HB 11-1195 Summary

• Establishes a voluntary licensing program for private investigators in Colorado through the Division of Registrations, allowing qualified investigators to obtain state-issued licenses by July 1, 2012.

• Requires applicants to be at least 21 years old, lawfully present in the U.S., have at least 4,000 hours of verifiable experience within five years (or 2,000 hours plus postsecondary education), pass a fingerprint-based criminal background check, and demonstrate knowledge of applicable statutes and rules.

• Prohibits unlicensed persons from using the title "licensed private investigator," with first offense as a Class 2 misdemeanor and subsequent offenses as a Class 1 misdemeanor.

• Grants the Director of Registrations authority to deny, suspend, revoke, or place licenses on probation for violations, fraud, felony convictions involving sexual behavior/domestic violence/stalking, or disciplinary actions in other jurisdictions, with maximum fines of $3,000 per violation.

• Appropriates $102,283 in funds for fiscal year 2011 to implement the program and repeals the article effective September 1, 2016, with prior review required under the sunset review process.