(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) Behavioral health commitment order or commitment order includes:
- (I) Emergency mental health holds as described in section 27-65-106 or as described in Tribal codes;
- (II) Certification for short-term treatment as described in section 27-65-109 or as described in Tribal codes;
- (III) Long-term care and treatment of persons with mental health disorders as described in section 27-65-110 or as described in Tribal codes;
- (IV) An emergency commitment as described in section 27-81-111 or as described in Tribal codes;
- (V) An involuntary commitment of a person with a substance use disorder as described in section 27-81-112 or as described in Tribal codes; or
- (VI) A commitment order permitted by federal, state, or Tribal law.
- (b) State means the state of Colorado.
- (c) Tribal court means any court or other federally or tribally established tribunal of a federally recognized Tribe duly established pursuant to federal law or Tribal law, including the Courts of Indian Offenses, Ute Mountain Ute agency, organized pursuant to 25 CFR part 11.
- (d) Tribe means the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, or a federally recognized Tribe acknowledged by the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, Pub.L. 103-454, 108 Stat. 4791.
- (2) The state, county, or municipal law enforcement agencies; state courts; hospitals; behavioral health facilities; health-care providers; and others within the state responsible for providing services to the person subject to a behavioral health commitment order shall recognize a commitment order entered by the Tribal court of a federally recognized Tribe and that concerns a person under the Tribal court's jurisdiction to the same extent as a commitment order entered by a state court.
- (3) A health-care provider may communicate with the officers of a Tribal court regarding a patient under the health-care provider's care pursuant to a Tribal court commitment order described in subsection (2) of this section, to the same extent that the health-care provider can communicate with officers of a court pursuant to a state court commitment order. Communications may include the nature of the treatment needed and provided, a patient's medical and mental health status, the extent to which the patient poses a danger to the patient's self or the community, and, if necessary, the need for additional treatment.
- (4) If a Tribal court issues an order rescinding the Tribal court's original behavioral commitment order, the state, county, or municipal law enforcement agencies; state courts; hospitals; behavioral health facilities; health-care providers; and others within the state responsible for providing services to the person subject to a behavioral health commitment order shall recognize the order rescinding the Tribal court's original behavioral health commitment order and release the person subject to the behavioral health commitment order.
- (5) This section applies to people subject to Tribal court behavioral health commitment orders.
Source: L. 2025: Entire section added, (SB 25-009), ch. 165, p. 670, § 2, effective May 5.