If the adult or juvenile parole board decides to discharge a parolee early, the act requires the parole boards to set the date of discharge at least 15 days after notice is provided to the victim of the discharge or at least 15 days after the decision to grant early discharge if the victim chose not to receive victim notifications. The act requires victim notifications to be communicated in plain and easy-to-understand language and in a manner intended to increase the likelihood of the victim's attention to the notice. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act designates Lunar New Year Day as an observed, but not a legal, state holiday that may be observed on the first Friday in February in each year. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act consolidates the review and approval process for educator preparation programs under the department of education and the state board of education. The act creates an advisory committee to the state board of education and the department to provide input on relevant topics related to educator preparation and educator quality. The act anticipates an appropriation of $108,990 from the educator licensure cash fund to the department of education for the office of professional services. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die; except that section 22-60.5-121 (2)(h) takes effect only if House Bill 23-1231 becomes law and takes effect on the effective date of this act or the effective date of House Bill 23-1231, whichever is later. House Bill 23-1231 took effect May 15, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
To recompense the public employees' retirement association (PERA) for the cancellation of a previously scheduled July 1, 2020, direct distribution of $225 million, House Bill 22-1029, concerning a requirement that the state make an additional direct distribution to the public employees' retirement association to fully recompense the association for the cancellation of a previously scheduled July 1, 2020, direct distribution, required an additional direct distribution to PERA. However, the additional direct distribution did not fully recompense PERA for the cancellation of the previously scheduled direct distribution. To fully recompense PERA, the act requires the state treasurer to issue a warrant to PERA that consists of the balance of the PERA payment cash fund plus $10 million paid from the general fund. The PERA payment cash fund is repealed, effective July 1, 2023. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 2, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the "In God We Trust" license plate for motor vehicles. In addition to the normal fees for a license plate, a person must pay 2 additional one-time fees of $25 for the issuance of the plate. One of these fees is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other fee is credited to the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account. To implement the act, $31,212 is appropriated to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles. The appropriation consists of $4,293 from the general fund and $26,919 from the license plate cash fund. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act changes the minimum amount of items of special mobile machinery required to be located in the state from 1000 items to 250 items in order for the owner of the special mobile machinery to be eligible for a registration exempt certificate issued by the department of revenue (department). An owner of special mobile machinery that is issued a registration exempt certificate shall pay all fees and surcharges that would otherwise be paid at the time of registration and any other fees and surcharges due for each item of special mobile machinery upon application, renewal, or within 20 days of the expiration of a registration exempt certificate. To ensure proper administration of registration exempt certificates and payment of the required fees and surcharges, an owner of special mobile machinery is also required to report information about all its special mobile machinery located in the state to the department when applying for or renewing a registration exempt certificate or within 20 days of the expiration of a registration exempt certificate. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $113,476 is appropriated from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund to the department for use by the division of motor vehicles to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
A downtown development authority (authority) may use a tax increment financing (TIF) arrangement to generate capital by dedicating growth in property tax or sales tax revenue for a period of 30 years with the option for one 20-year extension. For property tax revenue only, the act creates the option for additional 20-year extension periods during which an authority may use a TIF arrangement if the governing body of the municipality that created the authority extends the period by ordinance. The first additional 20-year extension period may begin upon the expiration of the original 20-year extension. For the additional 20-year extension periods authorized by the act, 50% of the incremental revenue generated from the TIF arrangement is allocated to a special fund of the municipality that created the authority (special fund) to be used to finance projects within the boundaries of the authority and the other 50% of the incremental revenue is allocated to the other governmental entities that levy property taxes within the boundaries of the authority, unless the municipality and all of the other governmental entities reach an alternative agreement requiring a greater percentage of the incremental revenue to be credited to the special fund. For a 20-year extension period authorized by the act, the base year revenue is recalculated every year. The act allows a municipality and an authority to enter into an intergovernmental agreement through which the municipality may delegate to the board of the authority the power to incur debt and to pledge money in a special fund of the municipality for the payment of the debt. During a 20-year extension period authorized in the act, the authority is under the supervision and control of a board consisting of not less than 9 and not more than 13 members, which is between 4 and 8 additional board members compared to when there is not a 20-year extension period authorized in the act. Of the additional board members, one must be a member of the board of county commissioners of the county in which the authority is located, and one must be a member of the school district board of education of the school district in which the authority is located. The other additional board members are appointed by the governing body of the municipality that created the authority. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act expands the definition of "serious bodily injury" in the criminal code to include penetrating gunshot wounds and penetrating knife wounds. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of public health and environment (department) to create a public database of buildings that have been used as illegal drug laboratories involving methamphetamine. The department must remove a building from the database 5 years after the property has been decontaminated. The database must notify the public as to whether the property has been decontaminated. A law enforcement agency and an industrial hygienist are required to notify the department upon discovering an illegal drug laboratory that manufactured methamphetamine on residential property. Colorado law creates a warranty of habitability that authorizes a tenant to void a lease if the property is not habitable. The act adds to the warranty a failure to remediate residential property that has been used as an illegal drug laboratory to make methamphetamine. To implement the act, $74,516 is appropriated to the department from the general fund. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the school discipline task force (task force) to study and make recommendations regarding school district discipline policies and practices, state and local discipline reporting requirements, and local engagement. The task force consists of 18 members, including the legislative member who is the chair of the Colorado youth advisory council review committee (review committee); the executive director of the department of early childhood or the executive director's designee; the commissioner of education (commissioner) or the commissioner's designee; representatives of statewide education organizations; and former students who attended Colorado public schools and who have lived experience with the school discipline system. The commissioner is required to call the first meeting of the task force. The task force is required to: Define "disproportionate discipline"; Review the department of education's (department) standardization of discipline data; Review the department's plan for creating school district and charter school institute profile reports; Determine whether the department's standardization of discipline data should include reports of alternative disciplinary measures taken prior to a student's suspension or expulsion; Recommend processes and provide resources for public engagement in a local school district board of education's discussions of discipline data; Review existing public engagement processes; Review best practices identified by the department concerning dropout prevention and student re-engagement; Identify alternative approaches to discipline, including but not limited to positive behavioral interventions and supports, bullying intervention and prevention, and behavior intervention plans, and address concerns around workforce and other resource shortages in school districts in relation to school discipline practices and reporting; and Recommend legislative and administrative changes, as necessary, and analyze the costs and time frames required to implement the changes. The task force is required to submit a final report on or before August 1, 2024. The task force is required to present its findings and recommendations to the review committee during the first meeting of the review committee in 2024. Current law encourages school districts to consider certain factors before suspending or expelling a student. The act requires school districts to consider those factors before suspending or expelling a student, which include the age and disciplinary history of the student, whether the student has a disability, the seriousness of the violation, whether the violation threatened the safety of any student or staff member, and whether a lesser intervention would properly address the violation. The act appropriates $164,398 from the general fund to the department to implement the task force. The act also appropriates $1,415 from the general fund to the legislative department for use by the general assembly for legislator per diem and travel reimbursement to participate on the task force. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the office of liaison for missing and murdered Indigenous relatives (office) in the department of public safety (department) to: Conduct case reviews of violent or exploitative crimes against an Indigenous person and publish a report about the case reviews annually; Communicate with relevant department divisions regarding investigations in cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous relatives; Seek a position for a representative of the Indigenous community on the sentencing reform task force of the Colorado commission on criminal and juvenile justice; Collaborate with Indigenous-led organizations and the Colorado district attorneys' council (CDAC) to assist CDAC in developing and providing training for victim advocates who work on missing or murdered Indigenous relatives cases; and Designate one employee of the office to serve as a point of contact for families in need of support regarding ongoing or completed missing or murdered Indigenous relatives cases. Office personnel may inspect relevant criminal justice records and medical, coroner, and laboratory records in the custody of state or local agencies that are necessary for the office to perform its duties. The office may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations in order to carry out the office's duties and to provide financial support to missing or murdered Indigenous relatives' families. The act requires the community volunteer advisory board within the office (advisory board) to prepare an annual report that includes a summary of the advisory board's work during the prior year and issues related to the office's work. The advisory board is required to submit its report to the judiciary and state affairs committees of the house of representatives and the senate. The state's fusion center in the office of prevention and security within the department shall create a dedicated phone line for missing or murdered Indigenous relatives that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and connects callers with the appropriate contact at the office or the Colorado bureau of investigation. The act appropriates $191,973 from the general fund to the department of public safety for administrative services and expenses related to the division of homeland security and emergency management and $170,601 from the general fund to the judicial department for information technology infrastructure. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 2, 2023(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The automobile theft prevention board (board) awards grants to eligible entities for programs for theft prevention, enforcement, prosecution, or offender rehabilitation. The act specifies that the board may also award grants for programs to support victims of automobile theft and technology enhancement. Money in the auto theft prevention cash fund (fund) is annually appropriated to the department of public safety (department) to implement the automobile theft prevention grant program. The fund consists of gifts, grants, and donations and any money credited to the fund from the collection of fees paid by certain automobile insurers to support the automobile theft prevention authority. The act specifies that the fund also consists of any money that the general assembly may appropriate or transfer to the fund. The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $5 million from the general fund to the fund on July 1, 2023, to be used for the following purposes: Implementing a statewide program to increase awareness of automobile theft; Implementing programs to support victims of automobile theft; Additional overtime for law enforcement agencies; Implementing a dedicated automobile theft prosecution program; Enhancing and upgrading the automobile theft tracking and reporting system; or Any other direct or indirect costs associated with the implementation of the automobile theft prevention grant program. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 2, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
