive director of the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to conduct a study, in collaboration with specified state agencies, to determine the feasibility of establishing a similar reimbursement limit for group benefit plans offered to school district, higher education, and local government employees. The executive director is required to complete the study and report the findings to the general assembly on or before January 1, 2028. The bill allocates $500,000 from the calculated savings to a health care reimbursement feasibility study cash fund created in the bill and authorizes the state department to use the money to conduct the study. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act includes a performance metric related to workplace violence in determining quality incentive payments made to hospitals. No later than September 1, 2025, the act requires the department of health care policy and financing (state department) and the quality incentives payments subcommittee of the Colorado healthcare affordability and sustainability enterprise board (board) to consult with a group of named stakeholders to develop recommended workplace violence metrics, determine whether any federal or private funds are available to assist hospitals in lowering the number of incidents of workplace violence, and develop legislative recommendations. The act requires the state department to include a progress report on developing workplace violence metrics during its 2026 "SMART Act" hearing. The act requires the board to include legislative recommendations it develops as part of its January 2027 report to the general assembly, the governor, and the medical services board. Beginning July 1, 2026, and each July thereafter, the act requires the state department to assess whether each hospital has adopted a formal policy to address workplace violence and submitted the reporting requirements to the department of public health and environment for the next federal fiscal year. The act exempts hospitals with fewer than 100 beds from the reporting requirements. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law requires a person or entity that acquires an automated external defibrillator (AED) to develop written plans for the placement, use, and maintenance of the AED (written plans). The act eliminates the requirements that the written plans: Identify personnel authorized to use the AED; and Be reviewed and approved by a licensed physician. The act imposes requirements for cardiac emergency preparedness for public and nonpublic schools. Beginning on or before January 1, 2026, a local education provider shall require each public school that acquires or has acquired an AED to place and maintain the AED in accordance with nationally recognized, evidence-based standards for emergency cardiovascular care, and the governing authority of a nonpublic school shall require each nonpublic school that acquires or has acquired an AED to place and maintain the AED in accordance with the same standards. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summarySenate Joint Resolution 25-015 designates a specific portion of Colorado State Highway 58 as the "Officer Evan A. Dunn Memorial Highway." This action honors Officer Evan A. Dunn, a Golden Police Department officer who died in the line of duty. The bill authorizes the Colorado Department of Transportation to accept donations for the initial placement of memorial signs and to explore a cooperative agreement with the City of Golden for their maintenance.