SB25-062 Failure to Appear Charges in Municipal Court

The bill prohibits a person's failure to appear from forming the basis of a municipal criminal charge against the person and prohibits a municipal judge from imposing a jail sentence for a person. The bill adds the failure to appear to the list of state laws that cannot be superseded by a charter or ordinance enacted by a home rule city.

The bill clarifies that, for purposes of the bill, failure to appear includes contempt of court for the failure to appear or any other term used by a municipality to refer to a person's failure to appear at a scheduled court date.

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)