Building regulations - energy efficient building code standards required - reporting. The act requires local jurisdictions to adopt one of the 3 most recent versions of the international energy conservation code at a minimum, upon updating any other building code, and encourages local jurisdictions to update the Colorado energy office on any changes to the jurisdictions' building and energy codes.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Computer science education grant program - appropriation. The act creates in the department of education the computer science education grant program (grant program) to provide money to public schools or school districts in order to increase enrollment or participation of traditionally underrepresented students in computer science education activities. The act requires the state board of education (board) to promulgate rules necessary for the implementation of the grant program. The act requires the board to give priority to grant applications that: Demonstrate how the applicant will use the grant to serve a high-poverty student population, a high percentage of minority students, students in rural areas, or a high percentage of female students; Expose students to diverse professionals within the computer science industry; or Demonstrate a low number of computer science education courses or clubs offered in the public school or school district, if any. The act appropriates $250,000 each year for the 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 fiscal years, from the general fund to the department of education. The department shall distribute the money to the education providers that receive a grant. The act requires each grant recipient to submit a report to the board. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Surplus military vehicles - certificates of title - on-road and off-road use - appropriation. The act defines surplus military vehicles as off-highway vehicles for the purposes of titling these vehicles and of using these vehicles on and off road. These changes in the definition are as follows: A surplus military vehicle may be titled as an off-highway vehicle; A surplus military vehicle is not registered as a motor vehicle; and A surplus military vehicle is treated as an off-highway vehicle for the purposes of on-road use and off-road use. These changes do not apply to military vehicles that are valued for historical purposes. To implement the act, $45,000 is appropriated to the department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle service account. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Commissions on judicial performance - senior judges - vacancies - surveys. Currently, senior judges are evaluated by the state commission on judicial performance (state commission). The act repeals this provision and makes conforming amendments. Under current law, for a vacancy on a state or district commission on judicial performance, if the appointing authority does not appoint a replacement within 45 days after the vacancy arises, the governor appoints a replacement member of the commission. The act changes this from the governor to the state commission. The act provides that surveys of justices and judges are to be distributed primarily through electronic means and directs the state commission to make efforts to locate electronic addresses for persons who use the courts. For rules of the state commission, the act clarifies that they may provide for a matrix or scorecard to evaluate a judge or justice and repeals the requirement that the rules contain a threshold for deciding whether a judge or justice meets a performance standard. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Electric utilities - solar energy - community solar gardens - allowable size and location - standards for construction and installation of components. The act amends the current statute authorizing the creation of community solar gardens (CSGs) by: Increasing the maximum size of a CSG from 2 megawatts to 5 megawatts, with the option for the public utilities commission (PUC) to authorize construction of a CSG up to 10 megawatts beginning July 1, 2023; Removing the requirement that a CSG subscriber's identified physical location be in the same county as, or a county adjacent to, that of the CSG, while retaining the requirement that it be within the service territory of the same investor-owned utility; and Requiring all photovoltaic electrical work on a CSG of greater than 2 megawatts to be supervised by a licensed master electrician, licensed journeyman electrician, or licensed residential wireman, and comply with all applicable electrical codes and standards. If an investor-owned utility owns all or part of a CSG, the utility is required to use either its own employees or a contractor whose employees have access to specified apprenticeship programs to operate and maintain the CSG. Beginning in 2020, all photovoltaic electrical work for installations of at least 300 kilowatts must be performed by a licensed master electrician, licensed journeyman electrician, licensed residential wireman, or properly supervised electrical apprentices and must comply with all applicable electrical codes and standards. The PUC shall determine the conditions under which a subscriber to a CSG may choose to retain or sell the renewable energy credits attributable to the subscriber's participation in the CSG. Section 4 of the act is contingent upon House Bill 19-1172 becoming law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Colorado new energy improvement district - inclusion of housing authority property. The Colorado new energy improvement district (NEID) administers a commercial property assessed clean energy program through which an owner of eligible real property, which includes residential properties having at least 5 dwelling units (eligible property), may finance energy improvements to the eligible property by joining the NEID and agreeing to pay a NEID special assessment against the eligible property. A city, county, or multijurisdictional housing authority (housing authority) and its property, whether owned or leased, are generally exempt from the payment of special assessments to the state or any political subdivision of the state. The act clarifies that this exemption does not preclude a housing authority, an entity in which a housing authority has an ownership interest, or a lessor who leases real property to or from a housing authority from voluntarily applying to include eligible real property that it owns into the boundaries of the NEID and accepting the levying of a NEID special assessment against the eligible property.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Campaign and political finance - rules of the secretary of state - enforcement procedures. The act codifies in the "Fair Campaign Practices Act" the rules of the secretary of state (secretary) addressing the procedures that govern the enforcement of state laws governing campaign and political finance. In particular, the codified provisions specify the procedures governing the filing of complaints, initial review of complaints by the elections division (division) within the secretary's office, the method by which a respondent may cure a violation of the campaign finance laws, the investigation of unresolved or uncured complaints by the division, the conduct of hearings, review by the division of campaign finance documents it receives for filing, and the issuance of advisory opinions by the secretary. The act also deletes an existing statutory provision it makes obsolete requiring administrative law judges to complete continuing legal education in campaign finance. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Uniform Election Code of 1992 - modifications - appropriation. The act makes changes to the "Uniform Election Code of 1992" (code), including changes to procedures for voter registration, including registration on Indian reservations; ballot access requirements, including changes to the number of signatures required on candidate petitions and requiring licensing and training for petition entities; political party organization filing requirements; procedures for in-person voting, including allowing a person who does not reside in a county but wishes to vote at a polling location to cast a ballot that contains statewide federal and state offices and questions; requirements for the content of an election plan; procedures for curing ballots; and requirements for recall petitions, including allowing the incumbent to file a statement to included on the petition and changes to the procedures for curing petitions. The formulas and hours for drop boxes and voter service and polling centers are revised, and counties are required to locate some drop boxes and voter service and polling centers on higher education campuses and Indian reservations. Seventeen year olds who are preregistered and who will be eighteen on the date of the next general election are allowed to participate in primary elections and caucuses. A person may seek a court order to keep polling locations open past the regular closing time on election day when voting at or access to a polling location has been substantially impaired. The secretary of state is required to complete updates to the statewide voter registration database to reduce wait times at polling locations. The act makes additional technical changes and corrections to the code. The act creates the local elections assistance cash fund to reimburse counties for the one-time purchase of voting equipment necessary to fulfill the requirements of the act. For the implementation of the act, $50,945 is appropriated to the department of state for use by the elections division, $255,298 is appropriated to the department of state for use by the information technology division, and $2,790 is appropriated to the department of personnel for use by the division of central services. In addition, $2,0960,000 is appropriated to the local elections assistance cash fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
State electrical board - continuation under sunset law - contemporaneous reviews. The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies' (department's) sunset review and report on the state electrical board by: Continuing the functions of the board for 13 years, until 2032 (sections 1 and 2 of the act); Repealing the limitations on the permit fees that local jurisdictions may charge (section 7); Clarifying that cables and systems utilized for conveying power are not exempt from regulation when they are hard-wired into a building's electrical system but that power-limited circuits are exempt (section 7); Defining "direct supervision", with regard to the oversight of apprentices, and "supervision" of electrical work (sections 3, 6, and 9); Repealing the requirement that the board notify an applicant that he or she is qualified to take a licensure examination (section 5); Directing the governor to consider that at least one of the 4 members of the board who must be a master or journeyman electrician should be an electrician who works primarily in the residential sector (section 4); Clarifying that traffic signals are exempt from regulation (section 7); Repealing redundant language regarding an inspection exemption and obsolete language regarding providing copies of the electrical code and standards (section 7); and Subjecting to regulation the alteration of existing facilities that are otherwise exempt from regulation (section 7). Section 8 requires state electrical inspectors or inspectors employed by an incorporated town or city, county, city and county, or qualified state institution of higher education (entity) to develop standard procedures to advise inspectors on how to conduct a contemporaneous review to ensure compliance. Each entity must post its standard procedures on its public website and provide the director of the division of professions and occupations within the department with a link to the web page on which the standard procedures have been posted or, if the entity does not have a website, provide its current procedures to the director for posting on the department's website. The board can issue a cease-and-desist order to an entity that is conducting inspections that do not comply with statutory requirements. Sections 10 through 17 are contingent upon House Bill 19-1172 becoming law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Registration - special license plates - Mesa Verde National Park. The act creates the Mesa Verde National Park license plate. To be issued the plate, an applicant must pay 2 one-time $25 fees and make a donation to a nonprofit organization selected by the department of revenue.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Nursing home penalty cash fund - reserve - grant cap - repeal related program sunset. The act repeals the current reserve for the nursing home penalty cash fund and instead requires the medical services board to establish a minimum reserve that limits expenditures for grants. The annual cap on expenditures for grants, which is $250,000 or possibly a lesser amount depending on whether the fund balance exceeds $2 million, is repealed and the sunset review of the use of grants and the related nursing home innovations grant board is also repealed.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
CSU-Pueblo - Institute of Cannabis Research - governing board - host institution relocation. The act creates the institute of cannabis research (institute) at Colorado state university - Pueblo. The role and mission of the institute is to conduct or fund research related to cannabis and publicly disseminate the results of the research. The act creates the institute of cannabis research governing board (governing board) to oversee the institute and approve its annual budget. The governing board shall advise any Colorado institution of higher education that is developing cannabis-related curriculum and provides input to the Colorado commission on higher education before it approves any cannabis-related degrees or certification. The governing board consists of: The chancellor of the Colorado state university system or his or her designee; The executive director of the Colorado commission on higher education or his or her designee; The president of the University of Colorado or his or her designee; The executive director of the department of public health and environment or his or her designee; The following seven members appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate: Three scientists from relevant fields who have been employed at appropriate research-oriented institutions or entities who support the mission of the institute; and Four members associated with cannabis-related industries within Colorado. The institute has a director that is an employee of the host institution. The director manages the institute's budget and employees, oversees the research-funding process, delivers an annual symposium, and produces an annual report. The act creates a process to relocate the institute if Colorado state university - Pueblo wants to stop hosting the institute or if the governing board believes that the institute should be relocated. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
