Concerning publishing an easily accessible list of secure transportation providers on certain departments' websites.
Summary
HB26-1063 requires the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing and the Behavioral Health Administration to publish easily accessible online lists of secure transportation providers that contract with managed care entities or behavioral health administrative services organizations. The lists must include provider contact information, including an active phone number or website, to make it easier for the public and system partners to identify and reach available secure transportation options.
The bill also makes several changes to Colorado’s behavioral health and emergency mental health transport framework. It expands who may be contacted to assist with detaining and transporting a person for an emergency mental health hold, clarifies that a certified peace officer must tell a person in protective custody that they are not under arrest and have not committed a crime, and gives detained individuals a right not to be transported by a certified peace officer when an alternative secure transportation option is available. In addition, it requires more information in petitions for court-ordered evaluations, including known history of assault or weapons possession and prior emergency mental health holds or certifications. The bill also expands Medicaid reimbursement for medication-assisted treatment in jail settings to include licensed providers, and it shifts licensing authority for secure transportation providers from counties to the Department of Public Health and Environment beginning January 1, 2027.
Impact
The bill amends multiple provisions in Colorado law governing Medicaid reimbursement, secure transportation, and emergency mental health holds. It adds new website-posting duties for state behavioral health agencies, broadens the definition and use of secure transportation providers, changes who can provide or coordinate transport, and transfers licensing oversight for secure transportation providers from counties to the state health department starting in 2027. It also updates petition requirements and protective-custody procedures in the mental health system, while expanding Medicaid reimbursement eligibility for jail-based medication-assisted treatment providers.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript excerpts or recorded votes, so there is no detailed public debate to summarize. The bill’s structure suggests a generally administrative and access-oriented approach, aimed at improving transparency, coordination, and transportation options in behavioral health and jail-based treatment settings. Its final status indicates it was enacted and signed by the Governor, which suggests it advanced with sufficient support to become law.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Based on the bill text, likely areas of debate could include the shift of licensing authority from counties to the state, the expanded role of non-law-enforcement transport providers, and the new right to avoid transport by a peace officer when alternatives are available. Stakeholders most likely affected include counties, law enforcement agencies, secure transportation providers, behavioral health crisis teams, ambulance and EMS providers, managed care entities, and people subject to emergency mental health holds.