The bill creates the electric vehicle enterprise (enterprise) in the department of labor and employment (department). The business purpose of the enterprise is to synchronize electric vehicle charging protocols to create consistency and transparency for electric vehicle charging consumers. The enterprise constitutes an enterprise for purposes of section 20 of article X of the state constitution so long as it retains the authority to issue revenue bonds and receives less than 10% of its total annual revenue in grants from all Colorado state and local governments combined. So long as it constitutes an enterprise, the enterprise is not subject to section 20 of article X of the state constitution. The bill establishes a board of directors for the enterprise, including the board's membership, powers, and duties. The bill authorizes the enterprise to impose and collect a fee beginning July 1, 2025, to be paid by each electric vehicle charging station retailer based on the total number of retail electric vehicle charging stations operated by the retailer and the total number of power supply devices used at such stations. The bill creates the electric vehicle enterprise special revenue fund (fund) and continuously appropriates money in the fund to the enterprise to accomplish its duties. The bill requires the state treasurer, on July 1, 2024, to transfer $264,000 from the general fund to the fund and, on July 1, 2025, to transfer $160,000 from the general fund to the fund for the purpose of defraying expenses incurred by the enterprise before it receives fee revenue or revenue bond proceeds. The money is transferred as a loan to the enterprise, to be paid in full not later than December 31, 2028, with interest. The bill requires the enterprise, in consultation with the Colorado energy office and the division of oil and public safety within the department, to promulgate rules establishing minimum standards related to specifications and tolerances for retail electric vehicle charging equipment and methods of retail sale at publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations to promote equity in the marketplace. The department must begin enforcing the rules on July 1, 2025, for all electric vehicle charging stations installed before, on, or after July 1, 2025. For the purposes of existing laws concerning fuel products, the bill amends the definitions of the terms "fuel products" and "motor fuel" to include electricity when used to fuel electric vehicles. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act requires the state treasurer to transfer all unexpended and unencumbered money in the controlled maintenance trust fund on July 31, 2024, to the general fund. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
When the funding source for an appropriation is a cash fund, the state agency receiving the appropriation annually calculates an amount equal to the recorded depreciation of capital assets acquired, repaired, improved, replaced, renovated, or constructed with the appropriated money. The state controller credits the recorded depreciation amount from the cash fund that was the source of the funding for the appropriation to a capital reserve account established by the agency in the cash fund. The act exempts the money in the wildlife cash fund from being credited to the capital reserve account. A state agency terminating a lease for private leased space must calculate the annual reduction in the cost of leased space and the general assembly must transfer to the capital construction fund an amount equal to the reduction in the cost of leased space from the fund that was the source of the funding for the lease. The act exempts the money in the wildlife cash fund from being transferred to compensate for the reduction in private leased space. On July 1, 2024, the act requires the state treasurer to transfer $1,198,224 from the capitol complex renovation fund to the wildlife cash fund and $273,204 from the capitol complex renovation fund to the division of parks and wildlife to be used by the division for the same purposes as other lottery proceeds distributions made pursuant to section 3 (1)(b)(II) of article XXVII of the state constitution. The act reduces the appropriation from the wildlife cash fund made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2024-25 state fiscal year to the department of natural resources for use by the division of parks and wildlife for the annual depreciation-lease equivalent payment by $199,068. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the financial assistance program for students experiencing homelessness (program) in the department of higher education (department). Beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, the act requires all Colorado public institutions of higher education (institutions) to provide financial assistance to a Colorado resident student (qualifying student) who is between the ages of 17 and 26 and who has experienced homelessness in the state at any time during high school. The institutions shall provide financial assistance to cover the remaining balance of the qualifying student's total cost of attendance in excess of the amount of any private, state, or federal financial assistance the student receives. Subject to available appropriations, the act requires the Colorado commission on higher education to provide institutions money to cover 50% of the remaining balance of financial assistance for qualifying students. The institutions are required to designate an employee to serve as a liaison to qualifying and prospective qualifying students. The institutions shall notify qualifying students of their eligibility for remaining balance financial assistance. The act requires the department to add one employee as a navigator to provide guidance to prospective qualifying students when selecting institutions and completing applications for admission and financial aid. The act requires the department to enter into a data-sharing agreement with the department of education in order to identify prospective qualifying students. The act clarifies student eligibility to participate in the foster youth financial assistance program. The act appropriates $1,668,381 from the general fund to the department for aid for students who experienced homelessness during high school. The act appropriates $26,055 from the general fund to the department of education for the homeless student scholarship program. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires school personnel to address a student by the student's chosen name and to use the student's chosen name in school and during extracurricular activities. The act deems it discriminatory to knowingly or intentionally use a name other than the student's chosen name or knowingly or intentionally avoiding or refusing to use a student's chosen name, unless done at the request of the student. The act allows a student who is subject to discrimination as a result of a failure or refusal to address the student by the student's chosen name to file a report with the school or a federal civil rights complaint. The act requires a school to implement a written policy outlining how the school will honor a student's request to use a chosen name. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, the bill provides for the payment of expenses of the executive, legislative, and judicial departments of the state of Colorado, and of its agencies and institutions. The grand total for the operating budget is set at $42,929,675,236. The general funds portion of the appropriation is set at $12,398,541,034; the general fund exempt portion is set at $3,803,423,067; the cash funds portion is set at $11,342,249,687; the reappropriated funds portion is set at $2,878,921,519; and the federal funds portion is set at $12,506,539,929. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, the grand total for the state fiscal year for capital construction projects is set at $367,677,785. The capital construction fund portion of the appropriation is set at $262,215,419; the cash funds portion is set at $103,554,776; and the federal funds portion is set at $1,907,590. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, the grand total for information technology projects is set at $158,354,132. The capital construction fund portion of the appropriation is set at $86,836,669; the cash fund portion is set at $14,255,934; and the federal funds portion is set at $57,261,529. The 2021 general appropriation act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated for capital construction projects and capital construction information technology projects. The 2023 general appropriation act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of education; the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, and state planning and budgeting; and the departments of health care policy and financing, higher education, local affairs, personnel, public health and environment, and public safety. Appropriations were made in several bills during the 2023 legislative session that are further amended to balance and make adjustments and to extend the appropriation of unexpended amounts to the 2024-25 fiscal year. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
To improve the operational efficiency of the front range passenger rail district (district): Section 1 of the act modifies: The requirement that the board of the district (board) hold annual joint meetings with the transportation commission, the board of directors of the I-70 coalition or any successor entity, and the board of directors of the regional transportation district to require the board to provide an annual update, which may be provided by district staff, at the meeting and to allow the meeting to be held in a manner that allows members of the board and the entity it is meeting with to attend the meeting by electronic means; and The boundaries of the district. Section 2 clarifies when the terms of board members begin and end; and prohibits an advisory nonvoting member of the board from participating in an executive session if the board determines that a particular matter to be discussed in the executive session concerns the appointing authority for the advisory nonvoting member and should not be discussed when the advisory nonvoting member is present; Section 3 establishes that the board exercises its powers by a majority vote of a quorum of its voting directors rather than by a majority vote of a quorum of its total membership and, in conjunction with section 4, clarifies that the board has discretion to delegate its power to enter into contracts and agreements other than intergovernmental agreements and contracts for public-private partnerships to the officers and employees of the district; and Section 5 changes the name of a state-required district plan for developing rail service to avoid potential confusion that could be caused by similarity between the current name of the plan and the name of a federally required plan and specifies requirements for the certification of ballot measures referred by the board to the registered electors of the district. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act increases the cost threshold above which a controlled maintenance project of real property is deemed to be "capital renewal" (cost threshold) from $2 million to $4.7 million. The act also requires the department of personnel to adjust the cost threshold for inflation every 3 years beginning on January 1, 2029, and to publish the cost threshold on its website. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the transfer, on July 1, 2024, of: $160,844,354 from the general fund to the capital construction fund; $70,811,334 from the general fund to the information technology capital account of the capital construction fund; $500,000 from the general fund exempt account of the general fund to the capital construction fund; $84,875,462 from the controlled maintenance trust fund to the capital construction fund; and $1,000,000 from the marijuana tax cash fund to the information technology capital account of the capital construction fund. Notwithstanding any provision of law that requires such a transfer, the act also prohibits the state treasurer from transferring money from the legal services cash fund to the capital construction fund or to any other fund if the joint budget committee of the general assembly notifies the state treasurer before the scheduled transfer date not to make the transfer after the attorney general notifies and certifies in writing to the joint budget committee that the transfer: Is not compliant with federal and state laws governing the money to be transferred; Is legally preempted by state constitutional restrictions or a federal law governing the money to be transferred; or Unlawfully transfers money in a manner that may terminate the qualification as an enterprise of any enterprise lawfully enacted under the provision of the state constitution known as the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR). APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill imposes a moratorium until June 30, 2025, during which the public employees' retirement association (PERA) is prohibited from including in its membership an employee of a third-party private entity that contracts with a public entity to perform services.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill prohibits the use of seclusion on a student of a school district, district charter school, or institute charter school on certain property or while the student is participating in an off-campus, school-sponsored activity or event. The bill requires the state board of education (state board) to promulgate or amend existing rules to reflect the prohibited use of seclusion. The bill requires the state board to create and maintain a resource bank of materials regarding alternatives to seclusion and restraints for schools and school personnel to employ. The bill amends existing reporting requirements to ensure incidents of seclusion are reported. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates the stream and wetlands protection commission (commission) in the department of natural resources (department) and requires the commission to develop, adopt, and maintain a dredge-and-fill permit program (permit program) for: Regulating the discharge of dredged or fill material into certain state waters; and Providing protections for state waters, which protections are no more restrictive than the protections provided under the federal "Clean Water Act" as it existed on May 24, 2023. The bill creates the stream and wetlands protection division (division) in the department to administer and enforce the permit program. The commission is required to promulgate rules as expeditiously as is prudent and feasible concerning the issuance of permits under the permit program. Until the division implements such rules, the bill prohibits the water quality control division in the department of public health and environment from taking any enforcement action against an activity that includes the discharge of dredged or fill material into state waters if the activity causing the discharge is conducted in a manner that provides for protection of state waters consistent with the protections that would have occurred through compliance with federal law prior to May 25, 2023. The bill establishes enforcement mechanisms for the permit program. A person who violates the terms of a permit, a rule, or a cease-and-desist order or clean-up order is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 per day per violation. The bill directs the state treasurer to transfer $600,000 from the severance tax operational fund to the capital construction fund on July 1, 2024, for the implementation of the bill. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
