Senate Bill 18-096 Summary

• Replaces outdated terminology "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" with "intellectual and developmental disability" throughout Colorado statutes in a nonsubstantive manner without altering legal scope or applicability.

• Updates criminal sentencing statutes (18-1.3-1101 through 18-1.3-1201) to use modernized terminology for defendants determined to have intellectual and developmental disabilities, maintaining existing protections prohibiting death sentences for such defendants.

• Revises evaluation and hearing procedures for class 1 felony cases to reference intellectual and developmental disabilities instead of mental retardation terminology.

• Modernizes public health statutes (25-4-801 through 25-4-1004.5) addressing newborn testing for metabolic disorders that could cause intellectual and developmental disabilities.

• Updates health and social services definitions and programs (22-20-103, 25.5-6-403, 26-11-207, 27-66-105) to use consistent terminology throughout Colorado's health and disability services framework.