This week, Colorado lawmakers introduced a bill to the House Judiciary Committee that would remove the requirement for the governor to approve an early parole application for juvenile offenders and grants the authority to the parole board.
Another bill would prohibit flat fees for defending indigent clients in domestic violence cases. The bill states it would bring filing requirements in line with Colorado Chief Justice Directive 04-04. It would require the municipal court to use the same payment structure and rates paid by the state of Colorado to attorneys or other interdisciplinary team members under contract with the Office of Alternate Defense Counsel.
Also introduced is a bill that requires the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to waive the record sealing fees defendants used to be required to pay.
Bill Number: HB24-1432
Title: Repeal CBI Criminal Justice Record Sealing Fee
Introduced: April 1
Sponsors: C. Clifford, M. Soper
Summary: The bill repeals the requirement for a defendant to pay to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation any costs related to sealing the defendant’s criminal justice records in the bureau’s custody. The bill requires the bureau to, on or before June 30, 2026, waive the costs for a person whose records are in the bureau’s custody but are not yet sealed.
Bill Number: HB24-1433
Title: Remove Governor Approval Parole Juvenile Offender
Introduced: April 1
Sponsors: C. Clifford, J. Gonzales
Summary: Current law creates a specialized program for offenders who were sentenced to an adult prison for certain felony offenses committed while the offender was under 21 years of age. Current law permits an offender who successfully completes the program to apply to the governor for early parole, which the governor may grant under certain conditions. Current law requires the state parole board to review the application, conduct a hearing and make a recommendation to the governor concerning whether early parole should be granted. The bill removes the requirement for the governor’s approval of an early parole application by an offender who completes the program and instead gives the parole board the authority to grant early parole.
Bill Number: HB24-1434
Title: Expand Affordable Housing Tax Credit
Introduced: April 1
Sponsors: S. Bird
Summary: The bill expands the affordable housing tax credit by increasing the credit amounts that the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority may allocate to qualified taxpayers.
Bill Number: HB24-1437
Title: Prohibit Flat Fees for Defending Indigent Clients
Introduced: April 1
Sponsors: M. Weissman, M. Duran, R. Fields, D. Michaelson Jenet
Summary: Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the bill requires a municipality that prosecutes an act of domestic violence and that contracts directly with one or more defense attorneys to provide counsel to indigent defendants to ensure that the municipality’s contract doesn’t use a fixed or flat-fee payment structure for indigent defense services. The bill requires the municipal court to instead use the same payment structure and rates paid by the state of Colorado to attorneys or other interdisciplinary team members under contract with the Office of Alternate Defense Counsel and consistent with Chief Justice Directive 04-04.
Bill Number: SB24-193
Title: Protect Tribal Lands from Unauthorized Annexation
Introduced: April 1
Sponsors: J. Danielson, C. Simpson, M. Duran, R. Pugliese
Summary: The bill makes any annexation of lands within the exterior boundaries of a reservation of a federally recognized Indian tribe located within the state into the boundaries of a municipality invalid unless there is a resolution or ordinance approving the annexation by the tribal council or other governing body of the federally recognized Indian tribe within whose reservation the annexation will occur.
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