The bill authorizes a special district that meets specified criteria to seek voter approval to be exempted from any applicable statutory limitations on the collection, retention, or spending of property tax revenue by the special district. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act directs providers of on-demand news and information services to Coloradans who are blind or print-disabled to expand their services and increase the number of Coloradans who are blind or print-disabled who are aware of such services. The expansion of services includes providing an expanded array of information and literacy support services throughout the state, such as a variety of communication-related assistive technologies and blindness-related services; introductory training; and methods to find and use additional resources in or near communities where a person lives. Other expanded services may include information sharing, marketing of expanded services, and other methods for informing persons who are blind or print-disabled about the on-demand news and information services; support services for users to resolve technical questions; and the provision of information about communication-related assistive technologies. The state librarian is authorized to administer money in the reading services for the blind cash fund for the support of privately operated reading services. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $200,000 from the general fund to the department of education for use by library programs and reading services for the blind and print-disabled. APPROVED by Governor June 7, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Beginning on January 1, 2025, the act requires a delivery network company (DNC) to provide various disclosures to its drivers and to consumers of the DNC. The disclosures include payments that a consumer makes to the DNC, the amount that the DNC then pays to a driver, and the distances traveled to complete a delivery task. A DNC is prohibited from decreasing the amount the DNC pays a driver for a delivery task based on the amount of a consumer's tip for that delivery task, and a DNC must pay the driver all tips paid by the consumer. The act imposes specific requirements on the manner in which a DNC may provide contracts to drivers and merchants. The act specifies how a DNC may deactivate a driver from the DNC's digital platform, including: Requiring that a DNC disclose specified information about the DNC's deactivation policy and any revisions to the policy to drivers; and Creating internal account deactivation challenge procedures by which a driver may challenge the driver's deactivation and take steps, if any, to remedy a violation and become reinstated on the DNC's digital platform. The act requires that, when a DNC connects a consumer to a driver, the DNC prompt the consumer to encourage the consumer to ensure driver safety upon arrival, including ensuring a clear, well-lit, safe delivery path and properly securing all pets. The act requires that DNCs allow drivers at least 60 seconds to decide to accept a delivery task offer. The division may investigate and impose fines against a DNC for violations of the act. A consumer or driver aggrieved by a violation may file a civil suit against the DNC that committed the violation. The act exempts a DNC from complying with certain requirements with respect to drivers who receive an annual federal form W-2 from the DNC. The director of the division is required to adopt rules necessary to implement the requirements of the act. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $163,409 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of labor and employment for use by the division of labor standards and statistics to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the employee ownership office (office), which was originally created administratively by the governor in 2020 as a statutory entity within the office of economic development (OED). The act also creates a refundable income tax credit for income tax years 2025 to 2029 for up to 50% of specified costs incurred by new employee-owned businesses, not to exceed $50,000. New employee-owned businesses are defined as businesses that have been employee-owned for 7 or fewer years. The tax credit is administered by the office, which may allocate up to $1.5 million in tax credits per year. The office is required to include information on the effectiveness of the tax credit in OED's annual report to the general assembly. The act also creates the employee ownership cash fund, which is to be used by the office for the administration of the tax credit and consists of fees collected from applications for the tax credit. The tax credit and cash fund are repealed on January 1, 2035. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $145,847 is appropriated from the general fund to the office of the governor for use for the employee ownership office. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The suicide prevention commission (commission) created in the department of public health and environment is scheduled to repeal on September 1, 2024. The act continues the commission until September 1, 2034. The act also adjusts the appointments to the commission and limits the number of members from the current 26 to 22. APPROVED by Governor May 31, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law exempts an individual with a remuneration-exempt identifying placard from paying at a parking device. The act defines "parking device" as a single- or multi-space meter, kiosk, pay station, pay-by-space, pay-by-plate, pay-by-card, or other payment system or methodology for the parking of vehicles. The act also: Clarifies that a remuneration-exempt parking placard does not count toward the limits on the number of disability identifying placards and license plates the department of revenue (department) may issue to an individual; Increases the number of remuneration-exempt placards that the department may issue to an individual from one placard to 2 placards; and Specifies that an individual with a placard is exempt from paying at a parking device within a parking lot. APPROVED by Governor May 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE November 1, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The statewide transit pass exploratory committee (committee) is created in the department of transportation (department) to produce a viable proposal for the creation, implementation, and administration of a statewide transit pass (proposal). The committee is required to meet as necessary to produce a viable proposal by July 1, 2026, with the goal of implementing a statewide transit pass by January 1, 2028. The committee consists of members, appointed by the executive director of the department, who represent specified types of organizations and have specified knowledge or experience. In conducting its work, the committee is required to consider specified issues and to solicit input from subject matter experts and interested parties across the state. The committee is required to submit its proposal, including recommendations for any necessary legislation in connection with the proposal, to the executive director of the department and the members of the transportation legislation review committee of the general assembly on or before July 1, 2026. The existing ozone season transit grant program is combined with a new program to provide youth fare free transit grants and together are created as the zero fare transit grant program in the Colorado energy office (office). The zero fare transit grant program is created to provide grants to: The Colorado association of transit agencies (CASTA) for the purpose of providing grants to eligible transit agencies to offer either free transit services for a minimum of 30 days during ozone season or fare free year-round transit services for individuals who are 19 years of age or younger; and The regional transportation district (RTD) for the purpose of providing fare free year-round transit services for individuals who are 19 years of age or younger. To receive a grant, CASTA or the RTD must submit an application to the office in accordance with the act and policies established by the office. An eligible transit agency that receives a grant from CASTA may use the grant money to either cover the costs associated with providing new or expanded free transit services within its service area during ozone season or to provide operating support for its transit operations and general transit programs so long as the eligible transit agency provides uninterrupted fare free year-round transit services to youth riders. The RTD may use the grant money to provide operating support for its transit operations and general transit programs, so long as the RTD provides uninterrupted fare free year-round transit services for youth riders. The RTD is required to report to the office and an eligible transit agency that receives a grant from CASTA is required to report to CASTA regarding its use of the grant money. CASTA is required to submit to the office a summary of the reported information for all eligible transit agencies that received a grant through CASTA. The office is required to establish policies governing the zero fare transit grant program and to report to the house of representatives transportation, housing, and local government committee and the senate transportation committee, or their successor committees, by December 31 of each year of the program. The zero fare transit fund (fund) is created in the treasury. The fund consists of money transferred to the fund from the ozone season transit grant program fund, money transferred to the fund from the multimodal transportation options fund, any other money that the general assembly appropriates or transfers to the fund, and any gifts, grants, or donations credited to the fund. The money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the office for the zero fare transit grant program. The state treasurer is directed to transfer any money remaining in the ozone season transit grant program fund on June 30, 2024, to the fund. In addition, the state treasurer is directed to transfer $10 million from the multimodal transportation and mitigation options fund to the fund on July 1, 2024. A regional transportation authority is allowed to derive up to one-half, rather than one-third, of its total revenue from a visitor benefit tax and, unlike in the past, to levy such a tax at a rate greater than 2%. The department is authorized to use money that was previously transferred to the state highway fund for a designated purpose in connection with the development of the Burnham Yard rail property for new purposes including site preparation, site enhancements, planning, and facilitating a track alignment that preserves buildable land while promoting transit and rail capacity and increasing safety in connection with the development of the Burnham Yard rail property. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 16, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill requires the division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment to create and make available to employers suicide prevention education posters and notices. Starting July 1, 2025, employers are required to display the suicide prevention education posters in their workplaces and certain employers are required to include the suicide prevention education notices in documents provided to employees. The office of suicide prevention within the department of public health and environment must create a website to provide information about workplace suicide prevention. The bill requires the suicide prevention education posters to include a quick response (QR) code and a website link to connect to the website.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
No later than July 1, 2025, the bill requires the office of state public defender to implement workload standards for determining when a deputy public defender's workload is excessive pursuant to the federal and state constitutions and the Colorado rules of professional conduct. The bill requires the office of state public defender to consult with employees of the office of state public defender in creating the standards.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act prohibits a municipality that is within a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) or a county that has unincorporated areas within an MPO (local government), on or after June 30, 2025, from enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements that apply to a land use approval for a multi-family residential development, adaptive re-use for residential purposes, or adaptive re-use mixed-use purposes which include at least 50% of use for residential purposes that is within, as applicable, the unincorporated area of the county or the municipality, within a metropolitan planning organization, and at least partially within an applicable transit service area. An applicable transit service area is an area identified by a map published by the department of local affairs as an area that is one-quarter mile of certain transit stops. The prohibition on enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements does not lower the protections provided for persons with disabilities or prohibit a local government from: Enacting or enforcing a maximum parking requirement; Enforcing any agreement made before the effective date of the act in connection with a land use approval to provide regulated affordable housing in exchange for reducing minimum parking requirements; Being awarded funding for affordable housing that requires a ratio of a certain number of parking spaces; Enacting or enforcing a minimum parking requirement for bicycles; or Imposing the following requirements on a parking space that is voluntarily provided in connection with a development project: That the owners of such a parking space charge for the use of the space; That the owner of such a parking space contribute to a parking enterprise, permitting system, or shared parking plan; and That such a parking space allow for electric vehicle charging stations in accordance with existing law. Furthermore, notwithstanding the prohibition on enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements, a local government may impose or enforce a minimum parking requirement in connection with a housing development project that is intended to contain twenty unity or more or contain regulated affordable housing. To impose or enforce such a minimum parking requirement, a county or municipality must publish certain written findings and annually report to the department of local affairs. Lastly, the act requires the department of local affairs: In consultation with the department of transportation, and the Colorado energy office, to develop and publish best practices and technical assistance materials concerning optimizing parking supply and managing parking; and In consultation with the department of transportation, the Colorado energy office, metropolitan planning organizations, and transit agencies that operate within metropolitan planning organizations, to publish a map that designates applicable transit service areas to be used by local governments in complying with the act. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
