Colorado Commission on Uniform State Laws. The bill repeals the "Uniform Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Act" and enacts the "Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act", drafted by the uniform law commission. The bill provides guidance for guardians and conservators and clarifies how appointees must make decisions on behalf of a person under guardianship or conservatorship. The bill encourages the use of protective arrangements and less restrictive alternatives instead of conservatorship or guardianship if a person's needs can be met with support services and technology. The bill expands the procedural rights for respondents to ensure that guardianships and conservatorships are only imposed when necessary. The bill provides for expanded monitoring of guardians and conservators to ensure compliance with fiduciary duties and prevent exploitation. The bill provides for visitation and communication rights for individuals subject to guardianship or conservatorship. This includes a limitation on a guardian's ability to prevent communication, visitation, or interactions between a person subject to guardianship and a third party. The bill provides for protections to prevent exploitation of vulnerable individuals by allowing the court to restrict access to the respondent or the respondent's property by a specified person without imposing a guardianship or conservatorship. The bill prohibits courts from establishing full guardianship or conservatorship if a limited guardianship or conservatorship would meet the respondent's needs, requires a petitioner seeking full guardianship or conservatorship to provide support to justify full guardianship or conservatorship, and requires courts to provide findings to support the imposition of full guardianship or conservatorship. The bill updates provisions concerning minors subject to guardianship and provides for involvement of a minor in decisions that involve the minor. The bill provides guidance for property management for individuals subject to guardianship. The bill contains model forms for petitioners and respondents to use when filing petitions and notice with the court. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Sponsored bills
The uniform act clarifies when and how electronic documents may be used in estate planning documents other than wills. APPROVED by Governor May 1, 2024 EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law declares a restriction in a land record unlawful if the restriction is based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, or other personal characteristics. The act enacts the "Uniform Unlawful Restrictions in Land Records Act (2023)", as drafted by the Uniform Law Commission, which establishes a process for a person to remove these unlawful restrictions from a title or other document related to real property. APPROVED by Governor May 1, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The Colorado supreme court approved the licensure of legal paraprofessionals (LLPs), which allows LLPs to represent clients and perform certain types of legal services related to domestic relations matters, including: Legal separations, declarations of invalidity of marriage, or dissolutions of marriage or a civil union; Initial allocations or modifications of an allocation of parental responsibility, including parentage determinations; Matters involving establishment or modification of child support or maintenance; Seeking, modifying, or terminating a civil protection order; Matters involving a name change; and Matters involving a request for an amended birth certificate to change the sex designation of an adult. The act amends the relevant statutory provisions to align with the Colorado supreme court rule authorizing the licensure of LLPs. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, all persons have the right to bail pending disposition of charges, with certain exceptions, including an exception for persons charged with capital offenses. The act adds an exception for murder in the first degree when proof is evident or presumption is great. Under current law, in capital cases, each side is entitled to 10 peremptory juror challenges, and if there is more than one defendant, each side is entitled to an additional 3 peremptory challenges for every defendant after the first. The act applies that existing law to cases in which a defendant is charged with murder in the first degree. The act takes effect only if House Concurrent Resolution 24-1002 is approved by the people at the general election to be held November 2024. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE Date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, aggravated cruelty to animals is a class 4 felony. The act specifies that a person commits the offense of aggravated cruelty to animals if the person knowingly kills or causes serious bodily injury resulting in death to a law enforcement animal whether the of a law enforcement animal is on duty or not. The act creates an affirmative defense stating that a person is justified in using physical force upon a law enforcement animal to defend their own person or a third person when the person reasonably believes that a law enforcement animal is an application of unreasonable or excessive force. The act requires an on-duty peace officer to intervene to prevent or stop another peace officer who is the handler of a law enforcement animal from allowing the law enforcement animal from using the degree of excessive physical force permitted by law while carrying out the peace officer's duties. A peace officer who witnesses the use of excessive force by a law enforcement animal, as permitted by the animal's handler, must report the excessive force to the officer's or handler's supervisor. The act specifies situations in which a licensed veterinarian or a person who owns or is charged with the care of a law enforcement animal has immunity from liability when it is necessary to euthanize or provide immediate veterinary care to a law enforcement animal. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 17, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Effective September 1, 2024, the act makes changes to Colorado's occupational credential portability program (program) relating to the spouses and dependents of military members and other qualified servicemembers serving in the United States uniformed services, including: In addition to military spouses already covered by the program, allowing gold star military spouses, dependents of military members, and spouses and dependents of other qualified servicemembers who are licensed, certified, registered, or enrolled in a profession or occupation (credentialed) in good standing in another state or United States territory (current state) to be credentialed in Colorado by endorsement from the current state to practice the same profession or occupation in Colorado; Allowing an applicant to be credentialed under the program if the applicant committed an act that would have been grounds for discipline in this state, but for which the applicant remains in good standing in the current state because the act is not grounds for discipline in the current state; Removing the 3-year limitation and nonrenewal provision for a military spouse's credential and allowing military spouses, gold star military spouses, military dependents, and spouses and dependents of other qualified servicemembers to obtain a renewable 6-year credential while in Colorado; Waiving the application and renewal fee for Colorado credentials issued to military spouses, gold star military spouses, military dependents, and spouses and dependents of other qualified servicemembers; and Expanding eligibility for the program to spouses and dependents of Armed Forces Reserve, Ready Reserve, National Guard members in Colorado, and spouses and dependents of other qualified servicemembers. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE September 1, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)