Innovation schools - community schools. "Community school" is defined as a public school that implements an annual asset and needs assessment that engages families, students, and educators in the community; a strategic plan that includes the creation of problem solving teams; a process to engage partners who bring assets and expertise to implement the school's goals; and a community school coordinator who is a staff member at the community school site. A public school is permitted to include in its innovation plan that it will operate as a community school.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Secondhand dealers - gift card transactions - record-keeping. The act requires secondhand dealers who purchase gift cards to keep a record of those purchases. Failure to record the purchases in an electronic database is a class 3 misdemeanor. The act requires pawnbrokers to record the identification number, retailer name, and value of each gift card sold. The act adds a gift card to the definition of a "valuable article", which triggers certain record-keeping requirements.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Child welfare allocations committee - membership composition. The act increases the number of voting members on the child welfare allocations committee (committee) who are appointed by county commissioners from 8 to 10. The act decreases the number of voting members on the committee who are appointed by the department of human services from 5 to 3. The act requires the 2 additional county commissioner appointed voting members to come from the 2 counties with the greatest percentage of the state's child welfare caseload, with one appointee coming from each county. The act creates 2 nonvoting member positions on the committee who are appointed by the department of human services. The 2 nonvoting members must have knowledge and experience in the following areas, including but not limited to: Federal funding related to child welfare; The federal "Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018"; Interests of individuals with a disability; or Interests of individuals experiencing poverty.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Colorado mountain college - authorization for baccalaureate degree program - local college district annexations - funding. The act changes the role and mission of Colorado mountain college from authorizing no more than 5 baccalaureate degree programs, as determined by its board, to authorizing a limited number of baccalaureate degree programs, as determined by its board. Colorado mountain college should confer with regional education providers to determine the feasibility of cooperative delivery of new bachelor's programs in adjacent localities. If a local college district annexes a school district or group of school districts into the local college district, for at least 5 years after annexation, the act requires the Colorado commission on higher education to consider annually recommending increases to the direct grant amount appropriated to a local college district to reflect increases in resident enrollment. Prior to recommending the increase, the commission shall consult the affected local college district. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Sex offenses - sexual contact definitions. The act adds the following conduct to the definition of sexual contact for the purposes of defining sex crimes: The knowing emission or ejaculation of seminal fluid onto any body part of the victim or the clothing covering any body part of the victim; and Knowingly causing semen, blood, urine, feces, or a bodily substance to contact any body part of the victim or the clothing covering any body part of the victim if that contact is for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Commission duties - funding formulas - 5-year reviews. The act requires the Colorado commission on higher education (commission) to conduct a review of the funding formula for institutions of higher education every 5 years and to submit a report on recommended changes to specified committees of the general assembly on or before November 1 of the year in which the review was conducted. It also specifies certain steps that the commission shall take in conducting the review.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Advanced practice nurses with prescriptive authority - workers' compensation - ability to obtain level I accreditation. The act allows an advanced practice nurse with prescriptive authority to obtain level I accreditation under the "Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado".(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Current law prohibits cruelty to certain animals, including a certified police working horse. However, there is no certification process for police working horses. The bill clarifies this by removing the term "certified" from the definition of police working horse and revises the definition accordingly. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
Hard rock mining - mined land reclamation board - reclamation plan - water quality treatment - financial assurance. Current law does not address reliance on perpetual water treatment as the means to minimize impacts to water quality in a reclamation plan for a mining operation. Section 1 of the act requires most reclamation plans to demonstrate, by substantial evidence, a reasonably foreseeable end date for any water quality treatment necessary to ensure compliance with applicable water quality standards. Current law allows a mining permittee to submit an audited financial statement as proof that the operator has sufficient funds to meet its reclamation liabilities in lieu of a bond or other financial assurance. Section 2 eliminates this self-bonding option and also requires that all reclamation bonds include financial assurances in an amount sufficient to protect water quality, including costs for any necessary treatment and monitoring costs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Food safety - produce - regulation - continuation under sunset law. The act establishes a state law to implement federal regulations regarding produce safety on farms. To implement this, the act: Authorizes the commissioner of agriculture to enter into a cooperative agreement with the United States food and drug administration and seek, accept, and expend federal funds; Authorizes the commissioner to cease implementing the state law if the commissioner does not receive adequate federal funding; Requires farms that are subject to federal law, selling more than approximately $25,000 of produce annually on average over a 3-year period, to register with the commissioner; Requires the commissioner to promulgate rules adopting 21 CFR 112, concerning produce safety, and gives the commissioner rule-making authority to administer the act; Authorizes the commissioner to enter farms and farm facilities during regular business hours to implement or enforce the act if the commissioner obtains consent from the farm or an administrative search warrant; Authorizes the commissioner to inspect records during regular business hours to implement or enforce the act and to subpoena witnesses and records; Authorizes the commissioner to issue cease-and-desist orders; Prohibits an officer, employee, or agent of the commissioner from misusing information gained during the course of the person's duties under the act; Authorizes the commissioner to impose administrative penalties; If requested, requires the commissioner to hold a hearing to issue a cease-and-desist order or impose an administrative penalty, and this process is subject to judicial review; Authorizes the commissioner to enforce cease-and-desist orders and administrative penalties in court; and Repeals these provisions in 2034, but requires a sunset review before the repeal.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Water quality - water quality control commission - reclaimed domestic wastewater - point of compliance. In 2018, the general assembly authorized the use of reclaimed domestic wastewater for irrigation of food crops and industrial hemp and for toilet flushing if, at the point of compliance in the water treatment process, the reclaimed domestic wastewater met certain water quality standards. The act authorizes the water quality control commission (commission) to adopt rules requiring a point of compliance for disinfection residual related to the treatment process for reclaimed domestic wastewater used for toilet flushing within a building where the general public can access the plumbing fixtures used to deliver the reclaimed domestic wastewater. If the commission adopts the rules, the rules must establish a point of compliance for disinfection residual at a single location between where reclaimed domestic wastewater is delivered to the occupied premises and before the water is distributed for use in the occupied premises. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Early childhood development service districts - creation - powers and duties. The act authorizes the creation of early childhood development service districts (districts) to provide services for children from birth through 8 years of age. Early childhood development services are defined to include early care and educational, health, mental health, and developmental services, including prevention and intervention. Districts are authorized to seek voter approval to levy property taxes and sales and use taxes in the district to generate revenues to provide early childhood development services. The district must be organized pursuant to the "Special District Act" as modified by the act. All eligible electors in the proposed district, rather than only property owners, are able to vote on the organization of the district and related ballot issues. The service plan for a proposed district is not required to be submitted to the planning commission for each county in which the special district is proposed to be located, and instead is submitted directly to the board of county commissioners (board) for such counties. In addition, the board is not allowed accept or act upon the request of a person owning property in the proposed service area to have his or her property excluded from the special district. The court conducting a hearing for the petition is also directed to not accept or act upon such a petition to exclude property from the district. The districts are governed by the "Special District Act"; except that they are not subject to provisions concerning the inclusion or exclusion of property, procedures for the levy and collection of taxes, the certification and notice of special district taxes for general obligation indebtedness, property tax reduction agreements, and public improvement contracts. A district is authorized to contract with or work with another district or other provider of early childhood development services to provide services throughout the district. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
