While state Democrats and Republicans seem to disagree on many subjects, on the following bills, Colorado senators were in agreement this week.
Senate Bill 25-124 requires nonprofit hospitals to use 340B Drug Pricing Program profits to decrease out-of-pocket costs for low-income patients. It also requires hospitals licensed by the state and covered under the federal 340B program to report information related to their participation in the program.
Lawmakers also introduced bipartisan legislation related to divorce proceedings. SB25-116 requires a petitioning party for dissolution of marriage or a legal separation to disclose any prior temporary, permanent, mandatory or emergency restraining orders or protection orders within five years of filing the petition.
The bill also requires courts to consider the orders as a relevant factor when dividing marital property and prohibits the court from awarding spousal maintenance to someone who has had a protection order entered against them within five years of the petition. Under the bill, restrained parties can be ordered to pay attorneys fees and costs of the non-restrained party but courts cannot require the non-restrained party to pay such fees for the restrained party.
Bill Number: SB25-146
Title: Fingerprint-Based Criminal History Record Checks
Introduced: Feb. 5
Sponsors: J. Rich, D. Michaelson Jenet, A. Hartsook, M. Lukens
Summary: The bill allows a regulator of certain professions and occupations to require an applicant for a license, certification or registration to submit to a fingerprint-based criminal history record check. The professions include audiologists, certified midwives, cremationists, dental hygienists, dentists, embalmers, funeral directors, licensed professional counselors, mortuary science practitioners, natural reductionists, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physician assistants, social workers and speech-language pathologists.
Bill Number: SB25-143
Title: Extend Prohibition on School Facial Recognition
Introduced: Feb. 5
Sponsors: L. Daugherty, P. Lundeen, R. Armagost, M. Carter
Summary: In current law, there is a prohibition on schools contracting for facial recognition services that is set to repeal on July 1. The prohibition contains an exception for a contract executed prior to the date the prohibition became law or a renewal of that contract. The bill removes the repeal and creates new exceptions for contracts. One of the exceptions is to use the software to identify a person who has made a significant threat against a school.
Bill Number: SB25-134
Title: Uniform Guardianship & Conservatorship Act
Introduced: Feb. 5
Sponsors: M. Snyder, M. Soper, C. Espenoza
Summary: The bill repeals the Uniform Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Act and enacts the Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act, drafted by the Uniform Law Commission. The bill provides guidance for guardians and conservators and clarifies how appointees must make decisions on behalf of a person under guardianship or conservatorship. The bill encourages the use of protective arrangements and less restrictive alternatives instead of conservatorship or guardianship if a person’s needs can be met with support services and technology.
Bill Number: SB25-133
Title: Colorado Voidable Transactions Act
Introduced: Feb. 5
Sponsors: M. Snyder, M. Soper, S. Camacho
Summary: Under current law, fraudulent transactions are controlled by the Colorado Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act. The bill makes updates to the act and renames it as the Colorado Voidable Transactions Act. The bill changes references in the act from “fraudulent transfers” to “voidable transactions.” The bill also proposes changes to the act that would make it align better with uniform law regarding voidable transactions, as well as makes updates to some of the definitions and terminology used in the act. The bill establishes burdens of proof and evidentiary requirements for various claims under the act. The bill also establishes which jurisdictional laws control certain types of claims based on the location of a debtor and makes numerous technical amendments throughout the act.
Bill Number: SB25-124
Title: Reducing Costs of Health Care for Patients
Introduced: Feb. 4
Sponsors: B. Kirkmeyer, J. Gonzales, K. Brown, L. Garcia Sander
Summary: The bill requires nonprofit hospitals to use 340B profits to decrease out-of-pocket costs for low-income patients. The bill requires entities covered under the federal 340B drug pricing program that are hospitals licensed by the state to report information related to their participation in the 340B program, their use of 340B program profits, their provision of charity care, their payments to third parties for 340B program-related services and compliance and their use of contract pharmacies.
Bill Number: SB25-116
Title: Spousal Maintenance Guidelines
Introduced: Feb. 4
Sponsors: M. Snyder, L. Frizell
Summary: Current law requires a party petitioning the court for dissolution of marriage or legal separation to disclose to the court the existence of any prior temporary or permanent restraining orders and civil protection orders, any mandatory restraining orders and protection orders and any emergency protection orders entered against either party within two years prior to the filing of the petition. The bill requires the disclosure of any orders entered within five years prior to the filing of the petition. When dividing marital property, the bill requires the court to consider as a relevant factor whether a mandatory protection order has been entered against a spouse within five years prior to the filing of the petition. The bill prohibits the court from awarding spousal maintenance to a spouse who has had a mandatory protection order entered against them within five years prior to the filing of the petition. If a mandatory protection order has been entered against a party within five years prior to the filing of the petition, the bill authorizes the court to order the restrained party to pay the other party’s attorney fees or licensed legal paraprofessional fees from marital property. The non-restrained party must not be required to pay the restrained party’s attorney fees or licensed legal paraprofessional fees from the non-restrained party’s separate property. If a mandatory protection order has been entered against a party within five years prior to the filing of the petition, the bill authorizes the other party to request the date of legal separation be the date the mandatory protection order was issued against the restrained party.
Bill Number: SB25-114
Title: Repeal of the FLEX Program
Introduced: Feb. 3
Sponsors: J. Amabile, B. Kirkmeyer, S. Bird, R. Taggart
Summary: In 2022, the general assembly created the Financial Literacy and Exchange Program. The FLEX program allows households participating in the state housing voucher program to open an escrow-like savings account. FLEX account holders receive a $200 monthly match and access to services such as financial mentoring, life skills training and asset management. No households have been enrolled in the program due to the FLEX account administrators’ inability to provide case management and other additional services without compensation. The bill transfers all the unexpended and unencumbered money in the FLEX fund to the general fund and repeals the program on July 1.
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