Current law requires the department of regulatory agencies (department) to analyze whether to begin or continue the regulation of a profession or occupation based on several factors. The bill elaborates on these factors and requires the department to find present, significant, and substantiated harm to consumers before recommending regulation. The bill further requires the department to recommend only the least restrictive regulation necessary to address the harm. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
Section 2 of the bill requires all individual and group health benefit plans issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2020, to provide coverage for specified reproductive health care services, drugs, devices, products, and procedures. Carriers are prohibited from imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or other cost-sharing requirement for the coverage required under the bill and from imposing restrictions or delays on the coverage. Under specified circumstances, section 2 permits a carrier to offer a religious employer a plan that does not include coverage for abortion procedures that are contrary to the religious employer's religious tenets. Section 2 also prohibits a carrier from excluding an individual from participation in, denying an individual benefits under, or otherwise discriminating against an individual in the administration of a plan on the basis of the individual's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, or disability. Section 4 directs the department of health care policy and financing to administer a program to reimburse the cost of specified reproductive health care services, drugs, devices, products, and procedures provided to eligible individuals, which is defined to include individuals with reproductive health care needs who are enrolled in the medicaid program or the children's basic health plan or who are otherwise disqualified for participation in the medicaid program based on their immigration status. The program must also provide medicaid or children's basic health plan benefits, as applicable, to pregnant individuals for 180 days, rather than the mandated 60 days, post-pregnancy, regardless of whether the individual's medicaid or children's basic health plan eligibility would otherwise terminate during that period based on an increase in income. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill allows the institute of cannabis research at Colorado state university - Pueblo (institute) to develop marijuana certification technology (technology). The technology must include an agent that is applied to a marijuana plant or marijuana product and then scanned by a device. The scan, at a minimum, would indicate whether the marijuana was legally cultivated, manufactured, or sold by a licensed marijuana business. The institute may select a vendor to develop the technology. After the technology is developed, the state licensing authority must be satisfied that the technology provides an effective means of certifying marijuana. After the state licensing authority determines the technology is effective, it may promulgate rules that require the technology to be used by licensed marijuana businesses. The technology that scans the marijuana must be made available to law enforcement and the department of revenue. The bill clarifies that the gray and black market marijuana enforcement grant program could award grants to law enforcement agencies to purchase the marijuana scanning technology. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
A low-income senior or individual with a disability is currently eligible for 2 types of annual state assistance grants administered by the department of revenue related to his or her property: A grant for their property taxes or rent paid, with the latter being deemed a tax-equivalent payment (property tax and rent assistance grant), and a grant for heat or fuel expenses (heat assistance grant). Together these are commonly known as the 'PTC' rebate. The bill expands the property tax and rent assistance grant by repealing the requirement that rent must be paid to a landlord that pays property tax. For grants claimed for 2018, the bill also increases the: Maximum property tax and rent assistance grant from $700 to $753; Maximum heat assistance grant from $192 to $206; and Flat grant amount, which is the minimum grant amount, from $227 to $244 for the property tax and rent assistance grant and from $73 to $78 for the heat assistance grant, assuming that the actual expenses exceed these amounts. All of these increases reflect inflationary growth since 2014, and all of these amounts will continue to be adjusted annually for inflation. Under current law, the maximum eligible income amounts and the phase-out amount are also annually adjusted for inflation, albeit without being defined as such. The amounts specified for grants claimed for 2018 are the inflation-adjusted amounts, and they will continue to be adjusted for inflation in the future. Obsolete provisions relating to grants claimed for past years are repealed and other provisions relating to grants prior to 2018 are repealed after they become obsolete in the future. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill prohibits a health insurance carrier from excluding or limiting a drug under a health benefit plan and from moving the drug to a disadvantaged tier in the plan formulary if the drug was covered at the time the covered person enrolled in the plan. A carrier may not increase the amount that a covered person pays for a copayment, coinsurance, or deductible or set limits while the covered person is covered by the health benefit plan for drugs that were covered when the person became covered under the plan. If a carrier uses a tiered plan, the carrier may not move a drug to a disadvantaged tier under specified circumstances. A carrier may limit coverage for a drug or biosimilar product if a provider prescribes a generic drug or biosimilar product to treat the covered person's medical condition instead of the originally-prescribed drug and the covered person agrees. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill requires candidates for president and vice president of the United States to file with the secretary of state the candidates' federal income tax return forms for the last 5 completed tax years. Neither the name of any candidate who fails to comply with the filing requirement nor the name of that candidate's running mate shall be printed on the official ballot. The secretary of state is required to publish the tax returns on his or her official website within 7 days of the returns being filed. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Current law allows the state board of health to adopt rules concerning the disposal of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) only after the federal environmental protection agency (EPA) has adopted rules concerning the disposal of NORM. The EPA has not adopted the rules. The bill: Requires the state board to adopt rules for the disposal of NORM and technologically enhanced NORM (TENORM); and While the state board is conducting its rule-making investigation, requires: The department of public health and environment (department) to convene a stakeholder group; Generators of NORM and TENORM waste to report to the department; The department to contract for the creation of a report; The department to submit the report to the general assembly; The department to propose draft rules; and Generators of NORM and TENORM waste to comply with guidance and letters issued by the department and its solid waste management program. The bill appropriates $16,596,405 from the general fund to the department for use by the hazardous materials and waste management division to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill specifies that if the governor nominates an individual for appointment to a state office and the senate rejects the nomination, the rejected individual is deemed legally unfit for and ineligible to hold the office. The governor is prohibited from nominating the rejected individual a second time for the same office or, if the senate is not in session, appointing the rejected individual to temporarily discharge the duties of the office. However, rejection by the senate of the nomination of an individual for any state office does not preclude the governor from nominating the rejected individual for an opening in the same office that occurs after an individual other than the rejected individual has filled the immediate opening. The bill also provides that if the governor nominates a state officer whose term is expiring for reappointment to the same office and the senate rejects the nomination, the state officer is removed from office upon the expiration of his or her term and shall not thereafter exercise the duties of the office whether or not the individual's successor has been duly qualified. If, as of the effective date of the bill, the term of office of a state officer has expired, the senate has rejected a nomination for reappointment of the state officer to the same office, and the individual is continuing to exercise the duties of the office because the individual's successor has not yet been qualified, the state officer is deemed to have been removed from office on the date that his or her term expired and shall immediately stop exercising the duties of the office. The prohibitions against the governor nominating an individual for appointment or reappointment to a state office for a second time after the individual's first nomination for appointment or reappointment to the state office has been rejected by the senate and against the governor appointing the rejected individual to temporarily discharge the duties of the office only apply for the term of the senate that rejected the individual. The rejected individual becomes eligible for nomination for appointment or reappointment to the state office on the date when a new senate convenes for its first regular session and becomes eligible for appointment to discharge the duties of the office on the date following the day on which the new senate adjourns its first regular session sine die. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
Under existing law, private occupational schools and certain private degree-granting schools are required to provide a bond or other form of surety that is used to facilitate transfer or to provide tuition and fee reimbursement for students in the event that the school closes. When a private occupational school closes, that school's records must be maintained by the private occupational school board in the division of private occupational schools. The department of higher education (department) takes possession of the records from private degree-granting schools. The bill allows the department to make a claim on a surety bond for reimbursement of actual administrative costs associated with a school closure. After the surety bond has been used to facilitate transfer or provide tuition and fee reimbursement for students, the department may retain any remaining amount as reimbursement for administrative costs associated with the school closure. In the instance of a closed private occupational school, the bill clarifies that the school's records may be maintained by the division of private occupational schools at any location. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates a financial relief program, available from July 1, 2018, through December 31, 2019, to provide financial assistance to individuals and their families who reside in a county within one of the 3 most costly geographic insurance rating areas of the state and who spend more than 20% of their household income on individual health insurance premiums. The Colorado health benefit exchange (exchange) is to oversee the program, and counties may elect to administer the program in their counties. For any county that opts not to administer the program, the exchange is to administer the program in that county. Financial relief is available to individuals and families determined eligible based on the following: The individual or family enrolled in and paid premiums for a bronze, silver, or gold level individual health benefit plan purchased through the exchange; The individual or family has a household income of more than 400%, but not more than 500%, of the federal poverty line; The individual or family does not have access to a government-sponsored program, such as medicaid or medicare, or an affordable employer-sponsored plan; and The individual or family pays more than 20% of the household income on premiums for the plan. The exchange is to certify that an individual or family has enrolled in one of the specified health benefit plans, the premium amount of the plan, the household income of the individual or family, and that the individual or family does not have access to a government-sponsored program or employer-sponsored plan. The amount of financial relief is calculated based on the cost of the premium for the lowest-cost bronze health benefit plan available to the individual or family through the exchange, minus an amount equal to 20% of the individual's or family's household income. The general assembly is to appropriate not more than $6 million from the general fund to provide financial assistance to individuals who qualify under the program. A carrier offering individual health benefit plans on the exchange must permit an individual to purchase an individual health benefit plan on the exchange during a special enrollment period that begins June 1, 2018, and ends August 1, 2018, for plans effective through December 31, 2018. For the 2019 plan year, individuals are subject to the standard open enrollment period specified in law. The program repeals on September 1, 2020, unless congress enacts and the president signs legislation repealing the advance premium tax credit authorized under federal law, in which case the program repeals upon the date of the repeal of said tax credit. $6,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of health care policy and financing for use by the exchange, which is commonly referred to as 'Connect for Health Colorado', to implement the bill. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Section 2 of the bill addresses independent expenditures, meaning purchases expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate that are not controlled by or coordinated with a candidate. Under current law, a major independent expenditure that is broadcast, printed, mailed, or delivered must be accompanied by a disclaimer statement. Section 2 expands these forms of communication necessitating the disclosure statement to include communication placed on a website, streaming media service, or online forum for a fee. Section 2 additionally replaces the term 'circulated' with 'distributed' to modify all other forms of communication triggering the disclaimer requirement. Section 2 also modifies the components of the disclaimer statement to: Include online video or audio communication in addition to broadcast communication; and Clarify that nonbroadcast communication includes online communications. Under current law, an issue committee making an expenditure in excess of $1,000 on a communication that supports or opposes a statewide ballot issue or ballot question and that is broadcast by television or radio, printed in a newspaper or on a billboard, directly mailed or delivered by hand to personal residences, or otherwise distributed must disclose in the communication produced by the expenditure the name of the issue committee making the expenditure. Section 3 modifies these disclosure requirements by: Imposing the disclosure requirements on all candidate committees, political committees, issue committees, small donor committees, political organizations, political parties, and other persons, and not just issue committees, by requiring those committees, organizations, parties, and other persons spending in excess of $1,000 per calendar year on certain communications to include in the communication a disclaimer statement; and Expanding the nature of the communication triggering a disclaimer statement from a communication supporting or opposing a statewide ballot issue or ballot question and that is broadcast by television or radio, printed in a newspaper or on a billboard, directly mailed or delivered by hand to personal residences, or otherwise distributed to any communication that is broadcast, printed, mailed, delivered, placed on a website, streaming media service, or online forum for a fee, or that is otherwise distributed. Section 3 also requires any person who expends $1,000 or more per calendar year on any electioneering communication or any regular biennial school electioneering communication to include in such communication a disclaimer statement for communications for which disclosure is required. Current law also requires that the disclaimer be printed on the communication clearly and legibly in a conspicuous manner. Section 3 requires that the disclaimer statement conform to the requirements specified in current law for disclaimers for large independent expenditures with respect to content, size, duration, and placement. The bill deletes other existing requirements pertaining to the disclaimer. Any person who believes that a violation has occurred of disclaimer requirements is authorized to file a complaint with the secretary of state in accordance with existing statutory provisions governing enforcement of the state's campaign finance laws. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill extends the advanced placement incentives pilot program (pilot program) for 3 years to 2021. The bill requires the department of education to report the number of students in the pilot program who enrolled in advanced placement courses during the prior school year and to collect disaggregated data from the advanced placement exam vendor to capture the performance of students who are participating in the pilot program on the end-of-course advanced placement exams. The bill requires the department of education to report to certain committees of the general assembly the information specified in the bill, including data relating to the number and amount of financial incentives distributed to each participating school district. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
