Joint Budget Committee. The bill directs the department of health care policy and financing (department) to initiate a stakeholder process for purposes of preparing and submitting a redesigned children's habilitation residential program (program) waiver for federal approval that allows for home- and community-based services for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have complex behavioral support needs. The department may also request federal authorization to change the agency designated to administer and operate the program from the department of human services to the department. The bill includes language creating the redesigned program, relocates the program in statute, and makes conforming changes in statute to reflect the new location of the program. The new program will become effective once federal approval has been granted for the redesigned children's habilitation residential program waiver. The bill makes and reduces appropriations to the department and the department of human services to implement the bill. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. The bill requires the state treasurer to transfer specified amounts from the general fund and the marijuana tax cash fund to a newly created office of state planning and budgeting youth pay for success initiatives account within the pay for success contracts fund for state fiscal years 2018-19 through 2021-22. Subject to annual appropriation, the office of state planning and budgeting may expend the money transferred to the account for its use only to fund 3 specified pay for success contracts for pilot programs designed to reduce juvenile involvement in the justice system, reduce out-of-home placements of juveniles, and improve on-time high school graduation rates, but the department of human services may expend any money appropriated to it from the account for expenses related to the administration of any pay for success contract. For the 2018-19 state fiscal year, $718,412 is appropriated from the account to the office of the governor for use by the office of state planning and budgeting, with $52,511 of that amount being reappropriated to the department of human services for use by the division of youth services for personal services and operating expenses related to the administration of any pay for success contract.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill extends the scheduled termination on July 1, 2024, of the state lottery division (division) in the department of revenue to July 1, 2049. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill allows a hotel that has a hotel and restaurant liquor license to sell in sealed containers up to 750 milliliters of vinous liquors and 72 ounces of fermented malt beverages or malt liquors, per transaction, to the hotel's guests for on-premises consumption.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
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, 2018, except as otherwise noted.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill permits a medical marijuana optional premises cultivation licensee, a medical marijuana-infused products manufacturing licensee, a retail marijuana cultivation facility licensee, and a retail marijuana products manufacturing licensee to provide samples to managers for quality control and product development purposes. The bill specifies limits on the amount that can be provided as a sample per batch. The bill prohibits the licensee from: Allowing the manager to consume the sample on site; Allowing the manager to exceed his or her personal possession limits; Providing or reselling the sample to another licensed employee, individual, or customer; and Using the sample as a means of compensating the manager.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill requires a business to notify the office of economic development (OED) of any plans to terminate customer service employee positions and employees who are employed by or work on behalf of a call center in those positions in the state and relocate those positions outside of the United States. The bill specifies that a violation of the requirement to notify results in a civil penalty that the state's attorney general may recover. The bill requires the OED to maintain and make public a list of businesses that have terminated and relocated customer service employee positions outside of the United States. The bill provides a method for a business to remove their name from the list after a certain period of time. The bill specifies that a public entity may not award or provide a public subsidy to a business that has its name on the list maintained by the OED, but allows a waiver for this limitation in certain specific circumstances. The bill requires a business to ensure that each customer service employee who communicates with a customer on behalf of the business: Enables the customer to speak to an employee of the business on whose behalf the call center is communicating with the customer; Transfers the call to a person in the state if the customer service employee is not in the state; and Discloses to the customer: The state and country where the customer service employee is located; The customer service employee's employee number; and The name of the customer service employee's employer. The bill specifies that a public entity must give preference to a business that does not appear on the list of businesses maintained by the OED when awarding a contract for services. The bill requires all call center services performed for a public entity to be performed in the state by customer service employees employed in the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. Current law specifies that money in the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund is continuously appropriated to the Colorado healthcare affordability and sustainability enterprise for specified healthcare related purposes. Beginning with state fiscal year 2018-19, the bill makes the expenditure of money from the fund by the enterprise subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. The bill provides that on and after November 1, 2018, the division of veterans affairs in the department of military and veterans affairs may operate a veterans one-stop center in Grand Junction for the purpose of providing a central and accessible location where veterans, service members, and their family members in the western portion of the state may have access to assistance and resources. The veterans one-stop center in Grand Junction is repealed, effective September 1, 2023. Before its repeal, the department of regulatory agencies shall review the veterans one-stop center. The bill makes an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. The bill codifies the existing governor's commission on community service, which was created through executive order. The commission was created pursuant to the federal 'National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993' and allows the state to receive grants, allotments, and service positions under the act. The commission consists of at least 15, but not more than 20, members and is charged with implementing programs and administering funds received from the corporation for national and community service. The commission is established in the office of the lieutenant governor and receives staff and administrative support from that office. The bill authorizes the commission to receive gifts, grants, and donations to fulfill its functions.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill codifies rules promulgated by the water quality control commission (commission) of the Colorado department of public health and environment concerning allowable uses of reclaimed domestic wastewater, which is wastewater that has been treated for subsequent reuses other than drinking water. Section 3 of the bill defines 3 categories of water quality standards for reclaimed domestic wastewater, sets forth the allowable uses for each water quality standard category, and adds food crop irrigation as an allowable use for reclaimed domestic wastewater. Section 3 also authorizes the commission to establish new categories of water quality standards and to recategorize any use of reclaimed domestic wastewater to a less stringent category of water quality standard. The commission may develop more stringent standards by rule if it determines that the existing standards and categories are not protective of public health and identifies a specific health risk posed by the use of reclaimed domestic wastewater under the existing standards. Section 3 also authorizes the water quality control division, after conducting a public stakeholders' process, to develop policy, guidance, or best management practices for use of reclaimed domestic wastewater. Finally, section 3 authorizes the division of administration in the department of public health and environment to grant variances for uses of reclaimed domestic wastewater. Sections 1, 2, and 4 make conforming amendments. Section 5 appropriates $14,399 in the 2018-19 fiscal year from the general fund to the department of public health and environment for use by the water quality control division 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 imposes requirements on health care facilities, health care providers, pharmacies, and health insurers, starting January 1, 2019, to disclose information about health care charges. Specifically, section 2 of the bill enacts the 'Comprehensive Health Care Billing Transparency Act' (act), which requires health care facilities, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, community clinics, and physician practice groups, to: Publish their fee schedules or other lists of charges the facilities bill for specific health care services before applying any discounts, rebates, or other charge adjustment mechanisms; Include in every bill sent to a patient an itemized detail of each health care service provided, the charge for the service, how any payment or adjustment by the patient's health insurer was applied to each line item in the bill, and, for hospitals, the amount of the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee the hospital is charged; and In situations where an individual provides health insurance information to the facility or a provider in a facility setting, disclose whether the facility or provider participates in the individual's health insurance plan; whether the services the facility or provider will render will be covered as an in-network or out-of-network benefit; and whether the individual will receive a service from an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility. For an individual health care provider who provides health care services at a health care facility, has a separate fee schedule for the services the provider delivers in the facility setting, and whose fees for those services are not included in the facility's published fee schedule, the provider must provide a fee schedule to the facility for posting on the facility's website. Section 2 also prohibits a facility or provider from billing a patient or third-party payer an amount in excess of the lower of any established self-pay rate or the lowest rate negotiated with or reimbursed by any third-party payer, including the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services in the United States department of health and human services, for the particular health care services rendered to the patient if the facility or provider has failed to publish or provide its fee schedule. Additionally, section 2 requires a pharmacy to publish a list of its retail drug prices, which is a list of the charges the pharmacy charges to an insured or uninsured person for prescription drugs it administers or dispenses, before any rebates, discounts, or other price adjustment mechanisms are applied. Section 4 specifies that failure to comply with the requirements to publish retail drug prices constitutes grounds for the state board of pharmacy to discipline a pharmacist. Health insurers, facilities, and providers are prohibited from including any provision in a contract between the parties issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2019, that restricts the ability of a provider, facility, or health insurer to provide patients with the charge information required to be published. Section 2 also directs the state board of pharmacy to adopt rules necessary to implement the provisions of the act that are applicable to pharmacies and the executive director of the department of public health and environment to adopt any other rules necessary to implement and administer the act. Section 3 requires health insurers to publish information about contract terms, cost-sharing arrangements, and prescription drug prices. The commissioner of insurance is directed to adopt rules to implement and administer these requirements and is authorized to use enforcement powers under current law to enforce the requirements on health insurers. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
