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August 7, 2023 HB 23-1024
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
Final Fiscal Note
Drafting Number:
Prime Sponsors:
LLS 23-0303
Rep. Gonzales-Gutierrez;
Epps
Sen. Exum; Van Winkle
Date:
Bill Status:
Fiscal Analyst:
August 7, 2023
Signed into Law
Shukria Maktabi | 303-866-4720
shukria.maktabi@coleg.gov
Bill Topic: RELATIVE & KIN PLACEMENT OF A CHILD
Summary of
Fiscal Impact:
☐ State Revenue
☒ State Expenditure
☐ State Transfer
☐ TABOR Refund
☒ Local Government
☐ Statutory Public Entity
The bill enacts several measures related to the placement of children or youth with
relatives or kin. The bill increases state expenditures in FY2023-24 only and impacts
state and local workload on an ongoing basis beginning in FY 2023-24.
Appropriation
Summary:
For FY 2023-24, the bill requires and includes an appropriation of $21,352 to the
Department of Human Services.
Fiscal Note
Status:
The fiscal note reflects the enacted bill.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts Under HB 23-1024
Budget Year
FY 2023-24
Out Year
FY 2024-25
Revenue - -
Expenditures General Fund $13,879 -
Federal Funds $7,473 -
Total Expenditures $21,352 -
Transfers - -
Other Budget Impacts General Fund Reserve $2,082
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August 7, 2023 HB 23-1024
Summary of Legislation
The bill enacts several measures related to the placement of children and youth temporarily placed
out-of-the-home with relative or kin. These measures include:
requiring courts to inquire about and update relative or kin affidavits;
requiring county department of human services to assist relatives in obtaining resources to care
for a child or youth and providing options to participate in their care and planning;
specifying what must be included in notices from county department of human services to
relatives or kin when a child or youth is removed from their home;
requiring courts to prioritize placements with relative or kin and presume that placement with
them is in the child or youth’s best interest, unless the placement jeopardizes their health, safety
or welfare;
allowing parties that object to a relative or kin placement decision to request a hearing;
requiring courts provide reasoning when placement with relative or kin is denied;
requiring caseworkers to inform courts of efforts to place the child or youth with a relative;
allowing the courts to provide a prospective relative and kin with information on the foster child’s
physical and mental health needs; and
allowing kin who have had the child or youth in their care for three months or foster parents who
have had the child or youth in their care for twelve consecutive months to intervene as a matter
of right following adjudication.
State Expenditures
The bill increases state expenditures in the Department of Human Services (DHS) by $21,352 in
FY 2023-24, paid from the General Fund and federal funds, as described below. The bill also impacts
workload in the Judicial Department, Office of Child’s Representative (OCR), and the Office of
Respondent Parents’ Counsel (ORPC).
Department of Human Services. The DHS will have a one-time cost of $21,352 to modify TRAILS, its
child welfare data system, to provide caseworkers with the functionality to notify and record the
contacting of relatives and identified kin. This cost includes business analysis, development, quality
assurance, and training. TRAILS upgrade costs receive a 35 percent federal match, with the remaining
costs coming from the General Fund.
Judicial Department. Workload in trials courts may increase from additional or longer hearings in
dependency and neglect cases; however, as these increases in hearing time will likely only apply to a
subset of cases, this workload can be managed within existing resources by the trial courts.
Independent Judicial Offices Involved in Child Welfare. Starting in FY 2023-24, workload may
decrease for the OCR and ORPC to the extent that the number of foster parent intervener cases are
reduced leading to shorter cases. The fiscal note assumes that any change in workload or costs to
these agencies will be addressed through the annual budget process.
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August 7, 2023 HB 23-1024
Local Government
This bill may increase workload and costs for county department of human services. The expanded
efforts to locate and involve kin and relatives in the process can add to county caseworker workload.
Additionally, the county department of human services is required to provide necessary resources to
relatives and kin, within reasonable limits, to facilitate placements. These costs and workload impacts
will vary by county.
Effective Date
The bill was signed into law by the Governor on June 5, 2023, and it took effect on August 7, 2023.
State Appropriations
For FY 2023-24, the bill requires and includes a total appropriation of $21,352 to the Department of
Human Services, including:
$13,879 from the General Fund; and
$7,473 from federal funds.
State and Local Government Contacts
Child Welfare Counties District Attorneys
Human Services Information Technology
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit: leg.colorado.gov/fiscalnotes.