Colorado Health Benefit Exchange Final Report 2017
The Colorado Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee was created pursuant to Article 22 of Title 10, Colorado Revised Statutes. The purpose of this committee is to guide Colorado's health insurance exchange, including reviewing the financial and operational plans of the exchange and...
Medical Aid-in-Dying
This memorandum provides an overview of Colorado’s Medical Aid-in-Dying law, which legalized the practice of prescribing medical aid-in-dying medication to eligible terminally ill patients in Colorado.
Citizens Guide to Judicial Complaints (18-01)
What can a person do if he or she feels that an attorney or judge in a legal matter acted unprofessionally? In Colorado, there are formal complaint processes to review the conduct of attorneys and judges and to administer discipline when warranted. Additionally, voters can choose whether to...
State Laws Addressing Age of Sexual Consent
This memorandum provides an overview of state laws that address age of consent for sexual activity. More specifically, it provides information about the age of sexual consent in Colorado and other states, including exemptions that allow a person below the age of consent to have lawful sex with...
Summary of Courts and Judicial Legislation (2017)
During the 2017 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to judicial performance, state and local court administration, court proceedings involving juveniles, evidence and court procedures, and records sealing. This document summarizes the legislation.
Mandated Health Benefits in Colorado
Adams County Youth Services Center Property Acquisition
This memorandum summarizes a request from the Department of Human Services (DHS) to acquire a 15-acre parcel of land from Adams County for the construction of a new youth services center in the 17th Judicial District.
Summary of Civil Law Legislation (2018)
During the 2018 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly considered measures related to civil law. Specifically, the legislature considered bills regarding civil protections, the statute of limitations for domestic violence offenses, immunity, jurisdiction, and liability.
Summary of Human Services Legislation (2018)
During the 2018 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to increasing access to behavioral health services, increasing capacity for competency restoration, protecting children in foster care, child care assistance funding, and increasing the effectiveness of other...
Summary of Public Health Legislation (2018)
During the 2018 session, the General Assembly considered bills related to suicide prevention, requests to study public health effects, changes to certificates and databases overseen by the Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), nad other public health-related legislation.
Summary of Crimes and Law Enforcement Legislation (2018)
During the 2018 legislative session, the General Assembly introduced numerous bills concerning crimes,criminal penalties, and law enforcement.
Judicial Selection and Retention (18-12)
The Colorado Constitution allows voters to decide whether justices and judges stay on the bench after they have been appointed and have had time to establish a judicial record by serving an initial term. Some form of this process, otherwise known as the merit selection and retention of justices...
Colorado’s Child Welfare System (18-14)
Colorado’s child welfare system provides a range of services to protect children from abuse and neglect and to assist families in caring for their children. This issue brief provides an overview of the child welfare system in Colorado, including administration and funding, reporting...
Post-Conviction Sex Offender Polygraph Testing for Adult Sex Offenders
This memorandum provides an overview of how post-conviction sex offender polygraph testing (PCSOT) is used for adult sex offenders in Colorado, as well as in other states. It also includes a summary of current research on its effectiveness.
Statutes of Limitations for Criminal Offenses (18-18)
A statute of limitations is a law that specifies the maximum length of time allowed for a victim or prosecutor to initiate legal proceedings. Such a statute may apply in either criminal or civil cases. This issue brief provides an overview of criminal statutes of limitations, including...
Emergency Mental Health Holds (18-21)
This issue brief addresses Colorado’s emergency mental health hold procedure, which allows for an individual to be involuntarily held for a 72‑hour period of treatment and evaluation if he or she appears to have a mental illness and, due to the mental illness, appears to be an imminent...
State Laws Regarding Gravity and Switchblade Knives (17-10)
Gravity and switchblade knives, which were originally popularized by classic movies such as West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause, are considered illegal weapons in Colorado. Possessing such a weapon could result in a fine or jail time, or both. This issue brief...
Jury Duty in Criminal Cases
This memorandum provides an overview of jury duty for criminal trials in Colorado, including how jurors are summoned, excused, selected, paid, and impaneled. Jury deliberations, instructions, and verdicts are also covered.
Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee Final Report
The Colorado Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee was created pursuant to Article 22 of Title 10, Colorado Revised Statutes. The purpose of this committee is to guide Colorado's health insurance exchange, including reviewing the financial and operational plans of the exchange and...
Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee Final Report
The Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee was created pursuant to Article 22.3 of Title 10, Colorado Revised Statutes. The purpose of this committee is to study issues relating to opioid and substance use disorders in Colorado and examine potential solutions concerning...
Mental Health Medication in the Criminal Justice System (19-01)
According to the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC), between 2012 to 2017, the number of inmates who had moderate to severe mental health needs increased by 7 percent. Additionally, a steep increase in court-ordered competency evaluations and restorative treatments has caused a shortage...
2018 Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems Final Report
Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems.
Background on the Sale of the Grand Junction Regional Center Campus
This memorandum provides a brief overview of the timeline of events related to the recommended closure of the Grand Junction Regional Center (GJRC) campus.
Family, Medical, and Sick Leave Laws (21-02)
This issue brief provides an overview of federal and state family, medical, and sick leave laws.