Beginning with the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the act directs the Colorado opportunity scholarship initiative (COSI) advisory board to allocate to public institutions of higher education (institution) an amount appropriated to the COSI fund from money received pursuant to the federal "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" (ARPA). To receive a distribution of its allocation, an institution must submit a student assistance plan (plan) explaining how the institution will use the money to provide financial assistance and support services to students who have some postsecondary credits but stopped attending before obtaining a credential, and first-time students who were admitted to an institution for the 2019-20 or 2020-21 academic year but did not enroll for the 2020-21 academic year. The provision of financial assistance and support services is designed to decrease student debt and increase student enrollment, retention, and completion of credentials. The COSI advisory board must review each plan based on specified criteria and may require changes to a plan before approving a distribution. At the end of the fiscal year, each institution must submit a report of how it used the money and the results achieved. The COSI director must include the information in the report that the board annually prepares for the joint budget committee and the education committees of the general assembly. The program to distribute the federal money in this manner is repealed July 1, 2026.The act creates the student aid applications completion grant program (grant program) in COSI. A school district, a charter school, or a board of cooperative services that operates a high school (local education provider) that chooses to apply for a grant must require the students enrolled by the local education provider to complete the free application for federal student aid and the Colorado application for state financial aid (student aid applications) before high school graduation, unless waived under conditions specified by the local education provider. The act specifies the contents of the application and requires the COSI board to review the applications and approve the grant awards to be paid from an amount appropriated to the COSI fund in the act. Each grant recipient must submit an annual report concerning use of the grant money, and the COSI board must include a summary report in the annual report that the COSI board submits to the education committees of the general assembly. The grant program is repealed July 1, 2026.The act creates the Colorado re-engaged (CORE) initiative within the department of higher education (department) to award an associate degree to an eligible student who enrolls in a baccalaureate degree program at a 4-year institution and earns at least 70 credit hours, but stops attending before attaining the degree. The act specifies the role of the department in implementing the CORE initiative and the role of an institution that chooses to participate in the CORE initiative. Each institution that chooses to participate in the CORE initiative must annually submit to the department a report concerning implementation of the CORE initiative. The department must review and compile the reports and submit a summary report to the education committees of the general assembly.The act repeals the requirement that a community college or a local district college must receive approval from the Colorado commission on higher education (commission) to offer a bachelor of applied science degree program. A community college or a local district college that seeks to offer a bachelor of applied science degree program must apply to its governing board, and the governing board may approve the program based on specified criteria. If a governing board approves a bachelor of applied science degree program, the governing board must notify the commission. The act repeals the criteria the commission must apply in approving a bachelor's degree program for a local district college.The act directs the commission to convene a task force to:Review the role and mission and service area of each state institution of higher education, local district college, and area technical college; Review the interaction between the institutions, the local district colleges, the area technical colleges, and the state work force development council in supporting and improving workforce development; and Review and make recommendations concerning uses of ARPA money for assistance for populations disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency that address or mitigate the impacts of the public health emergency on educational disparities. The act describes the membership of the task force and the issues the task force must address. By December 15, 2021, the task force must submit a report of findings and recommendations to the commission and to the education committees of the general assembly. The department must post the report on the department's website.The act creates within the department a working group appointed by the governor to recommend strategies for increasing the student completion rate for the student aid applications. The working group must submit its recommendations to the commission, the state board of education, the joint budget committee, and the education committees of the general assembly by January 15, 2022.The act allows the governing board of an institution to classify a qualified person as an in-state student, for tuition purposes only, if the qualified person moves to the state to accept employment, the employer is paying the qualified person's tuition, and the qualified person demonstrates the intent to establish permanent domicile in the state. The qualified person is not eligible to receive the state stipend for the first year of enrollment.For the 2021-22 fiscal year the following amounts are appropriated from money the state received from the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery fund:$49,000,000 to COSI for distribution to institutions to implement their student assistance plans; $1,500,000 to COSI for the student aid applications completion grant program; and $1,000,000 to the department to implement the CORE initiative and the associate degree completion program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Beginning in 2023, the act allows a municipality to refer a municipal election using instant runoff voting to be conducted as part of a coordinated election. The secretary of state is required to promulgate rules establishing the minimum system requirements and specifications for a voting system to be used in an election using instant runoff voting by December 31, 2022. After December 31, 2022, a system that has been tested and satisfies the standards promulgated by the secretary of state may be submitted for certification for use in an election using instant runoff voting. If the secretary of state certifies a system, the secretary is required to negotiate and purchase, if possible, a single annual statewide license with the provider to allow each county that uses the voting system to conduct elections using instant runoff voting. Each county that uses a voting system to conduct an instant runoff voting election under a statewide license obtained by the secretary of state is required to pay its share of the cost of the license as a proportion of the total number of counties that used the system that year.On and after January 1, 2023, a statutory city or town or home rule municipality located in a single county that has taken formal action to conduct an election using instant runoff voting may refer the election to be conducted as part of a coordinated election by providing written notice to the county clerk and recorder. If the county uses a voting system that is certified for use in an election using instant runoff voting, the county clerk and recorder must conduct the election as part of the coordinated election. The municipality referring the election is responsible for any reasonable additional costs the county incurs as a result of conducting an instant runoff voting election, including any licensing costs paid by the county.On and after July 1, 2026, a municipality located in more than one county may refer an election using instant runoff voting to be conducted as part of a coordinated election by notifying the county clerk and recorder of each county. The counties are required to conduct the election using instant runoff voting only if each county receives timely notice, each county uses a voting system certified for such use, and the data from all the counties' voting systems can be tabulated together in accordance with rules promulgated by the secretary of state for conducting instant runoff elections across multiple counties. The counties and the municipality are required to enter into an agreement for the conduct of the election, which must specify the procedures for the county canvass boards to canvass the election. Each county canvass board is required to certify the abstract of votes cast and provide tabulation data to the designated election office for the municipality in accordance with rules adopted by the secretary of state.The secretary of state is required to promulgate rules related to instant runoff voting elections including the procedures for conducting logic and accuracy tests and risk limiting audits, and for the tabulation, reporting, and canvassing of results.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the secretary of state (secretary) and county clerk and recorders (county clerk) of certain counties to provide multilingual ballot access.The secretary is required to establish a multilingual ballot hotline (hotline) to provide access to qualified translators or interpreters in each of the languages in the state that has at least 2,000 citizens age 18 years or older who speak English less than very well and who speak a shared minority language at home, and in any additional languages the secretary determines by rules is necessary to assist electors in translating ballot language. The secretary is required to establish the hotline for use during the general election held in November 2022, and for every general election and statewide odd-year election thereafter. The act specifies when the hotline must be available during voting periods. The secretary is also required to:Provide notice of the hotline to electors through election day; Ensure that the translators who provide translations for the multilingual hotline are qualified translators or interpreters; and Promulgate rules as may be necessary to create and administer the hotline. The county clerk of any county that satisfies specified criteria is required to create, in coordination with the secretary, a minority language sample ballot (sample ballot) in any minority language spoken in the county that satisfies the following:The minority language is spoken by at least 2,000 citizens in the county age 18 years or older, who speak English less than very well, and who speak the minority language at home; or The minority language is spoken by at least 2.5% of citizens in the county age 18 years or older, who speak English less than very well, and who speak the minority language at home. The act specifies that the sample ballot must include all of the same content that is on the English language ballot and also specifies the format of the sample ballot. In addition, the act requires that the sample ballots be available for the general election held in November 2022, and for each general election and statewide odd-year election thereafter.The county clerk of any county that satisfies specified criteria is required to provide, upon the request of an elector, an in-person minority language ballot (in-person ballot) in any minority language spoken in the county that satisfies the same criteria specified for sample ballots. An in-person ballot can be a ballot on demand, a ballot from a printed stock of ballots, or a ballot via an electronic voting device.The act specifies that the in-person ballot must include all of the same content that is on the English language ballot and specifies that in-person ballots are required to be available for the general election held in November 2022, and for each general election and statewide odd-year election thereafter.The secretary is required to determine, pursuant to specified criteria, which counties in the state are required to provide multilingual ballot access by creating a sample ballot and providing an in-person ballot, and to notify the county clerk of any county that is required to provide such multilingual ballot access.Legislative council staff is required to provide to the secretary a translation of all statewide ballot questions or issues that will appear on the ballot in every language in which a minority language sample ballot must be provided in the state. The secretary is required to provide each county clerk that is required to provide multilingual ballot access with a translation in the applicable minority language or languages of all content that is certified to the county clerks by the secretary of state for use by the county clerk in creating the multilingual ballot access.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, $82,800 is appropriated from the department of state cash fund to the department of state for use by the information technology division to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows a board of county commissioners or a city council of a city and county, upon approval of the county treasurer, to temporarily reduce, waive, or suspend delinquent interest payments for property tax payments for any period of time between June 16, 2021, and September 30, 2021.The act also requires a board of county commissioners or city council to notify local taxing jurisdictions of the intent to reduce, waive, or suspend delinquent property tax interest payments. If a local taxing jurisdiction would be unable to meet its bond payment obligations after the proposed reduction, waiver, or suspension, the local taxing jurisdiction shall notify the board of county commissioners or city council.If the local taxing jurisdiction submits a letter to the board of county commissioners of the county or city council of the city and county, the act requires a treasurer, or other officer responsible for the collection of property taxes for a county or city and county, to advance property tax payments to local taxing jurisdictions to assist the local taxing jurisdictions in the payment of bonded indebtedness payments and monthly operation costs.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act prohibits the use of American Indian mascots (mascots) by public schools, including charter and institute charter schools, and public institutions of higher education (public school) as of June 1, 2022. The act imposes a fine of $25,000 per month for each month that a public school continues to use a mascot after such date, payable to the state education fund.The prohibition does not apply to:Any agreement that exists prior to June 30, 2021, between a federally recognized Indian tribe (tribe) and a public school, although the tribe has the right and ability to revoke the agreement at any time; Any public school that is operated by a tribe or with the approval of a tribe and existing within the boundaries of the tribe's reservation; and The ability of a tribe to create and maintain a relationship or agreement with a public school that fosters goodwill, emphasizes education and supports a curriculum that teaches American Indian history, and encourages a positive cultural exchange. Any such agreement may allow any mascot that is culturally affiliated with the tribe, as determined at the discretion of the tribe's governing body. The Colorado commission of Indian affairs shall identify each public school in the state that is using an American Indian mascot and that does not meet the criteria for an exemption and post such information on the commission's website. In addition to posting such information on its website, the commission, in coordination with the department of education, shall notify the school district of a public school, and the charter school institute, identified by the commission of the requirements related to the use of American Indian mascots, as well as the penalty for continued used of such mascots.The act allows those schools that are using American Indian mascots to apply for state financial assistance for public school capital construction grants.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
During the 2020 regular legislative session, the general assembly enacted Senate Bill 20-123 concerning the rights of college athletes, and, in connection therewith, establishing their right to receive compensation for the use of their names, images, and likenesses and their right to obtain professional and legal representation. The governor subsequently signed Senate Bill 20-123 into law.Senate Bill 20-123 was enacted with an effective date of January 1, 2023. The act changes this effective date to July 1, 2021.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes various changes to statutory provisions to promote transparency for special districts. Specifically:Under current law, the designated election official is required to provide notice by publication of a call for nominations for a regular local government election. Except for metropolitan districts organized after January 1, 2000, the act requires that notice be made exclusively by publication and by any one of 4 additional means. In the case of any metropolitan district that was organized after January 1, 2000, the act requires the notice of the call for nominations to be made by emailing the notice to each active registered elector of the metropolitan district as specified in the registration list provided by the county clerk and recorder as of the date that is 150 days prior to the date of the regular local government election. Where the active registered elector does not have an e-mail address on file for such purpose with the county clerk and recorder as of that date, the public notice must be made by mailing the notice, at the lowest cost option, to each address at which one or more active registered electors of the metropolitan district resides as specified in the registration list provided by the county clerk and recorder as of that date. In addition to the means of providing public notice of the call for nominations that is required under the act, the designated election official must also provide public notice by any one of 4 alternate means specified in the act; The act exempts inactive special districts from new requirements under the act concerning maintenance of a district's website and a district's annual report; The act requires a metropolitan district, by a certain date, to establish, maintain, and annually update an official website in a form that is readily accessible to the public that contains information that is specified in the act; The act adds to existing statutory requirements regarding the annual report to be filed by a special district and, among other things, supplements the type of information to be included in the annual report; The act prohibits a metropolitan district from exercising its power of dominant eminent domain within a municipality or the unincorporated area of a county, other than within the boundaries of the jurisdiction that approved its service plan, without a written resolution approving the exercise of dominant eminent domain by the governing body of the municipality in connection with property that is located within an incorporated area or by the board of county commissioners of the county in connection with property that is located within an unincorporated area; and The act requires, on and after January 1, 2022, each owner of real property that sells real property that includes a newly constructed residence that is located within a metropolitan district, concurrently with or prior to the execution of a contract to sell the property, to provide to the purchaser of the property certain information or statements specified in the act relating to the finances of the metropolitan district, including information about the debt obligations of the district and an estimate of property taxes applicable to the property at the time of the sale.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires a health benefit plan issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2023, to provide a cost-sharing benefit for nonpharmacological treatment where an opioid might be prescribed. The required cost-sharing benefit must include a cost-sharing amount not to exceed the cost-sharing amount for a primary care visit for nonpreventive services, at least 6 physical therapy visits, 6 occupational therapy visits, 6 chiropractic visits, and 6 acupuncture visits per year. The division of insurance (division) is required to submit to the federal department of human services a determination as to whether the cost-sharing benefit is in addition to an essential benefit and subject to defrayal by the state pursuant to federal law and a request for confirmation of the determination. The division is required to implement the benefit only if the benefit does not constitute an additional benefit that requires a defrayal.The act requires an insurance carrier (carrier) that provides prescription drug benefits to provide coverage, beginning January 1, 2023, for at least one atypical opioid that is approved by the federal food and drug administration (FDA) for the treatment of acute or chronic pain, which coverage must be at the lowest cost-sharing tier of the carrier's formulary with no requirement for step therapy or prior authorization. Additionally, a carrier cannot require step therapy for any additional FDA-approved atypical opioids.The act precludes a carrier that has a contract with a physical therapist, occupational therapist, chiropractor, or acupuncturist from:Prohibiting the physical therapist, occupational therapist, chiropractor, or acupuncturist from, or penalizing the physical therapist, occupational therapist, chiropractor, or acupuncturist for, providing a covered person information on the amount of the covered person's financial responsibility for the covered person's physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic services, or acupuncture services; or Requiring the physical therapist, occupational therapist, chiropractor, or acupuncturist to charge a covered person an amount or collect a copayment from a covered person that exceeds the total charges submitted to the carrier by the physical therapist, occupational therapist, chiropractor, or acupuncturist. The commissioner of insurance is required to take action against a carrier that the commissioner determines is not complying with these prohibitions.Current law limits specified prescribers from prescribing more than a 7-day supply of an opioid to a patient who has not obtained an opioid prescription from that prescriber within the previous 12 months unless certain conditions apply. This prescribing limitation is set to repeal on September 1, 2021.The act continues the prescribing limitation indefinitely.The also requires the applicable board for each prescriber to promulgate rules that limit the supply of a benzodiazepine, which is a sedative commonly prescribed for anxiety and as a sleep aid, that a prescriber may prescribe to a patient who has not had a prescription for a benzodiazepine in the last 12 months, except for benzodiazepines prescribed to treat specific disorders or conditions.The act continues indefinitely the requirement that a health-care provider query the prescription drug monitoring program (program) before prescribing an opioid, including a benzodiazepine, and changes current law to require the query on every prescription fill, not just the second fill. This section also requires a practitioner to query the program before prescribing a benzodiazepine unless it is to treat a specific disorder or condition.In addition to current law allowing medical examiners and coroners to query the program when conducting an autopsy, section 16 allows medical examiners and coroners to query the program when conducting a death investigation.The act also authorizes the state board of pharmacy to provide a means of sharing prescription information from the program with the health information organization network in order to work collaboratively with statewide health information exchanges designated by the department of health care policy and financing.The act requires the center for research into substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support strategies to include in its continuing education activities the best practices for prescribing benzodiazepines and the potential harm of inappropriately limiting prescriptions to chronic pain patients and makes an appropriation for this purpose.The act directs the office of behavioral health in the department of human services to convene a collaborative with institutions of higher education, nonprofit agencies, and state agencies for the purpose of gathering feedback from local public health agencies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit agencies, and state agencies concerning evidence-based prevention practices.$382,908 is appropriated to the department of human services for use by the office of behavioral health. $13,000 is appropriated to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the division of insurance. $215,207 is appropriated to the department of regulatory agencies.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act specifies that for harassment that is bias-motivated or a bias-motivated crime, the bias motivation only needs to be part of the defendant's motivation in committing the crime.The act makes the crime of harassment when the harassment is bias-motivated a victim rights act crime, which provides a victim certain statutory rights.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements 988 as the 3-digit number for crisis response services in Colorado by creating the 988 crisis hotline enterprise (enterprise) in the department of human services (department) to fund the 988 crisis hotline and provide crisis outreach, stabilization, and acute care to individuals calling the 988 crisis hotline.Effective January 1, 2022, the enterprise shall impose a 988 surcharge (surcharge) on service users in an amount to be established annually by the enterprise, in collaboration with the public utilities commission (commission) but not to exceed 30 cents per month. The act requires each service supplier to collect the surcharge from its service users and remit the collected surcharges to the commission on a monthly basis. The state treasurer shall credit the surcharge collections to the 988 surcharge cash fund (fund).Effective January 1, 2022, the enterprise shall impose a prepaid wireless 988 charge on each retail transaction in an amount to be established annually by the enterprise, in collaboration with the commission but not to exceed 30 cents per each retail transaction. The act requires each seller to collect the prepaid wireless 988 charge from the consumer on each retail transaction occurring in the state and remit the collected charges to the department of revenue. The state treasurer shall credit the prepaid wireless 988 charge to the fund.On or before July 1, 2022, the enterprise shall fund a nonprofit organization to operate the 988 crisis hotline and provide intervention services and crisis care coordination to individuals calling the 988 crisis hotline.Beginning January 1, 2023, and each January 1 thereafter, the department shall submit information about the usage of the 988 crisis hotline center to the federal substance abuse and mental health services administration and information about the expenditures of the fund to the federal communications commission, and the department shall annually report progress on the implementation of the 988 crisis hotline to the general assembly.The act appropriates $5,687,692 to the department of human services for use by the office of behavioral health, $74,566 to the department of revenue, and $1,966 to the department of personnel to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of public health and environment (department) to implement the community behavioral health disaster preparedness and response program (program) using existing initiatives and activities to ensure that behavioral health is adequately represented within disaster preparedness and response efforts across the state. The program is intended to enhance, support, and formalize behavioral health disaster preparedness and response activities conducted by community behavioral health organizations.The act requires the department to promulgate rules as necessary for the oversight and management of the program; work collaboratively with community behavioral heath organizations; create, define, and publish eligibility criteria for community behavioral health organizations to participate in the program; and provide funding to community behavioral health organizations on an annual or as-needed basis for the activities the organizations conduct.The act appropriates $529,801 and provides an additional 1.8 FTE to the department for use by the office of emergency preparedness response to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act continues the requirement that an opioid prescriber must adhere to the limitations on prescribing opioids.The act continues the funding for the medication-assisted treatment expansion pilot program for the 2020-21 fiscal year and each year thereafter.The act creates the regional health connector workforce program in the University of Colorado School of Medicine to educate health-care providers on evidence-based and evidence-informed therapies and techniques; provide support and assistance to primary care providers as a link between multiple services to improve community health; assist primary care practices and community agencies in connecting patients with mental health or substance use disorders to support and treatment options; educate health-care providers; and provide clear information to providers and community members about COVID-19.The act expands the Colorado State University AgrAbility project (project) by providing funding for the project's rural rehabilitation specialists to provide information, services, and research-based, stress-assistance information, education, suicide prevention training, and referrals to behavioral health-care services to farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers, and their families to mitigate incidences of harmful responses to stress experienced by these individuals.The act continuously appropriates money to the harm reduction grant program.No later than July 1, 2023, the department of health care policy and financing (HCPF) shall contract with one or more independent review organizations to conduct external reviews requested for review by a medicaid provider when there is a denial or reduction for residential or inpatient substance use disorder treatment and medicaid appeals have been exhausted.No later than October 1, 2021, HCPF shall consult with the office of behavioral health (OBH), residential treatment providers, and managed care entities (MCE) to develop standardized utilization management processes to determine medical necessity for residential and inpatient substance use disorder treatment, which processes must be incorporated into existing MCE contracts no later than January 1, 2022.No later than July 1, 2022, HCPF shall contract with an independent third-party vendor to audit 33% of all denials of authorization for inpatient and residential substance use disorder treatment for each MCE.The act requires the state medical assistance program (medicaid) to include screening for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders for the caregiver of each child enrolled in medicaid in accordance with the health resources and services administration guidelines. The screening must be made available to any caregiver, regardless of whether the caregiver is enrolled in medicaid, so long as the caregiver's child is enrolled in medicaid.No later than July 1, 2023, the Colorado department of human services (CDHS) shall develop a statewide data collection and information system to analyze implementation data and selected outcomes to identify areas for improvement, promote accountability, and provide insights to continually improve child and program outcomes.The act requires CDHS, in collaboration with the department of agriculture, to contract with a nonprofit organization primarily focused on serving agricultural and rural communities in Colorado to provide vouchers to individuals living in rural and frontier communities in need of behavioral health-care services.The act creates the county-based behavioral health grant program in OBH to provide matching grants to county departments of human or social services for the expansion or improvement of local or regional behavioral health disorder treatment programs. The grant program repeals July 1, 2023.The act creates the behavioral health-care workforce development program in OBH to increase the behavioral health-care workforce's ability to treat individuals, including youth, with severe behavioral health disorders.No later than August 1, 2021, CDHS shall develop a program to provide emergency resources to licensed providers to help remove barriers such providers face in serving children and youth whose behavioral or mental health needs require services and treatment in a residential child care facility.The act requires CDHS, in collaboration with HCPF, to develop a statewide care coordination infrastructure to drive accountability and more effective behavioral health navigation to care that builds upon and collaborates with existing care coordination services.The act requires the center for research into substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support strategies to engage in community engagement activities to address substance use prevention, harm reduction, criminal justice response, treatment, and recovery.The act continues the building substance use disorder treatment capacity in underserved communities grant program indefinitely.The act requires the perinatal substance use data linkage project to utilize data from multiple state-administered data sources when examining certain issues related to pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders and their infants.No later than January 1, 2022, OBH shall use a competitive selection process to select a recovery residence certifying body to certify recovery residences and educate and train recovery residence owners and staff on industry best practices.The act requires OBH to establish a program to provide temporary financial housing assistance to individuals with a substance use disorder who have no supportive housing options when the individual is transitioning out of a residential treatment setting and into recovery or receiving treatment for the individual's substance use disorder.The act creates the recovery support services grant program for the purpose of providing recovery-oriented services to individuals with a substance use disorder or co-occurring substance use and mental health disorder.The act removes the requirement that the office of ombudsman for behavioral health access to care (office) enter into a memorandum of understanding with CDHS and subjects the office to state personnel and fiscal rules.The act continues the appropriation to the maternal and child health pilot program indefinitely.The act continues the program to increase public awareness concerning the safe use, storage, and disposal of opioids and the availability of naloxone and other drugs used to block the effects of an opioid overdose.The act requires a correctional facility or private contract prison to offer a person in custody, upon release from the facility, at least 2 doses of an opioid reversal medication and education about the appropriate use of the medication.The act removes municipal, county, or fire program district fire stations from the definition of "safe station" as it relates to the disposal of controlled substances.The act requires the opioid and other substance use disorders study committee to meet in the 2022 interim rather than the 2021 interim.The act requires the university of Colorado school of medicine to provide practice consultation services and stipends to health-care providers who are eligible to provide medication for opioid use disorder.The act creates the behavioral and mental health cash fund which consists of $550 million the state received from the federal "American Rescue Plan Act". The act requires the executive committee of the legislative council to create a task force to meet during the 2021 interim and issue a report with recommendations to the general assembly and governor on policies to create transformational change in the area of behavioral health.The act appropriates additional one-time money to the Colorado health service corps fund from the money received from the federal "American Rescue Plan Act".The act adds services for families with behavioral health needs as an allowable use for the high-risk families cash fund.The act continues the harm reduction grant program and the maternal and child health pilot program indefinitely.The act appropriates state money and money received by the "American Rescue Plan Act" to various state departments for certain behavioral health-related programs.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
