Sen. Janice Marchman

The act adds the state board of parole as an entity that may approve an application for early parole for an offender who has successfully completed a specialized program as provided in current law. The offender must have been convicted of a certain predicate felony and committed the felony when they were younger than 21 years old.     The state board of parole can approve or deny the application if the governor has not acted on the application within 60 days after receiving the board's recommendation. If the governor acts on the application within 60 days, the governor's decision is final. If the governor does not act on the application, the state board of parole's decision is final.     Under current law, there is a specialized program for juveniles and young adults convicted as adults that must include components that allow an offender to experience placement with more independence in daily life. The act requires the specialized program to include programming that requires an offender to acknowledge the impact of crime on victims and the ongoing trauma that crime survivors experience, as well as the offender's own trauma.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

An inmate who is serving a sentence to the department of corrections (DOC) for certain lower level criminal offenses, has not incurred a penal discipline violation within a specified time period, and is program compliant is currently eligible to earn 12 days of earned time per month. The act increases eligibility to 14 days per month.     An inmate who is serving a sentence for, or who has been previously convicted of, certain higher level criminal offenses, including a felony offense listed in the 'Victim Rights Act', is currently eligible to earn 10 days of earned time per month. The act increases eligibility to 12 days per month.     An inmate who completes a milestone or phase of a behavioral health program in an area related to recovery from a condition that contributed to the inmate's underlying offense may be awarded up to 150 days of earned time.     The DOC is directed to enact policy changes to incentivize inmates to pursue activities that award earned time.     The act creates a working group to make recommendations for a capacity management plan (plan) for the DOC with input from impacted groups. The plan must be informed by strategies to assess prison programming and clinical care, inmate release processes, services for successful release outcomes, prison population management, and prison capacity changes. Members of the house of representatives judiciary committee, the senate judiciary committee, and the joint budget committee may submit in writing to the chair of the working group a request to prioritize specific issues or provide other relevant information. The working group shall submit an interim and a final report to the general assembly, the DOC's certified employee organization, and the governor's office.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act renames the Representative Hugh McKean Colorado youth advisory council review committee as the Representative Hugh McKean and Senator Faith Winter Colorado youth advisory council review committee.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act modifies the fees of county treasurers by specifying fee amounts treasurers are required or allowed to collect in connection with the public auction and related proceedings for issuance of a treasurer's deed. Commencing on or before December 31, 2026, and every second year thereafter, the act requires an upward adjustment of the maximum dollar amount of all treasurer fees.     The act make technical modifications to the provisions governing county treasurer tax lien sales for the collection of delinquent property taxes. It clarifies certain definitions and standardizes the use of defined terms. The act also modifies certain provisions and repeals obsolete provisions in conformity with the new process to obtain a treasurer's deed for a property subject to a tax lien.     Additionally, the act repeals and reenacts, with changes, the public auction process established in 2024 that is required prior to the issuance of a treasurer's deed to protect against an unconstitutional taking of a taxpayer's property or property value, in excess of their tax debt. The act models the public auction process on the public trustee foreclosure process. The act creates new definitions and modifies and expands the provisions for a public auction, including related rights, limitations, and records. The modified process applies to a treasurer's deed issued on or after June 1, 2026, regardless of the date of the tax lien sale, application for treasurer's deed, or commencement of any related proceeding.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires a licensee, nurse, or certified midwife who performs a medical forensic examination to inform the victim-survivor about how to determine when the testing related to the examination is complete and how to obtain the results and records.     The act subjects a cause of action against a person arising from any protected statement by a victim-survivor to a special motion to dismiss unless the court determines that the plaintiff has established that there is a reasonable likelihood that the plaintiff will prevail on the claim.     The act makes a predispute arbitration agreement and predispute joint-action waiver void and unenforceable upon request of an individual who alleges conduct that results in a sexual harassment dispute or a sexual misconduct dispute or upon request of a named representative of a joint action, class action, or collective action that results in a sexual harassment dispute or a sexual misconduct dispute.     The act requires a judge to allow a forensic scientist to testify remotely in a criminal proceeding if a party requests and both parties consent to the remote testimony.     The act authorizes the court to order that the testimony of a victim-survivor of domestic violence, unlawful sexual behavior, stalking, human trafficking for involuntary servitude, or human trafficking for sexual servitude be taken in a room other than the courtroom and be televised by closed-circuit television in the courtroom under certain circumstances.     The act requires peace officer annual in-service training programs to include a 2-hour training to improve a peace officer's understanding of the impact of trauma on victim-survivors of crimes and the optimal way for a peace officer to respond to victim-survivors who are experiencing trauma and includes trauma-informed investigation and response training as a permissible use of peace officer training and support fund money.     The act renames the Colorado sexual assault forensic medical evidence review board as the Colorado sexual assault response review board and adds 4 members to the board.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Existing law requires a county or municipality to publish legal notices in a physical print newspaper. The act requires a newspaper to also publish these notices online, either on its own website or by providing a link on its website to a location where the full text of the notice is available, such as the statewide public notice website. Legal notices published online must be free to access and cannot be kept behind a paywall or subscription. The act also requires the statewide public notice website to include a list of newspapers that meet the requirements to publish legal notices.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

In 2024, the general assembly enacted Senate Bill 24-205, which created consumer protections in interactions with artificial intelligence systems. The act repeals and reenacts those provisions with new requirements regarding the use of automated decision-making technology in consequential decisions.     The act defines an 'automated decision-making technology' (ADMT) as a technology that processes personal data and uses computation to generate output, including predictions, recommendations, classifications, rankings, scores, or other information that is used to make, guide, or assist a decision, judgment, or determination concerning an individual. The act defines a 'consequential decision' as a decision that relates to an individual's access to, eligibility for, or compensation related to education, employment, housing, financial or lending services, insurance, health-care services, or essential government services and public benefits.     The act requires the developer of an ADMT (developer) that is used to materially influence a consequential decision (covered ADMT), starting January 1, 2027, to provide a deployer of a covered ADMT (deployer) with technical documentation describing the covered ADMT's intended uses, categories of training data, known limitations, and instructions for appropriate use and human review. Developers must notify deployers of material updates or modifications to the covered ADMT. Both developers and deployers are required to retain records necessary to demonstrate compliance with the act for at least 3 years.     The act establishes consumer notice requirements, mandating that deployers provide clear and conspicuous notice to consumers at the point of interaction with a covered ADMT. A deployer is required to provide a consumer with a plain language description of a covered ADMT's role within 30 days after the covered ADMT makes a consequential decision that results in an adverse outcome for the consumer. The attorney general must adopt rules to clarify these post-adverse outcome disclosure requirements by January 1, 2027.     Consumers have the right to request personal data and correction of factually incorrect personal data used by a covered ADMT. The act also grants consumers the right to request meaningful human review and reconsideration following a covered ADMT making a consequential decision resulting in an adverse outcome.     The attorney general is directed to enforce the act through the 'Colorado Consumer Protection Act', and a violation of the act is deemed a deceptive trade practice. Before initiating an action before January 1, 2030, the attorney general must provide the developer or deployer with a 60-day notice and opportunity to cure the alleged violation, if a cure is deemed possible. The act does not create a new private right of action but establishes how fault is allocated between developers and deployers in civil actions alleging unlawful discrimination under existing law.     Specified entities are exempted from the requirements of the act to the extent the entities comply with other legal obligations.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law requires each principal department of the state (department) to establish a schedule to review all of its rules. The act requires the review to occur at least every 5 years. Current law directs each department to make certain determinations when conducting the review of the rules. The act requires the following additional determinations:Whether the department has rules with the same or similar purpose, intent, or goal and, if so, how those are coordinated and whether redundant rules can be eliminated;Whether the rule is outdated or obsolete;Whether funding levels to support the program or function subject to the rule are appropriate; andWhether there are opportunities to improve the effectiveness of the rule in meeting its purpose, intent, or goal.     Current law requires each department to present a report at its 'SMART Act' hearing regarding its mandatory review of all rules. The act permits the committee of reference presiding over the 'SMART Act' hearing to make a recommendation whether a program or function subject to the rules should be subject to a sunset review or may make a recommendation to the legislative audit committee for an audit by the office of the state auditor.     The act clarifies the attorney general's responsibility regarding litigation discovery on behalf of the state of Colorado or on behalf of the people of the state of Colorado.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis bill is a Senate Joint Resolution that formally recognizes the Colorado Mining Association for its 150th anniversary in 2026. It highlights the organization's historical significance and its role in supporting Colorado's mining industry, which contributes billions to the state's economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs. The resolution acknowledges the association's partnerships with state and federal agencies in promoting safety, environmental stewardship, and responsible mineral development. This measure does not change any laws or policies but serves as an official acknowledgment of the association's contributions to Colorado's history and economy.

Current law requires an individual to be at least 18 years old in order to obtain a marriage license; except that a minor who is 16 or 17 years old may obtain a marriage license with judicial approval. The bill repeals this exception, therefore requiring that an individual be at least 18 years old to obtain a marriage license.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)