Current law requires persons who wish to cultivate industrial hemp to apply to the department of agriculture for a registration. The bill adds a requirement that applicants to cultivate industrial hemp for commercial purposes provide the names of each officer, director, member, partner, or owner of 10% or more in the entity applying for registration and any person managing or controlling the entity. Applicants for a registration may be denied registration for up to 3 years if any individual or entity listed in the application was previously subject to discipline, or the individual or entity was previously listed by an entity that was subject to discipline. When a registration is suspended, revoked, or relinquished, a new application for registration may be denied for up to 3 years after the effective date of discipline. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Statutory Revision Committee. The bill repeals the requirement that the secretary of state annually report to the governor and legislature regarding filing-office rules promulgated under the 'Uniform Commercial Code - Secured Transactions'.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
For the 2016-17 state fiscal year, the bill increases the amount of reappropriated funds that are appropriated to the department of law for the purpose of providing additional legal services for the department of education. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The Colorado student leaders institute currently exists as a pilot program in the lieutenant governor's office. The bill relocates the institute to the department of higher education without change. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
For the 2016-17 state fiscal year, the bill increases the appropriation to the department of law to improve the department's information technology security based on an external auditor's recommendations. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Interim Study Committee on Communication Between the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) and Medicaid Clients. The bill directs the office of the state auditor (OSA) to conduct or cause to be conducted an audit of client correspondence, including letters and notices, sent to clients or potential clients in medicaid programs. The audits will be conducted in 2020 and 2023 and thereafter at the discretion of the state auditor. Among other items set forth in the bill, the performance audits will review client correspondence for readability, understandability, and accuracy. In addition, the audits will review available county data regarding customer contacts relating to client confusion with client correspondence. The OSA will report audit findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the legislative audit committee, the joint budget committee, the public health care and human services committee of the house of representatives, the health and human services committee of the senate, and the joint technology committee, or any successor committees. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Under current law, institutions of higher education are limited in the number and length of term employment contracts or contract extensions that the institution can award. In addition, institutions are prohibited from providing postemployment compensation or benefits to a government-supported employee after the individual's employment has ended, except in limited situations and in limited amounts. Further, under current law, the terms of government-supported employment contracts are generally available for public inspection. For state institutions of higher education, the bill exempts the institution's employee positions that are funded by revenues generated through auxiliary activities, as defined in the bill, from the provisions of current law. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill authorizes a state agency, the Colorado wine industry development board, or an instrumentality of a municipality or county that has a statutory mandate to promote either alcohol beverages manufactured within the state or tourism to an area of the state where alcohol beverages are manufactured to obtain a special event permit to sell alcohol beverages for a limited period. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Under current law, the cash surrender value of life insurance held by a debtor for 48 months or longer up to $100,000 is exempt from attachment or execution. The bill increases this exemption up to $250,000. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill allows the district attorney to consent to an assessment for suitability for participation in restorative justice practices, including victim-offender conferences, as part of a recommended sentence in a plea bargain. The bill directs that the presentence report must indicate whether the offender meets the minimum eligibility requirements for participation in restorative justice practices. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Currently, only an organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501 (c)(3) of the federal internal revenue code (tax code) may accept services offered through a program of community or useful public service operated by a county court, probation department, county sheriff, or other local governmental entity in connection with sentencing for specified misdemeanors. Veterans' service organizations may be organized under other provisions of the tax code such as section 501 (c)(4) or 501 (c)(19). The bill expands the criteria for organizations that may accept community or useful public service assignments to include veterans' service organizations organized under 501 (c)(4) or 501 (c)(19) of the tax code, and specifies that the court or other entity making the assignment retains discretion to determine which organizations may be included in its program of community or useful public service. Section 1 amends the statute dealing with misdemeanor sentencing generally. Sections 2 and 3 insert analogous provisions into the statutes dealing specifically with sentencing of persons convicted of drug offenses and alcohol-related driving offenses, respectively. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill creates a technical demonstration forum consisting of eight members to study and document how advanced technologies can improve transportation access for people with disabilities. The forum consists of the following agency officers or their designees: The executive director of the department of labor and employment, who serves as chair of the forum; The executive director of the department of health care policy and financing, who serves as vice-chair of the forum; The director of the public utilities commission; The chief information officer of the office of information technology; The executive director of the department of human services; The director of the division of veterans affairs; The superintendent of the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind; and The executive director of the department of transportation. To demonstrate the transportation access needs of people with disabilities in both urban and rural areas of the state, the forum is directed to study the transportation access needs of people with disabilities in El Paso and Teller counties and explore technological and transportation business solutions that could increase transportation access for people with disabilities in those areas. The forum may recommend that the executive director of the department of labor and employment enter into a contract with a technology developer or transportation business to conduct one or more pilot projects in El Paso County, Teller County, or both counties to demonstrate the efficacy of a certain technology or transportation business product to improve transportation access for people with disabilities. On or before December 31, 2017, the forum is required to publish a report of its research and findings, including the results of any pilot projects and any legislative recommendations developed, and to furnish copies of the report to the governor, members of the general assembly's majority and minority leadership, and the members of the joint budget committee. The forum and its responsibilities are repealed, effective July 1, 2018. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
