[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6119794,"mediaKeyId","2710693-3959329ce933cd63f724d5f373fe406d","parentId",2710693,"title","Committee hears testimony on bill to limit repeat nuisance 911 calls; prosecutors and defense bar warn of consequences","audioSeconds",3510,"startMs",7537000,"endMs",11047000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2710693-3959329ce933cd63f724d5f373fe406d&start=7537&end=11047","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2710693-3959329ce933cd63f724d5f373fe406d/thumbnail_7537000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6119794/Colorado/Committee-hears-testimony-on-bill-to-limit-repeat-nuisance-911-calls-prosecutors-and-defense-bar-warn-of-consequences","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6119794-e326433e5bf344f1d8daf23824cab6c5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771139258&Signature=WMIP~MrUmRznCckKcHGJOxaOsnLHaCDs0oLczxVPYGW23H-JHHScg30~tfx9DsNSf4WGT~vmWLAb3cAUoMddqSJtCmjO37PNr3xJE6hGcB7lRjtkMD5g6-z0MOOLsDfedGG5QxuO0mb99VRrfoWeHgZTOHMMJXh9O9UAOHrUnFjL8WsQF75Z44u2bMjySRxmoiPGhA8ct-iVcuesW2YClDHCldUnxuftkyRdf-qryh4XFX-03iGIeSYnTFUdHUWt7ob6JfBuL8q03MuG8ZXBZDRwFza79AtwXwWQ75Us5rv4ckMfgF0EidBWk8dJwNjA3~NOQ5AyX5frMJ4OLsuVVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Colorado State Legislature","date","2025-03-19T00:00:00Z","article","Representative David Clifford opened the House Judiciary Committee discussion on Senate Bill 60 by describing repeated misuse of 911 centers as a growing operational problem for public safety answering points and emergency responders.

Clifford said the bill would create a criminal subsection for repeated, nonemergency contact with public safety answering points and include legislative intent language instructing courts that blocking a defendant's access to the 911 system may be appropriate when continued calls create a public-safety risk. He and co-sponsor Rep. Rob Carter described the proposal as a tool for law enforcement and courts to address chronic misuse while allowing officers discretion to refer people for services rather than automatically arresting them.

Front-line dispatchers and regional communications directors told the committee the problem can be severe. Tina Buenetta, Aurora's 9-1-1 director, gave a specific account of one individual who made thousands of calls in 2024 and at times kept 9-1-1 lines active for hours; she said the center logged one month with 3,819 calls from that single caller and 36 hours of connected time. Jeremy Russell, director of communications for the Colorado State Patrol, said that \"these callers tie up emergency lines, harass dispatchers, and delay responses for those in actual distress,\" and gave a case where an elderly caller's EMS response was delayed during a major outage.

Law enforcement witnesses supported a tool that preserves officer discretion. Jeff Streeter, a retired police chief and 9-1-1 regional director, told the committee prosecutors and dispatchers need an enforcement option and said the bill should have enforcement \"teeth.\" Deputy Chief Todd Reeves of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police said existing statutes have been difficult to apply in this context and that a statute focused on obstructing government operations by repeat 9-1-1 misuse could make prosecutions more workable.

Defense and civil-justice witnesses opposed the approach and urged caution. Claire Pollini of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar said criminalizing behavior that often signals serious and persistent mental illness risks harming vulnerable people and does not address underlying needs. Attorney Margaret Baker told the committee that many defendants charged in similar cases are found incompetent to proceed and that the criminal process often fails to deliver the treatment those individuals require; she warned additional charges would strain both the criminal justice and mental-health systems.

Committee members pressed for clarity. Several members asked whether existing statutes ' harassment, false reporting or obstruction ' already covered the conduct and why prosecutors had not used those statutes more often. Law enforcement witnesses said prosecutors had declined many such cases because those statutes were not tailored to repeated phone-line obstruction and because proving certain elements for jury convictions could be difficult.

The sponsors also proposed a policy route: the draft includes a legislative-intent provision asking courts to consider orders that would have telephone carriers or public-safety answering points block the defendant's access to emergency call paths where appropriate. Several members asked for a clearer standard for \"repeated\" and for guardrails to protect people with cognitive impairment or serious mental illness; witnesses said co-responder models and behavioral health pathways should be used before criminal charges.

No committee vote on SB 60 appears in the transcript. Sponsors and witnesses indicated a desire for further work with prosecutors, dispatch centers and defense advocates to refine definitions and procedural safeguards before any final recommendation.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Judiciary [Mar 19, 2025]","oneSentenceSummary","Representatives urged a tool to address repeat, costly 911 misuse while defense attorneys and advocates warned criminalizing repeated calls would funnel people with mental illness into the criminal justice system.","taxTitle","Judiciary, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Colorado","taxId",43317,"location","Colorado","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6119799,"Colorado committee advances bill to strengthen shield law for reproductive and gender-affirming care",7102,671000,7773000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2710693-3959329ce933cd63f724d5f373fe406d&start=671&end=7773","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2710693-3959329ce933cd63f724d5f373fe406d/thumbnail_671000.jpg","/articles/6119799/Colorado/Colorado-committee-advances-bill-to-strengthen-shield-law-for-reproductive-and-gender-affirming-care","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6119799-7c86f59242f59832cec4a558ac3051ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771139258&Signature=KusXxSB~~4i9zvRleN0ldaaGxGHvYc8PMXd3C2u2czFJiFyDsw6ibi~gwIzm-Fog~MwLD6FMAJ8LChWbvLDAk6Xbp8qsuD0OCRYI6XUNXqTCLmkHKWoiV5iX2oAFmAUY~rour-blaeXd2PRtBrx3wG-rP8jjcR2oEqs7bb-W44M4y8FgMpOjFjTDy1624V58G3ZaFiMSXS9dNsIJgn4eAvFTITt~byJtIUf-ZWpxB-ofice2V8VyFseYJ-0VImFvB7AxNFPXVPSGIZOwoFy3RhNk0SAfmw8XX14h4otYKpG2TAQ1B69qxeOqJZ77gcEGhS9tIvxN4ElQIK2MMdyzxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rep. Leslie Joseph, the bill's prime sponsor, told the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday that Senate Bill 129 would \"protect care and to further strengthen Colorado's shield law\" and make it harder for out-of-state legal actions to reach providers and patients in Colorado.

The bill would add several protections including allowing providers to list a clinic or practice name instead of an individual prescriber on labels for medication abortion, requiring out-of-state subpoena requests to include a sworn statement they are not intended to criminalize legally protected care, and giving the Colorado attorney general authority to enforce those protections, sponsors said. \"If you seek care in Colorado, you are safe. If you provide care in Colorado, you are protected,\" Joseph said.

Sponsors said the measure builds on 2023 shield law work (Senate Bill 23-188). Rep. Rem McCormick said the bill clarifies that entities and persons licensed or regulated by Colorado cannot use the state's resources to assist other states' investigations into legally protected care. McCormick also told the committee there is \"no fiscal note to this bill.\"

Supporters argued the bill is a necessary response to a wave of legal actions in other states. Lauren Smith, speaking for Soul to Soul Sisters, said stronger protections are vital because \"Black communities are among the first to be impacted\" when reproductive care is restricted. Dr. Jackson (Jax) Gonzalez of 1Colorado said Colorado families already travel across state lines for care and need assurance their providers will not be targeted by out-of-state subpoenas.

Opponents, many of them physicians, urged the committee to consider patient safety and accountability concerns. Dr. Roy Even, an endocrinologist testifying in opposition, said he believes evidence for some gender-affirming treatments in children is \"low quality\" and added, \"I oppose this bill.\" Several other medical witnesses — including OB-GYNs and pediatric specialists — warned the bill could make it harder to identify clinicians responsible for malpractice or substandard care.

Committee debate included two floor-style amendments offered by the sponsors. Amendment L6 removed a portion of the bill (described by sponsors as redundant given prior law and other sections) and L9 added clarifying language about persons and entities licensed or regulated by the state; both amendments were adopted by voice vote. Rep. Rob Caldwell and others raised concerns about a provision (page 15 in the draft) that would stop the state registrar from collecting or publishing abortion reports; Caldwell said that change raised public-safety and data-quality concerns.

After debate and amendment, Rep. Carter moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The committee recorded a roll-call vote: Aiken, Clifford, Espinosa, Garcia, Zokai, Carter and the chair voted yes; Armagost, Caldwell, Kelty and Soper voted no. The committee announced the bill passed to the Committee of the Whole by a vote of 7-4.

The bill's text gives new enforcement authority to the Colorado attorney general and adds procedural requirements for out-of-state subpoena requests; sponsors said those changes are intended to stop subpoenas aimed at punishing people for seeking or providing care legal in Colorado. Opponents said the law could create gaps in accountability for providers and reduce transparency in cases where patient safety concerns arise.

The committee recorded two explicit directions: (1) sponsors will work with interested members to refine statutory language about which entities are covered; and (2) the attorney general will be the implementing enforcement authority if the bill becomes law.

Supporters urged the committee to prioritize patient privacy and provider safety in a national environment they described as increasingly hostile to reproductive and gender-affirming care. Opponents urged more safeguards for patient reporting and malpractice accountability.

Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 129 (as amended) ' motion to send to Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; mover: Rep. Carter; second: Rep. Zokai; outcome: approved by roll call, 7 yes / 4 no.

The bill will be considered next by the Committee of the Whole; sponsors said they will continue to work with committee members on the statutory language clarifications requested during debate.

","The House Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 to send Senate Bill 129 to the Committee of the Whole after sponsors said it strengthens Colorado's 2023 shield law by tightening subpoena limits and expanding protections for patients and providers.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee hears testimony on bill to limit repeat nuisance 911 calls; prosecutors and defense bar warn of consequences

Colorado committee advances bill to strengthen shield law for reproductive and gender-affirming care