HB20-1088: U Visa Certification Requirements

• Establishes a 90-day deadline for law enforcement and other certifying agencies to process and sign or deny U visa certification requests, reduced to 30 days if the requestor is in federal immigration removal proceedings or has family members aging out of eligibility.

• Requires certifying officials to sign certification forms when a victim of qualifying criminal activity has been, is being, or is likely to be helpful to investigation or prosecution, with inability to communicate due to language barriers not counting as refusal to assist.

• Limits certification decisions to only two factors: victim status and helpfulness, prohibiting agencies from considering any other factors and requiring written detailed explanations for denials citing one of three specific reasons.

• Prohibits certifying agencies from disclosing victims' personal identifying information or immigration status except to comply with federal law, and requires agencies to inform crime victims about U visa procedures.

• Mandates annual reporting to the Division of Criminal Justice on certification requests received, signed, denied, and decisions exceeding completion deadlines, with reports available to the public upon request.