Sen. Matt Ball

Senate Bill 25-163, enacted in 2025, requires a battery stewardship organization to complete an assessment of the opportunities and challenges associated with the end-of-life management of certain batteries in the state. A battery stewardship organization is required to complete the assessment on or before December 1, 2028, and submit the completed assessment to the general assembly on or before March 1, 2028.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

When a peace officer has reasonable suspicion that a crime of domestic violence has occurred, the peace officer is required to search the national crime information center database to determine whether a military protection order has been issued against one of the parties. If a military protection order has been issued against a party, the peace officer shall notify the military law enforcement agency that entered the protection order into the database.     The act includes the existence of a military protection order as relevant evidence that the court shall consider when determining whether to issue a temporary civil protection order.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Senate Bill 25-014, enacted in 2025, repealed a provision of law that stated certain marriage formality requirements do not invalidate an otherwise valid common law marriage. The act restores that provision to clarify the validity of common law marriage.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryHB 1217 amends Colorado Revised Statutes to fix incorrect cross-references in the state's child support guidelines. The bill updates specific subsections that calculate basic child support obligations, adjustments for shared parenting time, and provisions for work-related expenses. These corrections ensure that the legal formulas used by courts and child support agencies accurately reference the relevant sections when determining payment amounts. The changes directly affect parents, child support agencies, and legal professionals who apply these guidelines in family law cases.

In 2025, House Bill 25-1082 added physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to the professions subject to discipline for a failure to timely complete a medical certification for a certificate of death. The act adds the repeated or willful failure, without reasonable cause, to comply with the requirements of completing a medical certification for a certificate of death to the grounds for discipline in the 'Nurse and Nurse Aide Practice Act'.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act corrects a citation within the definition of 'active duty' in the 'Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children'.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryHB 1303 corrects technical errors in Colorado's energy and carbon management laws. It replaces the incorrect reference to the "International Code Council Exam F31" (which does not apply to welders) with specific, relevant industry exams required for welder certification on oil and gas process lines, including API Standard 1104 and ASME Section IX. The bill also updates terminology from "oil and gas operations" to "energy and carbon management operations" throughout statutes to align with the commission's regulatory authority. These changes affect welders seeking certification for oil and gas work and ensure statutory references match current regulatory scope.

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.)