The bill establishes the school safety firearm detection funding program (program) in the office of school safety (office) to disburse money to local education providers to purchase, install, and operate firearm detection software for use in schools. The office administers the program. In order to receive a disbursement, a local education provider must submit an application. The office shall disburse program money to eligible applicants in the order the applications are received. A recipient shall use program money to purchase and operate firearm detection software to detect, and alert local education provider personnel and first responders about, the presence of visible, unholstered firearms on school property.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill imposes a set of duties on the Denver airport authority (authority) by established times for accessibility-related functions at Denver international airport. The authority is encouraged to monitor the completion and ongoing upkeep of the duties and functions. The division of aeronautics (division) is authorized to issue fines for noncompliance of the duties and functions to any entity in violation (entity). For a first offense, the entity has 30 days to remedy the noncompliance. If not remedied within 30 days, the division is authorized to fine the entity an amount not to exceed $3,500. For each subsequent offense, the division shall fine the entity an amount not to exceed $7,000 per offense. An individual alleging damages resulting from a violation by an entity may bring a civil suit and may seek a court order requiring compliance and any other remedy the court determines necessary. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires state and local public bodies (public bodies) to ensure that the following accessibility requirements are implemented by July 1, 2025: Any public meeting at which public business is discussed, formal action may be taken, or recommendations to the governing body of the public body may be discussed (meeting) held by a public body is required to be accessible in real time by live streaming video or audio that is recorded and accessible to individuals with disabilities; A public body is required to post on its website, at least 24 hours before a meeting, any documents that will be distributed during the meeting; For any meeting of a public body during which public testimony will be heard, the public body is required to allow any individual to participate in the meeting and offer public testimony by using a video conferencing platform unless the meeting occurs in a geographic location that lacks broadband internet service; and A public body is required to provide any auxiliary aids or services requested in time for the meeting for which they were requested. A public body may require that a request for auxiliary aids or services to attend a meeting of the public body with the use of the video conferencing platform be made up to 7 days before the date of the meeting. Nothing in the bill prohibits a public body from promulgating rules for the administration of public testimony so long as the rules apply to both in-person and remote testimony, and nothing in the bill requires a public body to provide hardware or software or internet or phone access at an individual's home. The failure of any public body to comply with the applicable requirements of the bill constitutes discrimination on the basis of disability. Any individual who is subjected to a violation is entitled to seek relief as currently provided in law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires, no later than March 1, 2025, or 60 days after acquiring a real property interest in the state, a foreign government of any country determined by the United States secretary of state to be a state sponsor of terrorism that owns a real property interest in the state to register with the Colorado secretary of state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill establishes licensure requirements for business entities that perform community association management for common interest communities in the state and makes it unlawful, on and after July 1, 2025, for a business entity to perform community association management duties without a license. The division of real estate (division) in the department of regulatory agencies (department) is tasked with administering the regulatory program for community association managers (CAMs). To be licensed, a business entity must: Demonstrate compliance with insurance requirements specified by the director of the division (director) by rule; Designate an individual as the business entity's controlling manager who is responsible for the community association management activities of the business entity and its employees; Pay a fee based on a schedule of fees determined by the director through rule-making; and Obtain criminal history record checks for its controlling manager and each individual that performs community association management on behalf of the business entity. The director shall establish by rule education requirements for controlling managers and any employees of a licensed business entity (licensed entity) who perform community association management on behalf of the licensed entity. The bill sets forth various grounds for disciplining a licensed entity and directs the director to establish a points-based disciplinary system for determining the appropriate level of discipline to impose on a licensed entity based on the level of violation. The bill repeals the licensure of CAMs on September 1, 2029, and directs the department to conduct a sunset review of the licensure program before that date. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
No later than July 1, 2025, the bill requires the office of state public defender to implement workload standards for determining when a deputy public defender's workload is excessive pursuant to the federal and state constitutions and the Colorado rules of professional conduct. The bill requires the office of state public defender to consult with employees of the office of state public defender in creating the standards.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under existing law, the department of military and veterans affairs (department) pays up to the full amount of tuition for members of the Colorado National Guard (members) pursuing a degree or certificate at certain institutions of higher education via a tuition assistance program (program). The tuition is paid from the Colorado National Guard tuition assistance fund (fund). The bill expands the program to include spouses and children (dependents) of members and to pay for fees charged by the institution of higher education. To qualify for tuition assistance, a dependent must be a dependent of a member who has served in the Colorado National Guard for at least 6 years and either is serving during the period of time that the dependent is receiving tuition and fee assistance or previously served in the Colorado National Guard for at least 12 years. The bill creates the National Guard dependents tuition assistance account (account) in the fund. Tuition for dependents is paid from the account. If the balance in the account is more than the amount necessary to pay for dependents' tuition in a fiscal year and the money in the fund is insufficient to satisfy the demand for tuition assistance for members, the adjutant general of the department may notify the state treasurer to transfer excess money from the account to the fund to pay for members' tuition assistance. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the department of education to create, maintain, and manage an online career support and pathways portal (online portal) for educators; staff; school districts, district charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative services, or approved facility schools (local education providers); and educator preparation programs (educator programs). The online portal must have: Access to career incentives, stipends, and loan forgiveness; Career pathway information for educators and staff, including, but not limited to, mentoring, induction program coaching, instructional coaching, district curriculum support, special assignments for teachers, and principal leadership; and A job posting and application portal for local education providers to post open employment positions and to search for prospective candidates, and for educators and staff to upload resumes and to apply to open employment positions. Local education providers and educator programs shall post a link to the online portal on their websites to promote the online portal to educators and staff. The bill allows Indian tribes and tribal organizations to access and use the online portal. Pursuant to current law, the educator and retention program (ERR program) provides support to members of the armed forces and nonmilitary-affiliated educator candidates. The bill expands criteria for participation in the ERR program to include applicants who are: Enrolled in a teacher degree apprenticeship program and employed by an Indian tribe or tribal organization or a local education provider; or Enrolled in an educator program to attain a special services provider license with the appropriate endorsement.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates a state sales and use tax exemption commencing on July 1, 2024, for all sales, storage, use, and consumption of college textbooks. The bill allows a county or municipality to choose to adopt the exemption by express inclusion in its sales and use tax ordinance or resolution. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Section 1 of the bill creates, beginning on January 1, 2025, and continuing indefinitely, a state sales and use tax exemption for baby and toddler products. A "baby and toddler product" is defined to include a baby crib, playpen, or play yard; a baby stroller; a baby safety gate, cabinet lock or latch, or electrical socket cover; a baby monitor; a bicycle child carrier seat, or trailer, including an adaptor or accessory; a baby exerciser, jumper, bouncer seat, or swing; a breast pump, bottle sterilizer, bottle, or nipple, pacifier, or teething ring; baby wipes; a changing table or pad; and baby and toddler clothing. Section 1 also creates a time-limited state sales and use tax exemption, or sales and use tax holiday, for back-to-school items. The tax holiday applies for 14 days beginning on January 1, 2025, and for an additional 14 days beginning on July 24, 2025. A "back-to-school item" is defined to mean an article of clothing, a bag, a school supply, a learning aid, or a personal computer or personal computer-related accessory that is purchased primarily for use by an individual who is a minor. The exemption for each item is limited by cost as follows: $100 for an article of clothing or a bag; $50 for a school supply; $30 for a learning aid; and $1,500 for a personal computer or a personal computer-related accessory. Section 2 permits a town, city, or county to create sales and use tax exemptions that are identical to the state exemptions.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the director of the division of employment and training (director) in the department of labor and employment to annually collect, analyze, and make recommendations to the general assembly based on data from workforce centers; the state, in relation to data it has collected concerning workers in specific age categories, beginning at age 50; and individuals with disabilities. The bill also requires the director, every 3 years, to conduct, or contract with an another entity to conduct, a survey to better understand the experiences and needed tools and resources of individuals in Colorado who are 55 years of age or older and are considering entering or reentering the workforce, are unemployed, underemployed, or are looking for a career change. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates the wildfire evacuation modeling grant program (program) within the office of emergency management (office) for the purpose of awarding grants to eligible recipients to perform wildfire evacuation modeling and generate reports that include times, maps showing evacuation routes, and any other relevant metrics for the area for which the modeling is being conducted. The program is initially administered as a pilot program and the office must establish a limited number of eligible recipients to receive grants. On or before December 1, 2025, the office must submit a report to the house of representatives agriculture, water, and natural resources committee and the senate agriculture and natural resources committee, or their successor committees, regarding the pilot program, which may include recommendations for improving the program and recommendations on whether to continue the program. The bill also creates the wildfire evacuation modeling grant program cash fund (fund) for the purposes of awarding grants and covering administrative costs of the office for administering the program. On August 15, 2024, the state treasurer shall transfer $120,000 from the general fund to the fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
