(1) At the first appearance of a defendant in court or upon arraignment, whichever is first in time, the court shall ascertain whether the defendant is serving in the United States armed forces or is a veteran of such forces. The court shall inform any such defendant that he or she may be entitled to receive mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, or other services as a veteran.
The court shall not accept a plea of guilty or nolo contendere without first determining whether the defendant is serving in the United States armed forces or is a veteran of such forces and, if so, informing the defendant as described in subsection (1) of this section.
This section applies to, but is not limited to, prosecutions for violations of municipalcharters and prosecutions for violations of municipal ordinances, except for traffic infractions for which the penalty is only a fine and arrest is prohibited.
Source: L. 2018: Entire section added, (HB 18-1078), ch. 135, p. 889, § 1, effective August 8.