House Judiciary

Tuesday, February 3, 2026·3h 15m·▶ Watch / Listen

The House Judiciary Committee advanced three bills: a unanimous referral of the annual statute-incorporation bill, a 10-0 referral of a Victim's Rights Act update to Appropriations, and a contested 7-4 referral of a bill excluding insurers from criminal restitution to the Committee of the Whole.

Key Actions

·HB 26-1035 – Annual Statutes Publication (Enactment Bill)Passed

+ 3 more actions

Controversies

HB 26-1052 – DA as gatekeeper on forensic retesting requests

AML Bacon argued the amendment's language requiring a victim to 'confer with the district attorney and request to retest' created 'two gatekeeping opportunities' for the DA, stating 'it doesn't seem like a victim can just put in their request.' Rep. Stewart responded that the DA was selected 'as that vehicle for vetting those retesting requests.'

+ 3 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“I have been paying restitution since 2013. As of today, I have paid $54,000 towards that obligation in interest alone. Though now I owe an additional $64,000 in just interest. That means my total remaining balance is $88,000 more than I originally owed.”
Kyle Giddings, deputy director, Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition — Giddings testified in support of HB 26-1017, which would exclude insurers from criminal restitution, describing the compounding debt he accumulated on a $78,000 restitution obligation owed not to a direct victim but to an insurance company.

+ 3 more quotes

Votes

Move HB 26-1017 to Committee of the WholePassed

Yes (7)Bacon, The third, Espenoza, Garcia, Zokaie, Carter, Mr. Chair

No (4)Lynette, Keltie, Slo, Soper

Move HB 26-1052 as amended to Appropriations with a favorable recommendationPassed

Yes (9)Bacon, Clifford, Espenoza, Flanell, Garcia, Keltie, Slaw, Zokaie, Mabrey

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TranscriptPreview

Late. The committee will come to order. Ms. Shipley, please call the roll. Please call the roll. Representatives. Bacon. It's Bacon. Excused. Excused. The third. Excused. Do we have a door? Echoing. Can we mute the zoom? Espinosa. Espinosa. Present. Flannel. Garcia. Kelty. Here. Sla here. Soper. Here. Carter. Present. Mr. Chair. Here. Let the record show AML. Bacon is also here. All right. We are starting off with the enactment bill. Rep. Soper. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, members of the committee members. This is our annual enactment bill. It's also called the Publications Bill because it takes all of the laws that were passed last session and incorporates them physically into the statute book that we have here. If this bill were to not pass, what would happen is people would rely on the 2025 set of statutes, plus the 25 session laws, which is another set of books. It's your gray, kind of brownish gray books. And that's what would be used to interpret what the law is in Colorado. It's very confusing and clunky. If that were the way it's good for the public, for attorneys, for anyone who wants to know what the…

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