Under the existing tuition assistance program for students enrolled in career and technical education certificate programs (certificate programs), students enrolled in certificate programs may qualify for tuition assistance if they meet the income eligibility requirements for the federal Pell grant program but the certificate program does not meet the Pell grant minimum credit hour requirements. Under the bill, the tuition assistance program is available to students who are enrolled in certificate programs that do not meet the minimum credit hour requirements for the federal Pell grant program and who meet an income eligibility standard set by the Colorado commission on higher education. The bill clarifies that tuition assistance means money a student may use to pay for tuition, fees, and course materials. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill authorizes a school district, BOCES, or institute charter high school to grant a diploma endorsement in biliteracy to a student who demonstrates proficiency in English and at least one foreign language. The bill establishes the requirements a graduating high school student must meet to obtain the biliteracy endorsement. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Statutory Revision Committee. Pursuant to section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), Colorado Revised Statutes, any report that is required to be made to the general assembly by an executive agency or the judicial branch on a periodic basis expires on the day after the third anniversary of the date on which the first report was due unless the general assembly, acting by bill, continues the requirement. Sections 1, 4, 5, 7, and 9 continue indefinitely the reporting requirements contained in those statutory sections. Sections 2, 3 and 10 repeal reports related to corrections that were scheduled to repeal according to section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I). Currently there is no repeal date listed in the organic statute. Sections 6 and 8 of the bill add a repeal date in the organic statute that coincides with the scheduled repeal date specified in section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I). (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill limits penalties for violations relating to the sale of alcohol beverages to a visibly intoxicated or underage person that occur in a sales room for licensees operating a beer wholesaler, winery, limited winery, or distillery, or in a retail establishment, for licensees operating a brew pub, vintner's restaurant, or distillery pub, by prohibiting the licensing authority from: Basing any fine on the estimated gross revenues of any manufacturing or wholesale activities of the licensee; and Extending any suspension to the manufacturing or wholesale activities of the licensee.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Statutory Revision Committee. Pursuant to section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), Colorado Revised Statutes, any report that is required to be made to the general assembly by an executive agency or the judicial branch on a periodic basis expires on the day after the third anniversary of the date on which the first report was due unless the general assembly, acting by bill, continues the requirement. Sections 1, 3, and 4 continue indefinitely the reporting requirements contained in those statutory sections. Sections 2, 5, 6, and 7 repeal reporting requirements by the department of public safety that were scheduled to repeal according to section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I). Currently there is no repeal date listed in the organic statute. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Signed by the Speaker of the House
Signed by the Speaker of the House
In 1999, the voters of the state authorized the executive director of the department of transportation (executive director) to issue transportation revenue anticipation notes (TRANs) in a maximum principal amount of $1.7 billion and with a maximum repayment cost of $2.3 billion in order to provide financing to accelerate the construction of qualified federal aid transportation projects. The executive director issued the TRANs as authorized. The final payments of principal and interest on the TRANs will be made during fiscal year 2016-17, which will make available for expenditure for transportation-related purposes only revenues dedicated for transportation by federal law, the state constitution, and state law that the state has been using to make principal and interest payments on the TRANs. Section 3 of the bill repeals a requirement that the state treasurer make conditional transfers, which are reduced or eliminated if the state is required to refund excess state revenues in accordance with the taxpayer's bill of rights, of a specified percentage of total general fund revenues from the general fund to the capital construction fund and the highway users tax fund for state fiscal years 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20. Section 4 of the bill requires the state transportation commission to submit a ballot question to the voters of the state at the November 2017 statewide election, which, if approved, would authorize the executive director to issue additional TRANs in a maximum principal amount of $3.5 billion and with a maximum repayment cost of $5 billion once the TRANs already issued are repaid in full. The additional TRANs must have a maximum repayment term of 20 years, and the certificate, trust indenture, or other instrument authorizing their issuance must provide that the state may pay them in full before the end of the specified payment term without penalty. Additional TRANs must otherwise generally be issued subject to the same requirements and for the same purposes as the original TRANs; except that the transportation commission must pledge to annually allocate from legally available money under its control any money needed for payment of the notes in excess of amounts appropriated by the general assembly from the state highway fund for payment of the notes as authorized by section 6 of the bill until the notes are fully repaid. Section 5 of the bill requires proceeds from the sale of any additional TRANs that are not otherwise pledged for the payment of the TRANs to be used only for specified projects until all of the projects have been funded in whole or in part with such proceeds and have been fully funded and specifies additional transportation project contract award process requirements and limitations for a project to be funded in whole or in part with proceeds of additional TRANs. Sections 6 and 7 of the bill require 10% of state sales and use tax net revenue collected on or after July 1, 2017, to be credited to the highway users tax fund (HUTF), paid from the HUTF to the state highway fund for use, subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly, for payment of TRANs and, to the extent not used for that purpose, state transportation projects. Section 6 also requires 1% of state sales and use tax net revenue collected on or after July 1, 2017, less ten million dollars to be credited to the capital construction fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Signed by the President of the Senate
Signed by the Speaker of the House
Under current law, a person born in Colorado who seeks a new birth certificate from the registrar of vital statistics (state registrar) to reflect a change in gender designation must obtain a court order indicating that the sex of the person has been changed by surgical procedure and ordering that the gender designation on the birth certificate be amended, and the person must obtain a court order with a legal name change. The bill repeals that provision and creates new requirements for the issuance of birth certificates in cases of changes to gender designation. Under the bill, known as the '2017 Birth Certificate Modernization Act', the state registrar shall issue a new birth certificate with a different gender designation to a person who was born in this state when the state registrar receives: A written request from the person or the person's legal representative requesting a new birth certificate with a gender designation that differs from the gender designated on the person's original birth certificate; and A statement from a medical or mental health care provider licensed in good standing stating that the person has undergone treatment appropriate for that person for the purpose of gender transition or stating that the person has an intersex condition, and that in the provider's professional opinion the person's gender designation should be changed accordingly. The bill requires that the state registrar issue a new birth certificate rather than an amended birth certificate. The bill allows a person who has previously obtained an amended birth certificate under previous versions of the law to apply to receive a new birth certificate. A person is not required to obtain a court order for a legal name change in order to obtain a new birth certificate with a change in gender designation. The bill creates a process for a person to update the person's name on a birth certificate at other times than the issuance of the new birth certificate. The state registrar is prohibited from requesting additional medical information but is authorized to contact the medical or mental health provider to verify the provider's statement. The courts in this state are given jurisdiction to issue a decree to amend a birth certificate to reflect a change in gender designation for certain persons if the law in another state or foreign jurisdiction requires a court decree in order to amend a birth certificate to reflect a change in gender designation. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill requires a charter school to reimburse the chartering school district or another school district, whichever is applicable, for excess student revenue attributable to a student who was enrolled in the charter school on the pupil enrollment count day and who subsequently enrolled in a non-charter school of the chartering school district or of another school district in the same budget year. The bill defines student revenue. Excess student revenue is the amount of student revenue proportionate to the time the student remained in the school before changing schools. To determine the amount of the reimbursement, the bill requires the chartering school district to prepare an accounting for each charter school of the school district at the end of the budget year. The accounting identifies students who transferred between a charter school and a non-charter school of the school district after the pupil enrollment count day, and students who transferred from a charter school to a non-charter school of a different school district after the pupil enrollment count day. Based on the accounting, the bill requires each charter school of the school district to reimburse the chartering school district for excess student revenue for students who transferred from the charter school to a non-charter school in the chartering school district in the same budget year. The amount of the charter school's reimbursement to the chartering school district is reduced by the total amount of excess student revenue attributable to students who started in a non-charter school of the school district and transferred to the charter school in the same budget year; except that the chartering school district is not required to reimburse the charter school if the calculation results in a negative number. Further, each charter school of the school district is required to reimburse the chartering school district for excess student revenue for a student who transferred from the charter school to a non-charter school of a different school district in the same budget year. The chartering school district shall pay the excess student revenue received from the charter school to the school district in which the student subsequently enrolled. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
