House updates child-support guidelines to reflect 2024 costs and low-income adjustments

House adopts quadrennial updates to child-support guidelines

The Colorado House on April 24 passed House Bill 11 59, which implements the Colorado Child Support Commission’s legislative recommendations following its quadrennial review and updates the state child-support guidelines.

Why it matters

The bill updates formula inputs to reflect current costs of raising a child in Colorado, revises low-income adjustments tied to 2024 minimum-wage amounts, and changes crediting of overnights so that all overnights with a noncustodial parent are counted (removing a prior threshold of 93 or more overnights for credit). Sponsors said the changes aim to make child-support orders more equitable and reflective of parents’ actual ability to pay.

Sponsor remarks and fiscal note

Representative English, sponsor on the floor, said the commission reviews guidelines every four years and that the measure is intended to modernize the guidelines so orders reflect 2024 economic realities. Representative Joseph noted that the appropriations committee allocated $46,000 and that the remainder of funding is primarily federal. The House adopted the appropriations and health-and-human-services committee reports and passed the bill.

Outcome

The House adopted committee reports and passed House Bill 11 59 on final passage. The transcript shows committee-report votes and floor passage; the floor excerpt did not include a final roll-call tally for passage.