Sunset Process - Senate Business, Labor, and Technology Committee. The bill implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies to sunset the standing efficiency accountability committee.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
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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
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The bill allows a person who is preregistered to vote in school district elections beginning at 16 years of age. A school district election is defined as an election to recall a school district officer or an election called under title 22, Colorado Revised Statutes, including elections for: The state board of education; School district officers; Referred measures to impose or increase mill levies or to raise and expend property taxes; Referred measures relating to the organization of or plan of representation for school districts; and Referred measures related to the financial obligations and indebtedness of school districts. A preregistrant's voter information is required to be kept confidential. When a person preregisters, they must receive information concerning their eligibility to vote in school district elections, how to update their preregistration information and obtain and cast a ballot, and their confidential status and actions that could cause their information to become public even while in confidential status. A preregistrant is automatically registered to vote in all elections upon turning age 18. Individuals committed to juvenile detention facilities must be given information about their right to preregister and vote in school district elections. A preregistrant can circulate and sign petitions to nominate or recall a school district officer or to initiate an election under title 22, Colorado Revised Statutes. A preregistrant cannot run for office or be appointed to fill a vacancy. If a juvenile is charged with an election offense and no other crime is charged, the juvenile court is prohibited from transferring the charge to a district court. For any election in which preregistrants are eligible to vote and in which the county clerk and recorder has responsibilities for the election, the state is required to reimburse the county for the direct costs associated with ballots sent to preregistrants. The school district's share of the costs of the election in a cost-sharing agreement must be reduced by the amount of the state's reimbursement. The bill takes effect on January 1, 2021, and applies to elections conducted on or after that date. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
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The bill repeals the death penalty in Colorado for offenses charged on or after July 1, 2019, and makes conforming amendments. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
Medical marijuana - disabling medical conditions - autism spectrum disorders. The act adds autism spectrum disorders to the list of disabling medical conditions that authorize a person to use medical marijuana for his or her condition. Under current law, a child under 18 years of age who wants to be added to the medical marijuana registry for a disabling medical condition must be diagnosed as having a disabling medical condition by 2 physicians, one of whom must be a board-certified pediatrician, a board-certified family physician, or a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who attests that he or she is part of the patient's primary care provider team. The act removes the additional requirements on specific physicians to align with the constitutional provisions for a debilitating medical condition. The act states if the recommending physician is not the patient's primary care physician, the recommending physician shall review the records of a diagnosing physician or a licensed mental health provider acting within its scope of practice. The act encourages the state board of health, when awarding marijuana study grants, to prioritize grants to gather objective scientific research regarding the efficacy and the safety of administering medical marijuana for pediatric conditions, including but not limited to autism spectrum disorder. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
If a major political party charges a delegate or alternate to a party assembly a fee or other cost to participate in the party assembly, the bill requires the major political party to waive the fee or charge, without further inquiry, upon request of a delegate or alternate. The bill specifies that a delegate or alternate's inability to pay such fee or charge shall not prevent his or her participation in the party assembly. In addition, the bill requires major political parties to notify electors at party caucuses that electors who are chosen to be delegates or alternates to any party assembly are not required to pay any fee or other charge to participate in the party assembly.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
Electioneering communications - disclosure during period between primary and general election - disclaimer requirement. The state constitution defines an "electioneering communication" to mean certain communication that unambiguously refers to a candidate that is disseminated to the public within 30 days before a primary election or within 60 days before a general election. For purposes of campaign finance disclosure, the act expands the definition of this term in the "Fair Campaign Practices Act" to include any communication that satisfies all other requirements of the definition of the term specified in the state constitution but that is broadcast, printed, mailed, delivered, or distributed between the primary election and the general election. The act also requires any person who expends $1,000 or more per calendar year on electioneering communications or regular biennial school electioneering communications to state in the communication the name of the person making the communication in accordance with existing statutory requirements for communication constituting an independent expenditure. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Prohibition on local government requiring license or permit for a business operated on an occasional basis by a minor - minor business must be located sufficient distance from commercial entity - general police powers still apply. The act prohibits any county, municipality, or city and county (local government) or any agency of a local government from requiring a license or permit for a business that is: Operated on an occasional basis by a minor (a person under the age of 18 years); and Located a sufficient distance from a commercial entity, determined by the local government, that is required to obtain a permit or license from the local government or an agency of the local government to prevent the minor's business from becoming a direct economic competitor of the commercial entity. The act defines "occasional basis" to mean the business does not operate more than 84 days in any one calendar year. The act specifies that it does not prohibit a local government from enacting and enforcing local laws under the local government's general police power in regard to the manner in which a business may be conducted by a minor with the exception of a requirement that the minor obtain a permit or license prior to engaging in the business. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Severance tax operational fund - distribution - core departmental programs - natural resources and energy grant programs - reserve requirement - cap - transfer to the severance tax perpetual base fund. The act makes the following changes related to the distribution of the money in the severance tax operational fund (operational fund): Defines programs for the department of natural resources that are funded from the operational fund and that were known as "tier-one programs" as "core departmental programs"; Defines transfers that are made after the core departmental programs and a reserve requirement are funded and were known as "tier-two programs" as "transfers to the natural resources and energy grant programs"; Separates an existing reserve into 2 separate reserves, the core reserve and the grant program reserve, while maintaining the overall purpose of each reserve; Establishes a cap on the grant program reserve equal to the maximum transfers to the natural resources and energy grant programs required by law; Requires the state treasurer to make the transfers to the natural resources and energy grant programs on August 15 after a fiscal year and to base the transfers on actual revenue as opposed to estimated revenue; Permits money from the grant program reserve to be used for the transfers to the natural resources and energy grant programs; and If all of the appropriations and transfers have been made and both reserves are full, then requires the state treasurer to transfer any money remaining in the operational fund to the severance tax perpetual base fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
