Veterans (Veteran Education)

In current law, a person who is a member of the Colorado National Guard who is accepted for enrollment at a designated institution of higher education (member) has all their tuition costs waived. All tuition waiver costs are currently funded by the state from money in the Colorado National Guard tuition fund.     The act changes the funding mechanism of the Colorado National Guard tuition waiver program by requiring each designated institution of higher education to waive the remaining balance of a member's tuition cost in excess of the amount of any private, state, or federal financial assistance received. The act requires the department of military and veterans affairs to reimburse each institution for 50% of the cost of tuition waived by the institution and requires the general assembly to appropriate money to the Colorado National Guard tuition fund to cover the reimbursement.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

HJR 1014 is a symbolic resolution commemorating Colorado veterans who served in post-9/11 military operations (2001-2021). It honors all service members who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, specifically acknowledging Colorado's 107 fallen soldiers and expressing gratitude to veterans and their families. The resolution formally reaffirms Colorado's commitment to supporting veterans' care but does not create new programs or change existing policies. It directs copies to state officials, veterans' organizations, and museums as a gesture of recognition. This is a non-binding commemorative measure with no direct policy impact on veterans' benefits or services.

The bill allows defendant veterans to request an eligibility assessment to determine if they are eligible for veteran deferred sentencing. The bill states the offenses eligible and the requirements that must be met by veteran defendants to qualify for veteran deferred sentencing. The bill establishes what a court must include in a veteran defendant's deferred sentence and establishes what a veteran defendant must do to complete their deferred sentence and when they are eligible for discharge from probation and for dismissal of their charges.The bill requires courts to consider veteran status, when disclosed, when considering the sentence of a veteran defendant. The bill requires law enforcement, courts, and corrections personnel to receive training regarding justice-involved veterans. The bill requires courts to track and report the number of veteran defendants receiving, completing, declining, and denied veteran-deferred sentences. The bill requires the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety to develop a plan to track and evaluate outcomes of veteran defendants who receive veteran-deferred sentences.The bill requires the department of corrections (department) to create a veteran identification process that must be implemented in all offender diagnostic centers that allows the department to record which offenders are veterans. The bill requires that veteran offenders be considered, when appropriate, for correctional facility veteran housing units and veteran services and have their veteran status be considered in structuring their rehabilitation program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Under current law, a veteran who is disabled and who meets certain standards does not need to pay the taxes and fees to register one motor vehicle. The veteran is issued a disabled veteran license plate with the "D.V." inscription or a United States disabled woman veteran license plate. The bill authorizes the veteran to be issued another plate in lieu of being issued either of the license plates for veterans who are disabled if the veteran qualifies for the plate. If the plate requires additional fees to be issued or renewed, the additional fees must also be paid unless the plate is a military license plate.This program does not apply to commercial vehicles, implements of husbandry, or farm trucks or truck tractors that are taxed at a reduced rate.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill creates a tuition waiver for qualified dependents of disabled veterans to attend state colleges or universities.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)