The bill authorizes the commissioner of insurance to apply to the secretary of the United States department of health and human services for a state innovation waiver, for federal funding, or both to allow the state to implement and operate a reinsurance program to assist health insurers in paying high-cost insurance claims. The state cannot implement the program absent waiver or funding approval from the secretary. The program is established as an enterprise for purposes of section 20 of article X of the state constitution. The division of insurance is to include an update regarding the program in its annual SMART Act report, and the program is subject to sunset review and repeal in 5 years. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill requires the state court administrator to administer a court reminder program to remind criminal defendants to appear at their scheduled hearings in the county courts and district courts of the state, except for the Denver county court. The objective of the program is to significantly reduce the number of defendants who are committed to the custody of a county jail solely as a result of their failure to appear in court. The bill makes an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates a legislative committee on state prison population issues that begins in the 2018 interim and continues through June 30, 2020. The committee may meet during the 2019 and 2020 legislative sessions. The bill specifies issues that the committee must study. The chair and vice-chair of the committee may appoint subcommittees to provide technical assistance to the committee. The subcommittees may include members of the committee and other persons with expertise in school prison population issues. The bill appropriates $39,021 to the legislative 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 allows private employers to give preference to veterans when hiring, promoting, and retaining employees as long as the veterans are equally as qualified as other individuals. The bill clarifies that employers who adopt a program that gives preferences to veterans are not committing a discriminatory or unfair labor practice. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill allows a unit of local government to enact laws increasing the minimum wage within its jurisdiction. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill requires an entity that services a student education loan to be licensed by the administrator of the 'Uniform Consumer Credit Code'. 'Servicing' means receiving a scheduled periodic payment from a student loan borrower, applying the payments of principal and interest with respect to the amounts received from a student loan borrower, and similar administrative services. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
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
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 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
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
