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HB26-1214 • 2026

Sunset Substance Abuse Treatment Program Licensing

The 'Colorado Licensing of Controlled Substances Act' (Act) is set to repeal September 1, 2026. The act implements the department of regulatory agencies' recommendations to: Continue the Act until Sep

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Rep. R. English, Rep. J. Jackson, Sen. J. Amabile, Rep. J. Bacon, Rep. K. Brown, Rep. C. Clifford, Rep. M. Lindsay, Rep. K. Nguyen, Sen. J. Coleman, Sen. C. Kolker
Last action
2026-05-29
Official status
Governor Signed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Extending and Updating Colorado's Substance Abuse Treatment Licensing Law

This law extends the expiration date of a licensing act for substance abuse treatment, updates medical definitions used in the law, and removes outdated terms.

What This Bill Does

  • Continues the 'Colorado Licensing of Controlled Substances Act' until September 1, 2041
  • Updates the definition of 'substance use disorder' to more accurately reflect conditions treated by licensed facilities and diagnosed by practitioners
  • Removes defined terms that are no longer referenced in the act

Who It Names or Affects

  • Facilities licensed by the behavioral health administration for substance abuse treatment
  • Practitioners who may diagnose these conditions under this law

Terms To Know

Sunset provision
A rule that makes a law end on a specific date unless it is renewed.
Substance use disorder
The medical condition treated by licensed facilities and diagnosed by practitioners under this act, with an updated definition in the new law.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This summary does not include the full text of how the definition changes, only that it is updated.
  • The specific list of removed terms is not detailed in the provided source material.

Amendments

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

L.003

SEN Health & Human Services

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment changes the bill to include any formulation of controlled substances in its scope, though it also contains a confusing edit that appears to make no actual change.

  • The text adds words on page 4 so the law covers 'any formulation' of controlled substances instead of just specific types.
  • On page 7, line 19, the amendment strikes and replaces the word 'TREATMENT' with itself, which does not change the meaning or text.
  • The official bill title mentions a repeal date of September 1, 2026, but this specific amendment only changes small phrases in the body of the law.
L.001

Second Reading

Passed [**]

Plain English: This amendment updates the bill to replace the term 'withdrawal management' with a new definition for 'medically managed treatment,' which covers both short-term stabilization and long-term medication support, while also adding requirements for an online patient registry.

  • It adds a legal definition for 'Medically Managed Treatment' that includes treating withdrawal symptoms and managing addiction over time using approved medications.
  • It changes the name of specific treatment programs from 'Withdrawal Management' to 'Medically Managed Treatment' throughout the bill text.
  • It requires the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to create or buy a secure online registry for patients in opioid treatment programs by July 1, 2020.
  • The amendment includes a deadline of July 1, 2020, which is in the past relative to the current date, making it unclear if this requirement can still be met or if the date needs further correction.
  • Some parts of the bill text were removed entirely (striking lines on pages 5 and 6), but the full context of what was deleted cannot be explained without seeing the original unamended version.
L.002

Second Reading

Lost [**]

Plain English: This amendment changes the date when a specific law about licensing substance abuse treatment programs will end from September 1, 2026, to September 1, 2033.

  • Updates the section number in the bill text to match the correct part of state law regarding behavioral health agencies.
  • Extends the expiration date for the licensing and record-keeping rules for substance use disorder treatment programs from 2026 to September 1, 2033.
  • Changes two other dates listed later in the bill that were originally set for 2041 so they also match the new 2033 expiration date.
  • This amendment was voted down and did not pass, meaning these changes are not part of the final law.
  • The text does not explain why the dates were chosen or what happens to programs after September 1, 2033.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-29 Governor

    Governor Signed

  2. 2026-05-28 Governor

    Sent to the Governor

  3. 2026-05-28 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  4. 2026-05-28 House

    Signed by the Speaker of the House

  5. 2026-05-04 House

    House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass

  6. 2026-05-01 House

    House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Laid Over Daily

  7. 2026-04-30 Senate

    Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  8. 2026-04-29 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments

  9. 2026-04-29 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee

  10. 2026-04-28 Senate

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

  11. 2026-04-22 Senate

    Senate Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended to Appropriations

  12. 2026-03-30 Senate

    Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Health & Human Services

  13. 2026-03-25 House

    House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  14. 2026-03-24 House

    House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Floor

  15. 2026-03-20 House

    House Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole

  16. 2026-03-11 House

    House Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Unamended to Appropriations

  17. 2026-02-17 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human Services

Official Summary Text

The 'Colorado Licensing of Controlled Substances Act' (Act) is set to repeal September 1, 2026.
The act implements the department of regulatory agencies' recommendations to:
Continue the Act until September 1, 2041;
Modernize the definition of 'substance use disorder' in the Act to more accurately reflect the type of conditions being treated by behavioral-health-administration-licensed facilities and the practitioners who may diagnose these conditions; and
Remove defined terms that are no longer referenced in the Act.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)