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 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
The bill establishes the Colorado secure savings plan (plan) board of trustees (board) to study the feasibility of creating the Colorado secure savings plan and other appropriate approaches to increase the amount of retirement savings by Colorado's private sector workers. The board consists of the director of the governor's office of state planning and budgeting and 8 additional trustees with certain experience who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate. The board is required to conduct the following four analyses or assessments (analyses) within 2 years of the appointment of the board's membership, with an update to certain legislative committees after one year: A detailed market and financial analysis to determine the financial feasibility and effectiveness of creating a retirement savings plan in the form of an automatic enrollment payroll deduction IRA, to be known as the Colorado secure savings plan. The plan would be designed to promote greater retirement savings for private sector employees in a convenient, low-cost, and portable manner. A detailed market and financial analysis to determine the financial feasibility and effectiveness of a small business marketplace plan to increase the number of Colorado businesses that offer retirement savings plans for their employees. The marketplace plan would be voluntary for both employers and employees, open to all employees and employers with fewer than one hundred employees, and administered by the state department of labor and employment. The bill specifies certain duties of the state department of labor in connection with the marketplace plan if it is implemented. An analysis of the effects that greater financial education among Colorado residents would have on increasing their retirement savings; and An analysis of the effects that not increasing Coloradans' retirement savings would have on current and future state and local government expenditures. The board may accept any gifts, grants, and donations, or any money from public or private entities to pay for the costs of the analyses. The board may delay implementation of one or more of the analyses if it does not obtain adequate money to conduct the analyses. If after conducting the analyses the board finds that there are approaches to increasing retirement savings for private-sector employees in a convenient, low-cost, and portable manner that are financially feasible and self-sustaining, the board is required to recommend a plan to implement its findings to the governor and the general assembly. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill enacts the 'Colorado Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act of 2018', which requires: Health insurers, starting in 2021, to submit to the commissioner of insurance (commissioner), as part of the health care cost reporting requirement, information regarding prescription drugs covered under their health insurance plans that were dispensed in the preceding calendar year; Prescription drug manufacturers to notify state purchasers, health insurers, and pharmacy benefit management firms when the manufacturer, on or after July 1, 2020, increases the price of certain prescription drugs by more than 10% or introduces a new specialty drug in the commercial market; and Prescription drug manufacturers, within 15 days after the end of each calendar quarter that starts on or after July 1, 2020, to provide specified information to the commissioner regarding the drugs about which manufacturers are required to notify purchasers of a drug price increase or new specialty drug on the market. The commissioner is required to post the information received from prescription drug manufacturers on the division of insurance website. Additionally, the commissioner, or a disinterested third-party contractor, is to analyze the data submitted by health insurers and prescription drug manufacturers and other relevant information to determine the effect of prescription drug costs on health insurance premiums. The commissioner is to publish a report each year, submit the report to specified legislative committees, and present the report during annual 'State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act' hearings. The commissioner is authorized to adopt rules as necessary to implement the requirements of the act. A prescription drug manufacturer that fails to notify purchasers or fails to report required data to the commissioner is subject to discipline by the state board of pharmacy, including a penalty of $1,000 per day for each day the manufacturer fails to comply with the notice or reporting requirements. The commissioner is to report manufacturer violations to the state board of pharmacy. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill prohibits a state or political subdivision from: Providing the race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical disability, intellectual and developmental disability, or religious affiliation of a Colorado resident to the federal government without determining that it is for a legal and constitutional purpose; Aiding or assisting the federal government in creating, maintaining, or updating a registry for the purpose of identifying Colorado residents based on race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical disability, intellectual and developmental disability, or religious affiliation; Aiding or assisting the federal government or a federal agency in marking or otherwise placing a physical or electronic identifier on a person based on his or her race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical disability, intellectual and developmental disability, or religious affiliation; and Aiding or assisting, including using state or local lands or resources, the federal government in interning, arresting, or detaining a person based on his or her race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical disability, intellectual and developmental disability, or religious affiliation.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Section 2 of the bill prohibits a person from serving on the public utilities commission if, on or after July 1, 2018, he or she has or acquires any official relation to, or financial interest in, a regulated utility. Section 3 encourages the director of the commission to assign employees to temporary training and development sessions with other state agencies, particularly those with which the commission has frequent interaction, to improve the employees' substantive expertise and familiarity with the operations of those agencies. Section 3 also requires the director to keep written and audio records of the commission's proceedings and make them publicly available online. In addition, section 3 expressly authorizes the executive director of the department of regulatory agencies (of which the commission is a part) to request that the state auditor conduct performance audits of the commission and its staff and operations. Section 4 directs the commission to adopt rules concerning: Policies under which commissioners should recuse themselves from certain proceedings; Conflicts of interest; Activities and relationships that the commission deems incompatible with its policies concerning conflicts of interest; and Ex parte communications. Section 1 makes conforming amendments.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
