Signed by the Speaker of the House
Under current law, the statute of limitation to bring a claim against a real estate appraiser does not commence until the party filing the claim discovers, or should discover, an alleged defect in the appraisal. The bill requires a claimant to bring an action against a real estate appraiser or individual performing a real estate appraisal practice within 3 years after the date of report; except that, if a cause of action arises during the third year after the date of report, the action must be brought within 2 years after the date the cause of action arose 5 years after the date of report. The bill does not apply to actions for fraud brought against a real estate appraiser or individual performing an appraisal practice. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
On and after January 1, 2026, the act prohibits local governments from allowing the installation, planting, or placement of nonfunctional turf, artificial turf, or invasive plant species on commercial, institutional, or industrial property, common interest community property, or a street right-of-way, parking lot, median, or transportation corridor. The act also prohibits the department of personnel from allowing the installation, planting, or placement of nonfunctional turf, artificial turf, or invasive plant species as part of a project for the construction or renovation of a state facility, which project design commences on or after January 1, 2025. Artificial turf on athletic fields of play is exempted from the prohibitions. APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
In current law, the "Colorado Recreational Use Statute" (CRUS) protects landowners (owners) from liability resulting from the use of their lands by other individuals for recreational purposes. However, the CRUS does not limit an owner's liability for injuries or death resulting from the owner's willful or malicious failure to guard or warn against a known dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity likely to cause harm (willful or malicious failure). The act states that under such circumstances, an owner does not commit a willful or malicious failure if: Prior to the injury or death, the owner posts a warning sign at the primary access point where the individual entered the land, which sign satisfies certain criteria; The owner maintains photographic or other evidence of each such sign; and The dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity that caused the injury or death is described by the sign. The act requires an individual who accesses land for recreational purposes to stay on the designated recreational trail, route, area, or roadway unless the owner expressly allows otherwise, or be deemed a trespasser. Currently, the CRUS states that "owner" includes the possessor of any interest in land. The act clarifies that "owner" includes a possessor or holder of a conservation easement. The act states that the CRUS may not be construed to limit an owner's ability to restrict or prohibit the use of the owner's land for any recreational purposes. The act also updates certain archaic language within the CRUS. APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act defines "emergency communications specialist" as a first responder whose duties involve emergency and nonemergency dispatch services. The act also clarifies that the currently authorized use of the emergency telephone charge, the 911 surcharge, and the prepaid wireless 911 charge, for training for public safety answering point (PSAP) personnel includes training for emergency communications specialists, technical support PSAP personnel, and other personnel essential for the provision of emergency telephone services, emergency notification services, and emergency medical dispatch. APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes a board of county commissioners to establish an incentive program to offer limited county property tax credits or rebates to participants in a program designed to directly improve an area of specific local concern related to the use of real property in the county. An "area of specific local concern" is defined in the act as a use of real property in the county that is determined by the board of county commissioners to be diminishing or unavailable based on verifiable data and which use the board of county commissioners finds and declares necessary for the preservation of the health, safety, or welfare of the residents of the county, including as to matters of equity, access to housing, and access to education. An "area of specific local concern" does not include a use of real property in a county that harms or may reasonably be expected to harm a disproportionately impacted community or prevents or may reasonably be expected to prevent meeting minimum greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and deadlines. An incentive program must be established by resolution or ordinance adopted by a board of county commissioners at a public hearing, which resolution or ordinance must include the board's findings and determinations regarding the specific area of local concern and specific criteria for the qualification of program participants. The county must provide notice of the hearing, including specified information regarding the incentive program, to the clerk of each municipality that is wholly or partly located in the county and that may be impacted by the incentive program. Each such municipality must be allowed to submit written comments and provide testimony at the hearing. Incentive programs must be evaluated on an annual basis and may be renewed only if determined to be effective. An incentive program must be uniformly applied among all owners of the same class of real or commercial property. The act also authorizes municipalities to establish an incentive program offering limited municipal property tax credits or rebates to participants in a program designed to directly improve an area of specific local concern related to the use of real property in the municipality. A municipal incentive program is subject to the same substantive and procedural requirements as a county program, including the requirement to provide notice of the public hearing regarding the incentive program, and an opportunity to submit written comments and provide testimony at such hearing, to each county that includes all or any portion of the municipality and that may be impacted by the incentive program. APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill prohibits the offer for sale of any counterfeit lighter, unsafe lighter, or novelty lighter. The bill does not prohibit: The interstate transportation of counterfeit lighters, unsafe lighters, or novelty lighters through this state; or The storage of counterfeit lighters, unsafe lighters, or novelty lighters in any distribution center or warehouse if such distribution center or warehouse is closed to the public and does not distribute or sell, at retail, such lighters to the public.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The "Colorado Regional Tourism Act" establishes a process for approving and a mechanism for financing, through state sales tax increment revenue, regional tourism projects that are submitted by local governments and approved by the Colorado economic development commission (commission). The commission currently does not have authority to approve any more regional tourism projects. On or after September 1, 2024, the bill allows the commission to approve up to 2 new regional tourism projects, both of which must be located in a frontier community. The bill also specifies that the term "regional tourism project" includes an agritourism facility together with ancillary uses, structures, and improvements.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under current law, every year, the department of education (department) is required to prepare a report and evaluation on the successes or failures of charter schools, school reform efforts, and suggested changes to laws affecting charter schools. Beginning in the 2024-25 budget year, the bill requires the department to: Report additional school district information, that primarily compares district charter schools or institute charter schools located within the school district to traditional district schools, and report information relating to a school district that has no charter schools; and Publicly post the additional information on the department's website, with explanations in plain and easy-to-understand language.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires a facility that uses animals for health-related research to: Submit annual reports to the department of public health and environment regarding the use of animals in the facility; and Transfer dogs and cats owned by the facility to animal shelters and pet animal rescues before euthanizing the animal.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill incorporates children's resident camp visiting groups (visiting camp group) and children's resident camp rental facilities (camp rental facility) into the existing child care regulatory framework. The bill clarifies the allocation of responsibility for compliance with certain standards between visiting camp groups and camp rental facilities. The bill assigns responsibility to visiting camp groups for obtaining a license and complying with licensure standards if the visiting camp groups lease or use a camp rental facility. If a visiting camp group leases or uses a camp rental facility, the camp rental facility retains responsibility for compliance with campsite, fire safety, sanitation, and other physical facility standards. The bill creates an exception for visiting camp groups that conduct their activities at licensed children's resident camps. The bill permits the department of early childhood (department) to streamline paperwork for visiting camp groups and enter into reciprocity agreements with other states. The bill adds visiting camp groups and camp rental facilities to the department's existing license application and fee structure. The bill extends existing fingerprinting exemptions for out-of-state employees of children's resident camps to out-of-state employees working for visiting camp groups and at camp rental facilities, and it exempts camp rental facilities from certain drinking water testing requirements. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the public utilities commission (commission) to develop a contingency plan to create electrical generation and grid resilience against geomagnetic storms. Standards are set for the plan. The commission shall promulgate rules requiring an electrical utility to: Incorporate the resiliency plan; Monitor the space weather prediction center of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration in order to isolate large power transformers and power generation from the grid; Mechanically isolate critical components if or when the coronal mass ejection is likely to cause geomagnetically induced currents; Restrict or close fuel pipeline valves to mitigate damage in a sectional failure; Install automatic neutral ground blocking devices in large power transformers; Ensure computer equipment can be mechanically isolated from the grid and sheltered from geomagnetically induced surges; Require all networked systems that operate electrical generation and distribution to be electronically and physically separable from the outside networks; and Require cyber-certification of hardware and software that operate electrical generation and distribution. Current law sets carbon dioxide emission reduction goals for the years 2030 and 2050. The bill extends these goals to 2040 and 2060 and makes these goals a lower priority than the electrical generation and distribution resilience provisions of the bill. The bill prohibits the classification of carbon dioxide as an air pollutant and establishes, notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, that state statute, executive agency rules, and any regulations of political subdivisions of the state must not include the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions as a pollutant. Any portion of an executive agency rule that treats carbon dioxide emissions as a pollutant is void. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
