Back to Colorado

HB26-1185 • 2026

Sunset Cold Case Task Force

Sunset Process - House Judiciary Committee. The department of regulatory agencies (DORA) conducted a sunset review of the cold case task force (task force) in the department of public safety (departme

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Rep. M. Carter, Rep. C. Clifford, Sen. D. Roberts, Rep. J. Bacon, Rep. C. Espenoza, Rep. S. Slaugh, Rep. M. Soper, Rep. A. Boesenecker, Rep. K. Brown, Rep. M. Froelich, Rep. R. Keltie, Rep. M. Lindsay, Rep. J. McCluskie, Rep. K. Nguyen, Rep. M. Rutinel, Rep. B. Titone, Sen. A. Benavidez, Sen. S. Bright, Sen. J. Carson, Sen. J. Coleman, Sen. T. Exum, Sen. L. Frizell, Sen. N. Hinrichsen, Sen. C. Kipp, Sen. K. Mullica, Sen. K. Wallace, Sen. M. Weissman
Last action
2026-04-02
Official status
Sent to the Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify what changes are made to the type of sunset review conducted by DORA.

Sunset Cold Case Task Force

This bill implements recommendations from a review to extend the existence of a task force that investigates old criminal cases and allows its leader to add new members.

What This Bill Does

  • Extends the cold case task force until September 1, 2039.
  • Allows the executive director of the Department of Public Safety to appoint additional members with expertise in emerging technologies.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The cold case task force within the Department of Public Safety
  • Individuals with expertise in emerging technologies

Terms To Know

Sunset review
A process to evaluate and decide whether a government program or agency should continue.
Executive director
The top official who manages an organization, in this case the Department of Public Safety.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is unclear how many additional members will be appointed.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.001

HOU Judiciary

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment allows the Executive Director to appoint additional individuals with expertise in relevant emerging technologies to the Cold Case Task Force.

  • Adds a new provision allowing the Executive Director of DORA to appoint any individual who has specific knowledge and experience in relevant emerging technologies to join the task force.
  • The amendment does not specify what 'relevant emerging technologies' are, leaving it open to interpretation by the Executive Director.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-02 Governor

    Sent to the Governor

  2. 2026-04-01 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  3. 2026-04-01 House

    Signed by the Speaker of the House

  4. 2026-03-20 Senate

    Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  5. 2026-03-19 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Passed - No Amendments

  6. 2026-03-16 Senate

    Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Unamended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole

  7. 2026-03-13 Senate

    Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary

  8. 2026-03-10 House

    House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  9. 2026-03-09 House

    House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee

  10. 2026-03-04 House

    House Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole

  11. 2026-02-09 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary

Official Summary Text

Sunset Process - House Judiciary Committee.
The department of regulatory agencies (DORA) conducted a sunset review of the cold case task force (task force) in the department of public safety (department) and recommended:
Authorizing the executive director of the department to appoint additional task force members;
Extending the task force until September 1, 2039; and
Changing the type of sunset review that is performed by DORA.
The bill implements DORA's recommendations.
(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 26-1185
BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Carter and Clifford, Bacon, Espenoza, Slaugh,
Soper, Boesenecker, Brown, Froelich, Keltie, Lindsay, Nguyen, Rutinel,
Titone, McCluskie;
also SENATOR(S) Roberts, Benavidez, Bright, Carson, Exum, Frizell,
Hinrichsen, Kipp, Mullica, Wallace, Weissman, Coleman.
CONCERNING THE CONTINUATION OF THE COLD CASE TASK FORCE, AND, IN
CONNECTION THEREWITH, IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF REGULATORY AGENCIES IN THE
DEPARTMENT'S 2025 SUNSET REPORT, INCLUDING AUTHORIZING THE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO
APPOINT ADDITIONAL MEMBERS TO THE TASK FORCE, CONTINUING
THE TASK FORCE FOR THIRTEEN YEARS, AND CHANGING THE TYPE OF
SUNSET REVIEW THAT IS CONDUCTED BY THE DEPARTMENT.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-33.5-109, amend
(2) introductory portion, (2)(h), (2)(i), (3)(a), and (9); and add (2)U) as
follows:
24-33.5-109. Cold case task force -creation -rules -repeal.
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.
(2) The task force shall consist CONSISTS of sixteen members, as
follows THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS:
(h) Two representatives from victims' families who shall be ARE
appointed by the president of the senate; and
(i) A forensic pathologist who is appointed by the governor; AND
U) ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL WHO IS APPOINTED BY THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR AND HAS SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE IN RELEVANT
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.
(3) (a) The members of the task force appointed pursuant to
subsections (2)( c) to tz}ffl (2)U) of this section shall serve terms of three
years; except that the terms shall be staggered so that no more than a
minimum majority of the appointed members' terms expire in the same year.
(9) (a) This section is repealed, effective September 1, 2026
SEPTEMBER 1, 2039.
(b) Before its repeal, the department of regulatory agencies shall
review the task force in accordance with section 24-34-104 SECTION
2-3-1203.
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-34-104, repeal
(27)(a)(X) as follows:
24-34-104. General assembly review of regulatory agencies and
functions for repeal, continuation, or reestablishment - legislative
declaration -repeal.
(27) (a) The following agencies, functions, or both, are scheduled
for repeal on September 1, 2026:
(X) The cold ease task force created in section 24-33.5-109,
SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 2-3-1203, add (27) as
follows:
PAGE 2-HOUSE BILL 26-1185
2-3-1203. Sunset review of advisory committees - legislative
declaration -definition -repeal.
(27) (a) THE FOLLOWING STATUTORY AUTHORIZATIONS FOR THE
DESIGNATED ADVISORY COMMITTEES WILL REPEAL ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2039:
(I) THE COLD CASE TASK FORCE CREATED IN SECTION 24-33.5-109.
(b) THIS SUBSECTION IS REPEALED, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2041.
SECTION 4. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August
12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a
referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state
constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within
such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless
PAGE 3-HOUSE BILL 26-1185
approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2026
and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of
the vote thereon by the governor.
Ju~ 'C
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES
Vanessa Reilly
CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES
James Rashad Coleman, Sr.
PRESIDENT OF
THE SENATE
Esther van Mourik
SECRETARY OF
THE SENATE
APPROVED ov-. MOh~ frv\l \-st"" 2.tJ2-'7 0\-\ \ltl\""'
( ate and Time)
Jared S. Poli
GOVERNO
PAGE 4-HOUSE BILL 26-1185
TE OF COLORADO