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July 1, 2024 HB 24-1055
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
Final Fiscal Note
Drafting Number:
Prime Sponsors:
LLS 24-0248
Rep. Froelich; Pugliese
Sen. Winter F.; Priola
Date:
Bill Status:
Fiscal Analyst:
July 1, 2024
Signed into Law
Shukria Maktabi | 303-866-4720
shukria.maktabi@coleg.gov
Bill Topic: CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY & EDUCATION
Summary of
Fiscal Impact:
☐ State Revenue
☒ State Expenditure
☐ State Transfer
☐ TABOR Refund
☐ Local Government
☐ Statutory Public Entity
The bill modifies child restraint system laws to increase child passenger safety. The
bill increases state workload in FY 2024-25 only.
Appropriation
Summary:
No appropriation is required.
Fiscal Note
Status:
The final fiscal note reflects the enacted bill. The bill was recommended by the
Transportation Legislation Review Committee.
Summary of Legislation
The bill makes changes to existing child restraint systems laws, including:
increasing the age of children who must use a child restraint system from under eight to
under nine years of age;
increasing the age and weight of children who must be restrained in a rear-facing child
restraint system from under one year to under two years of age and from under 20 pounds
to under 40 pounds;
increasing the age of children who must be restrained in a rear-facing or forward-facing
child restraint system from one year or older to two years or older;
adding a requirement that children aged four to nine who weigh at least 40 pounds must
use a child restraint system or booster seat in a rear seat, if available; and
increases the age of children who must be restrained in a safety belt or child restraint system
from under 16 years of age to under 18 years of age.
The bill requires the Division of Highway Safety in the Department of Transportation (CDOT) to
provide information about the updated child restraint system requirements to the public using
existing funds. Page 2
July 1, 2024 HB 24-1055
Comparable Crime Analysis
Legislative Council Staff is required to include certain information in the fiscal note for any bill
that creates a new crime, changes the classification of an existing crime, or creates a new factual
basis for an existing crime. The following section outlines crimes that are comparable to the
offense in this bill and discusses assumptions on future rates of criminal convictions resulting
from the bill.
Prior conviction data and assumptions. This bill creates new class B traffic infractions related
to child passenger safety, including failing to use a child restraint system for children under
57 inches in height, failing to use a booster seat for children aged four to nine, and failing to use
a seat beat for children aged nine to 13. This bill also expands the requirements for the existing
offense of failing to properly use child restraint systems. To form an estimate on the prevalence
of these crimes, the fiscal note analyzed the existing offense of violating the proper use of child
restraint systems in motor vehicles as a comparable crime. From FY 2020-21 to FY 2022-23,
1,655 have been convicted and sentenced for this existing offense. Of the persons convicted,
790 were male, 858 were female, and 7 did not have a gender identified. Demographically,
1,250 were White, 132 were Black/African American, 172 were Hispanic, 8 were Asian, 42 were
American Indian, 35 were classified as "Other," and 16 did not have a race identified.
The fiscal note assumes that any impact on criminal justice-related revenue or expenditures at
the state or local levels will be minimal; therefore, these potential impacts are not discussed
further in this fiscal note. Visit leg.colorado.gov/fiscalnotes for more information about criminal
justice costs in fiscal notes.
State Expenditures
Workload will increase for CDOT to provide information on updates to the child safety laws to the
public. This can be accomplished within existing appropriations.
Effective Date
This bill was signed into law by the Governor and took effect on June 4, 2024.
State and Local Government Contacts
Judicial Public Safety Transportation
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.