Committee does not advance family-court professional-personnel bill amid court concerns

The committee declined to advance SB 16-56, a bill that would amend the process for appointing professional personnel and set guidelines for their conduct in family-court proceedings.

Committee members reviewed written comments from a court representative, Leanna Garcia, who said courts already perform many of the proposed functions and flagged several problematic provisions. The memo questioned language that appears to permit depositions of experts before appointment, called mandatory recordings of every session "counterproductive" to therapeutic candor, and warned that a proposed increase of the statute of limitations to four years would be unnecessary and costly.

Members expressed concern the measure would increase costs to litigants and duplicate existing court practices. One lawmaker said he could not weigh in without the sponsor present and opted to be recorded as "present" rather than vote yes or no; others explained their votes and concerns. The committee’s roll call recorded three nays and one absent, and the bill failed to receive a do-pass recommendation.

What comes next: The bill did not move forward from this committee; members asked that the sponsor address the court’s written concerns before further action.