Colorado Bills

The bill prohibits financial institutions that do business in the state from discriminating against any person based on environmental criteria. A financial institution's violation of this prohibition is an unfair or deceptive trade practice. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

For 5 income tax years beginning in 2023, the bill creates a refundable state income tax credit for a Colorado teacher or classroom paraprofessional (eligible educator) for their classroom expenses. An eligible educator cannot claim the credit for an expense that the educator claims as a federal educator expense deduction for purposes of the educator's federal income tax, and the maximum amount of the credit per income tax year is $500.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

When a catalytic converter has been stolen from a motor vehicle, current rules of the air quality control commission require the replacement to comply with the rules of the California air resources board. The bill creates an exception that allows a person to use a replacement catalytic converter that complies with the standards established by rules of the federal environmental protection agency if: The theft has been reported to a law enforcement agency; and The owner or operator of the motor vehicle has made a reasonable effort to obtain the required replacement catalytic converter and has been unable to obtain the catalytic converter.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The school access for emergency response (SAFER) grant program is scheduled to repeal on July 1, 2024. The bill extends the SAFER grant program for 5 years, until July 1, 2029, and clarifies when the state treasurer is required to transfer unexpended money from the SAFER grant program's cash fund when the grant program is repealed. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee. The bill creates a task force to study the feasibility of implementing water storage in the form of snow in high-altitude areas of the state (task force). The task force must submit a report to the water resources and agriculture review committee on or before June 1, 2024, which report: Describes the feasibility of implementing high-altitude water storage in Colorado; Describes findings and recommendations regarding issues considered by the task force; and Describes any legislative proposals associated with the implementation of high-altitude water storage in Colorado, including identification of any state agencies that will be responsible for implementing legislative directives and identification of funding sources. The task force is repealed, effective December 1, 2024. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill creates the Colorado multidisciplinary geriatric provider pipeline program (program) in the university of Colorado Anschutz medical campus. The program coordinates and expands geriatric training opportunities for clinical graduate students enrolled in participating institutions of higher education who study in the health-care fields of medicine, medicine with a focus on training to be a physician assistant, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, psychology, and social work. The bill creates the geriatric training executive advisory committee (committee) to ensure that the training for the program is consistent and collaborative across the health-care fields of study. The committee is required to: Set the program's standards for training and delivery of medical care to the most frail and medically complex, costly, and compromised older Coloradans; Collaborate with participating institutions of higher education across Colorado to select clinical graduate students who have an interest in geriatric care to participate in the program; Analyze data collected by the program; Build relationships, collaborate, and create a multidisciplinary team that provides opportunities for clinicians to work together in teams to better understand the roles of each discipline and better place clinical graduate students for experiential training opportunities; and Coordinate with graduates of the program for opportunities to become trainers to future clinical graduate students once practicing in the graduate's field of study.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill creates in the peace officers standards and training board (P.O.S.T. board) the safe neighborhoods grant program (grant program) to provide grants to local law enforcement agencies to provide critical incident training to the agencies' peace officers. Grant recipients shall submit a report to the P.O.S.T. board of expenses and costs, and evidence of impacts as a result of the grant award. The P.O.S.T. board shall submit a report summarizing the information reported by grant recipients to the judiciary committees of the senate and house of representatives. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the general assembly shall appropriate $50 million to the P.O.S.T. board for grants. The P.O.S.T. board may use not more than 3% of the appropriation for costs to administer the grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The Colorado constitution requires each bill being considered by the general assembly to be read at length on 2 different days in each chamber of the general assembly, but allows any reading at length otherwise required to be dispensed with upon unanimous consent of the legislators present. If approved by a majority of the voters of the state voting on it at the 2022 general election, the concurrent resolution will eliminate the requirement that bills be read at length on 2 different days in each chamber of the general assembly. (Note: This summary applies to this concurrent resolution as introduced.)

The bill creates a new state income tax credit (new credit) for certain taxpayers who were denied state income tax credits for conservation easements donated between 2000 and 2013 (original credit) if the federal internal revenue service allowed a federal income tax deduction for the same donation. A donation is eligible for the new credit only if the land subject to the donated conservation easement for which the original credits were disallowed was owned by the landowner, a family member of the landowner, or a trust or other legal entity controlled by the landowner or one or more members of the family of the landowner for not less than 3 consecutive years prior to the date of the donation. The amount of the new credit is based upon the amount of the original credit that could have been claimed at the time of the original donation based upon the value of the donation accepted by the internal revenue service; except that the fair market value of the land used to calculate the value of the new credit cannot exceed 250% of the donor's cost basis in the land subject to the donated conservation easement. The amount of the new credit is reduced by any amount that was allowed to be claimed against Colorado income tax or otherwise reinstated to the claimant of the original credit. The new credit is not refundable but may be carried forward or transferred in the same manner as the original credit. The department of revenue is required to make information about the new credit available online. The bill establishes a process for applying to the division of conservation to claim the new credit. If the original credit that was denied was transferred to another taxpayer as transferee, the bill provides a process for all parties to the transaction to submit a mutual application to claim the new credit or, if there is objection, an ombudsman process to resolve disputes about the distribution of the credit. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)