Sen. Marc Snyder

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.

The bill creates 2 enterprises in the division of insurance (division) in the department of regulatory agencies. The bill creates the strengthen Colorado homes enterprise (strengthen homes enterprise), which is a state-owned business that imposes and collects a fee from insurance companies (insurers), including the FAIR plan association, that offer on policyholders of homeowner's insurance policies issued by insurance companies (insurers) and the fair access to insurance requirements (FAIR) plan association in the admitted market covering property located in or risks in Colorado. which The fee is collected on a per-policy basis and is equal to 1.5% of one-half percent on the dollar amount percentage of the total premiums that the insurer collects in the immediately preceding calendar year from homeowners for issuing homeowner's insurance policies ( insurer fee); except that an insurer shall not collect the fee on policyholders that have resilient roof systems. With the insurer fee revenue, the strengthen homes enterprise board administers a grant program (grant program) to strengthen homes against the risk of future damage claims caused by high winds, wildfire, hail, and other extreme weather events (extreme weather events) by allowing a homeowner to use grant money to upgrade their roof system with certain resilient roof materials. By paying the insurer fee to support the grant program to retrofit homes with resilient roofs, policyholders may defray the cost of retrofitting their property to resist losses due to common perils, including windstorms, wildfire, and other extreme weather events, and insurers reduce their overall risk in the market due to hail and other extreme weather events, in order to promote insurance market stability throughout the state. The bill also creates the wildfire catastrophe reinsurance enterprise (reinsurance enterprise), which is a state-owned business implementing and administering the wildfire catastrophe reinsurance program (reinsurance program). The reinsurance program makes reinsurance payments to insurers that offer homeowner's insurance on properties located in the state to partially mitigate losses in the event of a state or federally declared wildfire-related disaster (wildfire-related disaster). The purpose of the reinsurance program is to stabilize the homeowner's insurance market in the state and to attract and retain homeowner's insurers. In exchange for access to the reinsurance program, the reinsurance program requires insurers to sell homeowner's insurance in areas of the state that are at high risk for wildfires. To pay for the reinsurance program, the reinsurance enterprise: Issues revenue bonds secured by the reinsurance enterprise; Issues a catastrophe bond to a person that purchases the bond but pays the principal to cover costs of a wildfire-related disaster if it occurs; May impose and collect an insurer fee on insurers to cover a shortfall if a wildfire-related disaster does not occur during the bond term and the reinsurance enterprise has insufficient money to redeem the bonds at maturity; and Beginning in the 2026 calendar year, impose and collect a fee on a per-policy basis on each policyholder of a homeowner's insurance policy issued in the admitted market covering property in or risks in the state. The amount of the fee is equal to one-half percent on the percentage of total premiums collected by each insurer in the immediately preceding calendar year. Invests the revenue from the revenue bonds and insurer fees. In addition, the bill sets the loss ratio for homeowner's insurance by presuming that the rates charged to purchasers are excessive if the insurer's loss ratio is less than 75% over a 3-year period and, if rates are in excess of the loss ratio, requires insurers in the admitted market participating in the reinsurance program to submit rates that are at least 5% less than the previous year one set of rates taking into consideration the reinsurance program and one set without. In addition to offering a replacement-cost policy in accordance with current law, an insurer may offer a replacement-cost policy that has a reasonable coverage limit or percentage cap for additional living expenses if the insurer provides a premium decrease for the coverage limit or replacement cap that is approved by the division. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the bill appropriates $7,410,037 to the department of regulatory agencies from the strengthen homes enterprise and also appropriates money to the department of law for legal services to implement the reinsurance 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 summarySenate Resolution 25-012 commemorates Cinco de Mayo, recognizing its historical significance and its representation of pride, unity, and resilience for Mexican American, Hispano, Chicano, and Latino communities. The resolution pays tribute to the contributions and struggles of these communities in Colorado and affirms a commitment to combat discrimination.

Current law does not expressly allow for the state to recognize an arrest warrant issued by a Tribal court of a federally recognized Tribe (Tribal court). The act clarifies that a state court shall give full faith and credit to an arrest warrant issued by a Tribal court. Upon issuance of a Tribal court arrest warrant, a peace officer in the state may apprehend the person identified in the Tribal warrant if the peace officer verifies the validity of the warrant and confirms that the warrant permits extradition. The act outlines the court process for extradition cases arising from a Tribal court arrest warrant. Current law does not expressly allow for the recognition of a Tribal court behavioral health commitment order (commitment order). The act clarifies that a commitment order entered by a Tribal court that concerns a person under the Tribal court's jurisdiction is recognized to the same extent as a commitment order entered by a state court. A health-care provider may communicate with the officers of the Tribal court regarding a patient placed under the health-care provider's care pursuant to a commitment order to the same extent that the health-care provider may communicate with officers of the court pursuant to a commitment order entered by a state court. If a Tribal court issues an order rescinding the Tribal court's original commitment order, the state, county, or municipal law enforcement agencies; state courts; hospitals; behavioral health facilities; health-care providers; and others within the state responsible for providing services to the person subject to the commitment order shall recognize the order rescinding the Tribal court's original commitment order and release the person subject to the commitment order. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the state board of health (board) to allow the Colorado youth advisory council (council) to present to the board twice a year on issues regarding the youth opioid epidemic and other health issues. The act also allows the council to consult the prevention services division within the department of public health and environment during the stakeholding process for rule-making regarding opioid antagonists. Under current law, a school district, the state charter school institute, or a governing board of a nonpublic school may adopt and implement a policy that allows: A school to acquire and maintain a stock supply of opioid antagonists on school grounds or on a school bus; A school employee or agent who has received relevant training to administer an opioid antagonist to a person who is at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose; and A school employee or agent to furnish an opioid antagonist to any individual, including a student, if the student has received relevant training. The act: Permits a school to maintain an opioid antagonist in an automated external defibrillator or defibrillator cabinet in the school or on a school bus; Repeals the requirement that a school employee or agent must receive training prior to administering an opioid antagonist; and Creates an exception that a school employee or agent may furnish an opioid antagonist to a student who has not received relevant training if the employee or agent believes that the student is in a position to assist an individual who is suffering from an opioid-related drug overdose event or who is at risk of experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose event. Current law provides a specific list of eligible entities that a prescriber may prescribe or dispense an opioid antagonist to. The act eliminates the specific list and instead requires the state board of health to establish a list of eligible entities that a prescriber may prescribe or dispense an opioid antagonist to. The act permits a standing order allowing all eligible entities to distribute opioid antagonists. The act requires the department of public health and environment to furnish a report detailing youth overdose prevention during "SMART Act" hearings. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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.

Each school district, board of cooperative services that operates a school, district charter school, and institute charter school (local education provider) is required to establish written policies for the acquisition, retention, display, and use of library resources and for the reconsideration of a library resource (policies). A local education provider is required to comply with specified standards in establishing the policies and is required to establish the policies by September 1, 2025. If a local education provider has already established policies that comply with the requirements of the act, the local education provider is not required to establish new policies. A public school library may remove a library resource from its permanent collection only if the library resource has been reviewed in accordance with an established policy for the reconsideration of library resources that complies with the standards established in the act. These requirements do not apply to routine collection maintenance and deaccession in accordance with a public school library's established collection development and maintenance policy. Before a local education provider reconsiders a library resource, the local education provider is required to make its policies available to the public. After reviewing a library resource that is the subject of a request for reconsideration and making a final determination regarding the library resource, the local education provider is required to make the determination available to the public. A written request for reconsideration of a library resource in a public school library is an open record under the "Colorado Open Records Act". A public school library staff member is not subject to termination, demotion, discipline, or retaliation for refusing to remove a library resource before it has been reviewed in accordance with the local education provider's policy for the reconsideration of library resources or for making decisions that the public school library staff member believes, in good faith, are in accordance with the policies of the local education provider. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)