First Regular Session
Seventy-fourth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED
LLS NO. 23-0167.02 Jacob Baus x2173
HOUSE BILL 23-1009
House Committees Senate Committees
Education
A BILL FOR AN ACT
C
ONCERNING MEASURES TO IMPROV E SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WHO101
USE SUBSTANCES. 102
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov/
.)
Colorado Youth Advisory Council Committee. The bill creates
the secondary school student substance use committee (committee) in the
department of education (department) to develop a practice, or identify or
modify an existing practice, for secondary schools to implement that
identifies students who need substance use treatment, offers a brief
intervention, and refers the student to substance use treatment resources.
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Lindsay,
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Moreno,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing statute.
Dashes through the words indicate deletions from existing statute. The department is required to publicly publish a report of the
committee's findings and submit the report to the superintendent of every
school district and chief administrator of every institute charter school
that is a secondary school.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly2
finds and declares that:3
(a) Substance use is a major issue afflicting Colorado youth;4
(b) Colorado has higher levels of substance use, particularly5
among youth, than most other states;6
(c) Colorado schools' substance use intervention programs lack7
uniformity, resulting in inequitable interventions and treatment referrals8
for youth;9
(d) A screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment10
methodology has been adopted by schools with school-based health11
centers, and this methodology has revolutionized substance use treatment12
for youth;13
(e) The screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment14
methodology, if modified appropriately, may be implemented in15
secondary schools without school-based health centers in order to provide16
more support to youth who use substances;17
(f) Access to the crisis response system is critical for youth18
suffering from behavioral health and substance use crises; and19
(g) Adequate funding for the crisis response system is necessary20
to ensure that youth suffering from behavioral health and substance use21
crises may seek and receive timely support in order to prevent avoidable22
outcomes.23
HB23-1009-2- SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 22-2-148 as1
follows:2
22-2-148. Secondary school student substance use - committee3
- definitions - repeal. (1) (a) T
HERE IS CREATED IN THE DEPARTMENT THE4
SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT SUBSTANCE USE COMMITTEE , REFERRED TO5
IN THIS SECTION AS THE "COMMITTEE". ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 1, 2023,6
THE COMMISSIONER SHALL APPOINT THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS TO SERVE7
ON THE COMMITTEE:8
(I) T
WO MEMBERS WHO ARE STUDENTS AT A PUBLIC SECONDARY9
SCHOOL, ONE WHO ATTENDS A SCHOOL THAT IS LOCATED IN A RURAL10
SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ONE WHO A TTENDS A SCHOOL THAT IS NOT11
LOCATED IN RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT ;12
(II) T
WO MEMBERS WHO ARE TEACHERS AT A PUBLIC SECONDARY13
SCHOOL, ONE WHO TEACHES AT A SCHOOL THAT IS LOCATED IN A RURAL14
SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ONE WHO TEACHES AT A SC HOOL THAT IS NOT15
LOCATED IN A RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT ;16
(III) T
WO MEMBERS WHO ARE SCHOOL COUNSELORS AT A PUBLIC17
SECONDARY SCHOOL, ONE WHO IS A SCHOOL COUNSELOR AT A SCHOOL18
THAT IS LOCATED IN A RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ONE WHO IS A SCHOOL19
COUNSELOR AT A SCHOOL THAT IS NOT LOCATED IN A RURAL SCHOOL20
DISTRICT;21
(IV) T
WO MEMBERS WHO ARE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AT A22
PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL , ONE WHO IS A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR AT23
A SCHOOL THAT IS LOCATED IN A RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ONE WHO24
IS A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR AT A SCHOOL THAT IS NOT LOCATED IN A25
RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT;26
(V) T
WO MEMBERS WHO ARE PARENTS OR LEGAL GUARDIANS OF27
HB23-1009
-3- A STUDENT ATTENDING A PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL , ONE WHO IS A1
PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN OF A STUDENT ATTENDING A SCHOOL THAT2
IS LOCATED IN A RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ONE WHO IS A PARENT OR3
LEGAL GUARDIAN OF A STUDENT ATTENDING A SC HOOL THAT NOT IS4
LOCATED IN A RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT ; AND5
(VI) T
WO MEMBERS WHO ARE LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS6
WITH EXPERTISE IN ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS , ONE WHO7
PRACTICES IN A RURAL REGION AND ONE WHO PRACTICES IN AN URBAN OR8
SUBURBAN REGION.9
(b) T
O THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE , THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE10
COMMITTEE MUST INCLUDE PERSONS FROM THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND11
REFLECT THE RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY OF THE STATE.12
(c) M
EMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF THE13
COMMISSIONER, AND SERVE WITHOUT COMPENSATION OR PER DIEM .14
(2) T
HE COMMITTEE SHALL DEVELOP A PRACTICE , OR IDENTIFY OR15
MODIFY AN EXISTING PRACTICE, FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO IMPLEMENT16
THAT IDENTIFIES STUDENTS WHO NEED SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT ,17
OFFERS A BRIEF INTERVENTION, AND REFERS THE STUDENTS TO SUBSTANCE18
USE TREATMENT RESOURCES . THE COMMITTEE SHALL CONSIDER EXISTING19
AND AVAILABLE INFORMATION CONCERNING SECONDARY SCHOOL20
STUDENT SUBSTANCE USE IN COLORADO, AND HOW THE PRACTICE MUST21
ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES, RESOURCES, AND NEEDS IDENTIFIED FROM THE22
EXISTING AND AVAILABLE INFORMATION .23
(3) O
N OR BEFORE JANUARY 5, 2024, THE COMMITTEE SHALL24
SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT THAT DETAILS THE RECOMMENDED25
PRACTICE PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (2) OF THIS SECTION. THE26
DEPARTMENT SHALL PUBLISH THE REPORT ON ITS WEBSITE AND SUBMIT27
HB23-1009
-4- THE REPORT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OF EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND1
THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR OF EVERY INSTITUTE CHARTER SCHOOL THAT2
IS A SECONDARY SCHOOL.3
(4) A
S USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE4
REQUIRES:5
(a) "L
ICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL" MEANS A PSYCHOLOGIST6
OR PHYSICIAN LICENSED TO PRACTICE IN COLORADO.7
(b) "R
URAL SCHOOL DISTRICT" MEANS A SCHOOL DISTRICT IN8
C
OLORADO THAT THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES IS RURAL , BASED ON THE9
GEOGRAPHIC SIZE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE DISTANCE OF THE10
SCHOOL DISTRICT FROM THE NEAREST LARGE , URBANIZED AREA.11
(5) T
HIS SECTION IS REPEALED, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025.12
SECTION 3. Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds,13
determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate14
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety.15
HB23-1009
-5-