Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer

The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $4 million from the general fund to the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" cash fund on July 1, 2025. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act updates the funding mechanism for the division of unemployment insurance (division) by changing the name of the "employment and training technology fund" to the "unemployment insurance program support fund" and expanding the use of the fund to include the information technology and administrative costs of the division. Colorado law specifies how the division must disburse money collected from the employer support surcharge. The act modifies the disbursement of this surcharge to: 11% for the employment support fund (decreased from 35%); 54% for the unemployment insurance program support fund (increased from 32%); 20% for the workforce development fund (increased from 14%); and 15% for the benefit recovery fund (decreased from 19%). The act requires all money collected in each fund that is in excess of the maximum balance amounts authorized for the fund to be credited to the unemployment compensation fund. The act ties the adjustments of the fund caps to the change in average weekly earnings instead of to the consumer price index. The act also adjusts the cap for the unemployment insurance program support fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill enacts the "Swipe Fee Fairness and Consumer Safeguards Act" (act), which prohibits a payment card network from: Fixing or conspiring to fix an interchange fee with, or on behalf of, a covered credit card issuer or another payment card network; Establishing, putting forward, or implementing a fee schedule that the payment card network knows, or reasonably should know, has been used by a covered credit card issuer other than the payment card network to determine the amount of an interchange fee charged or received by the covered credit card issuer in the current or previous calendar year; Establishing, charging, or putting forward on a fee schedule an interchange fee if the fee includes a percentage multiplied by the amount of a transaction and the fee does not exclude any amount attributable to a tax or gratuity on the transaction, or increasing fees in an attempt to or in a manner that would circumvent such interchange fee prohibition; Requiring a merchant that accepts credit cards that are enabled for processing over the payment card network to accept all credit cards issued by a covered credit card issuer that are enabled for processing over the payment card network; Distributing, publishing, or otherwise using data from an electronic payment transaction, except in certain circumstances; Charging a fee to a consumer or merchant related to a disputed credit card transaction until the dispute has been resolved and the consumer or merchant has been provided written notice of the determination; or Imposing a penalty on a merchant for setting prices in a manner that complies with state and federal law. The bill prohibits a payment card network from establishing, putting forward, or implementing a fee schedule that the payment card network knows or reasonably should know has been used by one or more issuers other than the payment card network to determine the amount of an interchange fee received or charged in respect to a charitable contribution, unless the interchange fee does not exceed: 0.2% of the amount of a charitable contribution made by means of a debit card; or 0.3% of the amount of a charitable contribution made by means of a credit card. If a payment card network violates the act, a merchant, consumer, or other individual or entity that is injured as a result may bring a civil action. A payment card network that is found to have violated the act as a result of a civil action other than a certified class action is liable in an amount equal to the sum of: The greater of: The amount of actual damages sustained plus interest; or $500; or 3 times the amount of actual damages sustained if the payment card network engaged in bad faith conduct; plus The costs of the action plus reasonable attorney fees. If a payment card network is found liable in a certified class action, a successful plaintiff may recover actual damages, injunctive relief allowed by law, and reasonable attorney fees and costs. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The act creates the electronic discovery in criminal cases task force (task force), which consists of 11 task force members. The purpose of the task force is to study the costs and management of electronic discovery in criminal cases. On or before November 1, 2025, the act requires the task force to submit a report to the joint budget committee and the joint technology committee describing the work of the task force, findings and recommendations regarding the issues and topics considered by the task force, and legislative proposals and expected costs. The act repeals the task force, effective January 1, 2027. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summarySenate Bill 25-219 repeals the Colorado career advisor training program. This legislative action removes the existing statutory provisions that established and supported the training of career advisors in the state.

Existing law repeals the following provisions on June 30, 2026; the act changes the repeal date for those provisions to June 30, 2025: The requirement that the general assembly annually appropriate money to the state department of human services sufficient to fund 5 nights of care for each juvenile placed in a licensed temporary shelter; The process for a judicial district to receive a share of the money appropriated for temporary shelter placements and the permissible uses of the money; and The requirement that the health and human services committees of the house of representatives and the senate annually hold a joint meeting about the recommendations from the working group for criteria for placement of juvenile offenders (working group) regarding the placement of juveniles. The act repeals the requirement for the working group to create a formula for the allocation of money to judicial districts for the provision of temporary shelter for juveniles. The act decreases the state fiscal year 2025-26 appropriation to the department of human services for purchase of contract placements by $175,008 and for program administration related to community programs by $7,560. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act changes the following appropriations made for the 2024-25 state fiscal year: The appropriation from the general fund to the department of health care policy and financing for transfer to the department of early childhood (DEC) for early intervention is decreased by $2,000,000; The appropriation from the general fund to the DEC for early intervention is increased by $2,000,000; and Funds reappropriated to the DEC for early intervention are decreased by $4,000,000.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act repeals the sixth through twelfth grade mental health screening program (program) that was enacted in 2023 in the behavioral health administration (BHA). To implement the repeal, the act reduces appropriations made in the annual general appropriations act for the 2025-26 state fiscal year to the department of human services, which houses the BHA, as follows: The appropriation for health, life, and dental, is decreased by $37,260; The appropriation for short-term disability is decreased by $146; The appropriation for paid family medical leave insurance is decreased by $936; The appropriation for unfunded liability amortization equalization disbursement payments is decreased by $20,798; The appropriation for use by the BHA for program administration is decreased by $260,987 and the related FTE is decreased by 3.0 FTE; and The appropriation for use by the BHA for the program is decreased by $2,536,706.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, the 988 crisis hotline and the telephone crisis service that is part of the behavioral health crisis response system operate as 2 separate services. The act consolidates the telephone crisis service with the 988 crisis hotline and ensures that callers who call the telephone crisis service are routed to the 988 crisis hotline. The act decreases appropriations made in the long bill to the department of human services for use by the behavioral health administration as follows: The general fund appropriation for behavioral health crisis response system services is decreased by $200,000; and The appropriation for the behavioral health crisis response system telephone hotline is decreased by $3,863,938, which consists of $3,496, 622 from the general fund and $367,316 from the marijuana tax cash fund. For the state fiscal year, 2025-26, the act appropriates $3,863,938 from the 988 crisis hotline cash fund to the department of human services for use by the behavioral health administration to implement this act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act repeals the accelerated college opportunity exam fee grant program (program). The program provided funds to high schools to pay for advanced placement and international baccalaureate exams. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)