Current law states that, with certain exceptions, a motor vehicle manufacturer may not own, operate, or control any motor vehicle dealer or used motor vehicle dealer in Colorado. The bill creates a new exception that allows the ownership, operation, or control of a motor vehicle dealer by an electric motor vehicle manufacturer that engages exclusively in the sale of electric motor vehicles of the same line-make as are manufactured by the electric motor vehicle manufacturer. An "electric motor vehicle" is a motor vehicle that operates entirely on electrical power, does not include a fuel combustion engine, and has at least 4 wheels in contact with the ground during normal operation. An "electric motor vehicle manufacturer" is an entity that manufactures and sells electric motor vehicles and does not manufacture or sell motor vehicles that are fully or partly powered by a fuel combustion engine. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
The bill requires the state archivist to develop and implement a plan to provide a permanent public display of the original Colorado constitution in the state capitol building. The plan must be approved by the capitol building advisory committee and the capital development committee. State archives would be responsible for constructing and maintaining the display as well as protecting and preserving the state constitution itself. State archives would have the authority to accept bequests, gifts, or grants in addition to any appropriations for the display.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
Early childhood leadership commission - infant and family child care strategic action plan. The act requires the department of human services (department), in consultation with the early childhood leadership commission (commission) and various stakeholders, to draft a strategic action plan addressing the declining availability of family child care homes and infant child care. The act requires the department to submit the completed strategic action plan to the commission; the state board of human services; the joint budget committee; the health and human services and education committees of the senate, or any successor committees; and the public health care and human services and education committees of the house of representatives, or any successor committees, no later than December 1, 2019. The act anticipates the department will receive $50,688 in federal funds to implement this act for the 2019-20 state fiscal year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Signals, signs, and markings - inoperable or malfunctioning signals - allowing a driver of a motorcycle to proceed past a malfunctioning traffic control signal. Under current law, when a driver approaches an intersection and faces a traffic control signal that is inoperative or that remains on steady red or steady yellow during several time cycles, the rules controlling entrance to a through street or highway from a stop street or highway apply until a police officer assumes control of traffic or until normal operation is resumed. If a traffic control signal at a place other than an intersection ceases to operate or malfunctions, drivers may proceed through the inoperative or malfunctioning signal only with caution, as if the signal were one of flashing yellow. The act states that when a motorcycle driver approaches an intersection and faces a traffic control signal that does not recognize the presence of the motorcycle, the provisions controlling entrance to a through street or highway from a stop sign or highway apply until a police officer assumes control of traffic or the traffic signal resumes normal operation. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Peace officer-involved shooting or fatal use of force - law enforcement agency policies. Law enforcement agencies must develop policies to support officers involved in a shooting or fatal use of force. The policies must address pre-incident training and preparation, support for the officer at the scene of the incident, post-incident support and services, guidelines for temporary leave or duty reassignment, and guidelines for return to duty. The policies must be completed by January 1, 2020. Law enforcement agencies are required to review the policies on a biennial basis.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
The state constitution authorizes the general assembly to lower the maximum amount of the actual residential value of residential real property that is subject to the senior property tax exemption (exemption). Section 3 of the bill lowers the maximum amount to $0 for all property tax years beginning on and after January 1, 2020, which has the effect of eliminating the exemption. It does not affect the property tax exemption for disabled veterans. Under section 4 , a county assessor is no longer required to mail notices to seniors about the exemption, and under section 5 , an assessor is not required to accept applications or otherwise administer the exemption unless and until the general assembly enacts legislation to increase the maximum actual value of residential real property that is subject to the exemption. If the exemption is made available in the future, seniors must reapply for it. Section 6 creates an income tax credit that is available for 10 tax years beginning on January 1, 2020, for a qualifying senior. A qualifying senior must be 65 years of age or older at the end of the income tax year for which the credit is claimed and have income that is less than or equal to $65,000, adjusted for inflation, or a surviving spouse who is at least 58 and meets the same income qualification. If the qualifying senior's adjusted gross income for the taxable year is less than or equal to the base income amount, which is $12,000, adjusted for inflation, then the credit is equal to the maximum credit amount, which is $700, adjusted for inflation. The amount of the credit decreases by $50, adjusted for inflation, for each income grouping above the base income amount. The amount of the credit that exceeds the qualifying senior's income taxes due is refunded to the qualifying senior. Section 6 also creates the credit stabilization cash fund. The state treasurer is annually required to transfer money from the cash fund to the general fund, or vice versa, depending on whether the total amount of the credits exceeds an approximation of what the state would have had to pay to backfill the senior homestead exemption. If some or all of the credit is paid to the senior as a state income tax refund, and therefore taxable income, section 7 allows a qualifying senior to deduct an amount equal to the refundable amount of the credit from taxable income for purposes of determining state income taxes. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
If approved by the voters of the state at the November 2020 general election, the concurrent resolution will amend the state constitution to require the general assembly to enact a law that will: Effective July 1, 2021, repeal existing state excise taxes on gasoline and other liquid motor fuel, including diesel, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas (motor fuel taxes); except that the law shall not repeal the existing state excise tax on aviation fuel used for aviation purposes; On and after July 1, 2021, levy an additional state sales and use tax (additional sales tax) at a rate calculated to generate the amount of net revenue needed to offset 99% of the state revenue loss resulting from the repeal of the motor fuel taxes for state fiscal year 2021-22; and Require the net revenue generated by the additional sales tax to be credited to the highway users tax fund (HUTF), initially allocated to the state, counties, and municipalities in a manner that preserves existing HUTF allocations as nearly as possible, and used exclusively for the construction, maintenance, and supervision of the surface transportation system of the state. The concurrent resolution specifies that for purposes of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, its approval by the voters of the state constitutes voter approval in advance for the state to levy the additional sales tax and to retain and spend all revenue generated by the additional state sales and use tax during a state fiscal year that exceeds the amount of revenue generated during the 2020-21 state fiscal year by the repealed gasoline and special fuel taxes as a voter-approved revenue change. (Note: This summary applies to this concurrent resolution as introduced.) Read More
The bill specifies that for property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2020, a senior is deemed to be a 10-year owner-occupier of a primary residence that the senior has owned and occupied for less than 10 years and therefore qualifies for the senior property tax exemption for the residence if: The senior would have qualified for the senior property tax exemption for the senior's former primary residence but for the fact that medical necessity required the senior to stop occupying the former primary residence; The senior has not previously received the exemption for a former primary residence on the basis of medical necessity; and The senior has not owned and occupied another primary residence since the senior first stopped occupying his or her former primary residence due to medical necessity. "Medical necessity" is defined as a medical condition of a senior that a physician licensed to practice medicine in Colorado has certified, on a form developed by the state property tax administrator, as having required the senior to stop occupying the senior's prior primary residence. When applying for such an exemption, a senior must provide to the assessor the form establishing proof of medical necessity. For any property tax year commencing on or after January 1, 2019, the bill prohibits the general assembly from reducing or suspending the exemption for qualifying seniors and disabled veterans by lowering the maximum amount of actual value of residential real property that is the primary residence of a qualifying senior or a qualifying disabled veteran of which 50% is exempt from property taxation below $200,000 unless the amount of general fund revenue for the state fiscal year that ended during the prior property tax year is less than the amount of general fund revenue for the next preceding state fiscal year. If the general assembly lowers the amount of actual value of residential real property that is the primary residence of a qualifying senior or a qualifying disabled veteran of which 50% is exempt from property taxation for a property tax year below $200,000 in accordance with the new limitation established by the bill, that amount automatically increases to $200,000 for any subsequent property tax year for which the amount of general fund revenue for the state fiscal year that ended during the prior property tax year is equal to or more than the amount of general fund revenue for the next preceding state fiscal year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
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Background checks - criminal history record check - name-based criminal history record check. Certain persons subject to a fingerprint-based criminal history record check must submit to a name-based criminal history record check when the fingerprint-based check reveals a record of arrest but does not show a disposition in the case. Specified provisions of the act are contingent upon House Bill 19-1172 becoming law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
General appropriation act - 2019 - long bill. For the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019, provides for the payment of expenses of the executive, legislative, and judicial departments of the state of Colorado, and of its agencies and institutions, for and during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019. The grand total for the operating budget is set at $31,933,536,156 of which $9,202,196,421 is from the general fund portion of the appropriation; $2,638,215,405 is from the general funds exempt portion; $9,281,575,477 is from the cash funds portion; $2,087,776,808 is from the reappropriated funds portion; and $8,723,772,045 is from the federal funds portion. The grand total for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019, capital construction projects is $260,727,454 of which $168,460,533 is from the capital construction fund portion of the appropriation; $72,690,215 is from the cash funds portion; $8,911,836 is from the reappropriated funds portion; and $10,664,870 is from the federal funds portion. The 2017 general appropriation act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the departments of education, health care policy and financing, and higher education. The 2018 general appropriation act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the departments of corrections, education, health care policy and financing, higher education, human services, judical, personnel, and public health and environment. Appropriations made in House Bill 16-1398, concerning the requirement that the department of human services use a request-for-proposal process to contract with an entity to implement recommendations of the respite care task force, is amended to extend any unexpended money to the department of human services until the 2019-20 state fiscal year. Appropriations made in House Bill 18-1328, concerning the children's habilitation residential waiver program, is amended to reduce the amount appropriated to the department of health care policy and financing. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
The bill creates the government youth apprenticeship stipend program (program) in the state work force development council (council) to provide grants to certain nonprofit organizations to enable the nonprofit organizations to provide stipends to governmental entities that offer government youth apprenticeships. The bill specifies that governmental entities include the state and any state agency or institution, including the judicial and legislative departments, a county, city and county, incorporated city or town, school district, special improvement district, and authority. The bill specifies the dates by which a nonprofit organization must apply to the council for grant money and dates by which the council is required to award and distribute the grants to one or more nonprofit organizations. The nonprofit organizations that receive a grant are required to use the grant money to distribute stipends to governmental entities that apply for the stipend. The bill specifies limitations on the amount of the stipend that may be provided to a governmental entity for a single government youth apprenticeship. The bill also specifies limitations on the number of stipends that may be provided to a single governmental entity in any calendar year. In addition, the bill specifies that a nonprofit organization that receives grant money is required to use at least 20% of the total amount awarded to provide stipends to governmental entities located in a rural area. A governmental entity must apply to a nonprofit organization that received a grant to receive a stipend for its government youth apprenticeship. To be eligible to receive a stipend, a governmental entity is required to satisfy certain specified criteria, including the contribution of at least $2,000 toward the costs of a government youth apprenticeship. A governmental entity that receives a stipend is required to use the money from the stipend, as well as the $2,000 that the governmental entity contributes to the government youth apprenticeship, only for certain specified purposes. The bill creates the government youth apprenticeship stipend fund (fund) in the state treasury and requires the state treasurer to transfer $2 million from the general fund to the fund in the 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22 state fiscal years. The council is required to submit an annual report on the program as part of the Colorado talent pipeline report that is prepared and submitted to the governor and the general assembly. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
