The act clarifies that video and audio recordings (recordings) depicting an incident of a peace officer's use of force that resulted in death (incident) must be provided to the decedent's immediate family within 21 days after the incident regardless of whether there is a complaint of peace officer misconduct for the incident. The act requires the multi-agency team investigating the incident or the law enforcement agency that employs the peace officer who used force in the incident to notify the decedent's immediate family about the multi-agency team investigation into the incident within 24 hours after the scene of the incident is cleared. The notification must include the names of the law enforcement agencies that comprise the multi-agency investigating team and the status of the investigation. The act prohibits a peace officer participating in the investigation of a criminal matter involving an incident from making an extrajudicial statement on behalf of a law enforcement agency that the peace officer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by means of public communication and will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding on the matter. Video of an incident produced for purposes of a community or critical incident briefing must include certain disclaimers, and narration or commentary must be limited to the facts of the incident.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryHJR 1028 is a joint resolution that declares the Colorado House of Representatives' intent to honor a $2 million investment in school funding studies by creating a multi-year plan to address their findings. The bill directs the legislature to review the recommendations from two recent studies, which found that current school funding levels are inadequate and teacher salaries are too low, and to decide which study's methodology to follow for implementation. It requires the development of a structured plan that includes revenue triggers to phase in changes aimed at improving school funding equity and teacher compensation.
Beginning on January 1, 2028, a health insurance carrier (carrier) of an individual or group health benefit plan in Colorado (plan) shall, when calculating a covered person's contribution to an out-of-pocket maximum or cost-sharing requirement under the plan, account for and credit to the covered person's contribution an out-of-pocket expense that the covered person incurs by purchasing a prescription drug directly from a pharmacy or direct-to-consumer platform (contribution credit). The carrier shall apply the contribution credit to the out-of-pocket maximum or cost-sharing requirement that is applicable in the plan year in which the out-of-pocket expense was incurred. To receive a contribution credit, a covered person must provide to the carrier proof of payment for a direct purchase of a prescription drug, such as an itemized receipt or pharmacy record, within 90 days after making the purchase (proof of payment). The carrier may request additional information or documentation if the proof of payment is insufficient or incomplete. The carrier shall not apply a contribution credit in the following circumstances:For an amount of a covered person's out-of-pocket expense incurred by the direct purchase of a prescription drug that is greater than the amount the covered person would have incurred if they had obtained the same prescription drug in the same plan year from an in-network pharmacy and pursuant to the terms of their plan;If the covered person does not provide proof of payment;If the covered person incurred the out-of-pocket expense by purchasing a prescription drug that is not covered under the formulary of the covered person's plan, unless the carrier grants an exception; orIf the covered person does not comply with the carrier's utilization management processes, including prior authorization and step therapy protocols required under the covered person's plan.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act prohibits employers from making deductions from the wages or compensation of an employee for personal protective equipment. The act also requires an employer with 500 or more employees who are engaged in the slaughter of livestock or the rendering or packaging of meat to provide its employees reasonable access to restrooms. The division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment may fine an employer who fails to provide restroom access.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act establishes that the practice of lead generation marketing for legal services is a deceptive trade practice that is subject to enforcement under the 'Colorado Consumer Protection Act'. 'Lead generation legal marketing' is defined in the act as a form of marketing in which a lawyer, law firm, or licensed legal paraprofessional pays money or other compensation to a third party to receive information about a potential client or case, including the potential client's contact information or information about the potential client's legal issue or case. Unless a person meets certain criteria, the act prohibits a person from paying money or other compensation for lead generation legal marketing services, engaging in the practice of lead generation legal marketing, or selling leads to an attorney, law firm, or licensed legal paraprofessional. A person may solicit or market for legal services in Colorado only if the person is:Authorized by the Colorado supreme court to practice law in Colorado;Working on behalf of a person authorized by the Colorado supreme court to practice law in Colorado and that person is clearly identified in any advertisement, marketing materials, information, or resources; orA nonprofit organization that engages in legal services. The act establishes that a person that engages in the practice of lead generation legal marketing may be subject to both civil and criminal penalties.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Currently, the 'Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado' provides that certain cancers contracted by firefighters are considered occupational diseases presumed to have been a result of the firefighters' employment. A firefighter's employer or an insurer may rebut this presumption by showing by a preponderance of the medical evidence that the cancer did not occur on the job. The act expands the types of cancer that are considered occupational diseases and strengthens the rebuttable presumption to require an employer to show clear and convincing evidence that the cancer did not occur on the job. The act exempts firefighters who are employed by the state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Section 20 of article X of the state constitution (TABOR) imposes a limitation on the amount of state fiscal year spending. If state fiscal year spending exceeds that limitation, the state is required to refund the amount of state fiscal year spending in excess of that limitation (TABOR refund). Under current law, if the state issues a TABOR refund for a state fiscal year, and the amount of that TABOR refund is greater than the amount of state fiscal year spending in excess of the limitation of state fiscal year spending for the state fiscal year (over-refund), the state reduces the amount of the next available TABOR refund by the amount of the over-refund. Changes in federal tax policy in 2025 reduced the amount of state tax revenue for the 2025 tax year. Due to when this change in federal tax policy was signed into law, it was not reflected in the amount of state fiscal year 2024-25 spending, even though the change impacted the 2025 tax year. Accordingly, if the state controller certifies in September 2026 that state revenues for state fiscal year 2025-26 did not exceed the limitation on the amount of state fiscal year spending for that state fiscal year, the act directs the office of the state controller, in consultation with the office of state planning and budgeting and the department of revenue, to determine the amount of the over-refund for state fiscal year 2024-25, taking into account the impact on state revenues from the federal tax policy change. No more than one-half of this over-refund can offset future TABOR refunds for any single state fiscal year beginning with the 2026-27 state fiscal year. $18,021 is appropriated from the general fund to the legislative department for use by the office of the state auditor to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies' 2025 sunset review and report on the biomass utilization grant program by repealing the biomass utilization grant program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the retail theft prevention advisory board (advisory board) in the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety (division). The advisory board shall develop procedures related to applying for a grant for the retail theft prevention grant program created in the act; review grant applications and award grants; collect and analyze data related to organized felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud trends, losses, prosecutions, and outcomes in Colorado; and develop policy recommendations in coordination with state and federal partners on how to combat felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud. The act creates the retail theft prevention grant program in the division. A state or local law enforcement agency, district attorney's office, multijurisdictional or regional task force, or tribal law enforcement agency may apply for a grant, which may be used to investigate and prosecute organized felony-level retail theft or gift card fraud; develop or invest in technology, data-sharing systems, and analytics tools to analyze felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud metrics; provide training and technical assistance to retailers or law enforcement agencies; and develop prevention and deterrence initiatives specific to felony-level retail theft and gift card fraud. Beginning January 2028, the act requires the division to annually report during its 'SMART Act' hearing certain information about the retail theft prevention grant program and felony-level retail theft in Colorado. The act extends the crime prevention through safer streets grant program (safer streets grant program) to November 1, 2029, and makes the retail theft prevention grant program an allowable use of the money appropriated for the safer streets grant program. On July 1, 2027, $200,000 of the unexpended and unencumbered money remaining at the end of the 2026-27 state fiscal year from the money appropriated for the safer streets grant program reverts to the general fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of corrections (department) to furnish an individual being discharged from the department's custody a release allowance of at least $100, free of any deductions. Beginning by September 15, 2027, and annually thereafter, the department is required to collect and report discharge data, including the number of individuals released from department correctional facilities, the number and percentage of released individuals who received the release allowance, and the total amount of money spent on release allowances. The department must issue a report to the general assembly annually. The act repeals provisions requiring the department to give an individual a ticket to leave prior to discharging the individual from a correctional facility. The act requires eligible offenders to participate in the department's existing program to procure state-issued identification cards for offenders (program), unless the offender affirmatively opts-out of the program. Beginning by September 15, 2027, and annually thereafter, the department is required to collect data on the process of securing necessary identification documents to issue state identification cards and issue a report to the general assembly. The report must include the number and percentage of offenders released with an identification card, birth certificate, and social security number and the number and percentage of offenders who were ineligible to participate in the program and the reason for ineligibility. The department is prohibited from charging an offender a fee to obtain a state identification card, and any fee incurred in the process of securing an offender's identification documents to create the state identification card must be assessed after the offender has been released and may be consolidated with existing restitution, fees, or other legal financial obligations owed by the offender. The department of public health and environment shall assist the department in securing necessary identification documents.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)