The act establishes a temporary youth mental health services program (program) in the office of behavioral health within the department of human services (department) to facilitate access to mental health services, including substance use disorder services, for youth to respond to identified mental health needs, including those needs that may have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. The program reimburses providers for up to 3 mental health sessions with a youth and may provide additional reimbursement subject to available money.As soon as practicable, but no later than August 1, 2021, the department is required to enter into an agreement with a vendor to create, or use an existing, website or web-based application as a portal available to youth and providers to facilitate the program.The program is repealed, effective June 30, 2022.The act appropriates $9,000,000 to the department of human services from the general fund to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act expands the necessary referral services authorized by the Colorado 2-1-1 collaborative (collaborative) to include necessary referrals for behavioral health services and other social service resources in the state for Coloradans, particularly for individuals who are unemployed, regardless of whether they receive benefits.The act requires the department of human services' office of behavioral health to contract with the collaborative to hire and train specialized personnel. The act also requires the office of behavioral health to collaborate with the collaborative to engage in targeted marketing and outreach, and to ensure the marketing and outreach are targeted to traditionally underserved communities, such as immigrant, low-income, and communities of color.The act also requires the collaborative to coordinate with the department of labor and employment (department) to target, conduct outreach, and market to individuals who are unemployed, regardless of whether they receive benefits, and may need referrals for behavioral health services and other social service resources. The department is required to update its unemployment application web page and specified websites to include contact information for the collaborative.For the 2020-21 state fiscal year, $1,000,000 is appropriated to the department of human services (state department) from the general fund to implement the act. Any money that is not spent before July 1, 2021 is further appropriated to the state department for the 2021-22 state fiscal year for the same purpose.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, $5,741 is appropriated from the general fund to the department for use by the division of unemployment insurance to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Currently, 50% of state severance tax revenues are deposited into the severance tax trust fund, which is then typically split between the severance tax perpetual base fund (perpetual base fund) and the severance tax operational fund (operational fund). Money in the operational fund is currently used for core departmental programs and, if there are sufficient available revenues, for transfers to funds that support natural resources and energy grant programs (grant program transfers). The act repeals the grant program transfers, with some, but not all, of the recipient programs receiving alternative funding from severance tax revenues.Subject to annual appropriation, the Colorado water conservation board is authorized to direct the state treasurer to transfer money from the perpetual base fund to the water supply reserve fund, the interbasin compact committee operation fund, and the water efficiency grant program cash fund, all of which previously received grant program transfers. The general assembly is authorized to directly appropriate or transfer money into the perpetual base fund and the water supply reserve fund.If less than 100% of the money available in the operational fund is used for the current core departmental programs, then, the general assembly may appropriate money from the operational fund to the species conservation trust fund, the division of parks and wildlife aquatic nuisance species fund, and the conservation district grant fund, all of which previously received grant program transfers. The transfers from the operational fund are subject to the same limits that they had as grant program transfers. On June 30, 2021, and July 1, 2022, the state treasurer is required to transfer $9,456,005 from the general fund to the operational fund. The director of the office of state planning and budgeting and the executive directors of the departments of revenue, natural resources, education, and local affairs, or their designees, are required to review and analyze various elements of the state severance tax and submit written recommendations for any changes to the joint budget committee. Stakeholders will be involved in the process and may submit responsive comments to the recommendations.The act also requires metropolitan districts created after July 1, 2021, to annually pay the state an amount equal to the total of all severance tax ad valorem credits claimed for property taxes that are imposed by the metropolitan district. This money will be allocated like severance tax revenues.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes, subject to limitations, a county clerk and recorder to permit the parties to a proposed marriage or civil union to satisfy the requirement to appear before the county clerk and recorder by interactive audiovisual communication technology or online functionality for the purpose of satisfying certain requirements for a marriage license or civil union license.A county clerk and recorder who permits the parties to a proposed marriage or civil union to satisfy certain requirements without appearing in person and staff members who carry out duties on behalf of the county clerk and recorder shall complete training developed by the human trafficking council concerning human trafficking in Colorado.The act repeals the option of using these procedures effective December 31, 2023.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under Colorado law, an insurer who has declared a vehicle a total loss may obtain a salvage or nonrepairable title for the vehicle when the owner has failed to cooperate. The act authorizes an agent of an insurer to do the same.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act declares that new technologies, such as blockchain, telemetry, improved sensors, and advanced aerial observation platforms, can improve monitoring, management, conservation, and allocation of water to fulfill obligations under Colorado water law and enhance confidence in the reliability of data underlying water rights transactions. To advance the potential use of these new technologies, the act:Authorizes and directs the university of Colorado and Colorado state university, in collaboration with the Colorado water institute at Colorado state university, to conduct feasibility studies and pilot deployments of these new technologies to improve water management in Colorado; and Appropriates $20,000 to each university from the general fund, contingent on the universities' receipt of a matching $40,000 in gifts, grants, and donations on or before June 1, 2022, for the purpose of funding the feasibility studies and pilot deployments. The universities are directed to report on the amounts and sources of money received through gifts, grants, and donations and the purposes to which those amounts were devoted, on their websites, in any published reports produced by the universities, and in the annual "SMART Act" hearings held by the general assembly.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the division of homeland security and emergency management in the department of public safety (division), on or before January 1, 2022, to implement a pilot grant program (program) to help finance the use of nurse intake of 911 calls, which involves nurses assisting with 911 dispatch for the purpose of diverting nonurgent 911 calls to medical care that does not require ambulance service or treatment in an emergency room, or the use of a substantially comparable 911 triage system. The division, after reviewing applications, shall designate 4 public safety answering points to participate in the program, one of which is located in a county with 60,000 or more residents and 3 of which are located in a county or counties with fewer than 60,000 residents. To participate in the program, the designated public safety answering points must enter into a contract with an entity that can provide nurses who are trained and equipped to provide nurse intake of 911 calls or operate its own program for nurse intake of 911 calls or a substantially comparable 911 triage system.On or before September 1, 2023, the division shall report to the judiciary committees in the senate and the house of representatives or their successor committees on the program, including reporting on patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes and on annual cost savings tied to the program.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, $865,583 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of public safety for use by the division, based on the assumption that an additional 0.5 FTE will be required. The division may use the appropriation for program administration related to the office of preparedness. The money is further appropriated to the department for the 2022-23 state fiscal year for the same purpose if not fully expended before July 1, 2022.The program is repealed, effective July 1, 2024.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
After receipt of the amounts to be levied against taxable property in the county, the board of county commissioners or other taxing authority (BOCC) is required to hold a formal hearing and to certify such levies to the county assessor. The act gives the BOCC the option to authorize the levies by written approval rather than by formal hearing and to delegate the certification process to staff or other authorized parties.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act establishes a special license plate to recognize Colorado nurses. Beginning the earlier of January 15, 2022, or when the department of revenue (department) is able to issue the plates, the department shall issue Colorado nurses license plates to qualified applicants. The nurses foundation that satisfies all applicable requirements may design the Colorado nurses license plate, but the license plate must conform with standards established by the department. A person may apply for a Colorado nurses license plate if the person pays the required taxes and fees and provides to the department a certificate issued by the nurses foundation confirming that the applicant has made a donation to the nurses foundation in an amount that the nurses foundation may determine but that may not exceed $100.For the purpose of addressing the existing statutory requirement that a minimum of 3,000 persons commit to purchasing the Colorado nurses license plate, the department is required to include signatures collected by the Stephen T. Marchello Scholarship Foundation.For each donation that the nurses foundation receives in association with the sale of a Colorado nurses license plate, the nurses foundation shall use a portion of the donation to provide scholarships to nurses from minority populations.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $17,490 to the department for use by the division of motor vehicles. Of this amount, $5,400 is appropriated from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund for DRIVES maintenance and support, and $12,090 is appropriated from the license plate cash fund for license plate ordering.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of personnel (department) to create and maintain an inventory of unused state-owned real property and to determine whether the unused state-owned real property identified is suitable for construction of affordable housing, child care, public schools, residential mental and behavioral health care, or for placement of renewable energy facilities, or if such property is suitable for other purposes. The act defines unused state-owned real property as real property owned by or under the control of a state agency, not including the division of parks and wildlife in the department of natural resources and not including the state board of land commissioners or any state institution of higher education.The department is authorized to seek proposals from qualified developers to construct affordable housing, child care, public schools, residential mental and behavioral health care, or to place renewable energy facilities on unused state-owned real property that the department has deemed suitable. Budget requests for those purposes must be made through the current budgetary process; except that budget requests may not be made through a request for a supplemental appropriation.The department is authorized to enter into contracts with qualified developers for proposals to construct affordable housing, child care, public schools, residential mental and behavioral health care, or to place renewable energy facilities, on unused state-owned real property that the department has deemed suitable, subject to available appropriations. Prior to entering into contracts, the department must first submit a report to capital development committee (CDC) that outlines the anticipated use of the property. The department may not enter into contracts without the approval of the CDC.The act creates the unused state-owned real property cash fund to which the state treasurer is required to credit all proceeds from the sale, rent, or lease of unused state-owned real property.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law does not include the definitions "public assistance" and "medical assistance" relating to death reimbursements for funeral, cremation, and burial expenses for deceased public assistance or medical assistance recipients. The act adds the definitions "public assistance" and "medical assistance" to clarify who qualifies as a public assistance or medical assistance recipient.Current law authorizes death reimbursements for a person who has applied or was eligible for public benefits. The act requires the person to be receiving the public benefits at the time of death.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of human services (state department) to establish procedures to approve recovery support services organizations for reimbursement of peer support professional services. The act also gives the executive director of the state department rule-making authority to establish other criteria and standards as necessary.The act permits a recovery support services organization to charge and submit for reimbursement from the medical assistance program certain eligible peer support services provided by peer support professionals.The act authorizes the department of health care policy and financing to reimburse recovery support services organizations for permissible claims for peer support services submitted under the medical services program.The act requires contracts entered into between the state department's office of behavioral health and designated managed service organizations to include terms and conditions related to the support of peer-run recovery support services organizations.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, $28,654 is appropriated to the state department from the general fund for use by the office of behavioral health to implement this act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
