Modifications to Office of Child Protection Ombudsman

Removed the 'Rerevised' designation and updated to 'Revised' status, indicating the bill has been amended on second reading in the Senate.

Removed the '3rd Reading Unamended' date stamp of April 14, 2025.

Modified Senate sponsorship list by removing several senators (Coleman, Exum, Gonzales J., Jodeh, Kipp, Michaelson Jenet, Wallace) while keeping others (Cutter and Bright).

Definitions for 'complaint', 'facility', and related terms were reorganized and clarified to ensure consistent application across the statute.

New provisions grant the ombudsman office access to residential child care facilities and state department facilities under specific conditions, such as responding to requests from children, families, or concerned individuals.

Investigation procedures were reorganized to clarify when and how the ombudsman may conduct independent and impartial reviews of complaints.

New provisions establish the office's duty to maintain confidentiality regarding complaints and investigation records, with limited exceptions for necessary disclosures.

Protections against subpoenas and discovery for the ombudsman and office employees in civil or criminal proceedings where they are not legal parties were clarified and strengthened.

Formatting and structural changes were made to reorganize statutes, update bill metadata, and align with legislative markup conventions.

Added a new definition for 'COMPLAINT' to specify it relates to actions by public agencies or providers receiving public money that may affect child safety.

Clarified the ombudsman's duty to receive complaints concerning child protection services and expanded the definition of what constitutes a complaint.

Added requirement for child fatality prevention review teams to provide nonidentifying case review findings and recommendations to the ombudsman upon request.

Removed language requiring the ombudsman to have access to all information from investigations described in specific subsections, replacing it with more targeted access requirements.

Modified language regarding the ombudsman's immunity from compelled testimony in civil or criminal proceedings where the ombudsman is not a legal party.

Added new definitions for 'board', 'complaint', 'facility', 'ombudsman', 'personnel files', 'state-licensed residential child care facility', and 'work product' to clarify terms used in the child protection ombudsman statutes.

Modified the ombudsman's duties to include receiving complaints about actions affecting child safety, with expanded authority to investigate complaints independently and impartially, including those involving egregious abuse or child fatalities.

Added requirements for the ombudsman to have access to information from various entities including coroner's offices, law enforcement agencies, hospitals, courts, and vital statistics offices when investigating child fatality or abuse complaints.

Modified the ombudsman board composition requirements to include persons from throughout the state, persons with disabilities, and individuals reflecting the state's ethnic diversity, with expertise in child welfare policy or systems.

Added confidentiality protections that exempt ombudsman records from public disclosure and prevent compelled testimony in civil or criminal proceedings where the ombudsman is not a legal party.

Added seven new co-sponsors to the House sponsorship list: Bacon, Boesenecker, Brown, Clifford, Duran, Gilchrist, Jackson, Lindsay, Lukens, Mabrey, McCluskie, Sirota, Stewart K., Stewart R., and Story.

Updated the bill summary header from 'ENGROSSED' to 'REENGROSSED' and changed the summary date to March 5, 2025, to reflect the third reading status.

The bill status changed from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' with updated sponsorship information to include Armagost as a co-sponsor.

Added a new definition for 'Personnel Files' referencing Section 24-72-202 of the Colorado Revised Statutes.

Added a new definition for 'Work Product' referencing Section 24-72-202 of the Colorado Revised Statutes.