House Judiciary

Tuesday, April 14, 2026·7h 37m·▶ Watch / Listen

House Judiciary narrowly advanced Vice Chair Michael Carter's bid to end mandatory life-without-parole for extreme-indifference murder over a wall of district attorney and police opposition, and killed a North Glenn-backed measure to bar registered sex offenders from mental-health homes near schools — with its own sponsor moving to postpone it. Bills adding law-enforcement key boxes at schools and expanding protections for crime survivors also cleared the panel.

Key Actions

·Homicide Criminal OffensesPassed

+ 3 more actions

Notable Quotes

“A yes vote on 1281 is a vote in support of mass shooters. A yes vote in support of 1281 is a yes in support of school shooters.”
Patrick Emmerline (Arvada Police Department / Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police) · witness — Captures the raw intensity of law-enforcement opposition to reducing penalties for extreme-indifference homicide.

+ 6 more quotes

Votes

Referred to Committee of the WholeAction

Yes (6)Jennifer Bacon, Cecelia Espenoza, Lorena Garcia, Yara Zokaie, Michael Carter, Javier Mabrey

No (5)Chad Clifford, Ava Flanell, Rebecca Keltie, Scott Slaugh, Matt Soper

Postponed indefinitely — bill killedAction

Yes (10)Jennifer Bacon, Chad Clifford, Cecelia Espenoza, Ava Flanell, Lorena Garcia, Scott Slaugh, Matt Soper, Yara Zokaie, Michael Carter, Javier Mabrey

No (1)Rebecca Keltie

Referred to Committee of the WholeAction

Yes (10)Jennifer Bacon, Chad Clifford, Cecelia Espenoza, Ava Flanell, Lorena Garcia, Rebecca Keltie, Scott Slaugh, Yara Zokaie, Michael Carter, Javier Mabrey

No (1)Matt Soper

Referred to Committee of the WholeAction

Yes (10)Jennifer Bacon, Chad Clifford, Cecelia Espenoza, Lorena Garcia, Rebecca Keltie, Scott Slaugh, Matt Soper, Yara Zokaie, Michael Carter, Javier Mabrey

No (1)Ava Flanell

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TranscriptPreview

The committee will come to order. Ms. Shipley, please call the roll. Representatives Bacon. Excused. Clifford. Here. Espinoza. Excused. Flinell. Excused. Garcia. Here. Kelty. Excused. Slaw. Here. Oprah. Excused. Okay. Here. Carter. Present. Mr. Chair. Here. All right, we're gonna hear four bills today, starting with House Bill 1285. Rep. Goldstein. Yep, There you go. All right, thank you, Chair Mabry. House Bill 1285 has been a very evolving adventure. I just want to set the stage for where it came from. A couple of years ago, a house that is transitional for people with disabilities, mental health disabilities, was established in the city of North Glenn, very close to an elementary school, and it raised a lot of concerns with the community. And they also, there were also a lot of concerns with the school district, which I am the president of their school board. We started having conversations about how we could take care of this problem. As a member of the Colorado association of School Boards, we talked a lot about this and with the state of North Glenn. And then, lo and behold, I was appointed to the House and took it on to carry this…

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