HB 22-1153 Summary

• Establishes "Marlo's Law" - a new confirmatory adoption process for parents who did not give birth when a child is conceived through assisted reproduction, allowing both parents to affirm legal parentage through a streamlined adoption procedure.

• Court must grant adoption within 30 days if a complete petition is filed and parents meet requirements; eliminates standard adoption requirements including home studies, fingerprinting, criminal background checks, and in-person hearings unless good cause exists.

• Replaces gender-specific language throughout Colorado family law with gender-neutral terms ("parentage" instead of "paternity," "parent" instead of "father/mother") and extends protections to civil union partners equal to married spouses.

• Prohibits genetic testing to challenge parentage for intended parents who consented to assisted reproduction, and prevents donors from being recognized as parents when eggs, sperm, or embryos are used with another person's consent.

• Permits voluntary acknowledgment of parentage for intended parents of children conceived through assisted reproduction, with the acknowledgment taking effect upon filing with the state registrar and conferring all parental rights and duties.