HB 24-1088

House Bill 24-1088 modifies Colorado's Child Fatality Prevention Act by removing the requirement for local review teams to investigate child fatalities from motor vehicle incidents and mandating that these team members be appointed by county commissioners. The bill also ensures parents or guardians of deceased children are informed about review processes, given a chance to speak up, and can seek legal help during reviews. Signed into law, this means the changes have been officially enacted and will now guide how child fatality cases are handled in Colorado.

Official Summary

The "Child Fatality Prevention Act" establishes state and local or regional child fatality prevention review teams to conduct multidisciplinary reviews of child abuse, neglect, and fatalities. The bill: Repeals the requirement that a local or regional review team conduct reviews of child fatalities related to motor vehicle incidents; Requires that members of a local or regional review team be appointed by a board of county commissioners; Repeals the requirement that a local or regional review team review the cause and manner of a child fatality, as determined by the local coroner, pathologist, or medical examiner; Requires a local or regional review team to provide the parent or guardian of a deceased child with written notice of a review, an opportunity to be heard, and an opportunity to obtain legal representation during the review process; and Repeals the requirement that a state review team review a child fatality case that has not been reviewed by a local or regional review team.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)