H_PBH_2021A 04/06/2021 01:32:34 PM Committee Summary

Representative McLachlan, bill sponsor, introduced SB21-107. This bill renames Section 24-34-805 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, which concerns family preservation safeguards for families that include a parent with a disability, as the "Carrie Ann Lucas Parental Rights for People with Disabilities Act."

Representative Young, bill sponsor, gave opening remarks on the bill.

Committee members asked questions of the bill sponsors.

Julie Reiskin, representing Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Alison Butler, representing Colorado Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel, testified in support of the bill. The witnesses responded to questions from the committee.

Representatives McLachlan and Young gave final comments on the bill.

Committee members made final comments on the bill.

Committee members continued to make final comments on the bill.

Representative Froelich, bill sponsor, introduced HB21-1220. The bill enacts recommendations of the Colorado Child Support Commission concerning the establishment, calculation, and enforcement of child support, including:

• changes to child support guidelines and adjustments to basic child support obligations related to gross income;
• makes the definition of “parent” and “child” consistent with the Colorado Children’s Code;
• reduces the interest rate on unpaid child support after July 1, 2021;
• provides parents who owe child support with a process to request a court to disallow some or all of the calculated interest on their owed child support;
• clarifies that dependency and neglect courts and juvenile courts have concurrent jurisdiction to address parentage;
• removes limitations on increases to child support orders, filed by the state child support enforcement agency, when income information for the parent who owes child support is not available;
• requires life insurance settlements to be reported to the state child support enforcement agency; and
• adds contract employees to the state directory of new hires who must be reported for child support enforcement purposes.

Committee members asked questions of the bill sponsor.

Mr. Jeffrey Ball, representing Colorado Child Support Commission, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Larry Desbien, representing Colorado Department of Human Services - Child Support Services and Colorado Child Support Commission, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Zaven Saroyan, representing Colorado Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel, testified to amend the bill. The witnesses answered questions from committee members.

Committee members continued to ask questions of the previous witnesses.

Submitted written testimony can be found in Attachment A.

Representative Froelich gave final remarks on the bill.

Committee members made final comments on the bill.

Committee members asked questions of the bill sponsor.

Benjamin Waters, representing Fostering Colorado, testified in support of the bill. The witness replied to questions from committee members.

Representative Michaelson Jenet gave final comments on the bill.

Representative Froelich,
bill sponsor, introduced HB21-1228.

Beginning on January 1, 2022, the bill requires child and family investigators
(CFIs) and parental responsibility evaluators (PREs) to have training related
to domestic violence and its effect on children, adults and families.  Training
must be provided by recognized sources with expertise in domestic violence
and the traumatic effects of domestic violence, and must include six hours
of training for both domestic violence and child abuse, as well as four
hours of subsequent training every two years.  The bill also requires
legal representatives of children to comply with these provisions, and
requires that reports related to domestic violence, submitted to a court
by an investigator, evaluator or child’s legal representative, be considered
when determining parenting time and responsibilities.




The bill also requires that the Office of the State Court Administrator
maintain an eligibility roster for CFIs and PREs, and that a complaints
process relating to both CFIs and PREs be established.  The bill specifies
that a Chief Justice Directive be created to implement these requirements.

Committee members asked questions of the bill sponsor.

Committee members continued to ask questions of the bill sponsor.

Ms. Maralee Mclean, representing Moms Fight Back, testified in support of the bill. Amelia Lobo, representing Violence Free Colorado, testified in support of the bill. Judy Schure, representing Moms Fight Back, testified in support of the bill.

Christine McGinley, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. Mrs. Beth Goldman, representing Mothers Fight Back, testified in support of the bill. Witnesses responded to questions from committee members.

Mr. Bennett Poletti, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Kimberly Chambers, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. Andrea Fuller, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. Rebecca Zimmerman, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. Lydia Waligorski, representing Violence Free Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

Representative Froelich answered questions from committee members.

Kimberly Phillips, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

Submitted written testimony can be found in Attachment C.

Committee members made final comments on the bill.