The act extends the medical marijuana research grant program in the department of public health and environment through fiscal year 2023-24. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill: Repeals a provision allowing the department of public health and environment (department) to use money in the waste tire administration, enforcement, market development, and cleanup fund (fund) to develop a fire prevention, training, and firefighting plan, hire a consultant to assist in developing the plan, and reimburse the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety (division) for its assistance in developing the plan and hiring the consultant; and Allows the department to use money in the fund to reimburse the division for inspections of facilities where waste tires are present and for technical assistance and other assistance the division provides to the department or the public related to waste tires.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The act instructs the commissioner of agriculture to hire an employee or engage a contractor to provide grant and loan application assistance to small meat processors or people attempting to start a small meat processor business. The grant or loan must be used to start, expand, or support a small meat processor business. The employee or contractor may also assist agricultural producers and agricultural businesses in applying for and obtaining grants. The grant and loan application assistance program repeals on July 1, 2024. To implement the act, $62,885 is appropriated to the department of agriculture for use by the agricultural markets division. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies' sunset review and report on the education data advisory committee (EDAC) by continuing the committee indefinitely. EDAC is granted authority to designate whether a data reporting request is mandatory, required to achieve a benefit, or voluntary. If there is a difference in designation between EDAC's determination and that of the department of education, the state board of education will hold a public hearing on the issue. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act updates provisions of the existing article 1.9 of title 18, Colorado Revised Statutes, concerning the treatment of persons with mental health disorders in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Substantive changes include: Broadening the name and scope of the legislative oversight committee (committee) and associated task force (task force) from concerning the treatment of "persons with mental health disorders" to "persons with behavioral health disorders"; Allowing the task force to research topics for members of the committee upon request; Adjusting task force membership and creating term limits for task force members; Further defining issues for the task force to study; and Extending the repeal date to July 1, 2027. The act appropriates $108,131 to the legislative department from the general fund to implement the provisions of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the Colorado commission on criminal and juvenile justice (commission) to establish a task force to examine and make findings and recommendations to the commission concerning improving access to community corrections programs for persons convicted of misdemeanors. On or before July 1, 2023, the task force is required to create a report of its findings and submit it to the commission. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The Colorado interagency working group on school safety (working group) is scheduled to repeal on September 1, 2022. The act continues the working group indefinitely and requires the department of public safety to convene the first meeting of the working group no later than December 31, 2022. The act appropriates $100,000 from the general fund to the department of public safety for the working group. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
If the trier of fact finds a defendant not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) for a crime that is not a class 1 or class 2 felony, resulted in another person suffering serious bodily injury or death, involved the defendant using a deadly weapon, or involved felony unlawful sexual behavior, the act authorizes the court, at the request of the defendant, to allow the defendant to remain at liberty or set a hearing to modify the bond and delay final disposition, delay formal entry of the finding of NGRI, and stay the commitment of the defendant to the custody of the department of human services (state department) until the conclusion of the initial release hearing. If the defendant is on bond, the act requires the court to order the state department to conduct a release examination on an outpatient basis. Upon an initial commitment following a finding of NGRI, or upon delaying the final entry of the finding of NGRI, the act requires the court to schedule an initial release hearing no later than 120 days after the initial commitment. The act requires the court to conduct the initial release hearing. The act requires the court to order the state department to complete a release examination no later than 30 days prior to the initial release hearing. The act authorizes the court to continue the hearing beyond 120 days upon a finding of good cause or if necessary to conduct a second evaluation of the defendant. Beginning September 1, 2022, the act requires the chief officer of the institution at which the defendant is committed to annually submit a release examination report to the court certifying whether the defendant continues to meet the criteria for ongoing inpatient hospitalization or meets the applicable test for release. The act describes what must be included in the release examination report. The act appropriates $868,271 to the state department from the general fund for use by the office of behavioral health. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the displaced Aurarian scholarship (scholarship) to fully fund scholarships to attend Metropolitan state university of Denver, the university of Colorado at Denver, or the community college of Denver for descendants of people displaced by the development of the Auraria higher education center. The act requires Metropolitan state university of Denver, the university of Colorado at Denver, and the community college of Denver, in collaboration, to establish criteria for scholarship recipients. The act appropriates $2 million from the general fund to the department of higher education to be distributed equally to Metropolitan state university of Denver, the university of Colorado at Denver, and the community college of Denver for the scholarships. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows a member of the general assembly who is absent when the general assembly is in session for a long-term illness, parental leave in excess of the permitted maximum period, or another similar purpose, subject to approval by the president of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives, respective to the member's house, to be exempted from forfeiture of their compensation. Previously, the exemption from forfeiture of compensation was only for an approved absence for a long-term illness. The act also allows a member of the general assembly to receive compensation for an absence due to parental leave for a maximum of 12 weeks, plus up to an additional 4 weeks for a serious health condition related to complications of pregnancy or childbirth. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act amends employment discrimination laws, commonly referred to as the "Colorado Anti-discrimination Act" or "CADA", as follows: With regard to the jurisdiction of the Colorado civil rights commission (commission) over discrimination complaints, instead of allowing the commission 270 days to notice a hearing on the complaint and the ability to grant the parties an extension of up to an additional 180 days, allows the commission a total of 450 days to notice a hearing on the complaint or lose jurisdiction over the complaint; Expands the definition of "employee" to include individuals in domestic service and specifies that it is not a discriminatory or an unfair employment practice with respect to sex for a person to consider sex when hiring an employee to engage in child-care-related domestic services; Extends the time limit to file a charge with the commission from 6 months to 300 days after the alleged discriminatory or unfair employment practice occurred; and Repeals the prohibition, applicable in age discrimination cases only, against the relief and recovery of certain damages so that the remedies available in employment discrimination claims are consistent, regardless of the type of discrimination alleged. The act appropriates $113,548 from the general fund to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the civil rights division to implement the act, with $98,718 allocated for personal services and $14,830 for operating expenses. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice information sharing grant program provides grants to assist local law enforcement agencies in gaining access to the information sharing system created in the Colorado information sharing consortium (CISC). Grant recipients can use the money to pay for computer hardware, software, and programming costs necessary to connect to the CISC's information sharing systems. There is money remaining in the law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice information sharing grant program fund (fund), and multiple law enforcement agencies need additional time to join the CISC because their budget timelines differ from the state budget timeline. The act extends the deadline for using money in the fund from June 30, 2022, to June 30, 2023, to allow those law enforcement agencies enough time to join the CISC and use the fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
