The bill recreates the former health care task force, renamed as the statewide health care review committee, to study health care issues that affect Colorado residents throughout the state. The committee consists of the members of the house of representatives committees on health, insurance, and environment and on public health care and human services and the senate committee on health and human services. The committee is permitted to meet up to 2 times during the interim between legislative sessions, including 2 field trips. For the 2018-19 fiscal year, the bill appropriates $23,951 from the general fund 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
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 or for an intersex individual. 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 courts in this state are given jurisdiction to issue a decree to amend a birth certificate to reflect a change in gender designation for persons born in another state or foreign jurisdiction if the law of such other 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.) , Read More
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Under current law, when a complaint against a mental health professional is dismissed, information contained in the files of a mental health professional regulatory board is exempt from disclosure under the open records law. The bill allows a mental health professional who is a respondent to a dismissed complaint to access the information contained in the division of professions and occupations's and applicable regulatory boards' files. The names of the respondent's clients and other recipients of services, and any other information that would identify an individual person, must be redacted from the information provided to the respondent. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill allows a person who legally possesses a handgun under state and federal law to carry a concealed handgun in Colorado. A person who carries a concealed handgun under the authority created in the bill has the same carrying rights and is subject to the same limitations that apply to a person who holds a permit to carry a concealed handgun under current law, including the prohibition on the carrying of a concealed handgun on the grounds of a public elementary, middle, junior high, or high school. The bill reduces an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill establishes the task force concerning youth who are experiencing homelessness (task force) to study and make recommendations on issues related to the issue of youth experiencing homelessness in Colorado. The membership of the task force is set forth, as well as reporting requirements and a repeal date. The bill makes conforming amendments to correct citations to an earlier relocation of the office of homeless youth services to the department of local affairs. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates the Seabees license plate. In addition to the standard motor vehicle fees, the plate requires 2 one-time fees of $25. One fee is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other to a fund that provides licensing services. $1,918 is appropriated to the division of motor vehicles from the license plate cash fund to implement the bill. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Current law allows the Colorado water conservation board to approve up to 15 pilot projects for agricultural water leasing or fallowing projects. The bill expands the types of projects that may be approved to include deficit irrigation projects, which use less than the optimal amount of water on a particular crop, but limits these projects to water divisions 2 and 3 and within the boundaries of the upper Gunnison water conservancy district. The bill also excludes from the determination of historical consumptive use decreases in use resulting from deficit irrigation projects to conserve or lease water. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Under existing law, builders must offer a 'solar prewire' option to purchasers of certain newly constructed residences. The bill applies a similar requirement to facilitate the installation of electric vehicle charging systems by purchasers of new residences, both in traditional detached, single-family homes and also in buildings that contain owner-occupied condominium units. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill prohibits a carrier that offers or issues a health benefit plan that covers pharmaceutical services, including prescription drug coverage, or a pharmacy benefit management firm managing those benefits for a carrier, from: Limiting or restricting a covered person's ability to select a pharmacy or pharmacist of the covered person's choice if certain conditions are met; Imposing a copayment, fee, or other cost-sharing requirement for selecting a pharmacy of the covered person's choosing; Imposing other conditions on a covered person, pharmacist, or pharmacy that limit or restrict a covered person's ability to use a pharmacy of the covered person's choosing; or Denying a pharmacy or pharmacist the right to participate in any of its pharmacy network contracts in this state or as a contracting provider in this state if the pharmacy or pharmacist has a valid license in Colorado and the pharmacy or pharmacist agrees to specified conditions.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
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Beginning September 1, 2018, the bill requires all state agency fee increases to start on July 1 of a given year, with the exception of an emergency fee increase. A state agency shall not increase a fee unless: On or before the February 1 prior to the starting date of the increase, the state agency submits a fee increase proposal, which includes specified information, to the joint budget committee; A majority of the members on the joint budget committee approve the fee increase as it is described in the fee increase proposal and without alteration; and A grant of authority to the state agency for the fee increase is included in authorizing legislation, which is enacted and becomes law. A state agency may adopt an emergency fee increase that does not meet these conditions, but on or before the next February 1 the state agency is required to submit a fee increase proposal for the emergency fee. If this fee increase proposal is approved by the joint budget committee and included in authorizing legislation, then the state agency may continue to impose the increased fee. If a grant of authority for the associated emergency fee increase is not included in the next possible authorizing legislation, then the state agency is required to lower the fee to the amount it was prior to the increase and refund the increased amount of the fee to the fee payer. If a refund is impossible, then the state agency is required to immediately reduce the fee from its original amount by an amount equal to the emergency fee increase and keep it at that level until the amount of the lost revenue offsets the additional revenue from the increased fee. Thereafter, the fee may return to its original amount. If a state agency adopts a fee increase after April 1, 2018, but prior to September 1, 2018, the fee increase is treated like an emergency fee for which the state agency is required to submit a fee increase proposal. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
