The act authorizes a board of county commissioners to establish an incentive program to offer limited county property tax credits or rebates to participants in a program designed to directly improve an area of specific local concern related to the use of real property in the county. An "area of specific local concern" is defined in the act as a use of real property in the county that is determined by the board of county commissioners to be diminishing or unavailable based on verifiable data and which use the board of county commissioners finds and declares necessary for the preservation of the health, safety, or welfare of the residents of the county, including as to matters of equity, access to housing, and access to education. An "area of specific local concern" does not include a use of real property in a county that harms or may reasonably be expected to harm a disproportionately impacted community or prevents or may reasonably be expected to prevent meeting minimum greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and deadlines. An incentive program must be established by resolution or ordinance adopted by a board of county commissioners at a public hearing, which resolution or ordinance must include the board's findings and determinations regarding the specific area of local concern and specific criteria for the qualification of program participants. The county must provide notice of the hearing, including specified information regarding the incentive program, to the clerk of each municipality that is wholly or partly located in the county and that may be impacted by the incentive program. Each such municipality must be allowed to submit written comments and provide testimony at the hearing. Incentive programs must be evaluated on an annual basis and may be renewed only if determined to be effective. An incentive program must be uniformly applied among all owners of the same class of real or commercial property. The act also authorizes municipalities to establish an incentive program offering limited municipal property tax credits or rebates to participants in a program designed to directly improve an area of specific local concern related to the use of real property in the municipality. A municipal incentive program is subject to the same substantive and procedural requirements as a county program, including the requirement to provide notice of the public hearing regarding the incentive program, and an opportunity to submit written comments and provide testimony at such hearing, to each county that includes all or any portion of the municipality and that may be impacted by the incentive program. APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The "Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act" prohibits any animal shelter or pet animal rescue (facility) from releasing a dog or cat to a prospective owner unless the animal has been sterilized, except in cases in which sterilization would jeopardize the life or health of the dog or cat. A facility in an area with limited access to licensed veterinarians may be granted an exemption from the sterilization requirement by the commissioner of agriculture (commissioner). The act: Only allows an exemption from the sterilization requirement due to the health of an animal for animals born in Colorado; Allows a licensed veterinarian to delay a sterilization procedure if the licensed veterinarian declares in writing that a sterilization procedure is likely to cause a secondary illness, injury, impairment, or physical condition that involves inpatient care or ongoing outpatient treatment; Requires a licensed veterinarian to base a determination of unfitness for sterilization on specific details regarding the specific animal for which an exemption is requested; Prohibits a licensed veterinarian from including multiple animal exemption requests in one determination of unfitness for sterilization; Requires each facility to provide the department of agriculture with information regarding animals exempted from the sterilization requirement at the time of the facility's license renewal; and Prohibits facilities that import unsterilized dogs or cats into the state of Colorado from receiving an exemption from the commissioner. APPROVED by Governor March 12, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law allows the commissioner of agriculture to assess civil penalties for violations of state laws related to the prevention of noxious weeds (violations). The act: Clarifies that a board of county commissioners (board) may allow for the assessment and collection of fines for violations of local laws enacted to enforce the management of noxious weeds in the county; Creates a civil infraction for violations; Creates a civil penalty for violations that is no less than $500 and no more than $1,000; Allows a county attorney to petition the district court for an injunction to prevent an ongoing violation; and Allows a board to appoint a district attorney to enforce violations in the event that the county does not have a county attorney or in any other circumstance that the board deems appropriate. APPROVED by Governor March 12, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under the Colorado open meetings law (COML), any meeting of a body of the general assembly at which the adoption of any proposed policy, position, resolution, rule, regulation, or formal action occurs or at which a majority or quorum of a body of the general assembly is in attendance or expected to be in attendance can only be held after full and timely notice to the public. In addition, the COML requires that minutes of the meeting be taken and promptly recorded. The act makes several changes and clarifications concerning the application of the COML to the general assembly and its members. Specifically, the act provides that, for purposes of applying the notice and minutes provisions under the COML, a quorum of a state public body of the general assembly must be contemporaneous. Additionally, the act establishes that written communications, electronic or otherwise, exchanged between members of the general assembly are not subject to the COML but any records of the communications are subject to disclosure to the extent required by the "Colorado Open Records Act". The act also defines "public business", for purposes of the application of the COML to the general assembly, as introduced legislation, proposed legislation, if a draft of the proposed legislation prepared by the office of legislative legal services is being discussed by a quorum of a statutory committee or committee of reference during a regular or special legislative session or by a quorum of any type of interim committee, or other matters before a statutory committee, any type of interim committee, or a committee of reference. Introduced legislation and proposed legislation includes a bill, resolution, and memorial. However, "public business" does not include matters that are by nature interpersonal, administrative, or logistical or that concern personnel, planning, process, training, or operations, as long as the merits or substance of matters that are expressly defined as being public business are not discussed. Additionally, in 2024, 2025, and 2026, the executive committee of the legislative council shall consider at a meeting the application of the COML to the general assembly, and there must be the opportunity for public comment to be received in connection with the meeting. On or after January 1, 2027, such a meeting shall be held upon the request of a member of the executive committee of the legislative council. APPROVED by Governor March 12, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 12, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act generally prohibits covenants and other restrictions that disallow the installation, use, or maintenance of fire-hardened building materials in residential real property, including in common interest communities. However, the act allows a unit owners' association of a common interest community to develop reasonable standards regarding the design, dimensions, placement, or external appearance of fire-hardened building materials used for fencing within the community. APPROVED by Governor March 12, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 12, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Governor Signed
The general assembly recognizes that the actual funded pupil count and the at-risk pupil count for the 2023-24 budget year are higher than expected when the appropriation amount for the state share of total program funding was established during the 2023 legislative session, resulting in an increase in total program funding for the 2023-24 budget year. In addition, local property tax revenue and specific ownership tax revenue are higher than anticipated, resulting in an increase in the local share of total program funding for the 2023-24 budget year. The act declares the general assembly's intent to maintain the budget stabilization factor at the amount of the original appropriation for the 2023-24 budget year. The act decreases the appropriation for the state share of total program funding by $23,964,790 in cash funds from the state education fund and adjusts the 2023-24 state fiscal year long bill accordingly. APPROVED by Governor March 8, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 8, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The America 250 - Colorado 150 commission (commission) was created in history Colorado to develop programs and plan for the official observance across Colorado of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, as marked by the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood (the anniversaries). The commission's powers and duties include marketing to support commemorative events and involvement in local opportunities for public discussion, commemorative events, and historical and educational activities regarding the anniversaries. The act creates a temporary cash fund that is continuously appropriated to the commission through history Colorado for earned revenue received from sale of items commemorating the anniversaries (fund) and any other money that the general assembly may appropriate or transfer to the fund. The commission will use money from the fund to provide grants to local communities to assist recipient communities providing local opportunities in connection with commemorating the anniversaries and must provide an annual report to the joint budget committee regarding grants that are awarded. Money from the fund may also be used by the commission to administer, implement, and effectuate community grants. APPROVED by Governor March 8, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 8, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act adds approved facility schools, facilities, and the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind (Colorado school) as types of school food authorities in order to make approved facility schools, facilities, and the Colorado school eligible for state nutrition programs. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $17,752 to the department of education for state nutrition programs. APPROVED by Governor March 8, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 8, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law permits a community college or local district college to develop and implement minimum graduation requirements for a high school diploma. The act gives that authority to the state board of community colleges and occupational education and a local district college board of trustees. The act authorizes the department of education (department) to roll forward unexpended and unencumbered money appropriated to the department from the general fund for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 state fiscal years for the adult education and literacy grant program (program). The money is available to the department for the program through the 2028-29 state fiscal year, at which time it reverts to the general fund. APPROVED by Governor March 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The 2023 general appropriations act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of public safety. The general fund and reappropriated funds portions of the appropriation are increased and the cash funds and federal funds portions are decreased. An appropriation made in Senate Bill 23-241, concerning the creation of the office of school safety, is amended to appropriate funds from the school security disbursement cash fund and increase the appropriation to the school safety resource center. An appropriation made in House Bill 24-1270, concerning a requirement that firearm owners maintain liability insurance, is amended to appropriate funds from the revenue loss restoration cash fund and increase the amount appropriated to the department of public safety for use by the division of homeland security and emergency management. APPROVED by Governor March 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The 2023 general appropriations act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of local affairs. The general fund portion and federal funds portions of the appropriation are decreased and the cash funds and reapproriated funds portions are increased. APPROVED by Governor March 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
