Current law requires the general assembly to transfer money to the preschool programs cash fund from the general fund or the state education fund in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 state fiscal years. Beginning in the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the amount transferred is required to increase by the rate of inflation. The act repeals those requirements and instead requires the general assembly to appropriate money to the department of early childhood (department) for the 2023-24 state fiscal year for purposes of the Colorado universal preschool program. Beginning in the 2024-25 state fiscal year, and each year thereafter, the amount appropriated must increase annually by the rate of inflation. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 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.)
At the November 2022 general election, Colorado voters approved proposition FF. Proposition FF created the healthy school meals for all programs (program) and increased taxes to pay for the program. The act creates the healthy school meals for all program general fund exempt account (account). The department of revenue will deposit the revenue resulting from the tax increase in proposition FF into the account. The department of education (department) will use the tax revenue in the account to implement the program. To the extent that there is not enough money in the account for the department to implement the program, the department may expend money from the general fund for amounts appropriated for the program. The act also allows for expenditures in excess of appropriations from the fund for limited purposes and clarifies how the appropriations made for the program will be shown in the annual general appropriations act. Appropriations from the account are excluded from the amount that is used to calculate the statutory general fund reserve, and the unrestricted balance in the account at the end of a fiscal year is excluded from the state general fund surplus. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $115,339,107 from the account to the department of education and $14,786 from the account to the department of law. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state treasurer to make 2 transfers to the state emergency reserve cash fund (fund) on June 30, 2023. First, the state treasurer is required to transfer $20 million from the general fund to the fund. Second, the state treasurer is required to transfer $10 million from the revenue loss restoration cash fund that originates from the general fund to the fund. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the office of administrative services for independent agencies (office) in the judicial department to provide administrative support services to the office of the child protection ombudsman, the independent ethics commission, the office of public guardianship, and the commission on judicial discipline. The act requires the office to be governed by an administrative board that is responsible for hiring the director of the office, assisting the office director in establishing office policies regarding the delivery of support services, and providing human resources assistance to assist in the hiring of office employees. The act sets responsibilities for the office. The act requires the judicial department to provide the office with administrative support until July 1, 2024, and to provide office space for the office. Under current law, certain independent agencies operate through a memorandum of understanding with the judicial department. The act repeals the memorandum of understanding requirements to allow the office to provide those services to the office of the child protection ombudsman and the office of public guardianship. To implement the act, $746,909 is appropriated from the general fund to the judicial department for use by the office, and $100,453 is appropriated from the general fund to the judicial department for the purchase of legal services and is reappropriated to the department of law to provide legal services for the judicial department. Provisions of the act are contingent upon Senate Bill 23-064 being enacted and becoming law. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 NOTE: Certain sections of the act are contingent on whether or not Senate Bill 23-064 becomes law. Senate Bill 23-064 was signed by the governor May 30, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act permits the department of law to use money appropriated to the department for litigation management to address unanticipated state legal needs. The department is prohibited from using that money for employee salary increases, promotions, reclassifications, or bonuses, or to offset personal services deficits in the department. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
On June 30, 2023, the state treasurer is required to transfer $12.6 million from the severance tax operational fund to the water plan implementation cash fund. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act extends the time period to offer eligible individuals the opportunity to work in transitional jobs for 5 additional years. The act extends the repeal date of the transitional jobs program from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2030. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 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 prohibits a person employed by or volunteering in a public school, a state-licensed child care center, a family child care home, or a specialized group facility from imposing corporal punishment on a child. The act defines "corporal punishment" as the willful infliction of, or willfully causing the infliction of, physical pain on a child. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires transfers to be made on July 1, 2023, from the general fund and the general fund exempt account of the general fund to the capital construction fund and the information technology capital account of the capital construction fund as follows: $233,361,030 from the general fund to the capital construction fund; $60,308,481 from the general fund to the information technology capital account of the capital construction fund; and $500,000 from the general fund exempt account of the general fund to the capital construction fund. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires an individual who is in jail to be brought before a judge for a bond hearing within 48 hours of arriving at the jail. The act clarifies the circumstances when the 48-hour requirement does not apply when the individual is unable to attend court. When an arrestee is unable to attend court within the 48-hour requirement, the sheriff shall create a list of those individuals, the date of the individual's arrest, and the location where the individual is in custody. The sheriff shall document the length of the delay, the reason for the delay, and the efforts to abate a delay caused by an emergency. As soon as an emergency has sufficiently abated, the act requires the sheriff to make the in-custody arrestee available to appear. The act also clarifies that the 48-hour requirement applies regardless of whether: The individual is held in custody in a jurisdiction other than the one that issues the arrest warrant; Money bond was previously set ex parte; or The in-custody arrestee did not appear for a first appearance. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE October 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act appropriates $67,254,584 to the legislative department for the payment of expenses in the 2023-24 state fiscal year. Of this amount, $65,524,678 is from the general fund, $90,000 is from cash funds, and $1,639,906 is from reappropriated funds. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 17, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act repeals the cap on the amount of money the department of education (department) may expend on administrative costs for the school transformation grant program. For the 2023-24 budget year, $115,785 is appropriated from the general fund to the department for the school transformation grant program. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 17, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
