ColoradoHB25-11542025 Regular SessionHouseWALLET

Communication Services People with Disabilities Enterprise

Sponsored By: Iman Jodeh (Democratic), Judy Amabile (Democratic), Kyle Brown (Democratic), Meg Froelich (Democratic)

Signed by Governor

Human ServicesTelecommunications & Information Technology

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

11 provisions identified: 7 benefits, 3 costs, 1 mixed.

Court communication support for disabled people

The Division and Judicial Department must publish and maintain a list of qualified communication-support providers. Appointing authorities must use that list, and the Division must provide services for proceedings covered by the law. Providers can assist deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deafblind jurors during proceedings and deliberations without joining deliberations; verdicts remain valid. Subject to available Division funding, providers receive scheduled fees covering services, waiting time, and necessary travel and living costs. Money recovered through judgments for covered service fees goes to the Division's cash fund.

Relay services and equipment for disabled people

Beginning June 30, 2025, Colorado's disability communications Division takes over relay-service duties, contracts, and unpaid obligations from the Public Utilities Commission. Relay services include people with speech disabilities and must provide equivalent access under federal disability law and communications standards. The Division also obtains and distributes needed communications equipment for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or speech-disabled. Its equipment-needs review includes people who qualify under federal poverty guidelines. The law sets no individual equipment award amount.

Support expands beyond deafblind children

The family and community intervener program now serves deafblind people beyond children, including adults. Services also include deafblind people with cognitive disabilities, physical disabilities, or both. A program manager directs these services. The program provides support rather than a direct cash payment.

Certification rules protect interpreter service users

People using the listed sign-language interpreter or translator titles must hold a current certification approved by the Division. The law treats violations as deceptive trade practices. Qualified interpreters include oral, sign-language, and intermediary interpreters with valid competency certifications accepted by the Division. The Enterprise board now makes interpreter-service rules instead of the Department of Human Services. Rulemaking must allow public input, including from interpreters and service users.

Disability communication services gain lasting oversight

The law creates a disability communications Enterprise and Division within Human Services to coordinate services and resources. Programs and the advisory commission continue beyond their former September 1, 2031, repeal date. The Enterprise can issue revenue-backed bonds; charge increases cannot push cumulative fees above $100 million during its first five years. Each year, the Enterprise, utilities commission, and Education Department adjust charge allocations supporting the Division, blind reading services, and Talking Book Library. Division cash-fund money is reserved for program duties; unspent balances and investment earnings remain available across budget years.

Grants support deaf and deafblind communities

The Division administers grants for organizations addressing the needs of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind people. Awards depend on legislative funding, and recipients must meet Division reporting requirements. A committee recommends awards; the Division director decides applications and amounts when the Division disagrees with those recommendations. Lawmakers may provide up to $50,000 yearly to administer the program, subject to available money. Committee members receive reimbursement for actual, necessary work expenses without the former limit tied to available appropriations.

State funds disability communications Enterprise

For budget year 2025-26, Human Services receives $4.958625 million from the Division's cash fund. This includes $4.891755 million for the Enterprise and $66,870 for legal services. The Department of Law receives the same $66,870 through a matching transfer to provide those legal services. That transfer is not a second, separate legal-services allocation.

New charges on prepaid phone purchases

Consumers pay up to $0.15 per covered Colorado prepaid wireless purchase, with the rate reviewed at most once yearly. Colorado purchase tests use sale location, delivery address, customer address records, or a Colorado-linked phone number. Federally supported Lifeline service is exempt; the charge is excluded from other tax bases and replaces other direct disability-access charges. Sellers collect the money and remit it to the Department of Revenue, subject to registration, audit, appeal, and penalty rules. Sellers may keep 3.3%, and the Department up to 3% for direct administrative costs; remaining money supports the Division's cash fund.

New monthly charges for phone users

Phone users pay a separate charge of up to $0.15 per month for each telephone access line. The rate is the same across line technologies and can change once a year. Federally supported Lifeline service is exempt. Suppliers collect the charge and send it monthly to the Public Utilities Commission; late payments can trigger penalties and interest. Suppliers may keep 1% and the Commission up to 4% for collection costs; the rest supports the Division's cash fund.

Prior commission funding and staffing shrink

For 2025-26, the law reduces utilities commission staffing funds by $265,965 and removes two full-time-equivalent positions. It also reduces the disability commission cash-fund appropriation and its matching Human Services transfer by $3.413703 million each. These are linked appropriations, not separate household benefit cuts. These changes take effect only if the 2025-26 annual budget act becomes law. Each reduction is skipped if its appropriation is missing or smaller than the required adjustment.

Blind reading services switch funding sources

For 2025-26, the law replaces $250,000 in General Fund support for blind reading services with disability telephone-fund money. The replacement passes through the utilities commission and Reading Services for the Blind Cash Fund to the Education Department. The General Fund reduction is skipped if that appropriation is absent or below $250,000. This section takes effect only if the 2025-26 annual budget act becomes law.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Cosponsors

Andrew Boesenecker
Democratic • House
Amy Paschal
Democratic • House
Bob Marshall
Democratic • House
Brianna Titone
Democratic • House
Chad Clifford
Democratic • House
Eliza Hamrick
Democratic • House
Emily Sirota
Democratic • House
Elizabeth Velasco
Democratic • House
Gretchen Rydin
Democratic • House
Jennifer Bacon
Democratic • House
Jamie Jackson
Democratic • House
Junie Joseph
Democratic • House
Javier Mabrey
Democratic • House
Julie McCluskie
Democratic • House
Jacque Phillips
Democratic • House
Jenny Willford
Democratic • House
Karen McCormick
Democratic • House
Katie Stewart
Democratic • House
Lorena Garcia
Democratic • House
Monica Duran
Democratic • House
Mandy Lindsay
Democratic • House
Matthew Martinez
Democratic • House
Manny Rutinel
Democratic • House
Regina English
Democratic • House
Rebekah Stewart
Democratic • House
Rep. S. Bird
Affiliation unavailable
Sean Camacho
Democratic • House
Sheila Lieder
Democratic • House
Tisha Mauro
Democratic • House
Tammy Story
Democratic • House
Yara Zokaie
Democratic • House
Cathy Kipp
Democratic • Senate
Chris Kolker
Democratic • Senate
Dafna Michaelson Jenet
Democratic • Senate
Sen. F. Winter
Affiliation unavailable
James Coleman
Democratic • Senate
Jessie Danielson
Democratic • Senate
Julie Gonzales
Democratic • Senate
Kyle Mullica
Democratic • Senate
Katie Wallace
Democratic • Senate
Lisa Cutter
Democratic • Senate
Lindsey Daugherty
Democratic • Senate
Matt Ball
Democratic • Senate
Tony Exum
Democratic • Senate

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 271 • No: 121

House vote • 5/1/2025

Conference committee report: Adopt

Yes: 43 • No: 22

House vote • 5/1/2025

Conference committee report: Repass

Yes: 43 • No: 22

Senate vote • 4/29/2025

Conference committee report: Adopt ccr

Yes: 32 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/29/2025

Conference committee report: Repass

Yes: 20 • No: 12

Vote • 4/28/2025

Adopt draft conference committee report CLHB1154.001 (Attachment A).

Yes: 5 • No: 0

House vote • 4/23/2025

Senate amendments: Not cncr

Yes: 43 • No: 20

Senate vote • 4/17/2025

Third reading: Bill

Yes: 24 • No: 11

Senate vote • 4/11/2025

Refer House Bill 25-1154, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole.

Yes: 4 • No: 3

Senate vote • 3/27/2025

Refer House Bill 25-1154, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations.

Yes: 4 • No: 3

House vote • 3/11/2025

Third reading: Bill

Yes: 38 • No: 21

House vote • 3/7/2025

Refer House Bill 25-1154, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole.

Yes: 7 • No: 3

House vote • 2/19/2025