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Submitted herewith is the final report of the Legislative Oversight Committee for the Treatment of Persons with Behavioral Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice System. The committee was created pursuant to Article 98 of Title 37, Colorado Revised Statutes. The purpose of this committee is to oversee an advisory task force that studies and makes recommendations concerning persons with behavioral health disorders who are justice-involved.

Many pieces of legislation regarding human services made their way through the 74th General Assembly. Human Services legislation primarily focused on child welfare issues, funding senior services, and addressing housing concerns through Medicaid.

The 75^th General Assembly passed numerous pieces of legislation regarding public health. While not all of the public health legislation fell into these groups, three major themes for public health were: emergency preparedness, education and transparency, and behavioral health.

The Colorado General Assembly passed a number of bills related to human services and families. Many of these laws were recommendations from interim committees and task forces. Others made changes to Colorado’s child welfare system, introduced guardrails around access to certain online material, and more.

This memorandum provides a brief overview of the human services delivery structure in Colorado, which is primarily state-supervised and county-delivered. This includes an overview of the Department of Human Services (CDHS); the offices, divisions, and boards within CDHS; and a brief description of the services delivered through Colorado's 64 county departments of human or social services.

Colorado’s child welfare system provides services to protect children from abuse and neglect and to support families in caring for their children. This issue brief provides an overview of the child welfare system in Colorado, including its administration and funding; reporting of child abuse or neglect; and the judicial process and types of services provided in child welfare cases.

Submitted herewith is the final report of the Legislative Oversight Committee for the Treatment of Persons with Behavioral Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice System. This committee was created pursuant to Article 98 of Title 37, Colorado Revised Statutes. The purpose of this committee is to oversee an advisory task force that studies and makes recommendations concerning persons with behavioral health disorders who are justice-involved.

Submitted herewith is the final report of the Child Welfare System Interim Study Committee. The committee was created pursuant to Interim Committee Request Letter 2023-01. The purpose of this committee is to take a holistic look at Colorado’s child welfare system to address the major factors facing the system in order to better serve the state’s children and families.

The Interim Committee on Opiod and other Substance Use Disorders was created pursuant to Section 10-22.3-101.  

The Colorado General Assembly considered many bills related to public health this legislative session over multiple subject matters including mental health, environmental health, and health in the education system.

The General Assembly addressed a number of bills related to human services and various children and domestic matters, including the establishment and preservation of “family time” and improving services offered to children and youth.

Federal, state, and local entities work to deliver programs and initiatives to increase food security and accessibility for Coloradans. This issue brief provides an overview of key programs and efforts within the state, including beneficiaries, operations, and funding.

Behavioral health continued to be a focus of the General Assembly in 2023.  Several bills addressing behavioral health services, mental health providers, step therapy requirements for mental health drugs, substance use, and disordered eating were considered during the legislative session.

This memorandum provides information about FY 2022-23 appropriations for state-funded behavioral health programs.  Information for this memorandum was taken from:

• the FY 2022-23 Long Bill, House Bill 22-1329;
• other bills that include funding for behavioral health programs;
• Joint Budget Committee (JBC) staff FY 2022-23 figure-setting documents and the JBC Appropriations Report FY 2022-23; and
• department staff.

This committee was created pursuant to Article 1.9 of Title 18, Colorado Revised Statutes.  The purpose of this committee is to oversee an advisory task force that studies and makes recommendations concerning the treatment of persons with mental health disorders who are involved in the criminal and juvenile justice systems in Colorado.

The opioid epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rise of homelessness strained Colorado’s behavioral health system.  This memorandum covers the actions the Colorado General Assembly has taken to strengthen Colorado’s behavioral health care system, including creating the Behavioral Health Administration, strengthening the behavioral health care workforce, increasing rural health care access, and treating and preventing substance abuse issues.

The quality of child care is a key concern for parents and policymakers.  Child care allows parents to remain in the workforce and contributes to a child’s development.  This issue brief provides an overview of the financial assistance available to families needing child care, briefly describes the licensing of child care centers, and explains where to find child care quality ratings.  

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Colorado’s newest state department, began operations in July 2022 to provide a range of programs and services that support young children, families, and the professionals that serve them.  This issue brief provides an overview of the CDEC, including its creation, programs and services offered through the department, and budget for FY 2022-23.

The health care system frequently distinguishes between physical and behavioral health.  Physical health refers to the condition of the body. Behavioral health refers to the condition of cognitive processing systems.  Behavioral health services include, among others: individual and group therapy; psychiatric care; assertive community treatment; substance use disorder services; and prevention and early intervention activities.

During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly considered numerous bills related to public health, including bills related to service providers and equipment, rare diseases, environmental quality, and data collection.

During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly considered numerous bills related to child & domestic matters.  

During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to human services, including bills concerning seniors and protected persons, assistance programs, and repurposing the Ridge View campus.

During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to behavioral health, including several bills recommended by Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force to address gaps in the continuum of care using federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, as well as bills addressing the establishment of the Behavioral Health Administration, youth and students, mental health holds, and crisis system facilities.

The Governor and  General  Assembly  formed  the Behavioral Health Transformational Task  Force and  Subpanel to  develop  recommendations  in 2021. Comprised  of legislators, executive branch representatives, and  diverse behavioral health practitioners  and  experts, the Task  Force and  Subpanel undertook  a deliberative and  transparent  process.

Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems.