# Colorado HB25-1204: Colorado Indian Child Welfare Act Colorado HB25-1204, Colorado Indian Child Welfare Act, is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Jessie Danielson (Democratic), Junie Joseph (Democratic), Monica Duran (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-31 (Governor Signed) (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB25-1204-2025A - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Colorado HB25-1204 - State: Colorado - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: Colorado Indian Child Welfare Act - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-02-10 - Last action: 2025-05-31, Governor Signed - Sponsors: Jessie Danielson (Democratic), Junie Joseph (Democratic), Monica Duran (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 55 - Subjects: Human Services, Children & Domestic Matters - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 7 (238 yes, 22 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 14 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Indian families can challenge unlawful custody: benefit, high. Indian children, qualifying parents or custodians, and tribes can challenge specified custody orders that violate the law. Courts must cancel unlawful orders; canceling a termination order restores parental rights. If a violation caused removal, courts must arrange prompt return with a transition p… - Stronger safeguards before Indian parents lose rights: benefit, high. Before ending parental rights, courts must offer mediation and rule out less drastic choices, including guardianship and tribal customary adoption. Active reunification efforts must have failed to eliminate the need for termination. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt, including qualified-expert testim… - Clearer notices give Indian families time: benefit, medium. Required notices must clearly explain the case, family information, rights, and possible legal results. Courts must provide language help when a parent or Indian custodian may not understand the notice. A hearing requiring notice must wait at least 10 days after the last required recipient receives… - Earlier checks protect Indian children's rights: benefit, medium. Courts must ask about Indian-child status at the start of every covered case, and filing parties must document family inquiries. Credible information, including tribal, reservation, health, or school records, can trigger protections; incomplete heritage information requires further investigation. N… - Emergency removals of Indian children limited: benefit, medium. At emergency removal, the person or agency must check possible Indian-child status and immediately contact potentially involved tribes. Tribes must receive removal reasons, first-hearing details, and notice of their right to participate. Emergency removal must end as soon as it is no longer needed… - Enrollment help connects children with tribes: benefit, medium. The filing party or tribe must help an eligible Indian child enroll in a tribe unless a parent objects. Filing parties must identify relevant tribes and tell the child and parent about that objection right. An existing membership generally determines the tribe used for the case. If multiple tribes… - Indian children's placements protect cultural ties: benefit, medium. Courts must consult the tribe on children's best interests and follow tribal placement preferences in the least restrictive suitable setting. Without tribal preferences, substitute care favors, in order: a noncustodial parent, extended family, tribal foster homes, other tribal members, connected In… - More legal help for Indian families: benefit, medium. When there is reason to know a child is Indian, the court must appoint a lawyer for the child. Respondent parents and Indian custodians also receive counsel in dependency-and-neglect cases; outside those cases, indigence is required in removal, placement, or termination proceedings. Tribes and Indi… - State protections for Indian child custody: benefit, medium. Colorado law incorporates federal Indian Child Welfare Act protections for covered foster care, adoption, guardianship, and other custody cases. Stronger federal protections control when state protections fall short; stronger state protections remain in place. Cases solely between parents and most… - Stronger custody protections for Indian families: benefit, medium. Colorado courts can order foster care for an Indian child only with clear and convincing evidence, including qualified expert testimony, linking home conditions to likely serious emotional or physical harm. Poverty, isolation, single parenthood, a custodian’s age, crowded or inadequate housing, sub… - Stronger reunification help for Indian families: benefit, medium. Courts must check and document active efforts to prevent removal and reunite Indian families, a higher standard than reasonable efforts. County help must fit the family's needs and culture and involve the family and tribe. If required help is missing in a dependency case, the plan must stay focused… - Tribal agreements support culturally relevant family services: benefit, low. Colorado's human services department must keep working in good faith on agreements with the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes. It must revise an agreement with the tribe when that tribe requests it. The department can also make agreements with out-of-state tribes having significant numbers o… - Tribal courts gain stronger custody authority: benefit, low. Tribes have exclusive jurisdiction over tribal-court wards and children living or domiciled on their reservation, subject to temporary state emergency authority. Courts must determine residence and tribal jurisdiction with tribal input. A parent's, Indian custodian's, or tribe's transfer request mu… - Tribal adoptions recognized with transfer deadline: mixed, medium. Colorado courts must recognize and enforce applicable tribal custody orders, including tribal customary adoptions. On request from the tribe or a party, courts must certify a tribal customary adoption order. After notice that customary adoption is being pursued, a parent, Indian custodian, or tribe… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jessie Danielson (Democratic), Senate - Sponsor: Junie Joseph (Democratic), House - Sponsor: Monica Duran (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Andrew Boesenecker (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Alex Valdez (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Brianna Titone (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Chad Clifford (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Cecelia Espenoza (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Eliza Hamrick (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Emily Sirota (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Elizabeth Velasco (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Gretchen Rydin (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jennifer Bacon (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jamie Jackson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Javier Mabrey (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Julie McCluskie (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jacque Phillips (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jenny Willford (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kyle Brown (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Karen McCormick (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Katie Stewart (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Lorena Garcia (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Lindsay Gilchrist (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Meg Froelich (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Mandy Lindsay (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Meghan Lukens (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Matthew Martinez (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Manny Rutinel (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Naquetta Ricks (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Regina English (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Rep. S. Bird - Cosponsor: Sean Camacho (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Sheila Lieder (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Steven Woodrow (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Tammy Story (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: William Lindstedt (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Cathy Kipp (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Cleave Simpson (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Dafna Michaelson Jenet (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Dylan Roberts (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Sen. F. Winter - Cosponsor: Iman Jodeh (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Judy Amabile (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Jeff Bridges (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: John Carson (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: James Coleman (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Julie Gonzales (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Janice Marchman (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Kyle Mullica (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Katie Wallace (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Lisa Cutter (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Lindsey Daugherty (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Lisa Frizell (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Marc Snyder (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Mike Weissman (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Sen. P. Lundeen - Cosponsor: Tony Exum (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Tom Sullivan (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-05-01 | House | Senate amendments: Concur | pass | 57 | 7 | | | 2025-05-01 | House | Senate amendments: Repass | pass | 55 | 10 | | | 2025-04-28 | Senate | Third reading: Bill | pass | 33 | 1 | | | 2025-04-23 | Senate | Refer House Bill 25-1204, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole and with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. | pass | 9 | 0 | | | 2025-03-19 | House | Third reading: Bill | pass | 62 | 2 | | | 2025-03-14 | House | Refer House Bill 25-1204 to the Committee of the Whole. | pass | 9 | 2 | | | 2025-03-04 | House | Refer House Bill 25-1204, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. | pass | 13 | 0 | | ## Actions (15) - 2025-05-31: Governor Signed (House) - 2025-05-14: Signed by the Speaker of the House (House) - 2025-05-14: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate) - 2025-05-14: Sent to the Governor (House) - 2025-05-01: House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass (House) - 2025-04-29: House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Laid Over Daily (House) - 2025-04-28: Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments (Senate) - 2025-04-25: Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee (Senate) - 2025-04-23: Senate Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole (Senate) - 2025-03-24: Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Health & Human Services (Senate) - 2025-03-19: House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments (House) - 2025-03-18: House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee (House) - 2025-03-14: House Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole (House) - 2025-03-04: House Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended to Appropriations (House) - 2025-02-10: Introduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human Services (House) ## Bill text - Engrossed: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85627/download) - Final Act: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85623/download) - House Health & Human Services Preamend: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85629/download) - Introduced: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85628/download) - Reengrossed: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85626/download) - Rerevised: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85624/download) - Revised: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85625/download) - Senate Health & Human Services Preamend: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85630/download) - Signed Act: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/40950/download) ## Related bills - SB25-279: Colorado Code of Military Justice Updates (signed) - HB25-1307: Updating Technical References in Education Law (signed) - HB25-1234: Utility Consumer Protection (signed) - SB25-167: Invest State Funds to Benefit Communities (signed) - SB25-163: Battery Stewardship Programs (signed) - SB25-261: Property Tax Deferral Program Administration (signed) ## Sources - [Engrossed (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85627/download) - [Final Act (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85623/download) - [House Health & Human Services Preamend (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85629/download) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85628/download) - [Reengrossed (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85626/download) - [Rerevised (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85624/download) - [Revised (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85625/download) - [Senate Health & Human Services Preamend (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/85630/download) - [Signed Act (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/40950/download) ## Related - [SB25-279: Colorado Code of Military Justice Updates](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-279-2025A) - [HB25-1307: Updating Technical References in Education Law](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB25-1307-2025A) - [HB25-1234: Utility Consumer Protection](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB25-1234-2025A) - [SB25-167: Invest State Funds to Benefit Communities](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-167-2025A) - [SB25-163: Battery Stewardship Programs](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-163-2025A) - [SB25-261: Property Tax Deferral Program Administration](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB25-261-2025A) - [Colorado bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/colorado/bills) - [Colorado state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/colorado) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB25-1204-2025A (as of 2026-10-16).