The 2022 legislative session of the Colorado General Assembly concluded on May 11.  There was a total of 657 bills this session.

JUC CAN (Community Action Network) partnered with Together Colorado and other organizations to support bills that promote our UU values.

Summaries of some of the bills related to housing, homelessness, behavioral health, and criminal justice are listed below.

HB22-1287 (Protections for Mobile Home Park Residents)

Our main bill PASSED!

138 Together Colorado Faith Leaders Supported Protections for Mobile Home Park Residents.  Read their letter HERE 

Unfortunately, the most important part of HB22-1287, lot rent stabilization, was removed due to a veto threat from Governor Polis.  Also, at the last minute, the implementation date was extended from immediately to October 1, 2022.

Read the latest:

CPR News: Colorado mobile home owners, residents may soon get help, but…

Colorado Politics: Rights for mobile home residents pass legislature after more weakening amendments

There are still several important protections left in the bill.

Creating Greater Accountability:

• Grants the Attorney General the power to bring civil and criminal actions to enforce the Mobile Home Park Act and the Mobile Home Park Act Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Program (DREP)
• Grants the Division of Housing the power to conduct investigations, issue cease and desist orders, and levy fines
• Requires the Division of Housing to avoid disclosing the identity of complainants
• Clarifies required information for complete park registration
• Extends many of the protections afforded to mobile home owners to non-owner residents
• Permits non-owner residents, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to file complaints with DREP beginning July 1, 2024
• Prohibits landlord from misleading a home owner about their obligation to sign a new lease or agreement
• Extends some provisions for mobile homes to other structures owned by home owners
• Requires the landlord to retain records related to rent increases, lease agreements, and park rules and regulations
• Requires notices and information to be in both Spanish and English

Protecting Affordability of Housing:

• Requires a landlord that wants to change the use of the mobile home park to provide 12 months’ notice and either pay for the home owner’s reasonable relocation costs or offer to purchase the mobile home for in-place fair market value
  • Requires the Department of Regulatory Agencies to update the price floor for mobile home purchases when changing the use of the mobile home park
  • Note: A home owner is entitled to the remedies only if the home owner has not given notice to terminate the home owner’s lease or rental agreement as of the date of the notice of the change in use
• Prohibits a landlord from raising rent on a mobile home park lot if the landlord’s registration is not in good standing or if they have any unpaid penalties or have not fully complied with any final order issued by the Division of Housing

Increasing Stability for Residents:

• Prohibits management from harassing, intimidating, or threatening any person for filing a complaint, organizing or educating residents, or joining an association of residents or home owners
• Prohibits a landlord from taking retaliatory action against a home owner or resident for participating in a decision-making process concerning purchasing the mobile home park
• Prohibits rental agreements from requiring a home owner to waive the opportunity to purchase the park
• If requested, requires the landlord to host a meeting with residents up to two times per year
• Prohibits a landlord from requiring payment of any type of selling or transfer fee by either a home owner in the park wishing to sell or move the home owner’s mobile home to another party, or by a prospective buyer
• Clarifies notification and timelines for notice of a landlord’s intent to sell the park
• Clarifies “in good faith” negotiations and timelines for opportunity to purchase, extends the opportunity to purchase period to 120 days, and clarifies acceptable reasons to extend the time period
• Grants a public entity the right of first refusal to preserve the park as long-term affordable housing if a group of home owners assign their opportunity to purchase to the public entity

Mobile Home Parks:

The 2022 legislative session passed several bills that pertain to mobile home parks as part of their prioritization of affordable housing.  In Colorado, approximately 130,000 people live in over 700 mobile home communities throughout the state.  Mobile homes make up the largest source of naturally occurring, unsubsidized affordable housing, with most residents being hard-working families, older adults, people with disabilities, immigrant families, and veterans.  Many of the residents are on fixed incomes.  In 2019, the median annual household income of those living in mobile homes was $39,800, which is substantially lower than the incomes for renters or homeowners.  Mobile home parks have a unique business model in that most residents own their homes but rent the land (lot) on which their home sits, leaving them vulnerable to unpredictable lot rent increases.  Most mobile homes are either not movable or very costly to move, so essentially mobile home owners only have equity if they can stay in place.  Of Colorado’s 734 registered mobile home parks, 66% are controlled by corporate or multi-state owners.

Colorado Sun Parked Series: https://coloradosun.com/parked/ 

NPR: Why Are Investors Buying Up Mobile Home Parks and Evicting Residents? 

NPR: What Happens When Private Equity Takes Over Mobile Home Parks 

HB22-1082—Establish Fair Housing Unit Department of Law

SPONSORS: Rep. E. Hooton | Rep. J. Bacon | Sen. J. Gonzales

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Creates the Fair Housing Unit in the Department of Law (Attorney General’s Office) to bring civil and criminal actions to enforce the following sections of law:
  • Immigrant Tenant Protection Act
  • Mobile Home Park Act
  • Mobile Home Park Act Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Program
  • Part 1 (Wrongful Withholding of Security Deposits) and Part 7 (Notice of Rent Increase) of Article 12 of Title 38 governing tenants and landlords
  • Section 38-12-904 (Consideration of rental applications – limitations – denial notice) criminal history criterion

HB22-1223—Mobile Home Property Tax Sale Notice and Exemption

SPONSORS: Rep. C. Kipp | Rep. J. Rich | Sen. D. Coram | Sen. J. Ginal

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Beginning with property tax year 2022, creates a property tax exemption for mobile and manufactured homes with an actual value less than or equal to $28,000

HB22-1287—Protections for Mobile Home Park Residents

SPONSORS: Rep. A. Boesenecker | Rep. E. Hooton | Sen. F. Winter

Effective on October 1, 2022

• Expands protections for mobile home residents when their parks are closed and requires landlords to pay for relocation costs or offer to purchase mobile homes
• Extends time periods and clarifies the information and forms that residents receive related to an opportunity to purchase their park
• Requires notices and information to be in both Spanish and English
• Allows residents to assign their opportunity to purchase to a public entity that has right of first refusal to proceed on their behalf.
• Grants the Attorney General the power to bring civil and criminal actions to enforce mobile home park laws
• Grants the Division of Housing the authority to conduct investigations, issue cease and desist orders, and levy fines if appropriate

Colorado Center on Law and Policy: Somewhere, a place for us…

SB22-160—Loan Program Resident-owned Communities

SPONSORS: Sen. J. Gonzales | Sen. N. Hinrichsen | Rep. A. Boesenecker | Rep. M. Lindsay

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $35 million (General Fund) transfer on July 1, 2022; continuous spending authority
• Creates a loan and grant programs to support mobile home owners purchase their mobile home parks and create resident-owned communities
• Grant programs are for nonprofit organizations to provide technical assistance to home owners seeking to organize and purchase their mobile home park, and for eligible home owners to maintain the long-term affordability of a resident-owned mobile home park

Colorado Sun: Colorado mobile home residents could find lot rent relief, aid for park purchases in pending bills 

Affordable Housing—Task Force Recommendations:

Last year the legislature allocated $400 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars for affordable housing.  The Affordable Housing Task Force interim committee met last summer and fall to provide recommendations to spend these funds.  The bills listed below are a result of their recommendations to make transformational investments in affordable housing.

Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force Recommendation Report (January 2022)

Colorado Sun: We’re tracking how Colorado lawmakers are spending billion in federal COVID aid in 2022 

CPR News: What’s in Colorado’s new $400 million housing proposal? 

Colorado Center on Law and Policy Issue Brief: Colorado is losing low-cost rental housing 

HB22-1282—The Innovative Housing Incentive Program

SPONSORS: Rep. K. Mullica | Rep. M. Lynch | Sen. J. Bridges | Sen. R. Woodward

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $40 million transfer on July 1, 2022, to the Office of Economic Development and International Trade; continuous spending authority
• Provides grants or loans to incentivize new or existing businesses with fewer than 500 employees that develop manufactured homes (including prefabricated, panelized construction such as insulated panels or insulating concrete forms, 3D printed housing, kit homes or tiny homes installed on foundations)

Colorado Sun: Colorado lawmakers are betting millions that factory-built homes are a solution to the housing crisis 

HB22-1304—State Grants Investments Local Affordable Housing

SPONSORS: Rep. D. Roberts | Rep. M. Bradfield | Sen. J. Coleman | Sen. J. Gonzales

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $178 million; continuous spending authority
• State grants for local governments and nonprofits around the state to buy land, develop housing infrastructure, provide gap financing, maintain existing and build new affordable housing stock, and land banking
• Strong Communities Grant Program to invest in infill infrastructure projects that support affordable housing
• Targeted at communities that embrace higher density development, energy efficiency, and reduced parking requirements

SB22-146—Middle Income Access Program Expansion

SPONSORS: Sen. R. Zenzinger | Sen. D. Hisey | Rep. M. Snyder | Rep. M. Catlin

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $25 million
• Expands the Middle Income Housing Access Program within the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA)

SB22-159—Revolving Loan Fund Invest Affordable Housing

SPONSORS: Sen. J. Bridges | Sen. R. Zenzinger | Rep. D. Ortiz | Rep. P. Will

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $150 million (General Fund) transfer on July 1, 2022; continuous spending authority
• Creates a self-perpetuating revolving loan fund to provide flexible, low-interest, and below-market-rate loan funding to make investments in transformational affordable housing and energy improvements
• Eligible recipients include local governments, community partners, for-profit developers, and political subdivisions of the state
• Eligible projects are those that support the development of infrastructure related to affordable housing development, new construction of affordable housing, or the preservation of existing affordable housing, with priority for projects located in communities impacted by the pandemic, facing barriers to accessing capital, or that are otherwise underserved
• Different criteria for counties categorized as urban, rural, and rural resort

SB22-160—Loan Program Resident-owned Communities

SPONSORS: Sen. J. Gonzales | Sen. N. Hinrichsen | Rep. A. Boesenecker | Rep. M. Lindsay

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $35 million (General Fund) transfer on July 1, 2022; continuous spending authority
• Creates a loan and grant programs to support mobile home owners purchase their mobile home parks and create resident-owned communities

Colorado Sun: Colorado mobile home residents could find lot rent relief, aid for park purchases in pending bills 

Homelessness:

The 2022 legislative session passed several bills that address homelessness at a statewide level.  Colorado’s chronically sheltered homeless population grew by 266% between 2007 and 2021, the largest increase of any state in the nation, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

First-time homelessness in metro Denver doubled in 2021 over 2020 according to the State of Homelessness report by Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI).  Black, Indigenous, and people of color were overrepresented in the numbers compared to White people.

Colorado Politics: Colorado legislators, Polis want to allocate $200 million to confront homelessness 

Westword: Colorado Lawmakers Unveil Spending Package for Homelessness Resolution 

HB22-1056—Emergency Temporary Care for Children

SPONSORS: Rep. D. Michaelson Jenet | Rep. S. Gonzales-Gutierrez | Sen. D. Moreno

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• Permits county departments of human or social services to provide services to juveniles that are intended to prevent the juvenile from being held in detention prior to adjudication

HB22-1083—Colorado Homeless Contribution Income Tax Credit

SPONSORS: Rep. K. Tipper | Rep. J. Rich | Sen. F. Winter | Sen. C. Simpson

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Replaces and expands a state income tax credit for contributions to projects that address homelessness
• Moves the administration of the income tax credit to the Division of Housing, expands the credit allowed, and makes the credit available in the entire state

Colorado Newsline: Finally, Colorado makes historic investments in resolving homelessness 

HB22-1377—Grant Program Providing Responses to Homelessness

SPONSORS: Rep. S. Woodrow | Rep. T. Exum | Sen. C. Kolker | Sen. J. Gonzales

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $105 million
• Directs flexible grant funding to local governments and nonprofits that are pursuing innovative measures to address the needs of individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness
• Connects Coloradans experiencing homelessness with services, recovery care, and sheltering options; includes transitional housing, permanent housing, employment assistance, and job training

HB22-1378—Denver-metro Regional Navigation Campus Grant

SPONSORS: Rep. I. Jodeh | Rep. T. Sullivan | Sen. J. Coleman | Sen. C. Hansen

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $50 million
• Creates the Regional Navigation Campus Grant Program and authorizes the Division of Housing to solicit grant applications from local governments and nonprofits in the Denver-metro area to build or acquire and then facilitate a regional navigation campus to holistically respond to and prevent homelessness (Denver, Arapahoe, Adams, Douglas, Jefferson, and Broomfield counties)
• Campus may provide behavioral health, mental health, substance use disorder services and treatment, medical care, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, emergency shelter, recovery-oriented services and care, vocational rehabilitation and employment skill training, assistance to enroll in public benefits, and other supportive services

SB22-211—Repurpose the Ridge View Campus

SPONSORS: Sen. R. Fields | Sen. N. Hinrichsen | Rep. A. Valdez

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $45 million
• Repurposes the Ridge View Campus to provide a supportive residential community for people experiencing homelessness
• Similar to the Fort Lyon Supportive Residential Community Program 

Colorado Sun: The next big move to solve homelessness is a metro Denver recovery campus. But which city will host it? 

Miscellaneous Housing:

HB22-1051—Mod Affordable Housing Tax Credit

SPONSORS: Rep. S. Bird | Rep. H. McKean | Sen. R. Zenzinger | Sen. D. Hisey

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• Continues the Colorado Affordable Housing Tax Credit allocated by the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA)
• $10 million for credits allocated annually beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on December 31, 2031
• This tax credit has been one of the most effective tools to create affordable housing

HB22-1102—Veterans and Military Status in Fair Housing

SPONSORS: Rep. D. Ortiz | Rep. T. Sullivan | Sen. B. Gardner | Sen. N. Hinrichsen

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Prohibits discrimination against a person based on veteran or military status when showing, selling, transferring, leasing, or renting housing
• Adds veteran or military status as a basis of illegal housing discrimination to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act

HB22-1117—Use of Local Lodging Tax Revenue

SPONSORS: Rep. D. Roberts | Rep. M. Catlin | Sen. D. Coram | Sen. K. Donovan

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Allows, with voter approval, as much as 90% of the revenue from state-collected local marketing districts and county lodging tax to be used for affordable housing, child care for local workers, and “enhancing visitors experiences,” which includes investment in recreational infrastructure such as trails

Colorado Sun: Colorado mountain towns can now use tourism tax revenue to deal with visitor hordes, housing shortage 

HB22-1205—Senior Housing Income Tax Credit

SPONSORS: Rep. C. Kennedy | Rep. M. Weissman | Sen. C. Hansen | Sen. J. Coleman

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Creates a temporary tax credit for individuals age 65 and older who have not claimed a homestead property tax exemption for the 2022 property tax year
• Applicant’s income must fall below $75,000
• Eligible Coloradans may claim up to $1,000 in tax credit, depending on their income level

HB22-1242—Regulate Tiny Homes Manufacture Sale and Install

SPONSORS: Rep. C. Kipp | Rep. T. Exum | Sen. J. Ginal | Sen. D. Hisey

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Expands the authority of the State Board of Housing to set standards by July 1, 2023, for new factory-built structures and tiny homes that cover the manufacture, assembly, and installation, and for uniform foundation construction standards for factory-built structures, manufactured homes, and tiny homes in areas of the state where no standards exist
• Exempts tiny homes from sales and use tax (to conform to the exemption of manufactured homes)
• Defines tiny homes certified by the Division of Housing as residential improvements for assessing property taxes

HB22-1314—Towing Carrier Nonconsensual Tows

SPONSORS: Rep. N. Ricks | Rep. E. Hooton | Sen. J. Gonzales | Sen. J. Sonnenberg

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Updates state towing requirements, notification procedures, and lien processes for nonconsensual tows seen frequently at apartment complexes and mobile home parks
• Grants the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) additional authority to promulgate rules related to non-consensual towing and to deny permit applications or permit renewals of towing carriers who commit towing-related offenses or act against the public interest

SB22-019—Access to Suppressed Court Eviction Records

SPONSORS: Sen. F. Winter | Rep. S. Woodrow

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Permits an attorney, who has permission from a party included in a suppressed court record, to access the record for the purpose of providing legal advice to, or evaluating whether to enter an appearance on behalf of, the party

Behavioral Health:

Mental Health America’s 2022 State of Mental Health in America report, which used data from 2018-2019, ranked Colorado in last place overall for adult mental health.

Colorado had the seventh-highest suicide rate in the nation in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 2022 legislative session finalized the statewide Behavioral Health Administration and invested much needed funding in behavioral health.

HB22-1278—Behavioral Health Administration

SPONSORS: Rep. M. Young | Rep. R. Pelton | Sen. P. Lee | Sen. C. Simpson

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• Creates the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) in the Department of Human Services to build a coordinated, cohesive, and effective behavioral health system in Colorado
• Consolidates fragmented behavioral health networks (mental health, substance use disorder treatment, and crisis services) into one behavioral health administrative services organization per region that will align with Medicaid regions
• Establishes a performance monitoring system to track capacity and performance of all behavioral health providers, including contract providers
• Sets statewide, minimum performance standards for treatment of children, youth, and adults in collaboration with state agencies administering behavioral health programs following criteria outlines in the bill
• By July 1, 2024, establishes a behavioral health safety net system to ensure access to services for children, youth, and adults

Colorado Sun: Regional mental health centers are alarmed by Colorado’s 232-page plan to shake up the system 

Last year the legislature allocated $450 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars for behavioral health. The Behavioral Health Task Force interim committee met last summer and fall to provide recommendations to spend these funds. The bills listed below are a result of their recommendations to expand access to services statewide, create more residential treatment beds, and bolster the behavioral health workforce.

Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force Recommendation Report (January 2022)

Colorado Sun: We’re tracking how Colorado lawmakers are spending billion in federal COVID aid in 2022 

Colorado Newsline: Lawmakers want to transform Colorado’s behavioral health care system 

HB22-1243—School Security and School Behavioral Health Services Funding

SPONSORS: Rep. T. Exum | Rep. K. Van Winkle | Sen. C. Kolker | Sen. N. Hinrichsen

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $14 million
• Creates a cash fund and appropriates money to three programs related to school safety and behavioral mental health

HB22-1281—Behavioral Health-care Continuum Gap Grant Program

SPONSORS: Rep. S. Gonzales-Gutierrez | Rep. N. Ricks | Sen. F. Winter | Sen. B. Rankin

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $90 million for local government and nonprofit grant programs to create community-based behavioral health programs ($75 million for the Behavioral Health-care Continuum Gap Grant Program and $15 million for the Workforce Stability Grant Program)
• Creates the Community Behavioral Health-Care Continuum Gap Grant Program in the Behavioral Health Administration to be awarded to nonprofits, community-based organizations, and local governments for community investment grants and children, youth, and family services grants
• Establishes the Substance Use Workforce Stability Grant Program in the Behavioral Health Administration to be awarded to support direct care staff who spend 50% or more of their time working with clients (may include temporary salary increases, recruitment and retention bonuses, and other strategies that support staff)

HB22-1283—Youth and Family Behavioral Health Care

SPONSORS: Rep. D. Michaelson Jenet | Rep. M. Bradfield | Sen. J. Buckner | Sen. K. Priola

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $54.7 million
• Requires the Colorado Department of Human Services to create an in-home and residential respite care program, provide operational support for psychiatric residential treatment facilities, create additional substance use treatment beds, continue the crisis service program, and build a neuro-psych facility

HB22-1302—Health-care Practice Transformation

SPONSORS: Rep. C. Kennedy | Rep. P. Will | Sen. S. Jaquez Lewis | Sen. K. Priola

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $36.6 million for grants to implement evidence-based clinical integration care models to integrate physical health care with treatment for mental illness and substance use disorders
• Creates the Primary Care and Behavioral Health Statewide Integration Grant Program to be administered by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

HB22-1303—Increase Residential Behavioral Health Beds

SPONSORS: Rep. J. Amabile | Rep. S. Sandridge | Sen. F. Winter | Sen. J. Smallwood

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $81.3 million through FY 2023-2024
• Requires an increase in the number of residential behavioral health beds, creates a new Medicaid provider type, and requires licensing of the new provider type (mental health residential facilities)

HB22-1326—Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention

SPONSORS: Rep. A. Garnett | Sen. B. Pettersen | Sen. J. Cooke

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $54.9 million ($29 million ARPA funds)
• Modifies fentanyl-related criminal offenses, updates practices around dispensing opiate antagonists, creates an education campaign, broadens the scope of the Harm Reduction Grant Program, and makes requirements for continuity of care for individuals in the criminal justice system with substance use disorder

Colorado Politics: Colorado legislators agree to compromise, approve fentanyl bill as 2022 session ends 

CPR News: Here’s the fentanyl punishment/treatment plan headed for Polis’ desk 

“The measure passed the legislature with the support of most Democrats and a small minority of Republicans. Many Republicans argued it didn’t go far enough to punish people involved with fentanyl, while some liberal Democrats warned it could help to restart a harmful “war on drugs” approach to addiction.”

“HB22-1326 lowers the amount of fentanyl eligible for a felony possession charge from four grams to one. That threshold applies to any mixtures containing fentanyl, including counterfeit pills that may contain only a few hundredths of a gram of the drug itself.”

SB22-147—Behavioral Health-care Services for Children

SPONSORS: Sen. C. Kolker | Sen. J. Sonnenberg | Rep. M. Young | Rep. R. Pelton

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $11.1 million to improve access to mental health and substance use treatment within public schools
• Creates the Colorado Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation and Access Program ($4.6 million) in the University of Colorado
• Appropriates $5 million to the Behavioral Health Care Professional Matching Grant Program in the Department of Education
• Appropriates $1.5 million to the School-based Health Center Grant Program in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

SB22-148—Colorado Land-based Tribe Behavioral Health Services Grant Program

SPONSORS: Sen. K. Donovan | Sen. C. Simpson | Rep. B. McLachlan | Rep. M. Catlin

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $5 million
• Creates the Colorado Land-based Tribe Behavioral Health Services Grant Program in the Department of Human Services to fund the renovation or construction of a behavioral health facility
• The Southern Ute Indian tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, or any authorized department, division, or affiliate are eligible for grant funding

SB22-177—Investments in Care Coordination Infrastructure

SPONSORS: Sen. B. Pettersen | Sen. B. Rankin | Rep. B. Titone | Rep. M. Bradfield

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $12.2 million
• Requires the Behavioral Health Administration to make certain investments as it develops the statewide care coordination infrastructure
• Requires the infrastructure to include a cloud-based platform

SB22-181—Behavioral Health-care Workforce

SPONSORS: Sen. J. Bridges | Sen. C. Simpson | Rep. L. Cutter | Rep. T. Van Beber

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $72.2 million
• Requires the Behavioral Health Administration to collaborate with multiple state agencies to create and implement a plan to improve the behavioral health care workforce, appropriates funding for the Health Services Corps for student loan repayment, and appropriates funding to the state Community College System
• Provides funding ($20 million) for student loan repayment for behavioral health-care providers and candidates for licensure and to award scholarships to addiction counselors

SB22-183—Crime Victims Services

SPONSORS: Sen. F. Winter | Sen. B. Gardner | Rep. M. Duran | Rep. M. Weissman

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $41 million; paid from continuously appropriated cash funds
• Creates a grant program ($35 million) in the Department of Public Safety to award grants to government agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide services to crime victims
• Expands community-based support ($6 million) for domestic violence programs

SB22-196—Health Needs of Persons in Criminal Justice System

SPONSORS: Sen. J. Gonzales | Sen. P. Lee | Rep. J. Bacon | Rep. A. Benavidez

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• $61.4 million
• Provides funding for behavioral health needs and continuity of care for individuals in the criminal justice system

Criminal Justice:

Together Colorado supported several criminal justice bills this session.

HB22-1067—Clarifying Changes to Ensure Prompt Bond Hearings

SPONSORS: Rep. S. Woodrow | Rep. S. Gonzales-Gutierrez | Sen. P. Lee | Sen. R. Rodriguez

48-hour bond hearing requirement takes effect January 1, 2023

• Requires municipal courts to hold a bond hearing within 48 hours

HB22-1131—Reduce Justice-involvement for Young Children

SPONSORS: Rep. S. Gonzales-Gutierrez | Rep. J. Bacon | Sen. J. Gonzales

Takes effect upon signature of the Governor

• Creates the Pre-adolescent Services Task Force in the Department of Human Services to examine gaps in services for juveniles aged ten to thirteen that would be created if the minimum age of prosecution of juveniles is increased from ten to thirteen
• Task force must create a report containing its examinations and recommendations by December 30, 2022

SB22-023—Deceptive Tactics Juvenile Custodian Interrogation

SPONSORS: Sen. J. Gonzales | Rep. J. Bacon | Rep. S. Gonzales-Gutierrez

This bill LOST—withdrawn by the sponsors due to amendments

• Would have required law enforcement agencies to adopt written policies and procedures that are consistent with the juvenile custodial interrogation procedures of the International Association of Chiefs of Police or other nationally recognized peer-reviewed research

SB22-099—Sealing Criminal Records

SPONSORS: Sen. D. Hisey | Sen. R. Rodriguez | Rep. K. Tipper | Rep. C. Larson

Effective about August 12, 2022

• Implements an automatic sealing process for non-violent criminal records
• Applies to those who are eligible to ask that their records be sealed under current rules (they have finished their sentence, completed a required waiting period, and have not committed another criminal offense)

Colorado Sun: Sens. Rodriguez and Hisey: Sealing more criminal records will give more people a shot at a job