Modification to Defense of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
Concerning modifications to the affirmative defense of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Official status: Became Law
Prime sponsors
- Judy Amabile (Senate) — Prime Sponsor
- Gretchen Rydin (House) — Prime Sponsor
- Matt Soper (House) — Prime Sponsor
Progress (from the official record)
Official summary
Official text — shown in English exactly as published by the official source. The official text controls.
Current law requires the defense to furnish a copy of any report of examination of the defendant that is made at the instance of the defense to the prosecution in a reasonable amount of time in advance of trial. The act requires a copy of the report to also be furnished to the court who, upon receipt of the copy, shall provide a copy to the department of human services. The act authorizes community placement of a defendant for treatment and rehabilitation. For a defendant who was charged with a crime allegedly committed on or after July 1, 2026, the act clarifies the legal standard for a defendant's conditional or unconditional release from the department. The standard for unconditional release is that the defendant has no abnormal mental condition that would be likely to cause the defendant to be dangerous to the defendant's self or others or to the community in the reasonably foreseeable future, is capable of distinguishing right from wrong, and has substantial capacity to conform their conduct to the law. The standard for conditional release is that the defendant can satisfy the standard for unconditional release but with the imposition of and compliance with conditions. At an unconditional release hearing for a defendant who is on conditional release, if any evidence is introduced that shows the defendant is ineligible for unconditional release, the defendant has the burden of proving that the defendant meets the applicable test for unconditional release. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Status timeline
| Date | Location | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 01/14/2026 | Senate | Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary |
| 02/04/2026 | Senate | Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the Whole |
| 02/09/2026 | Senate | Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Committee |
| 02/10/2026 | Senate | Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments |
| 02/11/2026 | House | Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary |
| 03/18/2026 | House | House Committee on Judiciary Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole |
| 03/23/2026 | House | House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments |
| 03/30/2026 | House | House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Floor |
| 03/31/2026 | House | House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments |
| 04/02/2026 | House | House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments |
| 04/06/2026 | Senate | Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass |
| 04/07/2026 | Senate | Signed by the President of the Senate |
| 04/07/2026 | House | Signed by the Speaker of the House |
| 04/08/2026 | Governor | Sent to the Governor |
| 04/20/2026 | Governor | Governor Signed |
Recorded votes
- 03/18/2026 — House Judiciary: “Refer Senate Bill 26-014 to the Committee of the Whole.” — the motion passed on a vote of 7–4.
- 02/04/2026 — Senate Judiciary: “Refer Senate Bill 26-014, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole.” — the motion passed on a vote of 5–2.
Proposed amendments (7 proposed amendments)
| Amendment | Committee / floor hearing | Offered | Disposition | Official document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.001 | Committee amendment — Judiciary (Senate) | 02/04/2026 | Passed | View official document |
| L.004 Sponsor: Senator Carson | Floor amendment — Second Reading (Senate) | 02/09/2026 | Lost | View official document |
| L.005 Sponsor: Senator Carson | Floor amendment — Second Reading (Senate) | 02/09/2026 | Lost | View official document |
| L.003 Sponsor: Senator Carson | Floor amendment — Second Reading (Senate) | 02/09/2026 | Lost | View official document |
| L.002 Sponsor: Senator Carson | Floor amendment — Second Reading (Senate) | 02/09/2026 | Lost | View official document |
| L.006 Sponsor: Representative Rydin | Floor amendment — Second Reading (House) | 03/30/2026 | Passed | View official document |
| L.010 Sponsor: Representative DeGraaf | Floor amendment — Second Reading (House) | 03/30/2026 | Lost | View official document |
Source: Colorado General Assembly (leg.colorado.gov) · Data as of
Full text
- Signed Act version (official PDF), 04/21/2026
- Final Act version (official PDF), 04/07/2026
- Rerevised version (official PDF), 04/02/2026
- Revised version (official PDF), 03/30/2026
- Reengrossed version (official PDF), 02/10/2026
- Engrossed version (official PDF), 02/09/2026
- Introduced version (official PDF), 01/14/2026
Official record
View SB26-014 on leg.colorado.gov
Source: Colorado General Assembly (leg.colorado.gov) · Data as of
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