The bill creates the career and technical education capital grant program (program) in the department of labor and employment. The state work force development council (state council) will award grants through the program to area technical colleges, school districts, and community colleges to use for equipment, or construction and maintenance of buildings, related to career and technical education. In awarding grants, the state council will prioritize applicants from rural areas of the state and consider each applicant's demonstrated need. For each year in which it awards grants, the state council must publish a report that identifies the grant recipients and how the grant money was used.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
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The bill establishes an expanded retailer's license, under which a person licensed under the 'Colorado Beer Code' could sell both fermented malt beverages, also referred to as '3.2% beer', and malt liquors, also referred to as 'full-strength beer', at retail for consumption off the licensed premises. Persons licensed before January 1, 2019, under the 'Colorado Beer Code' to sell 3.2% beer at retail for consumption off premises are permitted to convert the license to an expanded retailer's license if the licensee: Notifies the state and local licensing authorities between July 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018, of the intent to convert the license; and Has not and will not expand its floor space or refrigerated cooler space dedicated to the sale of beer and has not and will not increase the number of stock keeping units, or SKUs, attributable to beer products it offers for sale. If a current off-premises licensee fails to meet the requirements to convert its retailer's license to an expanded retailer's license, the licensee must apply for a new expanded retailer's license in order to sell both types of beer products. A new expanded retailer's license is subject to review by the local licensing authority to determine whether issuance of the license will result in an undue concentration of the same class of license and will require the use of additional law enforcement resources. Additionally, a new expanded retailer's license may not be issued for a premises that is located within 1,500 feet of another retail liquor business or, in a city with a population of 10,000 or fewer, within 3,000 feet of anther retail liquor business. A person holding an expanded retailer's license is prohibited from selling single-serve containers of malt liquors, can sell beer only between 8 a.m. and 12 midnight, cannot permit employees under 21 years of age to sell or otherwise handle beer offered for sale on the premises, and must check the identification of its customers to ensure they are at least 21 years of age. Additionally, the bill eliminates licenses that authorize the sale of 3.2% beer for consumption either on or off the licensed premises and requires current licensees to apply to convert the license to one of the other retailer licenses authorized under the 'Colorado Beer Code'. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
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Under existing law, the 'Public School Finance Act of 1994' funds kindergarten students as half-day pupils plus the supplemental kindergarten enrollment, which is an additional .08 of a full-day pupil. The bill increases the supplemental kindergarten enrollment for the 2018-19 budget year and each budget year thereafter to .16 of a full-day pupil. The bill specifies the intent of the general assembly to continue increasing the supplemental kindergarten enrollment each budget year until students enrolled in kindergarten are funded as full-day pupils in the 2023-24 budget year.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Under current law, trial and grand jurors are entitled to compensation up to $50 per day. The bill increases the amount of compensation to up to a daily maximum of the state minimum wage plus $1, times 8 hours. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Current law specifies that any individual who claims the basic standard deduction on their federal income tax return, and is therefore unable to claim a federal itemized deduction for charitable contributions, may take a deduction on their Colorado income tax return for the portion of the charitable contributions that exceed $500 that the individual makes during the tax year. The bill specifies, by removing the $500 calculation threshold, that for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2019, an individual who claims the basic standard deduction on their federal income tax return may take a deduction on their Colorado income tax return for all of the charitable contributions that they make during the tax year.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Currently, there is a prosecution fellowship program that matches CU and DU law student graduates with rural district attorneys' offices. The fellowships last for one year. The bill extends the fellowships to 15 months. The bill appropriates $165,726 from the general fund to the department of higher education for use by the Colorado commission on higher education for the prosecution fellowship program. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Section 1 of the bill authorizes the creation of an energy and innovation collaboration agreement between an investor-owned utility and the government of a city, county, town, or city and county served by that utility. The agreement is subject to approval by the public utilities commission, which is directed to ensure that safe and reliable service is maintained and that the utility's costs of complying with the agreement are paid for by the community and not imposed on other customers of the utility. Section 2 increases the allowable size of a community solar garden from 2 megawatts to 5 megawatts. Section 3 appropriates $67,498 to the public utilities commission from the public utilities commission fixed utilities fund for purposes of implementing the bill.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates in the department of labor and employment a purple card program that would allow certain persons who came to the United States without legal documentation to apply for a purple card allowing them to work legally in Colorado. The executive director of the department will ensure that the information provided by a purple card applicant remains confidential. The bill appropriates $103,815 to the department to implement the bill. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates a voluntary option for interested custodial parents who are experiencing a crisis whereby they may enter into an authorization agreement (agreement) with certified family caregiver (caregiver) to temporarily care for their child or children. Caregivers are considered mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect by law and must receive the training provided to mandatory reporters. The agreement is not a termination of parental rights, nor is it considered abandonment of the child or children or placement in the custody of a county department of human or social services for the purposes of foster care. The agreement is valid for no longer than 6 months, with an option to renew the agreement, unless the parent or parents are deployed or called to active duty in the United States military, in which case the agreement is valid for the length of the deployment plus 30 days. The terms of each agreement are specific to the parents who are entering into the agreement. It grants the caregiver the right to perform certain parental functions as specifically outlined in the agreement, and the agreement may be revoked at any time by a custodial parent. A substitute care organization (organization), which must be a tax-exempt charitable or social welfare organization, shall assist both parties in the creation and implementation of an agreement. The state department of human services (department) shall license any organization that wishes to serve in this capacity prior to the date at which the organization begins providing services to families. The department shall promulgate rules for the licensing requirements for organizations, after working collaboratively to receive recommendations for such rules from interested and affected parties. The rules must include requirements for various fingerprint-based criminal history record checks and child abuse and neglect background checks on the state's TRAILS system. The organization shall ensure that adequate notice of a child's placement with a caregiver is given to both parents. The organization is responsible for conducting a fingerprint-based criminal history record check on each adult in the nonparent's household, as well as a child abuse and neglect background check on the state TRAILS system for both the parent and each adult in the caregiver's household. The organization is responsible for ensuring that the caregiver is fully trained in the rights, duties, and limitations regarding the care of a child pursuant to the agreement. Organizations are required to collect data on agreements, caregivers, and outcomes and report aggregate data to the department. The bill establishes a provision for a parent of a minor child to create a custodial power of attorney that grants to another person certain of the parent's rights and responsibilities regarding the care, physical custody, and control of the minor child. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill prohibits the regional transportation district from offering new discount fare or incentive programs adopted after the effective date of the bill without prior legislative approval. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
