Rep. Regina English

The act modifies the amount of per diem a member of the general assembly is entitled to for expenses incurred during sessions of the general assembly. Beginning with state fiscal year 2025-26, and for each state fiscal year thereafter, a member who resides within the Denver metropolitan area is entitled to an amount equal to 25% of the federal per diem rate for the city and county of Denver as of October 1 of the calendar year immediately preceding the fiscal year the rate is used in, rounded up to the nearest whole dollar, and a member who does not reside within the Denver metropolitan area is entitled to an amount equal to 90% of that rate, rounded up to the nearest whole dollar. The act also creates the independent state elected official pay commission (commission) to set compensation for members of the general assembly, the governor, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and the state treasurer (state elected officials). The initial commission will: Be appointed on or before July 31, 2025; Hold its first meeting on or before September 1, 2025; and Submit its report on or before December 15, 2025. The compensation set by the initial commission, unless rejected or modified by the general assembly, will go into effect on January 1, 2027. After a commission submits its report, the commission expires. After the initial commission, subsequent commissions will meet every 4 years after 2025 so that the effective date of future recommendations is in alignment with the election cycle of the governor, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and the state treasurer. A subsequent commission will: Be appointed on or before July 31 of each year in which the commission meets; Hold its first meeting on or before September 1 of each year in which the commission meets; and Submit its report on or before December 15 of each year in which the commission meets. The compensation set by commissions subsequent to the initial commission, unless rejected or modified by the general assembly, will go into effect on January 1 of the first year of each subsequent 4-year gubernatorial term. Additionally, the director of research of the legislative council must annually adjust the compensation levels set by the commission for inflation except in the year in which a commission's recommendations take effect. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act implements recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies, as specified in the department's sunset review of the regulation of money transmitters, as follows: Sections 1 and 2 of the act continue the regulation of money transmitters until 2030; Section 3 authorizes the banking board to suspend a money transmitter's license; Section 4 expands the requirement to furnish surety bond coverage to include all money transmission, rather than merely exchange; Section 5 increases the maximum penalty for failure to report from $250 to $750 per day and for failure to allow the state bank commissioner to make an examination from $100 to $1,000 per day; Section 6 authorizes the state bank commissioner to submit fingerprints directly to the federal bureau of investigation for a criminal history record check; Section 7 repeals the requirement that license holders annually report the name, address, and telephone number of each owner of at least 10% of the agent of the money transmitter; Section 8 authorizes the state bank commissioner to issue cease-and-desist orders and sets procedural requirements; Section 9 expands the licensing exemption for in-state banks to also cover out-of-state banks and repeals the licensing exemption for telegraph or cable companies; and Sections 10 through 12 replace gendered pronouns with gender-neutral terms. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the Arie P. Taylor sickle cell disease outreach program (outreach program) in the department of public health and environment (department). To implement the outreach program, the act requires the department to contract with one or more community-based nonprofit organizations (outreach organizations) to provide outreach and support services in the community to individuals living with sickle cell disease and their families. The department is required to solicit applicants and administer the outreach program. On or before January 1, 2025, the department is required to contract with one or more outreach organizations to implement the outreach program and to give priority to outreach organizations with experience in providing services and support to the sickle cell community and that meet other criteria in the act. The outreach program may include informal counseling and health guidance, direction and support to individuals and their families in locating and accessing services in the community, outreach concerning activities and programs available to individuals and families living with sickle cell disease, peer support and referrals, advocacy regarding the interests of the sickle cell disease community, referrals for screening, and other services and support identified by the department. The department is required to approve the services provided through a contract and may consult with the university of Colorado school of medicine's sickle-cell anemia treatment and research center to identify needed services and supports. Prior to the expiration of a contract, the outreach organization is required to prepare and submit a written report to the department describing the impact of the outreach program provided under the contract, and the department shall provide the report to the legislative health and human services committees or their successor committees. The act repeals the outreach program, effective July 1, 2030. The act appropriates $200,000 from the general fund to the department to implement the outreach program. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Beginning January 1, 2026, the act removes the requirement that the department of health care policy and financing (department) fully assess a person in need of long-term services and supports for the appropriate level of care before the person is presumed eligible for the medical assistance program. The act authorizes the department to make any necessary changes to any other federal authorizations that are authorized by the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services in order to implement the presumptive eligibility requirements for persons in need of long-term services and supports. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE January 1, 2026(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act prohibits a law enforcement officer or emergency service patrol officer who takes a juvenile into protective custody from detaining the juvenile in jail. Beginning July 1, 2024, the act requires each local law enforcement agency that has taken a person into protective custody to provide an annual report to the behavioral health administration that includes disaggregated and nonidentifying information concerning persons who were taken into protective custody in an approved treatment facility or detained in an emergency medical facility or jail. Beginning July 1, 2024, the act requires each approved treatment facility or emergency medical services facility that detains a person under protective custody or detains or holds a person on an emergency commitment to provide a quarterly report to the behavioral health administration that includes information about the persons detained or held at the facility. The act appropriates $64,738 from the general fund to the department of human services for use by the behavioral health administration. APPROVED by Governor May 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 17, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (department), as specified in the department's sunset review of the regulation of respiratory therapy, as follows: The act continues the regulation of respiratory therapy for 11 years, until September 1, 2035; The definition of respiratory therapy in current law includes certain treatments of patients pursuant to a prescription issued by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or certified midwife. The act expands the definition to also include a prescription issued by a physician assistant. Current law exempts an unregistered polysomnographic technologist (technologist) who practices respiratory therapy from the state regulatory requirements for respiratory therapists if the technologist is practicing under the supervision of a respiratory therapist, physician, or certain other practitioner. The act narrows this exemption to practices that do not exceed oxygen titration with pulse oximetry and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation titration. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill requires that prior to adding a person found responsible for child abuse or neglect (person) to the automated child welfare system (system), a county department of human or social services must provide, within 14 days, a written notice to the person of the opportunity for a hearing to appeal the finding. The written notice must include, among other things: Information about the factual history of the case and detailed information about the appeals process; Information about how the person may obtain, at no cost to the person, a complete copy of the record that will be added to the system, subject to redactions required by law; Information about how the person may request a complete copy of the law enforcement record, if any, of the alleged incident of child abuse or neglect; Information about the office of the child protection ombudsman; and Information about the office of the respondent parents' counsel. When a hearing is requested, the bill requires an administrative law judge to contact the parties to schedule the hearing, which must take place no later than 120 days after the date the person requests a hearing. The bill describes the rights accorded to the person. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The Colorado supreme court approved the licensure of legal paraprofessionals (LLPs), which allows LLPs to represent clients and perform certain types of legal services related to domestic relations matters, including: Legal separations, declarations of invalidity of marriage, or dissolutions of marriage or a civil union; Initial allocations or modifications of an allocation of parental responsibility, including parentage determinations; Matters involving establishment or modification of child support or maintenance; Seeking, modifying, or terminating a civil protection order; Matters involving a name change; and Matters involving a request for an amended birth certificate to change the sex designation of an adult. The act amends the relevant statutory provisions to align with the Colorado supreme court rule authorizing the licensure of LLPs. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill prohibits the use of seclusion on a student of a school district, district charter school, or institute charter school on certain property or while the student is participating in an off-campus, school-sponsored activity or event. The bill requires the state board of education (state board) to promulgate or amend existing rules to reflect the prohibited use of seclusion. The bill requires the state board to create and maintain a resource bank of materials regarding alternatives to seclusion and restraints for schools and school personnel to employ. The bill amends existing reporting requirements to ensure incidents of seclusion are reported. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act requires a district attorney's office, or the office's designee, to consider the use of a juvenile diversion program (program) to prevent a juvenile who demonstrates behaviors or symptoms consistent with an intellectual and developmental disability, a mental or behavioral health issue, or a lack of mental capacity from further involvement in formal delinquency proceedings. Current law allows programs to use the results of an approved and validated assessment tool to identify the appropriate diversion services a juvenile may need and the professionals who may provide the services. The act adds behavioral health services and services for juveniles with developmental disabilities to the types of services a juvenile may need and adds behavioral health treatment providers and providers who offer services to juveniles with developmental disabilities to the list of professionals who may provide the appropriate diversion services. If an adult defendant's competency is raised or a defendant is found incompetent to proceed, the act allows the defendant to enter into a diversion agreement with the consent of the district attorney and the court if the court finds that the defendant has the ability to participate and is advised of the potential consequences of failure to comply. The defendant's entrance into the diversion agreement does not waive the issue of competency to stand trial if there is a violation of the diversion agreement and proceedings on the charges resume. The diversion agreement alone is not evidence of competency. APPROVED by Governor March 22, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 22, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)