Sen. Rhonda Fields

The bill requires a health care facility to provide an itemized statement or bill to a patient within 30 days after discharge from the facility or within 7 days after the patient's written request. The statement or bill must list all medical services provided in understandable language, without using procedure codes or drug codes exclusively and with a breakdown of the charges for which payment is expected from the patient. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill specifies the standard of care that each animal shelter and pet animal rescue is required to provide each dog and cat held in its custody. The bill also requires each animal shelter and pet animal rescue to adopt out each dog and cat in its custody, return the animal to its owner, or transfer it to another animal shelter or pet animal rescue if the dog or cat: Exhibits no signs of illness or injury or exhibits signs of illness or injury for which there is a realistic prognosis for a good quality of life; Demonstrates a willingness to interact socially with humans; and Has not exhibited behavior that is likely to result in bodily injury or death to another animal or human being.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

School Safety Committee. Under current law, the safe2tell program is required to provide awareness and educational materials to preschools. The bill repeals this requirement. The bill clarifies that safe2tell does not have to provide information about a call to law enforcement and school personnel if the call was forwarded to the statewide crisis response system. The bill directs the department of law to devise a process and develop standardized protocols so that any communication related to mental health or substance use received by safe2tell may be transferred to the statewide crisis response system. The bill requires the safe2tell program to: Develop training materials outlining appropriate responses to safe2tell tips to ensure standardized messaging; Devise a process so that all calls and texts are received initially by a crisis operator and then non-crisis calls and texts are routed appropriately; Align the process and procedures for tips received via all communication methods; and Conduct an annual advertising campaign regarding awareness, use, and misuse of safe2tell. The bill allows the attorney general to disclose to law enforcement personnel any materials or information obtained through the implementation or operation of the program if the attorney general reasonably deems such disclosure necessary for the prevention of imminent physical harm or serious bodily injury to one or more persons. The bill appropriates $50,000 from the general fund to the department of law to implement the bill. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Current law requires health insurance carriers (carriers) to provide preventive health insurance coverage for colorectal cancer screenings in accordance with U.S. preventive services task force guidelines. The bill requires carriers to instead provide coverage for colorectal cancer screenings in accordance with American Cancer Society guidelines. The coverage must include coverage for a colonoscopy or other medical test or procedure for colorectal cancer screening and a follow-up colonoscopy, if necessary, and coverage for high-risk individuals additionally provide coverage for persons 45 years of age and older. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Upon the issuance of a protection order, the court shall: Require the person to state in court or complete an affidavit in court stating the number of firearms in the person's immediate possession or control and the location of all firearms in the person's immediate possession or control; Require the person to complete a firearm information form that states the number of firearms in the person's immediate possession or control or subject to the person's immediate possession or control, the type of each firearm, and the location of each firearm; and Transmit a copy of the protection order and the firearm information form to the sheriff of the county of the person's residence. The bill prohibits any full and truthful statements made to the court regarding the number of firearms in the person's immediate possession or control or subject to the person's immediate possession or control and the location of the firearms from being used against the person in any other civil or criminal proceedings. The bill excludes legal holidays and weekends from the current time frame a person has to relinquish a firearm. The bill allows a court to grant a person an additional 24 hours to relinquish a firearm if the person is unable to comply with the required time frame of relinquishment. Current law requires a person to either sell or transfer possession of the firearm, arrange for the storage of the firearm by a law enforcement agency, or sell or transfer the firearm to a private party who may legally possess the firearm. The bill requires a private party to complete a firearms acknowledgment form that informs the private party of the relevant state and federal laws, lists the consequences of noncompliance, and asks if the private party is able to legally possess a firearm. The bill prohibits the person from transferring the firearm to a private party living in the same residence as the person at the time of transfer. The bill requires the court to conduct a hearing to ensure the person has complied with the relinquishment requirements. Failure to appear at the hearing constitutes a violation of the protection order, and the court may issue a warrant for the person's arrest or a search warrant of the person's residence. The bill requires a person who does not possess a firearm at the time the order is issued to complete a declaration of nonpossession form in court. If the person possessed a firearm at the time of the qualifying incident giving rise to the duty to relinquish the firearm but sold or transferred the firearm to a private party prior to the issuance of the protection order, the person shall disclose the sale or transfer in court. The bill requires a federally licensed firearms dealer, law enforcement agency, or private party to issue a signed affidavit memorializing the sale or transfer of the firearm. The bill allows a law enforcement agency to enter into an agreement with any other law enforcement agency to assume the duties of the sheriff. If a law enforcement agency elects to store a firearm, the bill allows the law enforcement agency to seek a matching incentive fee from the department of public safety on an annual basis in an amount equal to the total amount charged by the agency for providing storage of a firearm. The matching fee must be used to maintain or increase firearm storage capacity. The bill requires a sheriff who elects to store a firearm to obtain a search warrant prior to testing or examining the firearm to facilitate any criminal investigation or prosecution. The bill prohibits a private party from returning a firearm to the person until the private party receives a written statement of the results of the background check conducted by the bureau authorizing the return of the firearm to the person. Current law requires a copy of the written receipt and the written statement of the background check to be filed with the court as proof of relinquishment. The bill requires the signed affidavit to be filed with the court instead of the receipt. Both the signed affidavit and written statement are only available for inspection by the court and the parties to the proceeding. A federally licensed firearms dealer, law enforcement agency, or private party that elects to store a firearm is not civilly liable for any resulting damages to the firearm, as long as such damage did not result from the willful and wrongful act or gross negligence of the person or agency storing the firearm. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill defines possession for purposes of sexual exploitation of a child. The bill updates certain actions described as sexual exploitation of a child to reflect access and viewing due to evolving technology. The bill makes sexual exploitation of a child an extraordinary risk crime, enhancing the presumptive sentencing range, if the sexually exploitative material depicts a child who is: Under 12 years of age; Subjected to the actual application of physical force or violence; or Subject to sexual intercourse, sexual intrusion, or sadomasochism. The bill creates the sexual exploitation of a child surcharge for any person who is convicted or receives a deferred sentence for sexual exploitation of a child. Ninety-five percent of the surcharge goes to the sexual exploitation of children surcharge fund. The money in the fund will fund the enhance the effective investigation and prosecution of computer-facilitated sexual exploitation of children grant program. The grant awards go to law enforcement agencies to assist with developing and acquiring necessary technological or expert resources to investigate and prosecute computer-facilitated crimes of sexual exploitation of a child is continuously appropriated to the Colorado bureau of investigation to enhance the effective investigation and prosecution of computer-facilitated sexual exploitation of children. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The bill specifies that motor vehicle investigators and criminal tax enforcement special agents are peace officers and must be certified by the peace officers standards and training board. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The act changes the penalty for abuse of a corpse to a class 6 felony. The act states that a defendant may not be convicted of more than one offense for tampering with a deceased human body and abuse of a corpse if the act arises out of a single incident. The statute of limitations for tampering with a deceased human body and abuse of a corpse will commence upon discovery of the criminal act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies' 2019 sunset review and report concerning the Colorado kids outdoors advisory council by repealing the council. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

School Safety Committee. Current law requires school districts to adopt a written policy setting forth the school district's attendance requirements. The bill requires the policy to include excused absences for behavioral health concerns.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)