Legal Protections for Minors' Dignity

Colorado Legislative Events

Published April 1st, 2026

Detected April 2nd, 2026

Summary

Colorado SB26-018 passed the House on April 1, 2026, establishing legal protections for minors' dignity by allowing suppression of court records associated with name changes. The bill passed the Senate 20-11 on February 24 and the House after extensive committee review and multiple amendments including L.001, L.002, L.003, L.005, S.001, and h.001-h.003. Eighteen amendments were introduced during the legislative process.

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What changed

Colorado enacted SB26-018 creating a new mechanism for suppressing court records related to minors' name changes, addressing the privacy and dignity interests of minors in legal proceedings. The bill was sponsored by eight legislators (Kolker, Wallace, Froelich, Garcia, Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Weissman) and navigated an extensive amendment process through both Senate and House Judiciary committees, with final passage on April 1, 2026.

Court administrators and family law practitioners in Colorado should prepare for implementation of new procedures for handling and suppressing juvenile name change records. Families seeking name changes for minors may benefit from enhanced privacy protections once the bill takes effect. Legal professionals should monitor for any accompanying rulemaking or judicial guidance on the suppression process.

What to do next

Court administrators should review and update record management procedures for juvenile name change filings
Legal professionals handling family law matters involving minors should familiarize themselves with new suppression provisions
Government agencies should coordinate on implementation timeline and any required system updates

Source document (simplified)

ChangeBridge / Colorado / SB018 Passed SB018 Senate Bill Passed 2026-02-25

Legal Protections for Dignity of Minors

Concerning legal protections for the dignity of a minor, and, in connection therewith, suppressing a court record associated with changing a minor's name.

Bill Details

State Colorado

Session 2026 Regular Session

Chamber Senate

Official Source leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-018

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Action History

2026-04-01 H House Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments 2026-03-30 H House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments 2026-03-25 H House Committee on Judiciary Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole 2026-02-25 H Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary 2026-02-24 S Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments 2026-02-23 S Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor 2026-02-18 S Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the Whole 2026-01-14 S Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary

Votes

2026-02-18 Senate Judiciary: Refer Senate Bill 26-018, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. Yea: 5 Nay: 2 2026-02-23 Senate: Committee of the Whole Cow * (s.001) Yea: 15 Nay: 17 2026-02-24 Senate: Third Reading Bill Yea: 20 Nay: 11 2026-02-18 Senate Judiciary: Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment G) Yea: 7 Nay: 0 2026-02-18 Senate Judiciary: Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment H) Yea: 7 Nay: 0 2026-02-18 Senate Judiciary: Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment I) Yea: 7 Nay: 0 2026-02-18 Senate Judiciary: Adopt amendment L.005 (Attachment D) Yea: 7 Nay: 0 2026-03-25 House Judiciary: Refer Senate Bill 26-018 to the Committee of the Whole. Yea: 7 Nay: 4 2026-04-01 House: Committee of the Whole Amd (h.001) Yea: 21 Nay: 37 2026-04-01 House: Committee of the Whole Amd (h.002) Yea: 19 Nay: 38 2026-04-01 House: Committee of the Whole Amd (h.003) Yea: 19 Nay: 38 2026-04-01 House: MISC Limit Yea: 38 Nay: 24

Committee Referrals

2026-01-14 S Judiciary 2026-02-18 S Committee of the Whole 2026-02-25 H Judiciary

Amendments

2026-02-18 Senate Judiciary Amendment L.005 Adopted 2026-02-18 Senate Judiciary Amendment L.001 Adopted 2026-02-18 Senate Judiciary Amendment L.002 Adopted 2026-02-18 Senate Judiciary Amendment L.003 Adopted 2026-02-23 Second Reading Amendment L.006 Adopted 2026-02-23 Second Reading Amendment L.007 2026-02-23 Senate Committee of the Whole Amendment S.001 2026-04-01 Second Reading Amendment L.015 2026-04-01 Second Reading Amendment L.011 2026-04-01 Second Reading Amendment L.010 2026-04-01 Second Reading Amendment L.018 2026-04-01 Second Reading Amendment L.021 2026-04-01 Second Reading Amendment L.022 2026-04-01 Second Reading Amendment L.019 2026-04-01 Second Reading Amendment L.020 2026-04-01 Second Reading Amendment L.014