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House Health & Human Services

Wednesday, February 18, 2026·4h 31m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Colorado House Health & Human Services Committee advanced four bills — including measures on child advocacy centers, hemodialysis regulation, and child welfare funding — while laying over two contentious bills on pregnancy directives and gender-affirming care for minors pending significant amendments and ongoing testimony.

Key Actions

·HB 26-1142 – Child Advocacy CentersPassed

+ 5 more actions

Controversies

Whether CNAs and LPNs should be permitted to administer injectable medications under HB 26-1107

Mark Longshore (Colorado Nurses Association) asked the committee to vote against the bill, arguing insulin is a high-alert medication requiring nursing assessment and evaluation that CNAs lack, and that delegation would occur without a registered nurse required to be present. Representative Bradley stated she could not in good faith support allowing CNAs to inject high-alert medications, calling it inconsistent with the bill's transparency goals. Doug Farmer (Colorado Healthcare Association) said he represents 200 of 215 nursing homes and does not believe any nursing home would allow CNAs to perform injections because it would put them in jeopardy with the federal government. Representative Feret withdrew amendment L002 addressing the injection provision after sustained committee opposition.

+ 4 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“When we stand up a high cost evidence based programs that successfully draw down federal 4e$, that money currently flows to the trust. We are essentially earning federal dollars by supporting and paying for services. Then we have to win back through a yet to be clearly defined grant process just to keep our prevention doors open.”

Thad Paul, Larimer County Department of Human Services — Testifying in support of HB 26-1075, which would redirect federal Family First reimbursement dollars directly to counties rather than routing them through the Colorado Child Abuse Prevention Trust Fund's competitive grant process.

+ 4 more quotes

Votes

Move HB 26-1142 as amended with favorable recommendation to Committee of the WholePassed
Yes (13)Regina English, Lisa Feret, Dusty Johnson, Scott Bottoms, Mary Bradfield, Brandi Bradley, Eliza Hamrick, Karen McCormick, Chris Richardson, Gretchen Rydin, Katie Stewart, Sheila Lieder, Lindsay Gilchrist
Move draft hemodialysis bill as drafted for introductionPassed
Yes (12)Bottoms, Bradfield, English, Ray, Hamrick, Johnson, McCormick, Richardson, Rydin, Stewart, Lieder, Madam Chair
No (1)Bradley
Move HB 26-1075 to Committee on Appropriations with favorable recommendationPassed
Yes (11)Mary Bradfield, Brandi Bradley, Regina English, Lisa Feret, Eliza Hamrick, Karen McCormick, Chris Richardson, Gretchen Rydin, Katie Stewart, Sheila Lieder, Lindsay Gilchrist
No (1)Scott Bottoms
Absent (1)Dusty Johnson
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TranscriptPreview
The Health and Human Services Committee will come to order. Mr. Shidoun, please call the roll. Representatives Bottoms. Here. Bradfield. Here. Bradley. Here. English? Here. Frey. Here. Amrick? Here. Johnson. Here. McCormick? Here. Richardson. Here. Ryden. Here. Stewart. Here. Leader. Present. Madam Chair. Here. Thank you everyone for joining. Today. We have quite a full list of bills. We are going to change up the order and do the sunset, the hemodialysis sunset bill after 11:42. And so we'll get started with 11:42 in a second. Just wanted to remind everyone, because of the amount of bills we have today and witnesses, we are limiting witness testimony to 2 minutes per witness and the panel will be 10 minutes total for questioning. We just want to make sure we get to everyone and then also we have some really tough and intense topics today. So just want to make sure everyone is respectful and that we all are coming to this with different perspectives and we can acknowledge and respect each other's perspectives. So with that, I will turn it over to the sponsors to hear 1142. Representative Taggart thank you Madam Chair, and I appreciate you moving things around…
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