Legislation
I have championed bills to address a wide array of constituent needs. I will continue to work on the hard problems, build coalitions, and advance good legislation that the Governor will sign in to law.
2024
SB24-030 Recidivism Definition Working Group
Requires the Department of Public Safety to work with stakeholders to create a uniform definition of recidivism that is clear, easily measurable, describes the cohort being tracked, and defines a period of time when an event would be considered recidivism.
SB24-029 Study Metrics to Measure Criminal Justice System Success
Establishes a working group to consider ways to measure criminal justice system effectiveness that go beyond the traditional use of recidivism.
HB24-1103 Prohibiting Term Excited Delirium
Bans use of the term "excited delirium" in law enforcement training, incident reports, and death certificates. Some 225 deaths across the U.S. are associated with use of the term, too often against people of color and those with serious mental illness.
HB24-1079 Persons Detained in Jail on Emergency Commitment
Removes the option for people with emergency substance use needs to be held in jail. Instead, people on ECs in need of healthcare will be diverted to withdrawal management facilities or an emergency room to receive what is often times life saving care.
HB24-1054 Jail Standards Commission Recommendations
Builds on 2022 legislation to incorporate insight from behavioral health professionals, law enforcement agencies, and county representatives into jail standards to be used in every jail in our state. This not only benefits incarcerated Coloradans, but also the officers and staffers that work in our jails.
HB24-1355 Measures to Reduce the Competency Wait List
Reduces Colorado's competency waitlist through the creation of the Bridges Wraparound Care Program, which deflects eligible individuals with mental health struggles from the criminal justice system into wraparound health care and supportive services.
HB24-1034 Adult Competency to Stand Trial
Streamlines complicated processes in the competency-to-proceed system to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
SB24-185 Protections Mineral Interest Owners Forced Pooling
Puts local governments back in charge of the property they purchase on behalf of constituents, specifically with regard to unleased mineral interest owners and the pooling of mineral interests by the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission.
SB24-214 Implement State Climate Goals
Enacts a number of policy changes to modernize and prepare the electric grid for the transition to renewable energy.
Streamlines coverage for serious medical conditions when a consumer is transitioning to a new health care plan, ensuring that people can receive the care they need when they need it.
SB24-018 Physician Assistant Licensure Compact
Establishes an interstate compact for Physician Assitants to strengthens Colorado's health care workforce, expands consumer access to highly qualified practitioners, and ensures equitable care for patients.
HB24-1382 Insurance Coverage Pediatric Neuropsychiatric Syndrome
Requires individual and group health benefit plans to cover treatment costs for patients with Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), including Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS).
HB24-1086 Operation of Denver Health & Hospital Authority
Provides authority to the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to help support our safety net hospitals, which serve indigent people in our communities.
HB24-1152 Accessory Dwelling Units
Expands housing options by allowing homeowners in subject jurisdictions to build an ADU with fewer obstacles and creates a new $5 million state grant program to help local governments implement policies to promote and streamline the construction of ADUs.
HB24-1108 Insurance Commissioner Study Insurance Market
Establishes a study conducted by the Commissioner of Insurance to look into the market for insurance policies issued to HOAs, timeshares, and condo hotels in Colorado, which have become cost prohibitive in recent years.
SB24-071 Seasonal Outdoor Adventure Day Camp Program
Streamlines regulations for adventure day camp operators, who provide vibrant outdoor learning and adventure experiences to Colorado's kids.
SB24-181 Alcohol Impact & Recovery Enterprise
Creates an Alcohol Impact Enterprise within the Department of Revenue to assess a fee on alcohol manufacturers and wholesalers, to support programs and services that address alcohol impacts and related substance use disorders.
SB24-110 Medicaid Prior Authorization Prohibition
Removes unnecessary authorization requirements for some antipsychotic medications so Coloradans with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and other mental health disorders can receive their medications when they need them.
HB24-1217 Sharing of Patient Health-Care Information
Clarifies what is allowable and not allowable within federal health care privacy laws for family members who want help loved ones receiving mental health and substance misuse care, while maintaining patient privacy and providers’ ability to exercise professional judgment.
HB24-1136 Healthier Social Media Use by Youth
Creates a resource bank hosted by the Department of Education that is available to teens, parents, and anyone who wants more information about the harms linked to social media and how to prevent them. Also requires pop-up notifications within the app when a teen's social media use becomes problematic.
HB24-1081 Regulate Sale Transfer Sodium Nitrite
Seeks to prevent suicides by regulating sales of sodium nitrite products.
HB24-1019 Crisis Resolution Team Program
Codifies the Crisis Resolution Team Program, administered by the Behavioral Health Administration, which provides in-home stabilization services to children and youth who are experiencing high-acuity behavioral health crises.
SB24-213 Exempt Certain Structures from County Regulation
Creates a tax exemption for certain short-term rentals like yurts and off-grid cabins.
HB24-1373 Alcohol Beverage Retail Licensees
Gives mom-and-pop liquor stores a leg up against large corporations that are now allowed to sell beer and wine in their businesses. Also prevents youth from easily accessing alcohol.
HB24-1315 Study on Remediation of Property Damaged by Fire
Directs the Division of Insurance (Division) to study and make recommendations regarding guidelines and standards for insurers in covering the remediation of homeowner losses due to smoke, soot, and ash.
HB24-1011 Mortgage Servicers Disburse Insurance Proceeds
Helps homeowners in wildfire disasters repair and rebuild their property faster after making an insurance claim by mandating that mortgage holders must pay out least a portion (1/3rd) of the insurance proceeds up front. Also provides clear rules on how to disburse the remaining insurance proceeds.
HB24-1095 Increasing Protections for Minor Workers
Helps keep Colorado working youth safe by ramping up financial penalties for businesses that violate child labor laws, encouraging violation reporting, and improving transparency around enforcement.
HB24-1085 Limitation on Actions against Appraisers
Limits actions against real estate appraisers or an individual performing a real estate appraisal to within 5 years of when the appraisal report is completed and transmitted to the client.
2023
HB23-1007 Higher Education Crisis & Suicide Prevention
Requires all public and private post-secondary schools to print on student ID cards the phone and text numbers for Colorado Crisis Services, the new 988 crisis number, and optionally other local resources or campus numbers.
HB23-1012 Juvenile Competency to Proceed
Decreases wait times in the juvenile competency to proceed system and clarifies processes for the courts and the Dept of Human Services.
HB23-1013 Use of Restrictive Practices in Prison
Places basic guardrails around the use of restraints in state-run correctional facilities to ensure more humane practices and bring Colorado in line with modern standards of care.
HB23-1071 Licensed Psychologist Prescriptive Authority
Establishes rigorous standards and education requirements to give specially trained psychologists the ability to prescribe mental health medication to streamline access to mental health treatment without burdensome delays and wait times.
HB23-1074 Study Workforce Transitions
Enables a study to explore transitions in two areas of Colorado’s economy: oil and gas industries and industries disrupted by automation.
HB23-1133 No Cost Phone Calls in Prisons
Allows Colorado residents to communicate by phone with their incarcerated loved ones in state prisons and privately contracted prisons at no cost (phased in over three years).
HB23-1138 Competency to Proceed Modifications
Mandates processes that will decrease wait times and increase mental health care for persons in the competency to proceed system.
HB23-1153 Pathways to Behavioral Health Care
Compels a study to determine the feasibility of providing better systems of support for individuals with serious mental illness through a collaboration of Colorado’s behavioral health and judicial systems.
HB23-1165 Granting Counties Authority to Regulate Firearms Discharge
Provides Boards of Colorado County Commissioners with the ability to regulate shooting on private property in unincorporated areas, where the population is more dense, defined in the bill as 30 or more residential dwellings within one square mile.
HB23-1174 Under Insurance in Homeowner Policies
A response to the Marshall Fire disaster, this bill requires insurance companies to offer a variety of coverage options that cover the repair or replacement of a damaged or destroyed structure, enabling more transparency and greater consumer peace of mind.
HB23-1187 Criminal Justice Alternatives for Pregnant Persons
Ensures that pregnant and postpartum people have better access to alternative sentencing so they can give birth, recover from pregnancy, and care for their newborn in community, regardless of their incarceration status.
HB23-1219 Waiting Period to Deliver a Firearm
Establishes a three-day waiting period to obtain a firearm. Delaying immediate access to firearms is proven to help prevent impulsive acts of violence, including suicides, homicides and assaults.
HB23-1240 Sales & Use Tax Exemption - Wildfire Disaster Construction
Creates a retroactive state sales tax exemption for construction and building materials for homeowners who are rebuilding or repairing their home after a declared wildfire disaster between 2020 and 2022.
HB23-1288 FAIR Access to Insurance Requirements Plan
Establishes a quasi-governmental entity, governed by a Board and supervised by the Division, to run a program that provides access to property and commercial insurance for individuals and businesses having difficulty finding insurance coverage
SB23-039 Reduce Child and Incarcerated Parent Separation
Requires the Colorado Department of Corrections to create policies and programs to improve the placement, services, and visitation options available to parents who are incarcerated, strengthening family bonds and leading to better outcomes for children.
SB23-048 Non Tenure Track Employment Contracts
Extends the maximum length of an employment contract between a state system of higher education and a non-tenure-track teacher or librarian from 3 years to 5 years, increasing job security for instructional, research, and clinical faculty.
SB23-082 Colorado Fostering Success Voucher Program
Tackles barriers to stable housing by establishing a former foster youth-specific housing voucher program, expands case management and provides $1.4 million to county departments of human/social services to provide youth housing vouchers.
SB23-096 In-State Tuition for Returning Peace Corps Volunteers
Grants all returning Peace Corps volunteers, regardless of where they lived prior to their service, to receive in-state tuition in Colorado public institutions of higher education.
2022
HB22-1061 Modifications to Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
Updates Colorado's laws related to people found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) to ensure we prioritize mental health resources for people in need, while protecting civil rights and public safety.
HB22-1063 Jail Standards Commission
Created a Commission to recommend operational standards that will make Colorado's County jails more modern, humane, and consistent.
HB22-1074 Traffic Violations On Interstate 70 Shoulder Lanes
Allows CDOT to use existing tolling technology to enforce the I-70 Peak Period Shoulder Lanes (PPSL) on east and westbound I-70 to enhance public safety.
HB22-1111 Consumer Protections for Fire and Casualty Insurance
Makes the insurance claims process more fair, equitable, and straightforward for people who have experienced a total loss in a declared wildfire disaster.
HB22-1256 Modifications to Involuntary Civil Commitment
Strengthens and streamlines the state’s involuntary civil commitment system to protect patients and providers, reduce recidivism, and improve mental health care and outcomes.
HB22-1268 Medicaid Mental Health Reimbursement Rates Report
Creates transparency in Medicaid reimbursement rate reporting, enabling greater equity among Independent Providers and Community Mental Health Centers, to help our state attract more medical providers and mitigate our mental health crisis.
HB22-1303 Increase Residential Behavioral Treatment Beds
Allocates $65 million in Federal dollars to add 16 adult residential behavioral health care beds at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan, and 125 beds in smaller facilities located across the state.
HB22-1386 Competency To Proceed & Restoration To Competency
Provides a variety of remedies to reduce Colorado's competency backlog, process people who are accused of low level crimes more quickly, and connect people with the medical care they need.
SB22-010 Pretrial Diversion For Person With Behavioral Health Disorders
Expands pretrial diversion programs for eligible individuals with behavioral health disorders, and diverts these individuals into community treatment programs, therby reducing inappropriate jail time, saving money, improving efficiency, and promoting positive outcomes for participants.
SB22-021 Treatment of Behavioral Health Disorders in the Criminal Justice System
Renews the Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems.
SB22-140 Expansion Of Experiential Learning Opportunities
Supports businesses, workers, and learners by expanding experiential learning opportunities throughout key industries.
SB22-149 Improve Marijuana Industry Regulation
Would have required the state licensing authority to produce an annual report regarding its enforcement activities to ensure retail industry compliance with age restrictions.
SB22-156 Medicaid Prior Authorization and Recovery of Payment
Reduces the administrative burden on providers to help recruit and retain Colorado’s mental health provider workforce, while ensuring clients in need receive care without undue interruption.
SB22-206 Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Resources
Provides landmark support for aerial firefighting and establishes the Office of Climate Preparedness.