SB 120: Missing Person Training & Higher Education Reporting - Colorado

Rerevised → Final Act · 5 edits · Apr 29, 2026

MODERATE

This bill finalizes changes to the Colorado Missing Persons Alert Training Program and updates campus safety protocols for missing students. It clarifies that peace officers must receive training on specific state missing person alerts and establishes a structured, time-bound process for colleges to assess missing students, including a mandatory six-hour window for initial checks before contacting law enforcement. The bill also adds legal protections for institutions acting in good faith during these assessments.

Scope change

The scope was refined to explicitly include training on the State Emergency Alert System and specific missing person alert statutes for peace officers, and it expanded the campus safety protocol to include detailed steps for wellness assessments and liability protections for institutions.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory requirement for the Peace Officers Standards and Training Board to include training on all state missing person alerts, including the State Emergency Alert System, in the basic and reserve officer curricula.

Modified the campus protocol to require institutions to conduct a preliminary wellness assessment within six hours of a missing student report before notifying police, unless there is credible evidence of immediate risk.

Required institutions to adopt and publish a written policy detailing their wellness assessment procedures, authorized personnel, and record-keeping systems.

DEFINITION

Added specific definitions for the minimum steps of a preliminary wellness assessment, including digital contact attempts, residential verification, and academic/social inquiries.

ENFORCEMENT

Added immunity from civil liability for institutions and employees who act in good faith while following the new missing student notification and assessment procedures.

Revised → Rerevised · 4 edits · Apr 27, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was re-revised to include all amendments adopted in the Second House, expanding the list of House sponsors to include Bacon, Camacho, Clifford, English, Jackson, Joseph, Keltie, Lindsay, Lukens, Martinez, Mauro, Nguyen, Rutinel, Stewart K., and Willford. The document also updated the reading status to '3rd Reading Unamended' with a new date of April 27, 2026. Additionally, a significant portion of the text regarding police notification procedures for student safety risks was removed, indicating a major revision to the enforcement or reporting requirements of the bill.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding police notification requirements was altered by removing specific instructions on when and how institutions must notify police or law enforcement agencies regarding student safety risks.

REQUIREMENT

Removed specific text detailing the institution's obligation to notify the police department or nearest law enforcement agency if there is credible evidence of risk to a student's safety.

TECHNICAL

Added a header indicating the bill is in its 'Rerevised' state and includes all amendments adopted in the Second House.

TIMELINE

Updated the House reading status to '3rd Reading Unamended' with a specific date of April 27, 2026.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the list of House sponsors to include several new legislators, reflecting broader support or changes in sponsorship.

Reengrossed → Revised · 5 edits · Apr 24, 2026

MODERATE

The bill's status has been updated from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect amendments adopted on second reading in the second house. Several formatting and structural elements were added, including a specific reading date (April 24, 2026), a new committee assignment for the House (State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs), and blank lines to separate sections. Additionally, a portion of the text regarding institutional police reporting requirements and civil liability immunity for higher education institutions was removed.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on law enforcement procedures for missing persons, but the House committee jurisdiction was expanded to include State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs.

TECHNICAL

Added a specific '2nd Reading Unamended' date of April 24, 2026, to the header.

Added a new House committee assignment: State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs.

Inserted multiple blank lines to improve document formatting and section separation.

REQUIREMENT

Removed text detailing specific reporting requirements for institutions of higher education and their police departments after receiving a missing person report.

ENFORCEMENT

Removed the section establishing civil liability immunity for higher education institutions and employees regarding missing students.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 2 edits · Mar 16, 2026

MINOR

The bill has been reengrossed, meaning it now includes all amendments adopted by the House of Introduction. The most significant substantive change is the addition of several new co-sponsors to the Senate, expanding the legislative support for the bill. Additionally, the document header has been updated to reflect that this version includes all amendments and provides a specific date for the 3rd Reading Unamended version.

Scope change

The scope of the bill itself regarding student safety and immunity remains unchanged; however, the list of Senate sponsors has been expanded to include nine additional legislators.

ELIGIBILITY

Added nine new co-sponsors to the Senate sponsorship list (Amabile, Ball, Benavidez, Bridges, Bright, Coleman, Cutter, Danielson, Daugherty, Frizell, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kirkmeyer, Kolker, Lindstedt, Mullica, Pelton R., Roberts, Rodriguez, Simpson, Snyder, Sullivan, Weissman).

TECHNICAL

Updated the header text to clarify that this version includes all amendments and added a specific date reference for the 3rd Reading Unamended version.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 13, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to clarify that peace officers are not required to deliver the new missing persons training themselves, only to include it in the curriculum. Additionally, the notification rules for missing students were expanded to require immediate contact with law enforcement if a wellness assessment is not performed or if a student is missing, and the agency contacted must be determined by the student's current or permanent address on file.

Scope change

The scope of the training requirement was narrowed to exclude the obligation for officers to personally deliver the training, and the scope of student notification requirements was broadened to cover cases where no wellness assessment is conducted.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that the Department of Public Safety is not required to personally deliver or administer the missing persons training to peace officers, only to ensure the training exists in the curriculum.

Changed the trigger for notifying law enforcement regarding missing students: institutions must now notify police immediately if they do not conduct a wellness assessment or if they determine there is credible evidence of risk to the student's safety.

Added specific instructions on which law enforcement agency to contact: the nearest agency with jurisdiction over the student's current local address on file, or their permanent address if no current address exists.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a new subsection clarifying that institutions and employees are immune from civil liability if they act in good faith when following these missing student notification procedures.

Missing Person Training & Higher Education Reporting

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