Protect Safety of Individuals Who Are Immigrants

Plain English: This amendment would stop the state department from charging more than $1,600 for inspections in the 2026-27 budget year and limit fees to no more than $900 starting in the 2027-28 budget year.

• Sets a maximum fee of $1,600 for specific inspections during the 2026-27 state fiscal year.
• Lowers the maximum allowed fee to $900 for the 2027-28 state fiscal year and every year after that.

• The amendment text refers to specific legal subsection numbers without explaining what type of inspections or examinations are covered.
• This amendment was voted down in committee, so it did not become part of the final bill.

Plain English: This amendment adds money to the bill so that Colorado's public health department can hire one new worker and run environmental safety programs.

• It gives $107,283 from the state general fund for use in the 2026-27 budget year.
• The money is given to the Department of Public Health and Environment's division focused on health and sustainability.
• This funding allows the department to hire one full-time employee (1.0 FTE).
• It updates the bill title to mention that it includes this new spending.

• The amendment text does not explain exactly what tasks the new worker will do or which specific environmental programs they will support.
• This change adds funding but does not alter the main rule about court records and immigration information found in the original bill title.

Plain English: This amendment removes most of the text from a bill that was intended to change how Colorado courts handle personal information for federal immigration purposes.

• It deletes large sections of the original bill, including pages 3 through 5 and specific lines on other pages.
• It changes the official report about the bill by removing descriptions of those deleted parts.

• The amendment text only lists what to delete or strike out; it does not provide any new rules, definitions, or replacement language for the removed sections.
• Because no new content is added in this document, the final effect of the bill cannot be fully explained without seeing other versions.

Plain English: This amendment creates a new state fund to pay for surprise inspections of immigration detention facilities and expands the types of investigations that can be conducted.

• It establishes a new account called the 'Immigration Facility Inspection and Detention Cash Fund' in the State Treasury.
• Money from this fund will come from payments made by detention facilities for unannounced inspections and exams.
• The law is updated to allow investigations related to epidemics or communicable diseases, not just standard facility inspections.

• The text does not specify how much money each facility must pay for these inspections.
• It states that the General Assembly must approve spending from this fund every year through an appropriation process.

Plain English: This amendment adds a new rule that stops police officers and detention facility staff from letting federal immigration agents enter private areas of the building without specific legal documents.

• Police officers, employees, or agents at detention facilities cannot allow federal immigration authorities into parts of the building not open to the public unless they have proper authorization.
• Federal immigration officials must present a warrant signed by a federal judge or magistrate to enter these restricted areas.
• Officials may also enter if they hold a writ from a judge that specifically orders an inmate's transfer to or from federal custody.

• The amendment does not explain what happens if someone breaks this new rule, such as fines or jail time.
• It is unclear how the law defines exactly which parts of a detention facility are considered 'not accessible to the public' versus open areas.

Plain English: This amendment narrows the bill's protections to only cover situations where federal law enforcement actions lead to immigration consequences like detention or deportation.

• The text changes references of 'force' to specifically mean force that results in an immigration enforcement consequence.
• It adds a new definition for 'immigration enforcement consequence,' which includes civil detention, removal proceedings, and specific federal crimes related to immigration status.
• The amendment clarifies that the law applies only when 'federal' agencies are involved by adding that word before references to multijurisdictional actions.

• The exact list of federal laws mentioned in the definition requires looking up specific U.S. Code sections to understand all covered offenses.
• The amendment does not explain how courts will decide if a specific action counts as an 'immigration enforcement consequence' beyond the listed examples.

Plain English: This amendment adds financial penalties for state agencies if they allow or fail to stop employees from breaking immigration privacy rules, and it bans the Department of Corrections from transporting people detained by federal immigration authorities.

• State agencies can be fined up to $50,000 if an employee intentionally breaks these laws and the agency either encouraged the action or failed to create policies to stop it.
• The Colorado Department of Corrections is prohibited from moving individuals who are being held by federal immigration officials for deportation.

• The amendment text does not explain how agencies will be investigated or what specific steps count as 'measures' to prevent violations.

Plain English: This amendment changes the bill to specify that only unsealed court documents can be used for certain legal requests.

• The word 'UNSEALED' is added before every mention of a subpoena in section 7 of the bill.

• The amendment text does not explain what happens if someone tries to use sealed documents for these requests.
• The full context of how this change affects immigrant safety or court filing rules is missing from the provided snippet.

Plain English: This amendment changes the law so that a person only breaks it if they intentionally share private information from court records with federal immigration officials.

• Adds the word 'knowingly' to make sure people are not punished for accidentally sharing personal data.

Plain English: This amendment changes the funding source for a court system update to come from a specific cash fund used for inspecting immigration facilities.

• The money paid for this project will now come from the 'immigration facility inspection and detention cash fund' instead of another source.

• The amendment text only shows a small part of the bill, so it is unclear what other changes might be happening or how much money is involved.
• Because this change happens on page 14 of the full bill, we cannot see exactly which court system update is being funded without reading the rest of the document.

Plain English: This amendment removes most of the original bill's text and adds a new rule that limits protections to local, county, or private facilities holding noncitizens for immigration reasons, while excluding federal detention centers.

• Removes large sections of the original bill regarding court e-filing systems and other provisions.
• Adds a specific definition stating that certain rules apply only to local, county, or private facilities detaining noncitizens for civil immigration proceedings.
• Clarifies that these new rules include facilities operated under contract with federal immigration authorities.
• Explicitly states that the new protections do not apply to detention centers run directly by the federal government.

• The amendment deletes most of the original bill's text, so it is unclear what specific safety measures or e-filing exemptions remain in effect.
• Because large parts of the law are removed without replacement text, the full impact on court procedures cannot be determined from this amendment alone.

Plain English: This amendment requires the Attorney General to create a sample policy for certain organizations by September 1, 2026.

• The Office of the Attorney General must develop and share a model policy with specific entities covered under Article 74.1.

• The amendment text does not explain what rules or topics are included in the new model policy.
• It is unclear exactly which organizations count as 'entities subject to Article 74.1' without reading that separate law section.

Plain English: This amendment adds a rule that state workers who intentionally break the new privacy laws can be stopped by court order and fined up to $50,000 for each violation.

• State agency employees or local government workers who knowingly violate these rules face legal action.

• The amendment text provided is incomplete because it cuts off mid-sentence at the end of line 6, so any additional penalties or details after that point are unknown.
• The specific actions defined as violations in 'article 74' and 'section 25-2-108.5' are not described in this text.

Plain English: This amendment requires that copies of court records shared with federal immigration authorities must have private information removed, unless a judge orders otherwise.

• Copies of documents sent to federal immigration officials must now be redacted to remove personal, confidential, or privileged details before they are released.
• The Department of Public Safety is specifically named as the agency responsible for handling these requests and sending notifications by mail if needed.
• State agencies do not have to follow the new rules about hiding information from individuals if a federal judge issues an order that forbids telling anyone about the subpoena.

• The amendment text does not define exactly what types of documents are considered 'privileged' or list specific examples of personal identifying information.
• It is unclear how state agencies will verify if a federal judge's order actually prohibits disclosure before they decide to share unredacted records.

Plain English: This amendment changes the text on page 13 of the bill to add a new section about setting fees for inspections and examinations.

• Adds a letter label '(A)' after item (V) in the list.
• Removes existing line 25 and replaces it with instructions that certain actions are necessary for subsection (1)(dd).
• Requires the Department to set fees for inspections and examinations based on rules found elsewhere in the law.

• The amendment text does not explain what 'subsection (1)(dd)' or '(V)' actually means, so it is unclear how this connects to protecting immigrants.
• It is unknown which specific inspections and examinations will have fees set by the Department.

Plain English: This amendment gives the Colorado Attorney General new legal authority to enforce specific state laws and requires police training standards regarding interactions with immigrants.

• It allows the Attorney General to start lawsuits or criminal cases to enforce a law about protecting personal information from federal immigration agencies, effective January 1, 2026.
• It adds new duties for the P.O.S.T. board (the group that sets police training rules) to create specific training on how officers must follow laws regarding immigrant safety.

• The amendment text lists legal section numbers but does not explain exactly what those existing laws say or how they work.
• It is unclear from this short text whether the new police training will be mandatory for all officers immediately or only after a certain date.

Plain English: This amendment requires the Colorado Attorney General to create a public policy by September 1, 2026, that sets strict rules for when personal information can be shared with federal immigration authorities.

• The Office of the Attorney General must write and publish a new policy on its website no later than September 1, 2026.
• Personal identifying information cannot be released to federal immigration officials unless they present a subpoena, warrant, or order signed by a federal judge or magistrate.
• State agencies are prohibited from releasing information based only on administrative requests or non-judicial warrants.
• Officials must document specific details about any request for information, including the name and badge number of the requesting officer.

• The amendment does not explain how existing state laws will change to match these new requirements beyond creating this policy section.
• It is unclear what penalties exist if an agency fails to follow these new procedures or releases information incorrectly.

Plain English: This amendment would remove several specific pages and lines from the bill that deal with court e-filing rules for immigrants.

• It deletes a section on page 6 of the original bill (lines 26 and 27).
• It removes all content found on page 7 of the original bill.
• It deletes lines 1 through 4 from page 8 of the original bill.

• The amendment text only lists which parts to delete and does not explain what those deleted sections actually said or how removing them changes the law's meaning.
• Because the specific rules being removed are not included in this document, it is unclear exactly what protections or requirements would be lost.

Plain English: This amendment changes who must report on the bill and when they have to do it by removing local governments from the list of reporters and moving the deadline to a specific hearing.

• Removes 'or political subdivision' so that only state agencies, not cities or counties, are required to follow the new reporting rules.
• Changes the timing requirement so reports must be given during a scheduled 'Smart Act' hearing instead of within seventy-two hours.

• The amendment text does not explain what specific information will be reported or who exactly attends the 'Smart Act' hearing.
• Because this amendment was marked as 'Lost', it did not pass and would not change the law if approved in its current form.

Plain English: This amendment changes the time limit for a specific rule in the bill from three months to one year.

• The text on page 11, line 4 of the original bill would be changed by removing the words 'THREE MONTHS'.
• Those removed words would be replaced with the word 'YEAR'.

• The amendment does not explain what specific rule or action is limited to this time period.
• Because the full context of page 11, line 4 is missing from the provided text, it is unclear exactly how changing this timeframe affects people using the court system.

Plain English: This amendment would require a waiting period of at least sixty days after notifying someone about a mistake before taking action against them.

• It adds a rule that officials must wait sixty days after telling someone they failed to follow the law.

• The amendment text does not explain what specific actions are taken during or after this waiting period.
• Because the full context of who is being notified and for which rule was missing, it is unclear exactly how this change affects daily court operations.

Plain English: This amendment would set a maximum price that the state department can charge for certain inspections and exams starting in fiscal year 2026.

• It limits inspection fees to no more than $1,600 during the 2026-27 budget year.
• It lowers the maximum fee cap to $900 for the 2027-28 budget year and every year after that.

• The amendment text mentions specific legal subsection numbers but does not explain exactly what type of inspections or exams are being discussed.
• This amendment was voted down (lost) during the second reading, so it did not become part of the final bill.

Plain English: This amendment changes the bill to only apply payment rules to facilities that start housing or detaining noncitizens for civil immigration proceedings on or after July 1, 2026.

• The text now specifies that a facility must be newly used for holding noncitizens in civil immigration cases starting from July 1, 2026.

• The amendment only shows the specific words being changed and does not explain what 'PAY' refers to or how this change affects other parts of the bill.
• It is unclear if facilities used before July 1, 2026, are excluded from these rules based on this text alone.

Plain English: This amendment changes the date when a rule about protecting immigrant information in Colorado court records will end.

• The bill now says the special protection for personal information ends on December 31, 2027.

Plain English: This amendment removes the rule that requires users of Colorado courts' online filing system to promise they will not share personal information for federal immigration purposes.

• Users of the state court e-filing system no longer have to sign a certification about how they use personal identifying information.

Plain English: This amendment removes specific text from the bill that would have changed how Colorado courts handle personal information for federal immigration purposes.

• Deletes lines 8 through 27 on page 3 of the revised bill.

• The official amendment text only lists which lines to delete and does not include the actual words being removed, so it is unclear exactly what rules or exemptions were in those deleted sections.
• Because the specific content of the deleted lines is missing from this document, we cannot explain the exact change to court e-filing requirements without seeing the original bill text.