Sen. Matt Ball

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a two-mile stretch of Colorado Highway 14 in Weld County as 'Mono & Matt Road' to honor Edwardo 'Mono' Hernandez and Matthew Garcia, two high school basketball players who died in a 2014 traffic accident. The legislation authorizes the Colorado Department of Transportation to install signs for the new name and allows the department to accept donations for this purpose while exploring a cooperative agreement with Weld County for future maintenance. By placing the names on a specific roadway, the bill creates a permanent physical tribute to the students in the location where the accident occurred.

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.)

An interchange fee is a fee established, charged, or received by a payment card network for the purpose of compensating an issuer for its involvement in an electronic payment transaction. The act states that a payment card network shall not, whether directly or indirectly:Establish, charge, or include in a fee schedule an interchange fee if:The interchange fee is or includes a percentage multiplied by the gross dollar amount of a transaction conducted with a debit card or credit card; andThe fee does not exclude from the gross dollar amount of the transaction any amount attributable to a tax on the transaction; orIncrease the rate or amount of fees that apply to the nontax portion of a transaction in an attempt to, or in a manner that would, circumvent the prohibition on interchange fees established by the act.     The act exempts electronic payment transactions involving a debit card or credit card issued by a person, or agent of a person, that issues a debit card or credit card to a cardholder (issuer) that:Did not, during any point in the previous calendar year, hold consolidated worldwide banking and nonbanking assets, including assets of affiliates, other than trust assets under management, of more than $60 billion; orAs of February 1, 2026, had contracted to brand the card with the brand of a financial institution chartered or authorized to do business in this state that did not, during any point in the previous calendar year, hold consolidated worldwide banking and nonbanking assets, including assets of affiliates, other than trust assets under management, of more than $60 billion.An issuer that satisfies either of these exemption descriptions must identify to a payment card network all of the issuer's debit cards and credit cards that are used for exempted transactions. The payment card network shall not, whether directly or indirectly through an agent, contract, requirement, condition, penalty, technological specification, or inducement or otherwise:Deny such a card access to transaction processing systems; orImpose any fee increase or penalty on the issuer or on a financial institution branded on the card for any costs of upgrades or configurations to payment and processing systems that may be necessary to comply with the act with respect to such cards.     If a payment card network violates the act's prohibitions, a merchant, consumer, or other person that is injured as a result of the violation may bring a civil action against the payment card network. The act sets forth the penalties to be awarded in such an action.     For the 2026-27 state fiscal year and each state fiscal year thereafter, the act requires each retail business that has more than 500 employees statewide on the effective date of the act to apply any savings resulting from the act to reducing prices for consumers or investing in employee wages or benefits.(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.)

Senate Bill 25-163, concerning the establishment of battery stewardship programs for the disposal of certain batteries, created the 'Battery Stewardship Act', which requires the establishment of battery stewardship organizations and the submittal of battery stewardship plans to the executive director of the department of public health and environment (executive director) for the collection, transportation, processing, and recycling of certain batteries.     The act expands the scope of the 'Battery Stewardship Act' to cover the end-of-life management of propulsion batteries, which are batteries that are primarily used to supply power to an electric or hybrid vehicle, and establishes requirements concerning propulsion batteries that differ from the requirements for the batteries currently contemplated by the 'Battery Stewardship Act'.     On or before July 1, 2027, a person selling, offering for sale, or distributing propulsion batteries or vehicles containing a propulsion battery in or into the state (propulsion battery provider) is required to register with the department of public health and environment (department).     On or before January 2, 2029, a propulsion battery provider or group of propulsion battery providers must submit to the executive director an education and outreach plan that contains certain information about the management of propulsion batteries. On and after July 1, 2029, the act prohibits a propulsion battery provider from selling, making available for sale, or distributing a propulsion battery in or into the state unless the propulsion battery provider has submitted an education and outreach plan that meets the requirements of the act. The act also requires a propulsion battery provider to develop and maintain at least one website that, among other things, includes the information in the propulsion battery provider's education and outreach plan.     The act requires propulsion battery providers to collect certain unwanted propulsion batteries and ensure the responsible management of the unwanted propulsion batteries collected. In addition, the act requires a propulsion battery provider to, on and after July 1, 2029, label a propulsion battery and specifies the information that must be included on the label. On or before June 1, 2030, and on or before each June 1 thereafter, a propulsion battery provider is directed to submit an annual report to the executive director covering the preceding calendar year of the responsible management of the propulsion batteries collected by the propulsion battery provider.     A propulsion battery provider is required to pay a program initiation fee to the department. The amount of the program initiation fee for each propulsion battery provider is based on each propulsion battery provider's percentage of all propulsion battery vehicles registered in the state. On or before July 1, 2030, and on or before each July 1 thereafter, a propulsion battery provider is also required to pay an annual fee to cover the department's cost of implementing, administering, and enforcing the act. The solid and hazardous waste commission is directed to establish the annual fee amount by rule on or before July 1, 2029.     The act specifies how the department is required to implement, administer, and enforce the act. For example, the department is required to assess annual reports submitted by propulsion battery providers, compile a list of entities registered with the department, provide a digital registration form that an entity can use to register, and conduct an email survey with registered entities to request feedback on the functioning of the propulsion battery management program.     The act also sets forth requirements for persons that remanufacture a propulsion battery; persons that use a propulsion battery for a different use than the use for which the propulsion battery was originally designed; commercial entities that take possession of a propulsion battery for the purpose of selling, dispositioning, repairing, reusing, or recycling the propulsion battery; and entities that conduct propulsion battery recycling.     On and after July 1, 2029, the disposal of propulsion batteries at a solid waste disposal site and facility is prohibited.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)