Sen. Lisa Frizell

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.)

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new educational requirements for individuals seeking to become licensed school counselors in Colorado. To qualify for an initial school counselor license, applicants must now hold a master's degree or higher specifically in school counseling from an accredited institution, with the program requiring at least 48 graduate semester credit hours. The legislation aims to ensure that school counselors entering the profession have comprehensive graduate-level preparation in counseling practices, student development, and strategies to support students facing behavioral and academic challenges. This change directly affects current and future school counselor candidates in Colorado who must meet these updated academic standards to obtain their professional license.

The act requires each school district or, for an institute charter school or nonpublic school, the school, (local education provider) to install an exterior key box that contains keys and other access control devices necessary for law enforcement agencies to access each building and room located on the school grounds. A local education provider is not required to install an exterior key box at a school if:The school has a key box that does not satisfy the requirements in the act and has an alternative plan and procedures to provide emergency access for local law enforcement; orThe local education provider applied for but does not receive a disbursement from the school security disbursement program that may be used to install an exterior key box at the school.     The contents of an exterior key box and the information contained therein are not a public record for the purposes of the 'Colorado Open Records Act'.(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.)

Under current law, the owners of certain tracts of agricultural or farm land within and adjacent to the boundary of a statutory town or statutory city may petition the district court for the county to disconnect the land from the town or city (disconnection by court decree). The act modifies the disconnection by court decree process so that this process is not available for any tract of land that is included within the boundaries of an urban renewal area described in an urban renewal plan of an urban renewal authority (affected urban renewal authority) or a special district that, by its service plan or pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement, is or will be expected to provide service to the tract of land (affected special district). Instead of using the disconnection by court decree process, owners of these tracts of land must use the process for disconnection applications from a statutory municipality.     Under current law, the owner of a tract of land within and adjacent to the boundary of a statutory municipality may apply to the governing body of the municipality for the enactment of an ordinance disconnecting the tract of land from the municipality (disconnection by ordinance). The act also modifies this disconnection by ordinance process by requiring that, in addition to the existing requirement that an owner provide notice and a copy of the disconnection application to the board of county commissioners of the county in which the tract of land is located and to the board of directors of any affected special district, the owner seeking disconnection must also provide notice and a copy of the disconnection application to any affected urban renewal authority. Upon receiving the notice and application, these entities may request a meeting with the owner of the land and the governing body of the municipality to discuss and address any negative impacts that would result from the disconnection, including any change in the level or extent of services being provided to the tract of land that is the subject of the disconnection application or any interference with the implementation of an urban renewal plan of an affected urban renewal authority. The failure of these entities to request a meeting constitutes an acknowledgment that the disconnection will not adversely affect them.     The act applies to applications for disconnection from a statutory municipality and petitions for disconnection from a statutory city or town commenced on or after the applicable effective date of the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Beginning January 1, 2027, the act requires an agricultural employer to pay certain agricultural employees overtime pay for time worked in excess of 56 hours in a workweek. The act also increases penalties for an agricultural employer who commits wage theft and repeals the authority of the director of the division of labor standards and statistics to adopt rules concerning overtime pay for agricultural employees.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act exempts the sale, storage, use, or consumption of tangible personal property, commodities, or services sold by a destination management company from state sales and use taxation, beginning July 1, 2027. The exemption only applies if the destination management company has already paid the state the applicable sales or use tax on the property, commodities, or services upon acquisition.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act modifies the 'Colorado Public Trustee Act' to:Set the salary of the public trustee in counties where the county treasurer serves as the public trustee to a fixed amount of $12,500 annually to be paid monthly from the county general fund as part of the county's standard payroll process. On a quarterly basis, the public trustee is required to reimburse the county general fund for the monthly salaries from the fees collected by the public trustee or from the public trustee special reserve account.Eliminate the requirement that a public trustee make and file a full statement of all transactions of the office of the public trustee to the board of county commissioners under oath;Repeal the requirement that a public trustee appointed by the governor be subject to the state 'Procurement Code' for any purchase of more than $20,000;Repeal the definition of 'certified copy' and references thereto;Define 'nonmaterial misstatement' as a minor or inconsequential error, inaccuracy, or omission that does not significantly affect the understanding, validity, or enforceability of a document;Clarify the date by which the public trustee or sheriff conducting a foreclosure (officer) must mail the combined notice of sale, right to cure, and right to redeem to persons on an amended mailing list;Clarify that a junior lienor is entitled to cure the default if the junior lienor files with the officer;Specify that an unclaimed remaining amount for which a property is sold at a foreclosure sale that is in excess of the bid amount must either be transferred to the state treasurer for disposition in accordance with the 'Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act' or held by the county treasurer pursuant to the terms of a county resolution regarding unclaimed funds;Add a requirement regarding redemption that specifies that if a lien is assigned, the holder's rights are valid only if the assignment of the lien is duly recorded at least 15 calendar days prior to the date of sale; andSpecify the conditions under which an omitted party's interest may be terminated.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act expands the ways in which individuals may become eligible for certification as a certified public accountant (CPA) in Colorado by creating 3 new education and experience pathways that may satisfy the requirements for CPA certification. The pathways become available for applicants beginning on January 1, 2027. The 3 pathways are:Obtaining a baccalaureate degree, completing 2 years of accounting-related work experience, completing a professional ethics course, and passing the written CPA exam;Obtaining a baccalaureate degree, completing 30 additional semester hours, completing one year of accounting-related work experience, completing a professional ethics course, and passing the written CPA exam; andObtaining a post-baccalaureate degree, completing one year of accounting-related work experience, completing a professional ethics course, and passing the written CPA exam.     For each pathway, an applicant's work experience must:Meet the requirements set by the Colorado state board of accountancy (board) by rule;Include any type of service or advice representing certain accounting-related skills needed to serve the public at the time of initial certification; andBe verified by an actively licensed CPA who meets board requirements.     Section 2 of the act conforms statutory provisions relating to an applicant's eligibility to sit for a CPA examination with the pathways to certification created by the act. Section 2 also reinforces that, regardless of an applicant's eligibility to sit for an exam, the applicant must complete one of the specified pathways in order to obtain a CPA certificate.     Section 4 establishes that an individual CPA who is licensed or certified in good standing in another state or jurisdiction of the United States and whose principle place of business is located in another state or jurisdiction of the United States (out-of-state CPA) has all the same practice privileges as Colorado certificate holders, without the need to obtain a Colorado certificate, if the individual was required at their initial licensure or certification in the other state or jurisdiction of the United States to pass the uniform CPA examination and obtain a baccalaureate degree conferred by an accredited college or university. Additionally, the act continues the practice privileges of out-of-state CPAs who held practice privileges in Colorado as of December 31, 2024. Finally, the conferral of practice privileges upon out-of-state CPAs must be conducted in conformity with rules adopted by the board; except that the board shall not require an out-of-state CPA to provide a notice, fee, or other submission as a condition of exercising such practice privileges in Colorado.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, a local education provider is required to ensure that a preschool or kindergarten student receives an individualized readiness plan (plan). The act makes it optional for local education providers to provide plans to students who demonstrate proficiency on specified assessment domains and the kindergarten reading assessment, unless the student's parent requests a plan.     Under current law, a local education provider is required to annually provide information concerning assessments to students' parents. The act requires this written notice to include:The results of the student's specified assessment domains and kindergarten reading assessment;If applicable, information explaining that because of the student's assessment results, the local education provider is not required, and does not intend, to provide a plan for the student; andLanguage indicating that the student's parent may request a plan.     Under current law, the department of education is required to submit an annual report to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate concerning specified educational accountability requirements. One of the reporting requirements concerns the level of school readiness demonstrated by students enrolled in kindergarten. The act requires the department to report this information on a statewide basis and to disaggregate the information based on specific characteristics.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)