HB 22-1224

House Bill 22-1224, also known as the Public Benefits Theft Act, makes it a specific crime to intentionally lie or hide important information about your eligibility when applying for public benefits like food assistance or Medicaid. This means that if someone tries to get these benefits by cheating and isn’t actually eligible, they can be prosecuted under this new law. The bill has been signed into law, so it is now active and enforceable in Colorado.

Official Summary

The act creates specific elements for public benefits theft in the theft statute. A person commits public benefits theft when a person intentionally misrepresents or withholds a material fact for determining eligibility, and does so for the purpose of obtaining or retaining public benefits for which the person is not eligible. A person's conduct that is limited to the elements of public benefits theft is not subject to prosecution pursuant to any other provision of the theft statute. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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