Senate committee advances SB 151 after testimony on runaway youth; amendments remove fiscal impact

The Colorado Senate Health & Human Services Committee voted 7–1 to advance Senate Bill 151 on measures aimed at preventing youth from running away from residential care and to set baseline requirements for how facilities respond.

Senator Michaelson Janae, sponsor of SB 151, moved the bill as amended after the committee adopted two amendments (L001 and L002). The Legislative Council staff memo provided with amendment L001 indicated that, if L001 were adopted, the bill would have a zero fiscal note; the committee adopted L001 and L002 without recorded opposition. A roll call on the committee’s final motion to move the bill to the Committee of the Whole recorded seven ayes and one no (Senator Carson), and the bill was given a favorable recommendation.

The bill responds to findings of the Timothy Montoya Task Force, convened after the 2020 death of 12‑year‑old Timothy Montoya, who ran away from a residential treatment facility and was struck by a vehicle. Task force members and witnesses told the committee that Colorado lacks consistent systems to prevent and respond to youth who run from care.

Witnesses described the core requirements that appear in SB 151 as presented to the committee. Stephanie Villafuerte, Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman, said the measure “requires residential facilities to craft a policy that outlines how a facility will respond to a youth who runs away,” that a legal parent or custodian must be notified when a child has run from care (the timeframe for notification was not specified in testimony), and that facilities must be surveyed to identify existing infrastructure and gaps. Villafuerte told the committee the task force found “Colorado has no systems in place to prevent youth from running to intervene or search for them when they do.”

Elizabeth Montoya, Timothy Montoya’s mother, described her son’s history in care and the circumstances of his death in June 2020. She said Timothy, who had been diagnosed with autism, ADHD and learning disabilities, “began running away on a daily basis” in the month before his death and that she was not notified promptly when he left the facility. Montoya said Timothy was found at St. Anthony’s Hospital listed under an alias and that she was able to spend the last 12 hours of his life at his bedside. “So much of this tragedy was preventable,” she told the committee, and urged a yes vote.

Kevin Lash, a member of the Montoya Runaway Task Force, also spoke in support and said, “I support Senate Bill 25,151 as at least a first step to alleviating the runaway problem,” describing repeated episodes of running by his own child and the dangers youth face when they leave care.

Law-enforcement and outreach testimony emphasized risks faced by youth and the limits of the current response. Beth McNally, a retired detective with the Boulder Police Department and program manager for the Denver Office of Neighborhood Safety, said her team’s Runaway Outreach Notification and Intervention (RONI) program handled about 1,200 runaway reports after assuming responsibility from Denver Police Department and argued the state’s response must be more comprehensive to reduce risks including trafficking and other victimization.

Child-welfare providers also supported the bill as a step toward better tools to protect youth in care. Dr. Becky Miller Updike, executive director of the Colorado Association of Family and Children’s Agencies, and Dawn Fritz, director of legislative engagement for Colorado PTA, each urged passage. Fritz said PTA supports parental engagement and the bill’s provisions requiring notice and inclusion of family stakeholders in developing tools and policies.

Committee action: Senator Michaelson Janae moved amendment L001, explaining it removes the fiscal impact; the committee adopted L001 after no opposition was recorded. Senator Michaelson Janae then moved amendment L002 (language cleanup); it was also adopted without recorded opposition. The sponsor then moved SB 151 as amended to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The roll call recorded ayes from Senators Bridal, Doherty, Frizzell, Judah, Weisman, Michaelson Janae and Chair Malika; Senator Carson voted no. The chair announced the motion passed 7–1.

Several witnesses and the sponsor noted the work on SB 151 is only part of the task force’s recommendations; witnesses said remaining recommendations will require additional funding and were not included in the current bill because they would carry a fiscal note. The committee did not adopt language specifying timelines for parental notification, and witnesses noted the state lacks comprehensive data on how often youth run from residential placements and why.

The bill now moves to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration.