Colorado Bureau of Investigation Access Federal Fingerprint Search Service
Summary
HB1108 authorizes the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to participate in the FBI’s Rap Back service. Under the bill, CBI may submit applicant fingerprints to the FBI so they can be retained in the FBI database and used for future searches, including latent fingerprint searches. The bill is aimed at allowing authorized agencies to receive ongoing notifications when a person who has already undergone a fingerprint-based criminal history record check has new activity in FBI records.
The measure amends Colorado law governing the functions of the CBI by adding a new subsection that expressly permits this fingerprint retention and future-use arrangement. It also defines “Rap Back service” in state statute and specifies that the new authority applies only to fingerprints submitted on or after the bill’s effective date. The bill is set to take effect July 1, 2027, unless a referendum petition is filed and the measure is approved by voters.
Impact
The bill would change Colorado Revised Statutes section 24-33.5-412 by giving CBI explicit authority to send applicant fingerprints to the FBI’s Rap Back system and to have those prints retained for ongoing monitoring and future searches. This would affect state criminal history record check procedures, the handling of fingerprint submissions, and the ability of authorized agencies to receive post-check notifications about individuals subject to civil fingerprint-based background checks. The practical impact is on CBI, agencies that rely on background checks, and applicants whose fingerprints are submitted after the effective date.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill faced opposition in committee rather than broad support at that stage. On February 24, 2026, the House Judiciary Committee voted 8-0 to postpone the bill indefinitely, indicating unanimous committee opposition or at least unanimous agreement not to advance it. No committee transcript is available here, so the specific arguments for or against the bill are not recorded in the provided materials.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to be the privacy and data-retention implications of allowing applicant fingerprints to be stored in the FBI’s Rap Back service and reused for future searches, including latent searches. Supporters likely view the bill as a public-safety and administrative tool that improves ongoing criminal history monitoring for authorized agencies, while opponents may be concerned about expanded retention of biometric data, scope of future use, and the reach of post-background-check notifications. Because there are no transcripts, the precise objections are not stated, but the unanimous committee action to postpone indefinitely indicates the bill did not have enough support to move forward.