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type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags
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| Bill | Procedures Related to Civil Asset Forfeiture | The act clarifies an existing requirement for the criminal conviction of a property owner by requiring that one or more criminal charges be brought as a prerequisite to any nuisance abatement or forfeiture proceeding. Existing law provides an exception to the conviction requirement for noninnocent owners who are not subject to criminal charges that no criminal conviction is necessary of the nonowner criminal defendant if the plaintiff proves its case by clear and convincing evidence that the property subject to the forfeiture proceeding is traceable proceeds of the charged offense or related criminal activity. The act clarifies this exception to first require a conviction of the nonowner criminal defendant before the noninnocent owner's property may be forfeited, while retaining other various exceptions that allow forfeiture actions to proceed against the interest of a claimant. The act establishes a right for indigent civil asset forfeiture defendants to access forfeiture defense counsel and creates a procedure for the appointment of forfeiture defense counsel in nuisance abatement and forfeiture proceedings. The state court administrator shall enter into a contract for services with a private contractor who regularly provides legal services for indigent clients or litigants to provide a legal defense to a civil asset forfeiture proceeding. The private contractor is subject to certain reporting requirements. The act creates a forfeiture defense counsel fund (fund) to pay for contracted forfeiture defense counsel who are authorized to represent persons against whom a nuisance abatement or forfeiture proceeding has been filed in connection with criminal charges. The fund is capped at $500,000, and starting in state fiscal year 2027-28, no general fund money is allowed to finance the fund. The balance of the fund over $500,000 is credited to the law enforcement community services grant program fund. The act transfers any unexpended and unencumbered money from the law enforcement community services grant program fund to the forfeiture counsel defense fund. The act alters the disposition of property and proceeds ordered forfeited in a nuisance abatement or forfeiture action. Currently, forfeited property and proceeds are applied first toward restitution and cost recovery for a list of stakeholders, and of the remainder, 50% is granted to the local governmental body with authority over the seizing agency, 25% is granted to the local behavioral health administrative services organization, and 25% is granted to the law enforcement community services grant program fund. The act amends the disposition of the remainder so that 50% is granted to the local governmental body with authority over the seizing agency, 25% is granted to the fund, and 25% is granted to the local behavioral health administrative services organization. The act appropriates $556,750 to the judicial department from the fund for civil asset forfeiture defense contracting and $55,000 to the department of local affairs from the fund for civil asset forfeiture portal administration.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) | us/states/co | Colorado General Assembly | 2026A | HB 1250 | Colorado HB 1250 (2026A) |
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enacted |
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7 | 14 | 16 | 2026-02-18 | 2026-06-04 | openstates | ocd-bill/8e39fbc1-4891-4b8e-987f-ec2e373b956c | https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1250 | 45dc205acb88760e095eb80425103104536622ea2a4493c82e60e665e6a95091 | 2026-07-01 | https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump | 2026-07-06 | reported |
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Colorado HB 1250 (2026A) — Procedures Related to Civil Asset Forfeiture
The act clarifies an existing requirement for the criminal conviction of a property owner by requiring that one or more criminal charges be brought as a prerequisite to any nuisance abatement or forfeiture proceeding. Existing law provides an exception to the conviction requirement for noninnocent owners who are not subject to criminal charges that no criminal conviction is necessary of the nonowner criminal defendant if the plaintiff proves its case by clear and convincing evidence that the property subject to the forfeiture proceeding is traceable proceeds of the charged offense or related criminal activity. The act clarifies this exception to first require a conviction of the nonowner criminal defendant before the noninnocent owner's property may be forfeited, while retaining other various exceptions that allow forfeiture actions to proceed against the interest of a claimant. The act establishes a right for indigent civil asset forfeiture defendants to access forfeiture defense counsel and creates a procedure for the appointment of forfeiture defense counsel in nuisance abatement and forfeiture proceedings. The state court administrator shall enter into a contract for services with a private contractor who regularly provides legal services for indigent clients or litigants to provide a legal defense to a civil asset forfeiture proceeding. The private contractor is subject to certain reporting requirements. The act creates a forfeiture defense counsel fund (fund) to pay for contracted forfeiture defense counsel who are authorized to represent persons against whom a nuisance abatement or forfeiture proceeding has been filed in connection with criminal charges. The fund is capped at $500,000, and starting in state fiscal year 2027-28, no general fund money is allowed to finance the fund. The balance of the fund over $500,000 is credited to the law enforcement community services grant program fund. The act transfers any unexpended and unencumbered money from the law enforcement community services grant program fund to the forfeiture counsel defense fund. The act alters the disposition of property and proceeds ordered forfeited in a nuisance abatement or forfeiture action. Currently, forfeited property and proceeds are applied first toward restitution and cost recovery for a list of stakeholders, and of the remainder, 50% is granted to the local governmental body with authority over the seizing agency, 25% is granted to the local behavioral health administrative services organization, and 25% is granted to the law enforcement community services grant program fund. The act amends the disposition of the remainder so that 50% is granted to the local governmental body with authority over the seizing agency, 25% is granted to the fund, and 25% is granted to the local behavioral health administrative services organization. The act appropriates $556,750 to the judicial department from the fund for civil asset forfeiture defense contracting and $55,000 to the department of local affairs from the fund for civil asset forfeiture portal administration.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
- Introduced (filed) — source
- Engrossed (committee substitute) — source
- Final Act (committee substitute) — source
- Reengrossed (committee substitute) — source
- Rerevised (committee substitute) — source
- Revised (committee substitute) — source
- Signed Act (committee substitute) — source
Votes
- Refer House Bill 26-1250, as amended, to the Committee on Finance. — pass (pass) · lower
- Refer House Bill 26-1250 to the Committee of the Whole and with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. — pass (pass) · upper
- Adopt amendment L.023 — pass (pass) · lower
- Refer House Bill 26-1250, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. — pass (pass) · lower
- BILL — pass (pass) · lower
- Adopt amendment L.004 (Attachment D). — pass (pass) · lower
- Adopt amendment L.007 (Attachment G). — pass (pass) · lower
- Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment C). — pass (pass) · lower
- Adopt amendment L.005 (Attachment E). — pass (pass) · lower
- Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment B) — pass (pass) · lower
- Adopt amendment L.006 (Attachment F). — pass (pass) · lower
- Adopt amendment L.022 — pass (pass) · lower
- Adopt amendment J.002 — pass (pass) · lower
- Adopt amendment L.012 (Attachment J). — fail (fail) · lower
- Adopt amendment L.010 (Attachment H). — pass (pass) · lower
- Refer House Bill 26-1250, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. — pass (pass) · lower
Sponsors
- J. Bacon — primary (person)
- K. DeGraaf — primary (person)
- K. Wallace — primary (person)
- M. Baisley — primary (person)
- S. Bright — primary (person)
- A. Benavidez — cosponsor (person)
- B. Bradley — cosponsor (person)
- B. Marshall — cosponsor (person)
- B. Titone — cosponsor (person)
- C. Kipp — cosponsor (person)
- C. Kolker — cosponsor (person)
- E. Sirota — cosponsor (person)
- I. Jodeh — cosponsor (person)
- J. Amabile — cosponsor (person)
- J. Bridges — cosponsor (person)
- J. Carson — cosponsor (person)
- J. Coleman — cosponsor (person)
- J. Gonzales — cosponsor (person)
- J. Mabrey — cosponsor (person)
- K. Brown — cosponsor (person)
- K. Nguyen — cosponsor (person)
- L. Frizell — cosponsor (person)
- L. García — cosponsor (person)
- L. Zamora Wilson — cosponsor (person)
- M. Brooks — cosponsor (person)
- M. Lindsay — cosponsor (person)
- M. Snyder — cosponsor (person)
- M. Soper — cosponsor (person)
- M. Weissman — cosponsor (person)
- N. Hinrichsen — cosponsor (person)
- N. Ricks — cosponsor (person)
- R. English — cosponsor (person)
- R. Gonzalez — cosponsor (person)
- R. Keltie — cosponsor (person)
- S. Lieder — cosponsor (person)
- S. Luck — cosponsor (person)
- S. Slaugh — cosponsor (person)
- T. Story — cosponsor (person)
- Y. Zokaie — cosponsor (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
- 2026-06-04 Governor Signed
executive-signature - 2026-06-03 Sent to the Governor
executive-receipt - 2026-06-03 Signed by the President of the Senate
passage - 2026-06-03 Signed by the Speaker of the House
passage - 2026-05-13 Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
passage, reading-3 - 2026-05-12 Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments
- 2026-05-12 Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole
committee-passage - 2026-05-12 Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Appropriations
introduction - 2026-05-12 House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
passage, reading-3 - 2026-05-11 House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor
- 2026-05-08 House Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
committee-passage, referral-committee - 2026-05-04 House Committee on Finance Refer Amended to Appropriations
referral-committee - 2026-04-21 House Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Finance
referral-committee - 2026-02-18 Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary
introduction
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/8e39fbc1-4891-4b8e-987f-ec2e373b956c. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Colorado legislature records).