A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning establishing an automated protection order
Page 1, Line 102notification system in the division of criminal justice.
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill requires the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety (division) to establish an automated protection order victim notification system (notification system) to provide a victim, a victim's immediate family, and other interested persons (registered users) with information related to a criminal or civil protection order. The notification system must disseminate specific information to registered users in English and Spanish through a telephone call, text message, or mobile phone application. The bill authorizes the division to contract with a third-party entity to provide the functionality for the notification system.
Page 2, Line 1Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
Page 2, Line 2SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 24-33.5-537 as follows:
Page 2, Line 324-33.5-537. Automated protection order notification system
Page 2, Line 4- definitions. (1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
Page 2, Line 5(a) "Advocate" means a person whose regular or volunteer duties include supporting a protected person.
Page 2, Line 6(b) "Immediate family" means a protected person's spouse,
Page 2, Line 7child, or parent, or a blood relative who lives in the same residence as the protected person and is not a restrained person.
Page 2, Line 8(c) "Interested person" means a law enforcement officer, a judicial officer, a district attorney, or an advocate.
Page 2, Line 9(d) "Protected person" means the person identified in a
Page 2, Line 10protection order as the person for whose benefit the protection order was issued.
Page 2, Line 11(e) "Registered user" means a protected person, protected
Page 2, Line 12person's immediate family, or other interested persons who are
Page 2, Line 13registered with the automated protection order notification system established in subsection (2) of this section.
Page 2, Line 14(f) "Restrained person" means the person identified in the
Page 2, Line 15protection order as the person prohibited from engaging in specified acts.
Page 2, Line 16(2) Subject to available appropriations and subsection
Page 3, Line 1(10) of this section, the division shall establish an automated
Page 3, Line 2protection order notification system to provide a protected
Page 3, Line 3person, the protected person's immediate family, and other
Page 3, Line 4interested persons with information related to a protection
Page 3, Line 5order issued pursuant to section 18-1-1001 or article 14 of title 13.
Page 3, Line 6(3) The automated protection order notification system
Page 3, Line 7must include, but is not limited to, the following information, if available:
Page 3, Line 8(a) The date the protection order was served or was attempted to be served;
Page 3, Line 9(b) An advance notice occurring one hundred twenty days
Page 3, Line 10before and again occurring thirty days before the protection order expires;
Page 3, Line 11(c) Whether the restrained person filed a motion to
Page 3, Line 12terminate the protection order, regardless of whether the motion was granted;
Page 3, Line 13(d) Whether an extreme risk protection order was issued
Page 3, Line 14against the restrained person pursuant to article 14.5 of title
Page 3, Line 1513, and if so, the date the extreme risk protection order was served or was attempted to be served;
Page 3, Line 16(e) Whether the restrained person applied for and was
Page 3, Line 17denied the purchase or transfer of a firearm as the result of a background check; and
Page 3, Line 18(f) Whether the restrained person completed and
Page 3, Line 19submitted a firearm purchase or transfer application that
Page 3, Line 20indicated the restrained person was ineligible to possess a firearm pursuant to state or federal law.
Page 4, Line 1(4) The Colorado bureau of investigation in the division
Page 4, Line 2shall make the information described in subsection (3) of this
Page 4, Line 3section available to the division for the purpose of providing the
Page 4, Line 4information to a protected person, the protected person's
Page 4, Line 5immediate family, or other interested persons pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.
Page 4, Line 6(5) The automated protection order notification system
Page 4, Line 7must disseminate the information described in subsection (3) of
Page 4, Line 8this section to registered users in English and Spanish through
Page 4, Line 9a telephone call, email, text message, or mobile phone application.
Page 4, Line 10(6) The division may contract with a third-party entity to
Page 4, Line 11provide the functionality for the automated protection order notification system. The third-party entity must be able to:
Page 4, Line 12(a) Operate a support center that is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week;
Page 4, Line 13(b) Send emails and text messages to registered users through a mobile phone application;
Page 4, Line 14(c) Provide Spanish interpretation services; and
Page 4, Line 15(d) Provide directory or contact information for
Page 4, Line 16available supportive resources, including, but not limited to,
Page 4, Line 17housing, health care and behavioral health care, domestic violence victim assistance, and financial assistance.
Page 4, Line 18(7) The Colorado bureau of investigation, the division,
Page 4, Line 19and the third-party entity, if one was contracted pursuant to
Page 4, Line 20subsection (6) of this section, shall implement any necessary
Page 4, Line 21data-sharing standards in order to protect data from being
Page 5, Line 1transferred from the Colorado bureau of investigation and the division to the contracted third-party entity.
Page 5, Line 2(8) The automated protection order notification system
Page 5, Line 3must be compatible with the state's existing automated victim notification system described in section 24-4.1-303 (15)(c).
Page 5, Line 4(9) A public entity, as defined in section 24-10-103, is
Page 5, Line 5immune from liability in any civil action based on the public
Page 5, Line 6entity's release of information or the failure to release
Page 5, Line 7information related to the automated protection order notification system.
Page 5, Line 8(10) (a) The division may seek, accept, and expend gifts,
Page 5, Line 9grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of this section.
Page 5, Line 10(b) The division shall not establish or operate the
Page 5, Line 11automated protection order notification system until the
Page 5, Line 12division receives sufficient money to establish and operate the
Page 5, Line 13system for at least one year from gifts, grants, or donations,
Page 5, Line 14including federal funds, or money appropriated to the division
Page 5, Line 15from the Colorado crime victim services fund established in
Page 5, Line 16section 24-33.5-505.5. The general assembly shall not
Page 5, Line 17appropriate any money from the general fund for the purposes
Page 5, Line 18of this section. Notwithstanding section 24-75-1305, the general
Page 5, Line 19assembly may appropriate money to the division from the Colorado crime victim services fund in any state fiscal year.
Page 5, Line 20SECTION 2. Federal funds. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year,
Page 5, Line 21the general assembly anticipates that the department of public safety will
Page 5, Line 22receive $500,000 in federal funds to implement this act. This figure is
Page 5, Line 23subject to the "(I)" notation as defined in the annual general appropriation act for the same fiscal year.
Page 6, Line 1SECTION 3. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 6, Line 2takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
Page 6, Line 3ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except
Page 6, Line 4that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V
Page 6, Line 5of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this
Page 6, Line 6act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take
Page 6, Line 7effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
Page 6, Line 8November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.