Rep. Lindsay Gilchrist

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a specific section of State Highway 92 in Delta County as the "Educators and Teachers Memorial Highway" to honor the contributions of local educators and teachers. The designated stretch runs from mile marker 3 to mile marker 7, passing through the unincorporated community of Read, Colorado, which historically housed the headquarters for Delta County Joint School District 50J. The resolution authorizes the Colorado Department of Transportation to accept donations and grants for installing commemorative signs along this highway segment. This measure serves as a symbolic recognition of the role schools and teachers play in the community without changing any laws or regulations.

The act establishes civil immunity for a board member, staff member, or volunteer of a child advocacy center that arises from the performance of the board member's, staff member's, or volunteer's duties if the board member's, staff member's, or volunteer's acts are in good faith.     The act allows certain entities to share information under certain circumstances that is relevant to the protection of a child that is the subject of a child maltreatment case.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act adds a co-responder who is part of a co-responder community response to the list of community members who may petition the court for an extreme risk protection order. Health-care facilities, behavioral health treatment facilities, school districts, the state charter school institute, K-12 charter schools, private schools, and institutions of higher education are established as institutional petitioners that may petition a court for an extreme risk protection order.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill establishes the adult mental health services program (program) to facilitate access for adults to mental health services, including substance use disorder services, and to respond to identified mental health needs. The program reimburses providers for up to 6 mental health sessions with an adult and may provide additional reimbursement, subject to available money. The adult mental health program enterprise (enterprise), created in the bill, creates, operates, and funds the program. The enterprise is required to enter into an agreement with a vendor to create or use an existing website or web-based application as a portal that is available to adults and providers to facilitate the program. The department of human services is required to annually report to the general assembly about the program.The bill establishes the internet-enabled mental health access grant program (grant program) to award grants to entities that use the internet to facilitate mental health services. The enterprise administers the grant program. The enterprise shall annually report to the health and human services committees of the house of representatives and the senate about the grant program.The bill creates the mental health services enterprise as a government-owned business within the behavioral health administration for the business purpose of imposing and collecting a surcharge on internet service account holders in Colorado and to use the surcharge revenue to create, operate, and fund the adult mental health services program and internet-enabled mental health access grant program. Each internet service provider shall collect from its account holders located in Colorado the mental health services access surcharge and remit the surcharge to the enterprise.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Maddy summaryThis bill urges the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Farmers Market Association to maintain and strengthen their partnership to support farmers' market managers across the state. It recognizes that most market managers are volunteers who need expertise, training, and resources to handle tasks like event planning, food safety, and vendor coordination. The resolution aims to help sustain local farmers' markets that provide fresh produce to communities and support small-scale producers who rely on these venues for sales.

Maddy summaryHJR 1017 is a joint resolution urging the federal government to fulfill its obligations under the 1986 Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement. It specifically calls for action to address infrastructure gaps affecting two tribes: the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, who have settled water rights but cannot access or use them due to missing pipelines (e.g., from Lake Nighthorse) and deteriorating irrigation systems (like the PRIIP, requiring $126 million in repairs). The resolution highlights federal failures to fund operations, maintain infrastructure, and enable tribes to utilize their legally secured water for agriculture, municipal use, and economic development. As a procedural resolution, it does not create new law but formally requests federal action to resolve these longstanding barriers.

March 31 is currently known as 'Cesar Chavez Day' and may be voluntarily observed as a state legal holiday. The act repeals 'Cesar Chavez Day' and changes this voluntary legal holiday for March 31, 2026, and March 31, 2027, to instead be known as 'Farm Workers Day'.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution establishes March 31, 2026, as Farm Workers Day in Colorado to honor the contributions of agricultural workers to the state's economy and food supply. The measure recognizes that farm workers make up a significant portion of Colorado's rural workforce, including many immigrant and Latina women who face unique challenges in the industry. The resolution acknowledges the historical efforts of farm worker organizations that fought for better pay, safety, and union rights, while celebrating the dignity and hard work of those who grow and harvest food. Copies of the resolution will be sent to state officials and the UFW Foundation to commemorate this observance.

The act amends the law and adds new provisions to law relating to access to vaccines as follows:     For the cervical cancer vaccine: (Sections 3 and 14)Updates insurance coverage statutes to refer to the vaccine as the human papillomavirus vaccine, rather than the cervical cancer vaccine; Recognizes coverage for both women and men;Authorizes the commissioner of insurance to adopt coverage rules for the vaccine if the advisory committee on immunization practices to the centers for disease control in the federal department of health and human services (ACIP) no longer recommends the vaccine; andUpdates language in the cervical cancer immunization program to define the cervical cancer vaccine as the human papillomavirus vaccine and to refer in the program to underinsured minors, rather than just uninsured female minors, since both male and female minors receive the vaccine;     Under Colorado law, a naturopathic doctor must provide a parent or legal guardian with a copy of the most recent schedule of immunizations recommended by the ACIP. The act removes references to ACIP and requires a naturopathic doctor to refer patients to a schedule of immunizations established by rule of the state board of health (board of health) (Sections 4 and 5);     The act authorizes pharmacists to exercise independent prescriptive authority for vaccines and requires the state board of pharmacy to review and repeal record-keeping rules for vaccines (Sections 6 and 7);     In the context of vaccines required for school entry, updates vaccine-related liability limitation provisions to limit liability for injuries if the vaccine was administered to a child of any age according to the schedule of immunizations established by the board of health or to ACIP's schedule referenced in Colorado law (Section 8);     The act also does the following:Directs the board of health, in adopting rules addressing which vaccines are to be administered to infants, to consider the recommendations of ACIP, as well as the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other similar entities (Section 9);Removes the prohibition on the use of state money for infant immunization programs if the state does not receive federal money for the infant immunization programs, and requires any additional general fund money for the programs to be appropriated through the annual state budget process or emergency supplemental process (Section 10);For claims brought on or before January 30, 2029, adds pharmacies, manufacturers, and wholesalers to liability limitation provisions for hospitals, clinics, and other providers relating to the handling, storage, and distribution of vaccines for infants. Manufacturer and wholesaler liability limitation provisions are removed from the law for claims brought on or after January 31, 2029 (Section 11).Authorizes the department of public health and environment to consider vaccines adopted by the board of health by rule, recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other similar entities, in addition to ACIP, in recommending the purchase of vaccines, sending notifications concerning overdue vaccines and vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, and when considering equivalent vaccines (Section 12).     The act creates the 'Adult Immunization Act' (act), which applies to individuals at least eighteen years old. A person that administers a vaccine or other immunizing agent to an adult is not liable for civil damages for injury or death of an adult caused by a vaccine or immunizing agent if:The vaccine or immunizing agent was administered according to the schedule of immunizations establish by the board of health by rule, after considering recommendations from ACIP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other similar entities;There were no medical contraindications; and The vaccine or immunizing agent was administered in accordance with generally accepted clinical methods.     For claims brought on or before January 30, 2029, against a hospital, clinic, pharmacy, manufacturer, wholesaler, or provider arising from injuries resulting from the handling, storage, or distribution of vaccines, there is no liability unless the injuries are the result of the negligent failure of an employee of the hospital, clinic, pharmacy, or manufacturer, wholesaler, or provider to conform to recognized standards to protect public health. Manufacturer and wholesaler liability protections are removed from the law for claims brought on or after January 31, 2029 (Section 15).     The act authorizes the department of health care policy and financing to purchase for the children's basic health plan vaccines that are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other similar entities, in addition to those recommended by ACIP (Section 16).(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis bill is a House Joint Resolution that formally recognizes Latino/a Advocacy Day in Colorado, an annual event celebrating two decades of Latino/a community engagement in state policy-making. The resolution honors the contributions of Latinas and Latinos to Colorado's political history and acknowledges participants who travel to the state capitol to advocate for equitable treatment of Latino/a communities. It directs copies of the resolution to the organizations that convene the event, the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights and Voces Unidas de las Montanas. The measure does not create new laws or policies but serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment of the Latino/a community's role in Colorado's democracy.