SB 4: Expand List of Petitioners for Protection Order - Colorado

Final Act → Signed Act · 5 edits · Apr 6, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates the definitions of who can petition for an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) and clarifies the rules for sharing medical records. It adds 'co-responders' from specific community response programs and 'institutional petitioners' (like schools and hospitals) to the list of eligible individuals who can seek an ERPO. The bill also grants these new petitioners the authority to disclose protected health information to the court to support their case, while establishing strict rules to ensure that medical data is used only for the ERPO proceeding and is destroyed or returned afterward.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of who may file an ERPO petition by adding specific categories of community responders and institutional entities, moving beyond just family members and licensed professionals.

ELIGIBILITY

Added 'co-responders' from community response programs as eligible petitioners.

Added 'institutional petitioners' such as school districts, private schools, and healthcare facilities as eligible petitioners.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'educator' to explicitly include community colleges and technical colleges.

REQUIREMENT

Authorized new petitioners to disclose protected health information to the court for ERPO investigations.

Established strict confidentiality rules requiring the return or destruction of medical records after the legal process concludes.

Rerevised → Final Act · 5 edits · Mar 25, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates the list of entities eligible to petition courts for Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs). It formally adds 'institutional petitioners' - entities like hospitals, behavioral health facilities, and schools that employ community members (doctors, teachers, or co-responders) - to the roster of who can file these orders. Additionally, it refines the definition of a 'co-responder' to clarify their role in crisis intervention while explicitly excluding law enforcement officers who respond to behavioral health calls.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of who can file an ERPO petition by including specific institutions (hospitals, schools, behavioral health facilities) as eligible petitioners, rather than just individual professionals within those institutions.

SCOPE

Added 'institutional petitioners' as a new category of eligible entities to file ERPO petitions, including school districts, private schools, and higher education institutions.

Added hospitals and behavioral health/substance use disorder treatment facilities to the list of eligible institutional petitioners.

DEFINITION

Modified the definition of 'co-responder' to clarify they must be part of a community response team providing crisis services and explicitly stated they are not law enforcement officers responding to behavioral health calls.

Expanded the definition of 'educator' to explicitly include faculty at community colleges, local district colleges, and area technical colleges.

REQUIREMENT

Amended the petition requirements to allow institutional petitioners to file requests alongside family members, community members, and law enforcement.

Revised → Rerevised · 3 edits · Mar 20, 2026

MINOR

The bill was re-revised to include additional House sponsors and updated committee assignments, while removing a specific formatting note regarding law enforcement probable cause. These changes reflect procedural updates to the bill's sponsorship and committee structure rather than substantive policy shifts in the law itself.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the modifications are limited to administrative details such as the list of sponsors and committee assignments.

TECHNICAL

Added multiple new names to the House sponsorship list, expanding the coalition of legislators supporting the bill.

Updated the House committee assignment from 'State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs' to include 'State, Veterans, & Military Affairs' with a new reading date stamp.

Removed a specific parenthetical note regarding law enforcement probable cause requirements, likely a formatting artifact from previous drafting stages.

Reengrossed → Revised · 3 edits · Mar 19, 2026

MINOR

The bill's status was updated from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised', indicating it has passed both the House and Senate. A new sponsor, Willford, was added to the House sponsorship list, and the House committee was renamed to include 'Civic' affairs. The substantive text regarding law enforcement powers was truncated in the provided snippet, preventing analysis of specific policy changes to the bill's core requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains unchanged based on the provided text, as the snippet cuts off before the full legislative content is visible.

TECHNICAL

The bill version header was updated to reflect that it is now 'Revised' after second reading in the Second House.

The House committee name was updated to include 'Civic' affairs.

ELIGIBILITY

Willford was added as a co-sponsor of the bill in the House.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 2 edits · Feb 3, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include additional Senate sponsors and updated the header to reflect that it now includes all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction. A new enforcement provision was added, requiring law officers to file a sworn affidavit for a search warrant when they have probable cause to believe a respondent possesses firearms during an extreme risk protection order hearing.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include additional legislative sponsors, and its enforcement mechanisms were strengthened by adding a requirement for search warrants in firearm-related cases.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a requirement for law enforcement to file a sworn affidavit for a search warrant when they have probable cause to believe a respondent has firearms in their custody during an extreme risk protection order hearing.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document header from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' and revised the sponsor list to include additional names.

Introduced → Engrossed · 6 edits · Feb 2, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand the list of entities that can petition for an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) to include educators, co-responders, and specific healthcare and behavioral health facilities. It also updated legal definitions to clarify who qualifies as an 'educator' and 'institutional petitioner' and refined the search warrant affidavit requirements for law enforcement.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from allowing only licensed professionals and healthcare facilities to file ERPO petitions to also include educators, co-responders, and specific types of treatment facilities.

ELIGIBILITY

Added 'educators' as eligible petitioners who interact with the respondent within six months.

Added 'co-responders' as eligible petitioners who provide crisis assessment or intervention services.

Added specific behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment facilities as eligible institutional petitioners.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of 'educator' to include faculty at community colleges, local district colleges, and area technical colleges.

Added a new definition for 'institutional petitioner' listing schools, hospitals, and behavioral health facilities.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the search warrant affidavit requirement to explicitly include firearms in the respondent's 'custody, control, or possession'.

Expand List of Petitioners for Protection Order

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