CO HB 1234

enacted

Access to Records of Child Abuse or Neglect

Colorado · 2026 Regular Session · lower

Description

The act prohibits a person who possesses a record or report (record) of child abuse or neglect from releasing identifying data or information contained in the record to a person who is not authorized to receive the information or data. The act clarifies what constitutes identifying data in a record. The act adds an assigned designee of a person named in a record who is acting on the person's behalf as a person who may have access to child abuse or neglect records if the assigned designee presents a valid release of information signed by an authorized person. The act allows a person named in a record as an alleged abused or neglected child who is in possession of a record in which they are named or, with the person's consent, the person's attorney or guardian ad litem, to disclose and make use of the record, including for the purpose of litigation or to obtain treatment or services. Except as expressly authorized in law, a criminal defendant may only access a record after an in camera review by the court in which the court finds that access to the record is necessary for the resolution of an issue. The act requires each county department of human or social services to establish and submit to the state department of human services a process current and former clients may use to obtain access to their case records. The act repeals the penalties associated with a person who improperly releases or willfully permits or encourages the release of data or information contained in the records to a person not permitted to access the information and makes it a petty offense for the department of education or a school district, charter school, or nonpublic school to release data or information contained in a record to a person not permitted to access the information.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Introduced: 2026-02-18
Status date: —
Latest action: 2026-05-04 — Governor Signed
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Subjects

Human Services

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2026-05-04
Governor Signed
executive-signature
2026-04-23
Sent to the Governor
executive-receipt
2026-04-22
Signed by the President of the Senate
passage
2026-04-22
Signed by the Speaker of the House
passage
2026-04-06
Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
passage,reading-3
2026-04-02
Senate Second Reading Passed - No Amendments
reading-2
2026-03-30
Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Unamended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole
committee-passage
2026-03-26
Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary
introduction
2026-03-23
House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
passage,reading-3
2026-03-20
House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor
2026-03-18
House Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
committee-passage,referral-committee
2026-02-18
Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary
introduction

Versions

Introduced — 2026-02-18Compare
Engrossed — 2026-03-20Compare
Reengrossed — 2026-03-23Compare
Revised — 2026-04-02Compare
Rerevised — 2026-04-06Compare
Final Act — 2026-04-20Compare
Signed Act — 2026-05-05Compare
(document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment A).
2026-03-18 · pass · 0-0
Refer House Bill 26-1234, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole.
2026-03-18 · pass · 0-0
Member-level votes (11)
- Jennifer Bacon: yes
- Chad Clifford: yes
- Cecelia Espenoza: yes
- Ava Flanell: yes
- Lorena Garcia: yes
- Rebecca Keltie: yes
- Scott Slaugh: yes
- Matt Soper: yes
- Yara Zokaie: yes
- Michael Carter: excused
- Javier Mabrey: yes
Refer House Bill 26-1234 to the Committee of the Whole and with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar.
2026-03-30 · pass · 0-0
Member-level votes (7)
- John Carson: yes
- Lindsey Daugherty: yes
- Nick Hinrichsen: excused
- Katie Wallace: yes
- Lynda Zamora Wilson: yes
- Dylan Roberts: yes
- Mike Weissman: yes
BILL
2026-04-06 · pass · 0-0
Member-level votes (35)
- Amabile: yes
- Baisley: yes
- Ball: yes
- Benavidez: yes
- Bridges: yes
- Bright: yes
- Carson: yes
- Catlin: yes
- Cutter: yes
- Danielson: yes
- Daugherty: yes
- Exum: yes
- Frizell: yes
- Gonzales J.: yes
- Hinrichsen: yes
- Jodeh: yes
- Kipp: yes
- Kirkmeyer: yes
- Kolker: yes
- Lindstedt: yes
- Liston: yes
- Marchman: yes
- Mullica: yes
- Pelton B.: yes
- Pelton R.: yes
- Rich: yes
- Roberts: yes
- Rodriguez: yes
- Simpson: yes
- Snyder: yes
- Sullivan: yes
- Wallace: yes
- Weissman: yes
- Zamora Wilson: yes
- President: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1234

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T03:52:26.466301Z

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