The act requires the following regarding the application for a license to practice medicine in Colorado (application) and the questionnaire accompanying the form for a license renewal (questionnaire): The Colorado medical board (board) must consider the recommendations of the Federation of State Medical Boards and the requirements of the federal "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" when developing the application questions; The application and questionnaire must not require the disclosure of personal medical or health information that is not relevant to the applicant's ability to provide safe, competent, and ethical patient care at the time of application; The application and questionnaire must not include questions seeking information about past health-related conditions that do not impact an applicant's ability to practice safe, competent, and ethical patient care at the time of application; and The board shall include information in the application about the board's peer health assistance program, the applicant's ability to self-refer to the peer health assistance program at any time, and the applicant's ability to self-refer in lieu of disclosure to the board. The act clarifies that an individual subject to the licensing requirements of the "Colorado Medical Practice Act" is not required to disclose a physical illness, physical condition, behavioral health disorder, mental health disorder, or substance use disorder that no longer impacts the individual's ability to practice the applicable health-care profession or occupation with reasonable skill and safety to patients or clients. Current law requires that if a health-care professional has a physical illness, physical condition, or behavioral or mental health disorder that renders the person unable to practice the applicable health-care profession or occupation with reasonable skill and safety to patients or clients, the licensee, registrant, or certificate holder shall notify the regulator that regulates the person's profession or occupation of the physical illness, physical condition, or behavioral or mental health disorder. The act requires that a health-care professional must additionally provide notice of a substance use disorder and specifies that the health-care professional is required only to provide notice of a current physical illness, physical condition, behavioral health disorder, mental health disorder, or substance use disorder. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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Current law allows a person who is committed, imprisoned, or arrested (person in custody) the right to communicate with an attorney or family member by making a reasonable number of telephone calls or through any other reasonable manner. The act adds the attorney's authorized representative to those whom a person in custody can communicate with. Current law allows a person in custody the right to consult with an attorney. The act requires a peace officer or person employed at a place of confinement to provide an attorney or the attorney's authorized representative the ability to initiate communication with a person in custody through telephone calls, interactive audiovisual conferencing, or any other reasonable method of electronic communication, as determined by the jail or correctional facility administration. The communication must be private, unrecorded, and without cost to the confined person and attorney or the attorney's representative, subject to all reasonable administrative and operational procedures. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act prohibits a peer support team member from disclosing, without the consent of the recipient of peer support (recipient), the confidential communications made by the recipient during a peer support interaction, with specified exceptions. With respect to an exception for which disclosure is permissible, a peer support team member who discloses or does not disclose a communication with a recipient is not liable for damages in a civil action for disclosing or not disclosing the communication. The act expands an exception allowing specified mental health professionals to disclose confidential information when a recipient makes a threat against an individual or themself or makes a threat that, if carried out, would result in harm to an individual or themself. In addition, a peer support team member is exempted from the prohibition on disclosure established by the act if: The peer support team member was a witness or a party to the incident that prompted the delivery of peer support services; A recipient admits to committing a crime or provides information pertaining to the recipient or another individual that is indicative of criminal conduct; Criteria related to an individual's participation as a witness in a court proceeding are met; or A recipient makes a threat involving damage or destruction of private or public property.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The "Identity Theft and Financial Deterrence Act" was set to repeal September 1, 2025. The act implements the department of regulatory agencies' recommendations to: Continue the "Identity Theft and Financial Fraud Deterrence Act" until September 1, 2036; Repeal the identity theft and financial fraud board; and Repeal the current cash fund funding structure; allow appropriation of money from the general fund to the department of public safety (department); and allow the department to accept gifts, grants, and donations to staff the Colorado investigators unit. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $653,345 from the identity theft and financial fraud fund to the department for use by the Colorado bureau of investigation and decreases appropriations made to the department for use by the Colorado bureau of investigation from the identity theft and financial fraud fund by $653,345. Money appropriated to the department to staff the Colorado investigators unit is subject to available appropriations. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows the Centennial correctional facility-south c-tower to be used to temporarily house protective-, close-, and medium-custody inmates for the duration of the Sterling correctional facility access controls project (project). The use of the Centennial correctional facility-south c-tower is permitted only after the department of corrections (department) determines that there are no suitable beds available to house an inmate in another department facility. The act requires the department to, at least 30 days prior to relocating any inmates, provide a structured relocation plan to the joint budget committee and the house of representatives judiciary committee and the senate judiciary committee, or their successor committees, and to update those committees during the project. The plan must include, but is not limited to: What programs or classes will be available to the inmates; What behavioral health and medical care will be available; What employment opportunities will be available and the rate of pay for each employment opportunity; What recreational opportunities will be available; What visitation opportunities will be available; How many hours a day an inmate will be allowed out of their cell based on their medium- or close-custody level or protective custody status; Whether, prior to transfer, the department plans to conduct a reclassification or other custody review on any medium-security inmate to determine whether the inmate is appropriate to progress or have an override to minimum-restrictive custody; and An estimate of how long inmates will be temporarily held at Centennial correctional facility-south c-tower and if the relocations will be based on the duration of the project at the Sterling correctional facility. The act also requires the department to provide updates on the status of the access controls project at its "SMART Act" hearing required by section 2-7-203. The act appropriates $1,829,000 from the general fund to the department to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
For persons required to report child abuse or neglect, the act: Requires reports to be submitted as soon as possible, but within 24 hours, after receiving information of child abuse or neglect; Provides that reports are not required if the person: Receives the information outside of the person's professional capacity that would require a report; or Is connected to an attorney representing a party involved in a suspected child abuse or neglect case that would require a report under current law; Removes victim's advocates from the list of professions required to report child abuse or neglect; Prohibits reports based on a family's race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or disability; and Prohibits the delegation of the duty to report to a person who does not have firsthand knowledge of the suspected child abuse or neglect. For entities that employ a mandatory reporter, the act: Authorizes the entity to develop protocols for making the report if the protocols comply with state law and regulations; and Prohibits representatives of the entity from deterring or impeding a person from filing a report. The act requires a county department of human or social services (county department) to assign a referral identification number to each report of child abuse or neglect. If a mandatory reporter contacts the child abuse reporting hotline system (hotline) or a county department about a suspected child abuse or neglect report and the hotline or department gives the mandatory reporter the referral identification number of a related report that was previously filed, the mandatory reporter is deemed to have satisfied the reporting requirements. The act appropriates $5,375 to the state department of human services for training. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act codifies the federal "Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978" into state law as the "Colorado Indian Child Welfare Act" (CO-ICWA) and provides additional protections for Indian children and children known or determined to be Indian children under state law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of personnel (department), in partnership with the office of new Americans, to conduct or contract to conduct a statewide language access assessment of the readiness of principal departments to meet the language access standards outlined in the language access universal policy (assessment). The assessment covers all principal departments except the department of state, the department of the treasury, and the department of law (principal departments). The assessment must identify: The needs of principal departments to meet the language access standards outlined in the language access universal policy, including requests for guidance, training, and technical assistance; Relevant language access materials from principal departments, including language access plans, position descriptions related to language access, procedures related to language access, and technical assistance or training materials; Information on current language services contracts, expenditures, and funding sources related to language access; The public-facing responsibilities of principal departments, including designating which principal departments and their subcontractors do and do not have frequent contact with linguistically diverse individuals; and Other covered entities that may be subject to the standards outlined in the language access universal policy. The department may enter into an agreement with a third-party entity to conduct all or part of the assessment. The third-party entity must have demonstrated expertise in working with state governments on language access initiatives, such as developing language access policies or plans. At the conclusion of the assessment and not later than December 31, 2026, the department, the office of new Americans, or the third-party entity is required to create a report that summarizes the findings of the assessment and makes recommendations concerning: Improving efficiency, increasing quality of service, reducing cost, avoiding duplicative work, building on existing best practices, and minimizing administrative burden with respect to the provision of linguistically accessible government services and programs to linguistically diverse individuals; Addressing gaps and improving meaningful service through changes to language access services, practices, and procedures; Evaluating potential technological options for increasing language access, such as artificial intelligence; and Determining what infrastructure is needed to ensure full and sustainable implementation of the standards outlined in the language access universal policy. The department must also maintain a community of practice to focus on implementing the language access universal policy with ongoing observation of best practices in the principal departments. The department must include a summary of the report and assessment in its January 2027 presentation to legislative oversight committees required by the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act". For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $100,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the department for use by the Colorado equity office for personal services. Any money not expended by July 1, 2026, is further appropriated to the Colorado equity office through December 31, 2026. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law limits to 10 years the time a school district can lease district property not needed for its purposes. The act allows a school district to lease district property for any term of years for purposes of a solar field, energy storage system, or affordable housing. If a board of education of a school district leases or rents property for the purposes of an affordable housing project, the board of education shall develop a policy that defines affordable housing for the project. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law gives a trial court judge 91 days from the day a conviction enters in a criminal case to order restitution, which is the monetary loss a victim suffers due to a defendant's criminal conduct, in a criminal case. The act grants the prosecuting attorney 63 days to submit restitution information to the trial court judge following a conviction if the information is not available on the day a conviction enters, and then grants the trial court judge an additional 63 days following the submission of restitution information to order restitution after it receives the information from the prosecuting attorney. The act applies to defendants sentenced on or after the act's effective date. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)