The bill creates the school leadership pilot program (program) to provide professional development for public elementary, middle, and high school principals. During the 2018-19 budget year, the department of education (department) is directed to design and implement the program or contract with a nonprofit entity to design and implement the program. The program must include identification of high-quality school principals who will interact with the school principals selected to receive professional development through the program. The program must also include professional development in distributive and collaborative leadership skills with the goal of improving educator retention, school climate and culture, and student outcomes. School principals may apply to receive professional development through the program during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 budget years. The department or the contracted entity must review the applications and recommend participants to the state board of education (state board), who shall select the participants. Subject to available appropriations, the state board must provide grants to the employing entities of the school principals who participate in the program either as high-quality school principals or to receive professional development. The grants are paid from money appropriated to the school leadership pilot program fund created in the bill. By March 15, 2019, the department must report to the education committees of the general assembly concerning the design of the program. By January 15, 2021, the department must report to the education committees concerning implementation of the program, including recommendations for whether the program should be continued. The program is repealed, effective July 1, 2021. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Currently, in a county with a population of less than 70,000, the board of county commissioners consists of 3 members from 3 separate districts, with one commissioner elected from each district by the voters of the whole county. The bill allows the voters of a county to change the method of election so that a commissioner is elected only by voters residing in the district from which the commissioner runs for election. The change can be made either by the board of county commissioners referring a question to the voters or by the qualified electors filing a petition to have the question placed the ballot. Terms of current commissioners are not affected and the change only affects newly elected commissioners. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
On and after January 1, 2019, the bill exempts a motor vehicle from state sales and use tax if: A certificate of title has previously been issued in the state for the motor vehicle; and The taxable value of the motor vehicle is twenty thousand dollars or less. The exemption does not apply to any other political subdivision that levies a sales and use tax that is based on the state sales and use tax. The department of revenue is permitted to disclose information about prior state sales and use tax paid as is necessary to administer the new exemption. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
For income tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2018, the bill reduces both the individual and the corporate state income tax rate from 4.63% to 4.43%. The bill also reduces the state alternative minimum tax by 0.2% for income tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2018. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill establishes the 'Colorado Children First Act' in the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill creates the law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice information-sharing grant program (grant program) within the division of homeland security and emergency management (division). During the 2018-19 fiscal year, the grant program shall award grants to any state governmental entity, state quasi-governmental entity, or separate legal entity formed by an intergovernmental agreement. Money received from the grant program may be used for: Enhancing, maintaining, operating, or improving any existing statewide law enforcement, public safety, or criminal justice information-sharing system; Assisting law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice agencies in gaining access to the information-sharing system; or Increasing communication, interoperability, or data sharing among law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice agencies. The bill requires the executive director of the department of public safety to promulgate rules for the administration of the grant program. At a minimum, the rules must specify the time frames for applying for grants, the form of the grant program application, and the time frames for distributing grant money. In determining whether to award a grant, the division shall consider: The applicant's capacity to serve law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice agencies statewide; and The applicant's ability to operate and maintain a law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice information-sharing system. The bill creates the law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice information-sharing grant program fund (fund) and directs the general assembly to appropriate $1 million to the fund from the marijuana tax cash fund for the 2018-19 fiscal year. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill creates a new license, referred to as a 'freestanding emergency department license', for the department of public health and environment (CDPHE) to issue on or after July 1, 2021, to a health facility that offers emergency care, that may offer primary and urgent care services, and that is either: Owned or operated by, or affiliated with, a hospital or hospital system and is located more than 250 yards from the main campus of the hospital; or Independent from and not operated by or affiliated with a hospital or hospital system and is not attached to or situated within 250 yards of, or contained within, a hospital. The state board of health is to adopt rules regarding the new license, including rules to set licensure requirements and fees, safety and care standards, and staffing requirements. A health facility with a freestanding emergency department license is limited in the amount of facility fees the facility can charge patients. CDPHE may fine or take action on the license of a freestanding emergency department that charges facility fees in violation of the limits established in the bill, in accordance with the rules established by the state board of health. The bill appropriates $29,411 from the health facilities general licensure cash fund to the department of public health and environment 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 requires each institution of higher education (institution) to adopt, periodically review, and update a policy on sexual misconduct (policy). The bill establishes minimum requirements for the policies, including reporting options, procedures for investigations and adjudications, and protections for involved persons. Institutions are to promote the policy by posting information on their websites and annually distributing the policy and information. Institutions are required to provide training on awareness and prevention of sexual misconduct, the policy, and resources available to discuss such misconduct. The bill requires institutions to report to the department of higher education (department) on their policies and training, and the department posts information on the reports on its website. The department is to host biennial summits on sexual misconduct on institution campuses to facilitate communication, share information, and hear from experts. The bill identifies the membership of the planning committee for the summits. The planning committees are to report to specified committees of the general assembly on the summits. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill 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 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 bill. Under the bill, 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 bill directs that the board shall not 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 the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Current law allows a child care licensing exemption for certain facilities, including shopping centers and churches, that provide on-site child care for children for less than 3 hours while people are making use of the facility or attending church services. The bill retains the 3-hour limit on the licensing exemption for facilities like shopping centers but increases the time limit for religious organizations to 6 hours, provided that the child care is being offered contemporaneously with services or other programs at the on-site child care location of the religious organization. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill strongly encourages the office of suicide prevention (office) in the department of public health and environment (department) to work with appropriate entities to develop and implement a plan to provide access to training programs related to youth suicide prevention for people who regularly interact with youth but who are not in a profession that typically provides such training opportunities, such as camp counselors, recreation center employees, youth group leaders, clergy, and parents. The office is required to contract with a Colorado nonprofit organization to offer such training through an existing statewide coordinated model. Classes and programs offered by the approved nonprofit organizations must be evidence-based and culturally sensitive, in both English and Spanish, and free to the public. The department shall reimburse the approved nonprofit organization for any direct or indirect costs associated with such classes and programs. The age of consent for a minor to seek and obtain outpatient psychotherapy services is lowered from 15 years of age or older to 12 years of age and older. The licensed mental health provider is immune from civil or criminal liability for providing outpatient psychotherapy services unless he or she acts negligently or outside the scope of his or her practice. The bill clarifies that the age of consent for a minor seeking inpatient psychotherapy or other inpatient mental health services without the consent of a parent or legal guardian remains 15 years of age or older. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill adopts the following greenhouse gas emission reduction goals: Statewide greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 26% by 2025 when compared with 2005 levels; and Carbon dioxide emissions from electrical generation, when compared with 2012 levels, should be reduced by 25% by 2025 and by 30% by 2030. The Colorado resiliency and recovery office in the division of local government in the department of local affairs is required to, on an ongoing basis: Collect and analyze data regarding the economic and environmental impacts of not addressing climate change and calculate the economic costs of climate change; Develop a model to estimate the future impacts of climate change on Colorado; Analyze the results of the modeling on regional and Colorado-specific climatic conditions currently and the expected future conditions under a variety of climate change scenarios; Update the Colorado resiliency framework, taking into account the goals, the rules, and the data and analysis; and Develop tools and resources to support locally led climate resilience initiatives. The bill appropriates $432,345 and 1.6 FTE to the department of local affairs for use by the Colorado resiliency and recovery office to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
