The bill repeals language that prohibits local governments from banning the use or sale of specific types of plastic materials or restricting or mandating packaging or labeling of any consumer products. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Senate Third Reading Laid Over to 05/07/2020 - No Amendments
Under current law, if a judge decides not to accept specific conditions of a plea agreement, only the defendant is permitted to withdraw from the agreement. The bill allows either the defendant or the prosecution to withdraw from such a plea agreement. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Current law uses the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of a vehicle to determine taxable value, which is used to determine the amount of the specific ownership tax. For class A and B vehicles that weigh 16,000 pounds or less, current law uses 75% of the MSRP; for class C and D vehicles, current law uses 85% of MSRP. The bill changes this taxable value from MSRP to the actual purchase price. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill changes the dollar threshold for economic nexus for purposes of retail sales made by retailers without physical presence in the state from $100,000 to $200,000. Current law temporarily allows small retailers with physical presence in the state that have retail sales of $100,000 or less to source sales to the business' location regardless of where the purchaser receives the tangible personal property or service, thus providing an exception to the sales tax sourcing rule. The bill changes this threshold to $200,000 or less in retail sales and makes the exception permanent.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the staff of the legislative council to prepare business fiscal impact notes (notes) on legislative bills in each regular session of the general assembly. The speaker of the house of representatives, the minority leader of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the minority leader of the senate are authorized to request 2 notes each, or more at the discretion of the director of research of the legislative council. The bill requires the staff of the legislative council to meet with the member of leadership requesting the note and with the sponsor of the legislative bill to discuss whether a note can practically be completed for that legislative bill. If not, the member of leadership may request a note on a different legislative bill. A business fiscal impact note is defined as a note that uses available data to analyze the potential direct economic effects of a legislative bill on Colorado businesses, including costs related to compliance, impacts on hiring or job losses, savings or cost reductions, and other fiscal impacts. The bill requires the director of research of the legislative council to develop the procedures for requesting, completing, and updating the notes and to memorialize the procedures in a letter to the executive committee of the legislative council. The staff of the legislative council must designate a 5-day period during which Colorado businesses can submit comments on the impacts of a legislative bill selected for the preparation of the note, or a shorter time if the bill is selected during the last 30 days of session. The staff must summarize and compile the comments as part of the note. Finally, the legislative bill requires each state department, agency, or institution to cooperate with and provide information for a note of a legislative bill in the manner requested by the staff of the legislative council. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Current law requires a public school that offers human sexuality education to provide to the parent or legal guardian of each student, prior to commencing the planned curriculum, written notification of the ability to excuse a student and a detailed, substantive outline of the topics and materials to be presented during the planned curriculum. The bill requires an electronic notification to be provided to the parent or legal guardian of each student, in addition to the written notification, 90 days prior to commencing the planned curriculum. The notification must include the date the planned curriculum will be taught and it must be sent separately from any other school notifications. Any materials used during the planned curriculum must be made available for viewing online 90 days prior to the commencement of the planned curriculum.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the public utilities commission to adopt by rule, no later than July 31, 2021, renewable natural gas programs for large natural gas utilities (those that have at least 200,000 customer accounts in Colorado) and small natural gas utilities (those that have fewer than 200,000 customer accounts in Colorado). The rules must include reporting requirements and a process for natural gas utilities to fully recover prudently incurred costs associated with the large and small renewable natural gas programs. "Renewable natural gas" is defined to mean any of the following products processed to meet pipeline quality standards or transportation fuel-grade requirements: Biogas that is blended with, or substituted for, geologic natural gas; Hydrogen gas derived from renewable energy sources; or Methane gas derived from any combination of biogas; hydrogen gas or carbon oxides derived from renewable energy sources; waste carbon dioxide; coalbed methane resulting from human activity; naturally occurring coalbed deposits; a municipal solid waste landfill; waste tire or municipal solid waste pyrolysis; or biogas recovery from manure management systems and anaerobic digesters. If a large natural gas utility's total incremental annual cost to meet the targets of the large renewable natural gas program exceeds 5% of the large natural gas utility's total revenue requirement for a particular year, the large natural gas utility shall not make additional qualified investments under the large renewable natural gas program for that year without approval from the commission. The bill establishes the following portfolio targets for the percentage of gas purchased by large natural gas utilities that is renewable natural gas: By January 1, 2025, at least 5% must be renewable natural gas; By January 1, 2030, at least 10% must be renewable natural gas; and On and after January 1, 2035, at least 15% must be renewable natural gas. Small natural gas utilities may opt in to the small renewable natural gas program as established by the commission by rule. The rule must include a rate cap limiting the small natural gas utility's costs of procuring renewable natural gas from third parties and qualified investments in renewable natural gas infrastructure. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates the "Humane Pet Act", which: Establishes standards for the care and treatment of dogs and cats by dog breeders and cat breeders; Prohibits the sale of a dog or cat in a public place by any person; and Prohibits the sale of dogs and cats by pet stores. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill establishes a physician-patient relationship between a child born alive after or during an abortion and the physician who performed or attempted to perform the abortion. The bill requires the physician to exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious physician would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age and requires that the child born alive be immediately transferred to a hospital. The bill creates a civil penalty of $100,000 for a violation enforceable by the attorney general, makes a violation a class 3 felony, and makes a conviction unprofessional conduct for licensing purposes.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under current law, there is a crime of retaliation against a judge if an individual makes a credible threat or commits an act of harassment or an act of harm or injury upon a person or property as retaliation or retribution against a judge. The crime is a class 4 felony. The bill adds elected officials and their families to the crime. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Water Resources Review Committee. The bill requires the Colorado water conservation board and the water resources review committee to involve the public and provide opportunities for public comment, using procedures similar to those used for initial adoption of the state water plan, before adopting any final or significantly amended water resources demand management program as part of the Colorado upper basin states' drought contingency plan.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
