Under current law, the maximum amount of liability of the petroleum storage tank fund for an individual occurrence of a leak, spill, or release of a petroleum product from an underground storage tank (occurrence) is $2,000,000. The act allows an owner or operator of an underground or aboveground storage tank (owner or operator) to exceed this amount of liability with the permission of the director of the division of oil and public safety (director) and the petroleum storage tank committee (committee). If the director and the committee grant such permission, the director and committee shall establish a new maximum amount of liability per occurrence for the owner or operator. Under current law, all class I, II, and III liquid fuel products must comply with the most current applicable standards of ASTM International. The act allows the director to adopt a rule or issue policy guidance that provides exceptions to specific requirements established in an ASTM standard.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act makes the following changes to statutes concerning accessible housing standards:Defines 'accessible story' as a story on an accessible route that contains living, sleeping, cooking, bathing, and toilet facilities and, if available in the dwelling unit, laundry facilities. A basement is not an 'accessible story' if the basement floor is located more than 4 feet below the exterior finished grade, which is determined by assessing the vertical difference at any point along the exposed periphery of the dwelling unit.Defines 'dwelling unit' as any portion of a building that contains living facilities, including a room or rooms in a living facility that have shared cooking, bathing, toilet, or laundry facilities, such as dormitories, shelters, assisted living facilities, and boarding homes. 'Dwelling unit' also means living facilities that include provisions for sleeping, cooking, bathing, and toilet facilities for one or more persons and that are used for extended stays, such as time-shares and extended-stay motels. 'Dwelling unit' does not mean a guest room in a motel or hotel.Defines 'ICC A117.1' as the 'Standard for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities' 2017 edition, or any successor standard, as adopted by reference by the building code of the responsible enforcement agency;Clarifies that 'Type A' and 'Type B multistory dwelling units' must include at least one accessible story that can be accessed via an accessible entrance; Requires projects with fewer than 50 units may use any combination of accessible dwelling units to comply with the standards; Requires projects with 50 or more units to include at least 2% accessible dwelling units, and that they must include at least on unit that is either a 'Type A', 'Type B', 'Type A Multistory', 'Type B Multistory', or 'Type C visitable' dwelling unit; andPermits covered enforcing agencies to develop alternative processes to resolve appeals of orders, decisions, or determinations made by the enforcing agency regarding the application and interpretation of the standards for accessible housing law.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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 act continues the regulation of cash-bonding and professional cash-bail agents for 8 years, until 2034.(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 prohibits a person who possesses a record or report (record) of child abuse or neglect from releasing identifying data or information contained in the record to a person who is not authorized to receive the information or data. The act clarifies what constitutes identifying data in a record. The act adds an assigned designee of a person named in a record who is acting on the person's behalf as a person who may have access to child abuse or neglect records if the assigned designee presents a valid release of information signed by an authorized person. The act allows a person named in a record as an alleged abused or neglected child who is in possession of a record in which they are named or, with the person's consent, the person's attorney or guardian ad litem, to disclose and make use of the record, including for the purpose of litigation or to obtain treatment or services. Except as expressly authorized in law, a criminal defendant may only access a record after an in camera review by the court in which the court finds that access to the record is necessary for the resolution of an issue. The act requires each county department of human or social services to establish and submit to the state department of human services a process current and former clients may use to obtain access to their case records. The act repeals the penalties associated with a person who improperly releases or willfully permits or encourages the release of data or information contained in the records to a person not permitted to access the information and makes it a petty offense for the department of education or a school district, charter school, or nonpublic school to release data or information contained in a record to a person not permitted to access the information.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)