Sen. Matt Ball

Current law requires a person or entity that acquires an automated external defibrillator (AED) to develop written plans for the placement, use, and maintenance of the AED (written plans). The act eliminates the requirements that the written plans: Identify personnel authorized to use the AED; and Be reviewed and approved by a licensed physician. The act imposes requirements for cardiac emergency preparedness for public and nonpublic schools. Beginning on or before January 1, 2026, a local education provider shall require each public school that acquires or has acquired an AED to place and maintain the AED in accordance with nationally recognized, evidence-based standards for emergency cardiovascular care, and the governing authority of a nonpublic school shall require each nonpublic school that acquires or has acquired an AED to place and maintain the AED in accordance with the same standards. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summarySenate Joint Resolution 25-015 designates a specific portion of Colorado State Highway 58 as the "Officer Evan A. Dunn Memorial Highway." This action honors Officer Evan A. Dunn, a Golden Police Department officer who died in the line of duty. The bill authorizes the Colorado Department of Transportation to accept donations for the initial placement of memorial signs and to explore a cooperative agreement with the City of Golden for their maintenance.

The act requires, on or before July 1, 2026, the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind, and each institute charter school, district charter school, and a local board of education for its schools that are not district charter schools, to adopt, implement, and post on its website a policy concerning student communication device possession and use during the school day. At a minimum, the policy must describe the prohibitions and exceptions, if any, regarding student communication device possession and use during the school day. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act expands the veterans mental health services program to provide grants to local nonprofit organizations to establish and expand community behavioral health programs that provide behavioral health services to service members, veterans, and family members of service members and veterans. The act reduces the reappropriated funds appropriation made in the long bill to the department of military and veterans affairs for use by the division of veterans affairs for veterans mental health services by $5,000,000; except that the reduction is not made if: The amount of reappropriated funds made in the long bill to the department of military and veterans affairs for use by the division of veterans affairs for veterans mental health is less than $5,000,000; or The long bill does not include an appropriation to the department of military and veterans affairs for use by the division of veterans affairs for veterans mental health.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the department of corrections (department) to search all information available to the department to determine whether an offender held at a correctional facility is subject to an outstanding warrant or if the offender has a pending case in a Colorado court. The department is required to conduct the search when the department conducts the initial comprehensive evaluation of the offender's sentence and 3 to 8 months prior to the offender's community correction eligibility date. The act requires the department to establish guidelines and policies that address requests for additional searches as may be needed by the public defender liaison to the department. If the department determines that an offender is subject to a warrant or has a pending case in a Colorado court, the department shall notify the offender, the public defender liaison to the department, and the court that issued the warrant or in which the case is pending, as applicable. The general assembly encourages a court to ensure the offender appears before the court, is assigned counsel if the defendant is eligible for court-appointed counsel, allows the offender to resolve the warrant in a timely manner, and facilitates virtual appearance for the offender. The act does not prohibit the department from searching for outstanding warrants at any other time. The act requires the office of state public defender to designate an email address for the public defender liaisons to the department of corrections to receive notifications from the department. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under existing law, a person charged with a criminal offense is subject to a criminal protection order, which remains in effect until final disposition of the criminal action. The act: Prescribes what must be included in the standardized form for a criminal protection order; Limits a criminal protection order to orders for the protection of a witness to, or victim of, the acts charged and prohibits a court from including in a criminal protection order an order to enforce a mandated condition of bond or a condition of bond that assists in obtaining the appearance of the defendant in court or ensuring community safety; Requires a court to inform a defendant that a violation of a criminal protection order may constitute a misdemeanor offense of violation of a protection order and that conduct that violates the criminal protection order may constitute a felony offense of intimidating a witness or victim or retaliation against a witness or victim; Only allows a criminal protection order to prohibit possession or consumption of alcohol or controlled substances without a valid prescription when available information supports a sufficient nexus between that restriction and the safety of the alleged victim or witness; except that, in a case involving domestic violence or crimes listed in the "Victim Rights Act", the court may enter an order prohibiting possession or consumption of alcohol or controlled substances without a valid prescription if the court deems it appropriate for the safety of an alleged victim or witness; and Requires a court to review a criminal protection order at the time of sentencing or other resolution of the criminal case. Under existing law, a sentence for violating a protection order runs consecutively with any sentence imposed for the crime that gave rise to the protection order. The act limits this consecutive sentence provision to crimes involving domestic violence or crimes listed in the "Victim Rights Act". The act grants a peace officer discretion to arrest, seek a warrant to arrest, or issue a summons to a restrained person for violating, or attempting to violate, a protection order by possessing or consuming alcohol or controlled substances; violating a term included in the protection order to protect the protected person from imminent danger to life or health in cases that do not involve domestic violence or crimes listed in the "Victim Rights Act"; or failing to timely file a signed affidavit or written statement with the court as required by law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

In 2021, Senate Bill 21-108 "Concerning gas pipeline safety" was enacted, requiring the public utilities commission (commission) to adopt rules related to gas pipeline safety and repair, including rules related to advanced leak detection technology. The act requires the commission to adopt the rules regarding advanced leak detection technology on or before November 1, 2025. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the state board of education to adopt rules that consider a number of factors in determining the amount of money each school participating in the K-5 social and emotional health pilot program will receive in order to carry out the pilot program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Beginning July 1, 2025 No later than January 1, 2026 , the bill requires the department of health care policy and financing (HCPF) to seek federal authorization to reimburse acute care hospitals and ambulatory surgery facilities that provide vagus nerve stimulation therapy to members diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy at a rate that is equal to 75% 60% of the cost for acquiring the vagus nerve stimulator device, which reimbursement is in addition to and does not supplant the reimbursement for any necessary surgical procedure associated with implanting the device. Beginning January 1, 2029, the bill requires HCPF to increase the reimbursement to a rate that is equal to 75% of the cost for acquiring the vagus nerve simulator device. (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.)

Provides for the payment of expenses of the executive, legislative, and judicial departments of the state of Colorado, and of its agencies and institutions, for and during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, except as otherwise noted. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)