NOTE: The governor signed this measure on 5/1/2015.
      
      
      HOUSE BILL 15-1153
      
      
      BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Young, Hamner, Rankin, Fields, Pettersen;
      also SENATOR(S) Steadman, Grantham, Lambert, Aguilar, Carroll,
      Crowder, Garcia, Guzman, Heath, Kefalas, Kerr, Merrifield, Newell, Todd.
      
      
      Concerning oversight of child and family investigators, and, in
           connection therewith, making and reducing appropriations.
      
      
      Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
      
           SECTION 1.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, 13-91-105, amend (1)
      (c) as follows:
      
           13-91-105.  Duties of the office of the child's representative -
      guardian ad litem programs - CASA programs. (1)  In addition to any
      responsibilities assigned to it by the chief justice, the office of the child's
      representative shall:
      
           (c)  Enhance the provision of services in Colorado by attorneys
      appointed to serve as legal representatives of children pursuant to section
      14-10-116, C.R.S., and attorneys appointed to serve as child and family
      investigators pursuant to section 14-10-116.5, C.R.S., when the costs of
      such appointments are borne by the state, by:
      
           (I)  Ensuring the provision and availability of high-quality,
      accessible training throughout the state for attorneys seeking to serve as
      legal representatives of children, and attorneys seeking to serve as child and
      family investigators, as well as to judges and magistrates who regularly
      hear domestic matters under article 10 of title 14, C.R.S.;
      
           (II)  Making recommendations to the chief justice concerning the
      establishment, by rule or chief justice directive, of the minimum training
      requirements that an attorney seeking to serve as a legal representative of
      a child and an attorney seeking to serve as a child and family investigator
      shall must meet;
      
           (III)  Making recommendations to the chief justice concerning the
      establishment, by rule or chief justice directive, of standards to which
      attorneys serving as legal representatives of children and attorneys serving
      as child and family investigators shall must be held;
      
           (IV)  Overseeing the practice of legal representatives of children
      appointed pursuant to section 14-10-116, C.R.S., and overseeing the
      practice of attorneys serving as child and family investigators appointed
      pursuant to section 14-10-116.5, C.R.S., to ensure compliance with all
      relevant statutes, orders, rules, directives, policies, and procedures;
      
           (V)  Seeking to enhance existing funding sources for and studying
      the availability of or developing new funding sources for the provision of
      services by attorneys serving as court-appointed legal representatives of
      children; and attorneys serving as court-appointed child and family
      investigators;
      
           (VI)  Effective July 1, 2001, allocating moneys appropriated to the
      office of the child's representative in the state judicial department for the
      provision of services by attorneys serving as court-appointed legal
      representatives of children; and attorneys serving as court-appointed child
      and family investigators;
      
           SECTION 2.  Appropriation - adjustments to 2015 long bill.
      (1)  To implement this act, appropriations made in the annual general
      appropriation act for the 2015-16 state fiscal year to the judicial department
      are adjusted as follows:
      
           (a)  The general fund appropriation for trial court programs is
      increased by $12,500;
      
           (b)  The general fund appropriation for court costs, jury costs, and
      court-appointed counsel is increased by $131,419; and
      
           (c)  The general fund appropriation for use by the office of the
      child's representative for court-appointed counsel is decreased by
      $143,919.
      
           (2)  For the 2015-16 state fiscal year, $27,580 is appropriated to the
      judicial department. This appropriation is from the general fund and is
      based on an assumption that the department will require an additional 0.5
      FTE. To implement this act, the department may use this appropriation for
      general courts administration.
      
           SECTION 3.  Act subject to petition - effective date -
      applicability. (1)  This act takes effect January 1, 2016; 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 the
      ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly, then the
      act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people
      at the general election to be held in November 2016 and, in such case, will
      take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the
      governor.
      
           (2)  This act applies to existing and new child and family
      investigator appointments.
      
      
      
      
      ________________________________________________________
      Dickey Lee Hullinghorst                Bill L. Cadman
      SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE                     PRESIDENT OF
      OF REPRESENTATIVES                         THE SENATE
      
      
      
      
      
      
      ____________________________  ____________________________
      Marilyn Eddins                      Cindi L. Markwell
      CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE                 SECRETARY OF
      OF REPRESENTATIVES                         THE SENATE
      
      
      
      
                  APPROVED________________________________________
      
      
      
      
      
                                    _________________________________________
                                    John W. Hickenlooper
                                    GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF COLORADO