Rep. Ryan Gonzalez

Maddy summaryThis bill officially recognizes April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and designates April 29, 2026, as Colorado Denim Day. The resolution commemorates the global campaign where people wear jeans to protest victim-blaming attitudes toward sexual assault survivors. It also acknowledges the work of organizations like the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault in supporting survivors and addressing sexual violence. The measure is a symbolic gesture that does not change laws or allocate funding, but instead raises public awareness about the issue.

Maddy summaryThis House Joint Resolution formally asks the people of Colorado to remember the Holocaust and acknowledges specific survivors, including Fred Bryner, Samuel Weinberg, and Silvia Weinberg. It encourages schools and universities to promote antibias and bullying prevention programs to stop antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish students. The resolution also declares that citizens should understand the power of words and commit to preventing future atrocities, and it directs copies of the document to various local and national organizations focused on Holocaust education and remembrance.

The act establishes civil immunity for a board member, staff member, or volunteer of a child advocacy center that arises from the performance of the board member's, staff member's, or volunteer's duties if the board member's, staff member's, or volunteer's acts are in good faith.     The act allows certain entities to share information under certain circumstances that is relevant to the protection of a child that is the subject of a child maltreatment case.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies' 2025 sunset review and report on the business intelligence center advisory board (advisory board) by repealing the advisory board.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act imposes requirements regarding a contract or agreement between an insurance carrier (carrier) and a third party concerning access to dental care services, including:Prohibiting a carrier from entering into a third-party network lease agreement to provide access to dental care services or contractually agreed-upon discounts provided by a dental provider who is contracted as a participating provider (provider) with the carrier, unless the provider gives affirmative consent to allow the third party to access the provider's dental care services and contractually agreed-upon discounts;Prohibiting a carrier from canceling or entering into a contract with a provider on the grounds that the provider refuses to allow access by a third party to the dental care services and contractually agreed-upon discounts provided by the provider; andIf a provider allows a third party to access the provider's dental care services and contractually agreed-upon discounts through a contract between a carrier and a third party, requiring the carrier to comply with specified obligations.     The act creates exemptions from the prohibitions on specified contract provisions in contracts between carriers and dental providers, including if:A provider network contract for dental services is provided to beneficiaries of programs for medical assistance sponsored by the state of Colorado; orAccess to a provider network contract is granted to a dental carrier or an entity operating in accordance with the same brand licensee program as the contracting entity, and a list of the carriers or entities with the same brand licensee program as the contracting entity is made available to a provider on the contracting entity's website.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act prohibits a person from:Identifying an agricultural product as being produced in the state when selling, marketing, advertising, or distributing the product unless the product is grown in the state; andUsing the Colorado proud designation or logo unless authorized by the department of agriculture.     A violation of these prohibitions constitutes a deceptive trade practice. There is no private right of action to enforce a violation of the prohibitions.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The fire and police pension association (association) provides disability retirement and survivor benefits (disability and survivor benefits) for eligible members of the association (members) who become disabled or die. The act recodifies and reorganizes the disability and survivor benefits statutes, removes outdated provisions, and clarifies ambiguous language. In addition, the act makes the following modifications to the disability and survivor benefits statutes:Removes the current requirement that the association require every member who applies for disability retirement benefits to have 3 independent medical exams and instead authorizes the board of the association (board) to appoint a medical advisor to assess the needs of each applicant for disability retirement benefits;Authorizes the board to adopt rules to streamline the appeal process for disability retirement benefit applicants who are denied benefits;Allows the association to require a member who is occupationally disabled to participate in a rehabilitation and retraining program to help the member gain additional skills and knowledge so the member can earn a wage doing a job other than being a police officer or firefighter;Clarifies that a member who is a total disability retirement benefit recipient will begin receiving a cost of living adjustment when the member starts receiving a total disability retirement benefit;Clarifies eligibility for a member to apply for disability retirement benefits; Repeals the statute that makes an employer liable for the payment of disability retirement benefits if a member's disability existed at the commencement of employment, the employment was not ordered by a court, and the employer failed to require the member to complete and file a health history form prior to commencing employment; andRequires members to fill out a health history form, which notifies the association of any preexisting health conditions, prior to employment.     The act does not change the amounts of disability retirement and survivor benefits or the length of time a member must be employed to be eligible for a benefit, nor does it require additional money from the state, employers, or members.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill prohibits the department of health care policy and financing (department) from denying a medicaid member (member) the ability to purchase primary care services or enter into a direct primary care agreement. A member who purchases direct primary care services from a direct primary health-care provider or enters into a direct primary care agreement must sign a document acknowledging that the direct primary health-care provider is enrolled in the Colorado medical assistance program only as an ordering, prescribing, and referring provider; that the direct primary health-care provider does not accept medicaid payments for the services rendered; that the member cannot submit a claim for medicaid reimbursement for the services rendered by the direct primary health-care provider; and that the member retains the right to receive primary care services from a primary care provider who is enrolled in the Colorado medical assistance program.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The act authorizes an occupational therapist to perform dry needling on and after September 1, 2027, if the occupational therapist:Has the knowledge, skill, ability, and documented competency to perform the act;Has successfully completed a dry needling course of study that meets supervisorial, educational, and clinical prerequisites to be established by rule; andObtains a written informed consent from each patient for dry needling, including information concerning the potential benefits and risks of dry needling and a statement that the occupational therapist performing dry needling is not an acupuncturist.     The act requires the director of the division of professions and occupations within the department of regulatory agencies to adopt rules to implement the authorization for an occupational therapist to perform dry needling. At a minimum, the rules must establish requirements for dry needling performed by an occupational therapist that are equivalent to the requirements in rules adopted by the state physical therapy board for dry needling performed by a physical therapist.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Maddy summaryHJR 1017 is a joint resolution urging the federal government to fulfill its obligations under the 1986 Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement. It specifically calls for action to address infrastructure gaps affecting two tribes: the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes, who have settled water rights but cannot access or use them due to missing pipelines (e.g., from Lake Nighthorse) and deteriorating irrigation systems (like the PRIIP, requiring $126 million in repairs). The resolution highlights federal failures to fund operations, maintain infrastructure, and enable tribes to utilize their legally secured water for agriculture, municipal use, and economic development. As a procedural resolution, it does not create new law but formally requests federal action to resolve these longstanding barriers.