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-HOUSE BILL 26-1352
-BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Brown and Taggart, Sirota, Story;
-also SENATOR(S) Bridges and Kirkmeyer, Amabile, Kolker, Marchman.
-CONCERNING REDUCING THE FREQUENCY OF "COLORADO READING TO
-ENSURE ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT ACT" INDEPENDENT
-EVALUATIONS, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, REDUCING AN
-APPROPRIATION.
-Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
-SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-7-1209, amend
-(8)(a) and (8)(e) as follows:
-22-7-1209. State board - rules - department - duties -
-independent evaluations.
-(8) (a) (I) By Oetobc1 1, 2019, The department shall issue a 1cqucst
-f-o1 prnposals to contract with an entity to act as an independent evaluator
-to provide independent evaluations of the use of per-pupil intervention
-money and money received through the early literacy grant program by local
-education providers and to conduct a multi-year evaluation to determine
-whether the student outcomes achieved by local education providers in
-implementing this part 12 meet the goals of this part 12 as described in
-Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material added to existing law; dashes
-through words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law and such material is not part of
-the act.
-section22-7-1202 (2) and(3)(a). BEGINNINGINTHE2026-27SCHOOL YEAR,
-THE INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS MUST OCCUR BIENNIALLY.
-(II) LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS SHALL CONTINUE TO ANNUALLY
-SUBMIT TO THE DEPARTMENT THE INFORMATION REQUIRED BY SECTION
-22-7-1208 (8)(a).
-(111) IN ADDITION TO POSTING THE INFORMATION AS REQUIRED BY
-SUBSECTION (9) OF THIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ANNUALLY POST
-A REPORT ON ITS WEBSITE THAT SUMMARIZES THE DATA FROM THE LOCAL
-EDUCATION PROVIDERS AND INCLUDES ANY DEPARTMENT INPUT ON
-PROPOSED PROGRAM CHANGES.
-( e) The independent e'\I aluator contracted pm suant to this subsection
-(8) shall complete the evaluation of the implementation of this part 12 as
-described in subsection (8)(c) of this section by July 1, 2021. The
-department shall include a report of the evaluation in the hearing before the
-joint education committee held pmsuant to section 2-7-203 in No'\lember or
-December 2021. BEGINNING IN THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR, AND
-BIENNIALL y THEREAFTER, the independent evaluator shall continue
-evaluations of EVALUATE the growth in reading achieved by local education
-providers' use of per-pupil intervention money and money received through
-the early literacy grant program.
-SECTION 2. Appropriation - adjustments to 2026 long bill.
-(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, to implement this
-act, the cash funds appropriation from the state education fund created in
-section 17 (4)(a) of article IX of the state constitution made in the annual
-general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the department
-of education for use by student learning for the early literacy program
-external evaluation is decreased by $750,000.
-(2) Subsection (1) of this section does not require a reduction of an
-appropriation in the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state
-fiscal year if:
-(a) The amount of the cash fund appropriation from the state
-education fund made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27
-state fiscal year to the department of education for use by student learning
-for the early literacy program external evaluation is less than the amount of
-PAGE 2-HOUSE BILL 26-1352
-the adjustment required in subsection ( 1) of this section; or
-(b) The annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal
-year does not include an appropriation from the state education fund to the
-department of education for use by student learning for the early literacy
-program external evaluation.
-SECTION 3. Effective date. This act takes effect upon passage;
-except that section 2 of this act takes effect only if the annual general
-appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year becomes law, in which
-case section 2 takes effect upon the effective date of this act or of the annual
-general appropriation act for state fiscal year 2026-27, whichever is later.
-SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,
-determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate
-preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for
-PAGE 3-HOUSE BILL 26-1352
-the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state
-institutions.
-J~
-SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
-OF REPRESENTATIVES
-v~~
-Vanessa Reilly
-CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
-OF REPRESENTATIVES
-~ Rashad Coleman, Sr.
-PRESIDENT OF
-THE SENATE
-Esther van Mourik
-SECRETARY OF
-THE SENATE
-APPROVED a\l'I VY) v\l\cA Ol'1 JL-hL is-i u2-~ "'+ l l : 0 0~
-(Date and Time)
-J
-ST A TE OF COLORADO
-PAGE 4-HOUSE BILL 26-1352
+HB 26-1352
+Fiscal Note
+Legislative Council Staff
+Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
+HB 26-1352: REDUCING FREQUENCY OF READ ACT EVALUATIONS
+Prime Sponsors:
+Rep. Brown; Taggart
+Sen. Bridges; Kirkmeyer
+Bill Outcome: Signed into Law
+Drafting Number: LLS 26-0880
+Fiscal Analyst:
+Josh Abram, 303-866-3561
+josh.abram@coleg.gov
+Version: Final Fiscal Note
+Date: July 21, 2026
+Fiscal note status: The final fiscal note reflects the enacted bill, which is recommended by the Joint
+Budget Committee as part of the 2026 Long Bill package.
+Summary Information
+Overview. The bill changes a requirement for annual evaluations of the READ Act to biennial evaluations,
+and reduces an appropriation.
+Types of impacts. The bill is projected to affect the following areas on an ongoing basis:
+• State Expenditures
+Appropriations. For FY 2026-27, the bill reduces appropriations to the Colorado Department of
+Education by $750,000.
+Table 1
+State Fiscal Impacts
+Type of Impact Budget Year
+FY 2026-27
+Out Year
+FY 2027-28
+State Revenue $0 $0
+State Expenditures (State Education Fund) -$750,000 $0
+Transferred Funds  $0 $0
+Change in TABOR Refunds $0 $0
+Change in State FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE
+
+Page 2
+July 21, 2026  HB 26-1352
+
+Summary of Legislation
+Under current law, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is required to contract for a
+multi-year independent evaluation of the Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development
+Act (READ Act). Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the independent evaluation must occur
+biennially. The bill requires that the department post an annual report on its website
+summarizing the data submitted annually by local education providers, and including any
+department input on proposed program changes.
+State Expenditures
+By making the READ Act program evaluation biennial, the bill reduces expenditures for a vendor
+contract in the CDE by $750,000 in FY 2026-27, paid from the State Education Fund.
+Effective Date
+The bill was signed into law by the Governor and it took effect on June 1, 2026.
+State Appropriations
+For FY 2026-27, the bill includes a $750,000 reduction in appropriations from the State
+Education Fund to the Colorado Department of Education.
+In addition, the bill includes technical language making this reduction in appropriations
+conditional on sufficient appropriations being available in the applicable line item in the
+FY 2026-27 Long Bill.
+State and Local Government Contacts
+Education
+
+The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
+fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit the General Assembly website.