HB 1024: Raising Age of Voluntary Relinquishment of Child - Colorado

Rerevised → Final Act · 5 edits · Apr 13, 2026

MODERATE

This bill amends Colorado's 'safe haven' laws to increase the age limit for voluntary child relinquishment from 72 hours old to 30 days old. It adds an affirmative defense for parents charged with child abuse if they surrendered a child under 30 days to a firefighter or hospital staff. The bill also mandates that the state department create rules for parents to reunite with their surrendered children and updates sex education requirements to include information about these expanded safe haven laws.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the safe haven program by increasing the maximum age of a child eligible for voluntary relinquishment from 72 hours to 30 days.

ELIGIBILITY

Increased the age threshold for voluntary child relinquishment from 72 hours to 30 days.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for the state department to adopt rules establishing a process for parents to reunify with children surrendered under the safe haven law.

Updated sex education curriculum requirements to include information about safe haven laws covering children up to 30 days old.

ENFORCEMENT

Added an affirmative defense to child abuse charges for parents who safely surrender a child under 30 days to authorized personnel.

DEFINITION

Updated definitions in health education statutes to reflect the new 30-day age limit for safe haven laws.

Revised → Rerevised · 3 edits · Apr 1, 2026

MINOR

The bill text was updated from 'Revised' to 'Rerevised' to reflect that all amendments have been adopted by the Senate. A new header was added indicating the bill is at the '3rd Reading Unamended' stage for the Senate on April 1, 2026. Additionally, four new Senators (Carson, Coleman, Cutter, Exum, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Mullica, Pelton R., Zamora Wilson) were added to the Senate sponsorship list.

TECHNICAL

Added a header indicating the bill is at the 3rd Reading Unamended stage for the Senate on April 1, 2026.

Changed the version status from 'Revised' to 'Rerevised' to reflect the completion of the amendment process in the Second House.

Added eleven new Senators to the Senate sponsorship list.

Reengrossed → Revised · 4 edits · Mar 31, 2026

MODERATE

The bill text was updated to reflect its progression from the House of Introduction to the Revised version after Senate amendments. The substantive policy regarding the age limit for voluntary child relinquishment (72 hours to 30 days) remains unchanged, but the document now includes specific dates and reading statuses indicating the bill has been amended by the Senate.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the text reflects procedural updates rather than policy shifts.

TECHNICAL

Header updated from 'REENGROSSED' to 'REVISED' to indicate the bill has passed the Senate and includes all amendments.

Added Senate sponsorship names (Frizell and Marchman) to the sponsor list.

Inserted specific dates (February 25, 2026, and March 31, 2026) and reading statuses (Amended 2nd Reading, 3rd Reading Unamended) to track legislative progress.

Adjusted committee assignments to show the bill is now in the Senate Health & Human Services committee.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 4 edits · Feb 26, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to add multiple co-sponsors and update the summary header to reflect the current legislative stage. The most significant substantive change is the extension of the deadline for safe haven abandonment from 72 hours to 30 days, giving parents more time to surrender a child to authorities. Additionally, the effective date of the law was updated to August 12, 2026, and the requirement for a referendum petition was adjusted to align with the new timeline.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the safe haven program was expanded by increasing the allowable time window for child abandonment from 72 hours to 30 days.

TIMELINE

Extended the deadline for safe haven abandonment from 72 hours to 30 days.

Updated the effective date of the act to August 12, 2026.

TECHNICAL

Added several new co-sponsors to the House sponsorship list.

Updated the bill summary header to indicate it is the 'Reengrossed' version.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Feb 25, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to extend the age limit for safe surrender of infants from 72 hours to 30 days and to require the state to create a process for parents to reunite with their surrendered children. Additionally, the bill's title was updated to reflect that it is now an 'Engrossed' version containing all amendments.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to allow parents to surrender children up to 30 days old, whereas previously the limit was 72 hours.

ELIGIBILITY

The maximum age for a child to be safely surrendered by a parent was increased from 72 hours to 30 days.

REQUIREMENT

A new requirement was added mandating that the State Department establish a process for parents to reunify with children who were surrendered under this law.

TECHNICAL

The bill status was updated from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' to indicate it includes all amendments adopted during the legislative process.

Raising Age of Voluntary Relinquishment of Child

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors