Committee advances bipartisan bill requiring additional warrant checks before transfer to community corrections

House Bill 25‑11‑16 would require the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) to search for outstanding warrants at additional points in the custody-to-community‑corrections process, sponsors and witnesses told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The measure passed the committee on a 7‑0 vote and was placed on the consent calendar. The bill’s sponsors said the change is a narrow, administrative fix meant to reduce unnecessary rearrests and the cost of transporting inmates when outstanding warrants emerge late in the process.

Senator Peltenaar, a co‑prime sponsor, told the committee the bill grew from a constituent case in which a person was transported from prison to a community corrections site only to be taken back into custody within 30 minutes because of an outstanding warrant. Senator Paul, his co‑prime sponsor, described the bill as a “common‑sense bipartisan bill” that mandates additional warrant checks at multiple points, including on initial admission, during sentence evaluations, and before community‑corrections eligibility. “All this bill does is it mandates that the Department of Corrections search for outstanding warrants at multiple points in the process,” Paul said.

James Carbach of the Office of the State Public Defender testified in support and explained the practical effect: the bill adds “one warrant check in the middle” of the existing process so courts and defense representatives can be notified and resolve matters by video or scheduling rather than producing costly transports. “When we learn about a warrant, we can contact courts. We can try and set up video, resolutions. We can try and resolve things without defendants appearing,” Carbach said. He said the change was negotiated with DOC and designed to be absorbable within current DOC resources.

Bridal Buentejo, associate executive director of Stand for Children Colorado, also supported the bill and said the added checks would encourage expanded use of virtual court appearances and help reduce recidivism by resolving low‑level matters while the person remains in custody.

Committee members asked about cost. Sponsor testimony and the fiscal note state the Department of Corrections will perform the checks and the additional work is “anticipated to be absorbable with current resources.” No amendments were offered during the hearing.

Action taken: the committee moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; the clerk recorded the bill as passing the committee on a 7‑0 vote and directed it to the consent calendar.

Why it matters: Supporters said timely warrant checks reduce needless transports, lower taxpayer expense, and allow people transitioning to community corrections to enter programs without last‑minute interruptions. Opponents did not appear in committee to object to the bill.

The committee placed HB 25‑11‑16 on the consent calendar for further floor consideration.