Rep. Susan Lontine

The act expands the types of election equipment and supplies for which counties can be reimbursed from the local elections assistance cash fund. Counties can also be reimbursed for the incremental increase in costs to lease that equipment, in addition to purchases of equipment that are currently eligible for reimbursement. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill prohibits a court from issuing a warrant for failing to appear at a scheduled court appearance for 72 hours after the missed appearance. If the defendant presents himself or herself to the court during the 72-hour period, the court shall not issue a warrant. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Comprehensive human sexuality education - content requirements - grant program - appropriation. The act adds certain content requirements for public schools that offer comprehensive human sexuality education, including instruction on consent as it relates to safe and healthy relationships and safe haven laws. The act prohibits instruction from emphasizing sexual abstinence as the primary or sole acceptable preventive method available to students and prohibits instruction from explicitly or implicitly using shame-based or stigmatizing language or instructional tools; employing gender stereotypes; or excluding the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals. If a public school teaches comprehensive human sexuality education, the public school is not required to include instruction on pregnancy outcome options. However, if a public school opts to provide instruction on pregnancy outcome options, it must cover all pregnancy outcome options available. Current law provides for a comprehensive human sexuality education grant program. The act amends certain provisions of the grant program to: Require the department of public health and environment to submit an annual report concerning the outcomes of the grant program indefinitely; Add 9 representatives to the oversight entity and require membership of the oversight entity to represent diverse community perspective and make an effort to include committee members who are diverse; Require grant applicants to demonstrate a need for money to implement comprehensive human sexuality education; and Require that rural public schools or public schools that do not currently offer comprehensive human sexuality education receive priority when selecting grant applicants. The act prohibits the state board of education from waiving the content requirements for any public school that provides comprehensive human sexuality education. However, the act does not prohibit charter schools or institute charter schools from applying for a waiver. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $1,000,000 from the general fund to the department of public health and environment to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Denver health and hospital authority - managed care organization contract. The act requires the department of health care policy and financing (department) to offer to enter into a contract with the managed care organization (MCO) operated by Denver health and hospital authority (Denver health), as long as the MCO continues to operate a medicaid managed care program or until June 30, 2025, unless sooner reprocured. Denver health is required to collaborate, if applicable, with the MCO designated by the department to manage behavioral health services. The act requires the MCO operated by Denver health to maintain adequate financials, accept rates determined by the department, maintain service and quality metrics determined by the department, and meet statewide managed care system standards and operate as part of the overall managed care system. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Uniform Election Code of 1992 - modifications - appropriation. The act makes changes to the "Uniform Election Code of 1992" (code), including changes to procedures for voter registration, including registration on Indian reservations; ballot access requirements, including changes to the number of signatures required on candidate petitions and requiring licensing and training for petition entities; political party organization filing requirements; procedures for in-person voting, including allowing a person who does not reside in a county but wishes to vote at a polling location to cast a ballot that contains statewide federal and state offices and questions; requirements for the content of an election plan; procedures for curing ballots; and requirements for recall petitions, including allowing the incumbent to file a statement to included on the petition and changes to the procedures for curing petitions. The formulas and hours for drop boxes and voter service and polling centers are revised, and counties are required to locate some drop boxes and voter service and polling centers on higher education campuses and Indian reservations. Seventeen year olds who are preregistered and who will be eighteen on the date of the next general election are allowed to participate in primary elections and caucuses. A person may seek a court order to keep polling locations open past the regular closing time on election day when voting at or access to a polling location has been substantially impaired. The secretary of state is required to complete updates to the statewide voter registration database to reduce wait times at polling locations. The act makes additional technical changes and corrections to the code. The act creates the local elections assistance cash fund to reimburse counties for the one-time purchase of voting equipment necessary to fulfill the requirements of the act. For the implementation of the act, $50,945 is appropriated to the department of state for use by the elections division, $255,298 is appropriated to the department of state for use by the information technology division, and $2,790 is appropriated to the department of personnel for use by the division of central services. In addition, $2,0960,000 is appropriated to the local elections assistance cash fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Parents encouraging parents conference - appropriation. The act creates parents encouraging parents conferences for parents of children with disabilities. The department of education shall provide for the conferences and related lodging and food for attendees. The act requires a specified conference curriculum. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $68,000 from the general fund to the department of education. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Lieutenant governor - office of saving people money on health care - director. Under current law, the lieutenant governor is authorized to concurrently serve as the head of a principal department while serving as the lieutenant governor. The act expands this to allow the lieutenant governor to alternatively serve as the director of the office of saving people money on health care within the office of the governor. The act further specifies the salary to be paid for working concurrently in this position.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Federal immigration enforcement - no arrest based on civil detainer - no personal information to immigration authorities from probation - advisement before immigration interview. The act allows a law enforcement officer or employee to cooperate or assist federal immigration enforcement authorities in the execution of a warrant issued by a federal judge or magistrate or honoring any writ issued by any state or federal judge concerning the transfer of a prisoner to or from federal custody. The act prohibits a law enforcement officer from arresting or detaining an individual solely on the basis of a civil immigration detainer. The act prohibits a probation officer or probation department employee from providing an individual's personal information to federal immigration authorities. If a law enforcement officer is coordinating a telephone or video interview between federal immigration authorities and an individual in jail or another custodial facility, the individual must be advised that: The interview is being sought by federal immigration authorities; The individual has the right to decline the interview and remain silent; The individual has the right to speak to an attorney before submitting to the interview; and Anything the individual says may be used against him or her in subsequent proceedings, including in a federal immigration court.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Office of legislative workplace relations - creation - duties - confidentiality - workplace harassment - executive sessions - exceptions to CORA - appropriation. The act creates the office of legislative workplace relations (office) within the office of legislative legal services and makes the records of that office exempt from public inspection. The office is charged with handling employee relations, including the handling of complaints under the workplace expectations and workplace harassment policies. Records of the office related to complaints, investigations, and other inquiries are exempted from the definition of public records and are not subject to public inspection; except that the office is required to release an annual statistical report of the numbers of complaints received and their resolution. In addition, if a workplace harassment committee finds that it is more likely than not that a legislator violated the policy, the committee must release the report unless it decides by a two-thirds vote not to do so. The act allows a state public body to meet in executive session to consider a matter related to the workplace harassment or workplace expectations policies of the general assembly. The act clarifies that all Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) custodians are required to deny a request to inspect records that are created or provided by the office and that relate to complaints, investigations, inquiries, or requests related to workplace harassment or conduct under the general assembly's policies. A disclosure of an intimate relationship filed in accordance with a policy of the general assembly is part of an individual's personnel file, and therefore not subject to public inspection under CORA. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $221,925 from the general fund to the legislative department for the new office. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Health care providers' accountability to communities - community health needs assessments - community benefit implementation plans - public meetings. The act requires the following hospitals to complete a community health needs assessment every 3 years and an annual community benefit implementation plan every year: A hospital that is licensed as a general hospital and exempt from federal taxation; A hospital established pursuant to the Denver health and hospital authority; and A hospital established pursuant to the University of Colorado hospital authority. Each such hospital must report to the department of health care policy and financing (department) concerning certain community benefits, costs, and shortfalls in the preceding year, and the department is required to submit an annual summary report to subject matter committees of the general assembly. Hospitals that are licensed as general hospitals but that are not required to report may report in like fashion. The department shall develop and provide a website at which each reporting hospital shall submit reports. The act requires each hospital to convene a public meeting at least once each year to seek feedback regarding the hospital's community benefit activities during the previous year and the hospital's community benefit implementation plan for the following year. Each hospital shall invite representatives from certain local entities and state agencies to participate in the meeting. Each hospital shall also invite the general public to the meeting in an advertisement placed in any major newspaper published in the hospital's community. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More