Bill Summary
HB26-1075 makes targeted changes to how Colorado routes certain federal Title IV-E prevention reimbursements into the Colorado Child Abuse Prevention Trust Fund. It also continues the Trust Fund and the Colorado Child Abuse Prevention Board past their scheduled July 1, 2027 repeal date.
- Beginning July 1, 2026, changes which federal Title IV-E reimbursements are transmitted to the Trust Fund: reimbursements for prevention services and programs funded by the Department of Early Childhood and identified in the federal Title IV-E prevention services clearinghouse.
- Directs the Department of Human Services to claim and transmit those federal Title IV-E reimbursements for eligible Department of Early Childhood programs to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Trust Fund.
- Repeals the provision that had the board claiming Title IV-E reimbursement for the Trust Fund for all eligible grants on the clearinghouse.
- Continues the Colorado Child Abuse Prevention Trust Fund indefinitely.
- Continues the Colorado Child Abuse Prevention Board indefinitely.
- Requires an independent evaluation report to be delivered by November 1, 2029, and repeals that reporting section on July 1, 2030.
Position: Support
Prevention is the right priority. If we can help families earlier, fewer kids end up in crisis and fewer cases require the most intrusive government actions later. That is better for children and more consistent with limited government.
We can support prevention without building a bigger bureaucracy. The key is to keep the mission tight, the overhead low, and the outcomes measurable. A trust fund should act like a tool, not a trophy.
Why I Am Taking This Position
This is a narrow bill, and that is a compliment. It does not create a new state program. It adjusts the pipeline for specific federal Title IV-E reimbursements and keeps the Trust Fund and Board from expiring.
Counties carry real responsibility in child welfare. Prevention services are where we can do the most good with the least intrusion. When prevention works, it protects kids and reduces downstream costs and trauma.
One point deserves plain talk. The bill summary says the change increases funding, but the introduced language shifts the reimbursement source to reimbursements tied to Department of Early Childhood funded programs identified in the clearinghouse. On its face, that reads like a more specific lane, not automatically more dollars. Support does not mean blind trust. It means backing the direction and insisting on clean implementation and transparent accounting.
Accountability matters even more when something is continued indefinitely. HB26-1075 requires an independent evaluation that includes administrative costs, cost-effectiveness, and impact on reducing and preventing child abuse. That is the right expectation: if it is going to last, it has to perform.
Call to Action – What You Should Do!
Contact your state representative and senator and ask them to support HB26-1075.
Also ask a practical question: how will the state measure results and keep administrative costs in check while routing these reimbursements into the Trust Fund?
