HB 1314: Family Stability & Kinship Care - Colorado

Final Act → Signed Act · 4 edits · Jun 3, 2026

MODERATE

This bill amends Colorado statutes to strengthen family stability by prioritizing kinship placements and facilitating contact between children and grandparents. It updates definitions to clarify who qualifies as a grandparent or great-grandparent and modifies court procedures to give preference to relatives when placing children in temporary care. The changes aim to ensure that children remain connected to their extended family networks during and after removal from their homes.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of family involvement in child welfare by explicitly prioritizing kinship placements and formalizing grandparent visitation rights.

DEFINITION

Updated definitions of 'grandparent' and 'great-grandparent' to clarify relationships and exclusions regarding terminated parental rights.

REQUIREMENT

Amended court procedures to require giving preference to relatives or kin for temporary custody placements when they are capable and willing.

Repealed a previous statute regarding grandparent visitation to align with new provisions in the revised section.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting and numbering inconsistencies in the legislative text and signatures.

Rerevised → Final Act · 5 edits · May 21, 2026

MODERATE

This bill was finalized to prioritize placing children in kinship care with relatives like grandparents and to facilitate ongoing contact with grandparents after adoption. The changes clarify that courts must actively seek out relatives for temporary care and presume such placements are in the child's best interest unless proven otherwise. It also establishes a new legal definition for 'great-grandparent' and repeals an outdated statute regarding parenting time penalties.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to explicitly include 'great-grandparents' in the definition of eligible kin for placement and contact agreements, whereas previous versions only mentioned grandparents.

DEFINITION

Added a specific definition for 'great-grandparent' to ensure they are eligible for kinship placement and post-adoption contact agreements.

REQUIREMENT

Mandated that courts must document efforts to contact all relatives within 30 days of removing a child from their home.

Established a legal presumption that placing a child with a willing relative is in their best interest, which can only be overturned by strong evidence.

Repealed the previous statute (19-1-117.7) that allowed courts to impose monetary penalties or community service for noncompliance with parenting time orders.

Authorized courts to place children with relatives without a formal hearing if a social services worker and a guardian ad litem agree the placement is safe and beneficial.

Revised → Rerevised · 3 edits · May 6, 2026

MINOR

The bill was re-revised to include additional Senate sponsors and updated reading dates. Substantively, the definition of 'great-grandparent' was expanded to include parents and grandparents who are deceased, and a specific exclusion for terminated parental rights was removed from the text.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding who qualifies as a 'great-grandparent' was broadened to include deceased relatives, while the specific exclusion for terminated parental rights was eliminated.

DEFINITION

Added language to define 'great-grandparent' to include a person who is the grandparent of a child's father or mother, even if that parent or grandparent is deceased.

Removed the specific exception stating that 'great-grandparent' does not include the grandparent of a child whose parental rights have been terminated.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header to reflect 'Rerevised' status and added new Senate sponsors and reading dates.

Reengrossed → Revised · 3 edits · May 5, 2026

MINOR

The bill's header was updated to reflect that it is a 'Revised' version including amendments adopted on second reading in the Second House, rather than a 'Reengrossed' version with all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction. The bill summary date was updated to April 21, 2026, and the reading status was changed from '3rd Reading Unamended' to '2nd Reading Unamended' in the Senate section, indicating a procedural update in the legislative process.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill status header from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to accurately reflect the legislative stage where amendments were adopted on second reading in the Second House.

Changed the reading status in the Senate section from '3rd Reading Unamended' to '2nd Reading Unamended', reflecting the current procedural status of the bill.

Adjusted the bill summary date to April 21, 2026, to align with the updated reading status.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Apr 21, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include additional sponsors in the House (Bacon, Duran, Joseph, Lieder) and the Senate (Exum), replacing the previous 'None' status. A new notice was added stating that the current summary reflects the unamended version and will be updated for the reengrossed version later, with a placeholder date of April 21, 2026.

TECHNICAL

Added new co-sponsors to the House and Senate sponsorship lists.

Inserted a notice indicating the summary applies to the unamended version and will be updated for the reengrossed version.

Changed the document title from 'ENGROSSED' to 'REENGROSSED' and updated the amendment adoption description.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Apr 20, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to streamline its scope by removing the foster care prevention pilot program and related enforcement tools (like monetary penalties and community service) from the main text. The version now focuses exclusively on prioritizing kinship placements for children in temporary care and facilitating post-adoption contact between grandparents and grandchildren.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed; the pilot program for foster care prevention and specific enforcement mechanisms for parenting time disputes were removed from the primary legislative text.

REQUIREMENT

Removed requirements for courts to impose monetary penalties, community service, or use tracking tools for parents who violate parenting time orders.

Removed the mandate for the state department of human services to develop protocols for referring compliant noncustodial parents to supervised family-time services.

FISCAL

Removed the creation of the foster care prevention services pilot program, which previously allowed counties to implement expedited kinship placement pathways and navigator programs.

DEFINITION

Simplified the legislative declaration to focus only on kinship care stability and grandparent-grandchild relationships, removing references to child support coordination and enforcement proportionality.

Family Stability & Kinship Care

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