Bill > HB1298

This bill aims to ensure that Colorado's background check procedures for individuals providing out-of-home care for children involved in the child welfare system meet the standards set by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as the current system has a temporary grace period from the FBI that expires in May 2026. The legislation grants counties and the Colorado Department of Human Services the necessary statutory authority to conduct these background checks, including fingerprint-based criminal history record checks through both the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI, and checks against various state and national databases. It clarifies that these checks are required for applicants, employees, and residents of foster care homes and kinship foster care homes, and specifies which offenses would disqualify an individual from operating or residing in such a home, aligning these requirements with existing statutes like section 19-3-406. The bill also details how information from these checks should be handled, emphasizing confidentiality and ensuring that private entities like child placement agencies only receive eligibility status rather than raw criminal history data, and it expands the scope of individuals requiring these checks to include anyone with direct contact with a child or youth.

Health and Social Services

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1298