Sen. Robert Rodriguez

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution officially recognizes the 125th anniversary of Western Colorado University and honors its contributions to higher education and workforce development in Colorado. The document commends the university's students, faculty, staff, and alumni for their dedication over the past century and a quarter. It serves as a symbolic acknowledgment rather than a law that changes policy or allocates funding.

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.)

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.)

The bill makes appropriations for matters related to the legislative department for the 2026-27 state fiscal year.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new educational requirements for individuals seeking to become licensed school counselors in Colorado. To qualify for an initial school counselor license, applicants must now hold a master's degree or higher specifically in school counseling from an accredited institution, with the program requiring at least 48 graduate semester credit hours. The legislation aims to ensure that school counselors entering the profession have comprehensive graduate-level preparation in counseling practices, student development, and strategies to support students facing behavioral and academic challenges. This change directly affects current and future school counselor candidates in Colorado who must meet these updated academic standards to obtain their professional license.

The act prohibits a person who possesses a record or report (record) of child abuse or neglect from releasing identifying data or information contained in the record to a person who is not authorized to receive the information or data.     The act clarifies what constitutes identifying data in a record. The act adds an assigned designee of a person named in a record who is acting on the person's behalf as a person who may have access to child abuse or neglect records if the assigned designee presents a valid release of information signed by an authorized person.     The act allows a person named in a record as an alleged abused or neglected child who is in possession of a record in which they are named or, with the person's consent, the person's attorney or guardian ad litem, to disclose and make use of the record, including for the purpose of litigation or to obtain treatment or services. Except as expressly authorized in law, a criminal defendant may only access a record after an in camera review by the court in which the court finds that access to the record is necessary for the resolution of an issue.     The act requires each county department of human or social services to establish and submit to the state department of human services a process current and former clients may use to obtain access to their case records.     The act repeals the penalties associated with a person who improperly releases or willfully permits or encourages the release of data or information contained in the records to a person not permitted to access the information and makes it a petty offense for the department of education or a school district, charter school, or nonpublic school to release data or information contained in a record to a person not permitted to access the information.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Beginning January 1, 2027, the act requires an agricultural employer to pay certain agricultural employees overtime pay for time worked in excess of 56 hours in a workweek. The act also increases penalties for an agricultural employer who commits wage theft and repeals the authority of the director of the division of labor standards and statistics to adopt rules concerning overtime pay for agricultural employees.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The water quality control division (division) administers a program to test for and remediate water quality issues for mobile home parks (program). The program tests for water quality issues that pose a risk to not only health or safety but also the welfare of park residents. The act authorizes the division to require remediation of welfare-related water quality violations.     One of the requirements of the program is for the park owner to certify that the park owner has made certain water-quality-related notices to park residents. The act authorizes the division to issue an order requiring the park owner to comply with the park resident notice certification requirement.     Under the program, the park owner is prohibited from imposing the cost of compliance with certain remediation-related requirements on park residents. The act authorizes a park owner who is also a park resident to bear this cost.     The program authorizes the division to issue orders requiring the park owner to perform additional water testing, perform temporary measures necessary to address acute health risks, make additional reports to the division, create a remediation plan, implement a remediation plan, or respond to the division in connection with a remediation plan. The act clarifies that a park owner may ask for a hearing only regarding the orders that concern remediation plans.     The act also clarifies that:The division has authority to enforce the requirements of the program; andThe division has authority to issue cease-and-desist orders to address violations related to the program, regardless of whether the issues are related to water quality violations.     The act also provides that:An additional monthly penalty of up to $5,000 for a continuing violation may be imposed for the first 30 days of noncompliance; andA park owner is not entitled to an administrative hearing to contest an imposed civil penalty but may seek judicial review.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)