SB 126: Licensure for Experienced Out-of-State Teachers - Colorado

Rerevised → Final Act · 4 edits · Apr 7, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Colorado's teacher licensure rules to align with the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, a federal agreement designed to make it easier for teachers to move between states. The changes streamline the application process for out-of-state applicants by removing the requirement for three years of recent teaching experience and establishing a strict 30-day timeline for issuing licenses to eligible Compact members. Additionally, the bill mandates that the Department of Education publish an annual table comparing out-of-state licenses to Colorado endorsement areas to ensure clarity for applicants.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of reciprocity to include all states participating in the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, regardless of whether Colorado has individually negotiated a specific agreement with them.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the requirement that out-of-state applicants must have at least three years of successful teaching experience within the previous seven years.

TIMELINE

Added a mandatory requirement for the Department of Education to issue an initial teacher license within 30 days of receiving a complete application from a Compact participant.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for the Department to publish an annual table showing how licenses from Compact states correspond to Colorado endorsement areas.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a provision to automatically repeal the new licensure rules once the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact is fully implemented and operational.

Revised → Rerevised · 5 edits · Apr 2, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was re-revised to include additional House sponsors and updated procedural dates, while removing specific text regarding the Department's authority to map out-of-state licenses to Colorado endorsement areas. This deletion simplifies the licensing process by eliminating the requirement for the Department to publish a correspondence table and potentially repealing a subsection about issuing initial licenses based on interstate agreements.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding teacher licensure reciprocity was narrowed by removing provisions that mandated the Department determine and publish how out-of-state licenses correspond to Colorado endorsement areas.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement for the Department to determine which out-of-state endorsement areas correspond to Colorado areas and to issue initial licenses in those specific areas.

Deleted the mandate for the Department to publish an annual table showing how licenses from states with interstate agreements correspond to Colorado endorsement areas.

Removed a provision stating that a specific subsection regarding interstate license issuance would be repealed if the Department began issuing such licenses.

TECHNICAL

Added new House sponsors to the bill.

TIMELINE

Updated the House 3rd Reading date to April 2, 2026.

Reengrossed → Revised · 9 edits · Mar 31, 2026

MAJOR

The bill was renumbered and reclassified from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' after being amended during the second reading in the Senate. The most significant substantive change is the shift in authority for issuing out-of-state teacher licenses from the State Board to the Department, which now has the power to issue licenses within 30 days if specific conditions are met. These conditions include holding an equivalent unencumbered license, having no current disciplinary action, and passing a criminal history check. The Department is also prohibited from requiring additional coursework or exams for initial licensing but retains the ability to require them for license renewal. Finally, the Department must publish an annual table mapping out-of-state licenses to Colorado endorsement areas.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the issuing authority changed from the State Board to the Department, and the process for interstate teacher mobility was streamlined to allow for faster issuance of initial licenses.

REQUIREMENT

Authority to issue initial out-of-state teacher licenses was transferred from the State Board to the Department.

Applicants must successfully complete a Colorado criminal history record check to qualify for the streamlined license process.

The Department is prohibited from requiring additional coursework, examinations, or program completions for initial license issuance but may require them for license renewal.

The Department must determine which Colorado endorsement areas correspond to the applicant's out-of-state license and issue the initial license in those areas.

TIMELINE

The Department must now issue an initial teacher license within 30 days of receiving a complete application from an eligible out-of-state licensee.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility for the streamlined license process now explicitly requires the applicant to have no current disciplinary action, suspension, investigation, or restriction.

ENFORCEMENT

The Department is required to publish an annual table showing how licenses from each participating state correspond to Colorado endorsement areas.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was updated from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect amendments adopted during the second reading in the Senate.

House sponsorship was updated to include an additional sponsor, Lukens.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 4 edits · Mar 17, 2026

MODERATE

This bill has been reengrossed to include additional co-sponsors and updated the legislative status header. A significant technical change was made to the text, which now explicitly references a repealed section (6)(e) and provides specific email instructions for notifying the Revisor of Statutes regarding that repeal, likely to ensure the old law is properly archived.

TECHNICAL

Added multiple new co-sponsors to the Senate sponsorship list.

Updated the legislative header from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' and changed the amendment description text.

Removed a disclaimer note stating that the summary does not reflect subsequent amendments.

Inserted specific text instructing the Commissioner of Education to notify the Revisor of Statutes via email regarding the repeal of a specific subsection.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 16, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to explicitly align with the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, removing the requirement for applicants to have teaching experience within the previous 7 years while retaining the 3-year experience rule. The eligibility criteria were updated to recognize 'unencumbered eligible licenses' from Compact states as equivalent to Colorado licenses, and the repeal trigger for the old reciprocity rules was changed to depend on the department issuing new licenses rather than waiting for specific commission rules.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to formally incorporate the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, changing the mechanism for recognizing out-of-state licenses from general reciprocity agreements to a specific federal-style compact framework.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the requirement that applicants must have teaching experience within the previous 7 years, though the 3-year experience requirement remains.

Updated the definition of qualifying out-of-state licenses to specifically require an 'unencumbered eligible license' from an Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact state that is equivalent to a Colorado license.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the condition for repealing the old reciprocity rules from waiting for commission rules to take effect to the department simply beginning to issue licenses under the new compact.

TECHNICAL

Corrected a typo in the contact email address for the Revisor of Statutes from a generic Georgia domain to a Colorado-specific domain.

Licensure for Experienced Out-of-State Teachers

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