HB 25-1159
Fiscal Note
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
HB 25-1159: CHILD SUPPORT COMMISSION REC OMMENDATIONS
Prime Sponsors:
Rep. English; Joseph
Published for: House Health & Human Services
Drafting number: LLS 25-0239
Fiscal Analyst:
Shukria Maktabi, 303-866-4720
shukria.maktabi@coleg.gov
Version: Initial Fiscal Note
Date: February 10, 2025
Fiscal note status: The fiscal note reflects the introduced bill.
Summary Information
Overview. The bill implements the Child Support Commission’s recommendations, including making
changes to payment guidelines and parenting time adjustments for calculating child support payments.
Types of impacts. The bill is projected to affect the following areas on an ongoing basis:
State Expenditures
Appropriations. For FY 2025-26, the bill requires total appropriations of $634,330 to multiple state
agencies.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts
Type of Impact
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
State Revenue $0 $0
State Expenditures $634,330 $228,760
Transferred Funds $0 $0
Change in TABOR Refunds $0 $0
Change in State FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE Page 2
February 10, 2025 HB 25-1159
Table 1A
State Expenditures
Fund Source
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
General Fund $543,745 $228,760
Cash Funds $0 $0
Federal Funds $90,585 $0
Centrally Appropriated $0 $0
Total Expenditures $634,330 $228,760
Total FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE
Summary of Legislation
The bill makes changes to the child support system that were recommended by the Colorado
Child Support Commission, including:
changing eligibility for the low-income adjustment from below the current monthly income
level of $1,500 to an amount that is based on the state minimum wage (self-support
reserve);
permitting low-income obligors to retain income up to the self-support reserve threshold
and allocate 80 to 95 percent of the remaining income towards child support (based upon
the number of children). If the calculated amount falls below the reduced low-income
adjustment amount or above the basic schedule amount, the corresponding amount will
apply;
updating the basic child support obligation schedule;
modifying the parenting time adjustment to account for all overnights a parent has with a
child and implementing the corresponding parenting time adjustment table;
requiring courts to enter child support orders for every dissolution of marriage proceeding
and allowing courts to appoint Child Family Investigators (CFI) in juvenile proceedings that
involve the allocation of parental responsibilities; and
making other changes that clarify requirements for independent contractor reporting,
extraordinary medical expenses for children, and factors considered for retroactive child
support and income tax dependency.
Page 3
February 10, 2025 HB 25-1159
State Expenditures
The bill increases state expenditures by $634,000 in FY 2025-26 and $229,000 in FY 2026-27.
These costs will be incurred in the Judicial Department and the Department of Human Services
as shown in Table 2 and described in the sections below. Costs are paid from the General Fund
and federal funds.
Table 2
State Expenditures
All Departments
Department
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
Judicial Department $497,080 $228,760
Department of Human Services $137,250 $0
Total Costs $634,330 $228,760
Judicial Department
Costs will increase in the Judicial Department for additional CFIs and system updates, as well as
increased workload to incorporate the new changes in the child support system.
Additional Child Family Investigators
Costs will increase by approximately $229,000 annually beginning in FY 2025-26 for new CFI
appointments in juvenile cases involving the allocation of parental responsibilities, including
dependency and neglect cases. Currently, CFIs are only appointed in domestic relations matters.
Expanding their role to juvenile cases is expected to increase the number of appointments,
which are typically funded by the Judicial Department.
The Judicial Department paid for CFI appointments in about 3 percent of domestic relations
cases. Assuming a similar rate for juvenile cases, an estimated 133 additional CFI appointments
would be made each year (3 percent x an average of 4,428 juvenile cases annually). Each CFI
appointment is estimated to cost an average of $1,720.
System Update
The Judicial Department will have one-time costs of $268,000 to contract for updates to its
system for managing court-appointed counsel. Specifically, this work will require about three
months of contractor time to update billing forms and related information tracking.
Page 4
February 10, 2025 HB 25-1159
Updated Child Support Processes
The trial courts in the Judicial Department will have a minimal increase in workload to apply the
new guideline schedules and calculations, as well as incorporate changes related to tax
dependency considerations, extraordinary medical expenses for disabled children, and
retroactive child support. Workload will also increase to enter a child support order in all legal
separation cases involving children, which currently may not always have an order due to
agreements or net zero calculations. This additional workload is expected to be minimal and
manageable within current resources.
Table 2A
State Expenditures
Judicial Department
Cost Component
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
Additional CFI Appointments $228,760 $228,760
System Updates $268,320 $0
Total Costs $497,080 $228,760
Department of Human Services
In FY 2025-26, the Department requires one-time costs of $137,000 to update the Automated
Child Support Enforcement System with new child support schedules, payment adjustments, and
income calculations. Costs include all development and system testing, and will be completed by
the Office of Information Technology. Federal funds will cover 35 percent of the costs.
Table 2B
State Expenditures
Department of Human Services
Cost Component
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
System Updates $137,250 $0
Total Costs $137,250 $0
Effective Date
The bill takes effect upon signature of the Governor, or upon becoming law without his
signature; except that Section 7 and 12 take effect on February 1, 2026, and certain parts of
Section 2 take effect on March 1, 2026. Page 5
February 10, 2025 HB 25-1159
State Appropriations
For FY 2025-26, the bill requires total appropriations of $634,330, including:
$497,080 to the Judicial Department from the General Fund; and
$137,250 to the Department of Human Services, with $46,665 from the General Fund and
$90,585 from federal funds. Funds will be reappropriated to the Office of Information
Technology.
State and Local Government Contacts
Counties
Human Services
Judicial
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 the General Assembly website.