The act repeals an existing income tax credit available to taxpayers who make contributions to enterprise zone administrators to promote temporary, emergency, or transitional housing programs for persons experiencing homelessness (repealed credit) and replaces the repealed credit with a credit that is available in the entire state (new credit). Instead of having enterprise zone administrators and the office of economic development administer the new credit, as was how the old credit was administered, the act places that responsibility on the division of housing in the department of local affairs. A taxpayer may claim the new credit when permissible contributions are made not only to an approved project, but also to an approved nonprofit organization providing certain qualifying activities. The amount of the new credit remains the same as the amount of the repealed credit for each contribution; except that, for contributions made in an underserved, rural county, the amount is 30% rather than 25% and is capped at $750,000 in contributions per income tax year for the nonprofit organization, and, if the nonprofit organization also administers one or more approved projects, is capped at an additional $750,000 per income tax year. The new credit's availability is limited to 4 years, and, as was the case for the repealed credit, any credit in excess of a taxpayer's liability for the income tax year for which the credit is claimed may be carried forward for up to 5 years. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act provides a list of allowable restitution expenses if proximately caused by a crime for which restitution must be paid, which list includes travel expenses to certain court proceedings. The court is required to review the travel expenses to ensure the travel expenses are reasonable. If the court finds the travel expenses are unreasonable, the court may reduce the amount of recoverable travel expenses to a reasonable amount. The act requires the department of corrections to intercept government windfall payments (payments) before the payments are deposited in an inmate's bank account and send funds to the judicial department (department) in an amount equal to any amount owed by the inmate. The department is required to disburse funds pursuant to the order of crediting payments in criminal proceedings. The department of corrections is required to disperse any remaining funds in accordance with restitution for inmates sentenced to the department of corrections. If any funds remain after the inmate's outstanding obligations are fulfilled, the excess funds must be placed in the inmate's bank account. The act establishes the office of restitution services (office) in the department. The purpose of the office is to assist victims who are owed court-ordered restitution. The office is required to receive requests from victims requesting semiannual statements detailing restitution payments the defendant has made to the victim and the disbursements the court has made to the victim. The statement must include the outstanding amount of court-ordered restitution owed to the victim. The office is also required to assist with training related to the administration of the restitution system, enhance communications for postsentence restitution, and collaborate with victim advocacy programs. The act appropriates $129,359 from the judicial collection enhancement fund to the department to establish the office. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, when a defendant is detained in jail on a municipal hold, the defendant must receive a hearing before the municipal court within 2 calendar days, excluding Sundays and federal holidays. Beginning January 1, 2023, the act requires the hearing to be held within 48 hours after the municipal court receives notice that the defendant is being held solely on a municipal hold. The act makes clarifying changes to the district attorney assistance for bond hearings grant program and repeals the district attorney assistance for bond hearings cash fund. The act decreases the 2022 long bill appropriation to the district attorney assistance for bond hearing cash fund by $600,000 and appropriates in the 2022 long bill $600,000 to the department of law for district attorney bond hearing grants. The act repeals the 2021 $150,000 appropriation to the district attorney assistance for bond hearing cash fund and appropriates for the 2021-22 fiscal year $150,000 to the department of law for district attorney bond hearing grants. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the southern Colorado institute of transportation technology (institute) at Colorado state university - Pueblo, which is designated as the host institution for the institute, and specifies that the role and mission of the institute is to conduct research related to the safety, security, and innovation of railroad, ground, and intermodal transportation and general issues related to surface transportation problems in the state. The institute must also support government and academic surface transportation related research and serve as a competitive funding resource for small Colorado businesses developing and testing surface transportation technologies. The act also: Establishes a governing board for the institute, requires the institute to have a director, and specifies the powers and duties of the governing board and the director; Requires the institute to annually report to the joint budget committee and education committee of the general assembly; and Specifies a process by which Colorado state university - Pueblo may opt out of being the host institution for the institute.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires an institution of higher education that has a program or policy that permits a person to audit courses for no credit to permit a veteran to audit courses, subject to any other requirements of the program or policy. An institution may set and collect a fee of no more than $10 per course audited by a veteran for up to three courses per academic semester. The institution may permit a veteran to audit additional courses for a different fee. The general assembly encourages each institution that does not have an existing audit program or policy to permit veterans to audit courses for no credit. A veteran auditing a course is not an eligible student for the purposes of receiving a college opportunity fund stipend. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $4 million from the general fund to the Colorado state fair authority cash fund within 3 days after the date the act takes effect to partly fund the implementation of the 2021 Colorado state fair master plan. $4,000,000 is appropriated from the Colorado state fair authority cash fund to the department of agriculture for use by the Colorado state fair. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the executive director of the department of natural resources or the executive director's designee (executive director) to conduct a study as soon as practicable regarding the challenges for native pollinating insect populations, their associated ecosystems, and their health and resilience in the state. Based on the results of the study, the executive director is required to make recommendations: For the protection of native pollinating insects; and On how to develop education and outreach programming. On or before January 1, 2024, the executive director shall submit to the general assembly and the governor a report summarizing the study and the executive director's recommendations based on the study. The act appropriates $179,642 for state fiscal year 2022-23 from the general fund to the department of natural resources for implementation of the study. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state treasurer to make 2 payments of $6,650,000 to the fire and police pension association for it to deposit in the statewide death and disability trust fund. The first payment on July 1, 2022, is from the general fund, and the second payment on July 1, 2023, is from the newly created death and disability payment cash fund, which consists of money transferred from the general fund on July 1, 2022. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act clarifies that: Each prescriber of prescription drugs must register and maintain a user account with the prescription drug monitoring program (program); and Each licensed health-care practitioner must query the program prior to filling a prescription for every opioid or benzodiazepine. The act requires the group tasked with developing a strategic plan to reduce prescription drug misuse to evaluate and make recommendations to the executive director of the department of regulatory agencies regarding balancing the use of the program as a health-care tool with enforcement of the requirements of the program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the administrator (administrator) of the all-payer health claims database (database) to create a tool to facilitate the review of certain health claims reimbursement data that are included in the database. The tool must include 2018 health claims reimbursement data as the first year of available data. The act includes minimum requirements for the design of the tool, including how the information will be displayed and searchable by users of the tool. The act requires the administrator, subject to available appropriations, to update the tool at least annually. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, to implement the act, the act appropriates $155,250 from the general fund to the department of health care policy and financing for use by the executive director's office for the database. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The state is authorized to enter into one or more financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreements for the implementation costs of the Colorado operations resource engine upgrade and continuous improvement project. The office of information technology (office) and the department of personnel (department) are required to ensure that the Colorado operations resource engine system includes any functionality that the legislative branch deems to be of particular importance or promptly explain why such functionality cannot be incorporated. The office and the department are also required to report to the joint technology committee and the joint budget committee regarding their progress on the project in a format and at time intervals specified by the joint technology committee and the joint budget committee in writing. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) encourages communities, parks, and protected areas to preserve and protect dark skies by various means, including an international dark sky places program that offers designations for 5 types of dark sky places. The act requires the Colorado tourism office (office) to establish the Colorado designated dark sky designation technical assistance grant program (program) to: Provide technical assistance grants to applicants seeking direct support from the IDA for activities related to international dark sky designation; and Provide general education and outreach about dark skies and specifically promote responsible and sustainable tourism opportunities in designated dark sky places in the state. The office may contract with the IDA and the Colorado chapter of the IDA to help the office develop its program policies, evaluate grant applications, and make recommendations to the office regarding which applicants should receive grant awards and what the amount of each award should be. The office is also required, on its own, in consultation with the IDA and the Colorado chapter of the IDA, or by contracting with the IDA and the Colorado chapter of the IDA, to provide general education and outreach and to promote tourism. To fund the program, the act requires $35,000 to be transferred from the general fund to the Colorado travel and tourism additional source fund, which current law continuously appropriates to the office. On or before November 1, 2023, the office is required to submit a report detailing the expenditure of the money dedicated to the program to the house of representatives business affairs and labor committee and the senate business, labor, and technology committee, or their successor committees. The report must specify the grant-supported actions taken in furtherance of designating new dark sky places and indicate how many program grant recipients have opened and maintained an active case file with the IDA or have had a community or other place certified by the IDA as a designated dark sky place. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
