The bill requires the state department of human services (department) to conduct a statewide needs assessment of the services provided by veterans community living centers, including changes to services necessitated by changing demographics of the veteran population, the advantages and limitations of providing services through existing veterans community living centers, and alternative models of care for providing services to veterans. The department is required to submit the final assessment to the state, veterans, and military affairs committees of the house of representatives and the senate on or before December 1, 2020. The department may enter into an agreement with a third party to conduct the assessment. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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Veterans who have disabilities may obtain a special license plate without paying taxes or fees. For additional vehicles, the veteran pays the normal fees plus 2 one-time fees of $25, one of which goes to the highway users tax fund and the other goes to the licensing services cash fund. The bill creates a license plate that honors United States women veterans who have disabilities. The requirements and benefits are substantially the same as they are for a disabled veteran license plate. To implement the bill, $9,675 is appropriated from the Colorado DRIVES vehicles services account in the highway users tax fund for the division of motor vehicles. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill defines possession for purposes of sexual exploitation of a child. The bill updates certain actions described as sexual exploitation of a child to reflect access and viewing due to evolving technology. The bill makes sexual exploitation of a child an extraordinary risk crime, enhancing the presumptive sentencing range, if the sexually exploitative material depicts a child who is: Under 12 years of age; Subjected to the actual application of physical force or violence; or Subject to sexual intercourse, sexual intrusion, or sadomasochism. The bill creates the sexual exploitation of a child surcharge for any person who is convicted or receives a deferred sentence for sexual exploitation of a child. Ninety-five percent of the surcharge goes to the sexual exploitation of children surcharge fund. The money in the fund will fund the enhance the effective investigation and prosecution of computer-facilitated sexual exploitation of children grant program. The grant awards go to law enforcement agencies to assist with developing and acquiring necessary technological or expert resources to investigate and prosecute computer-facilitated crimes of sexual exploitation of a child is continuously appropriated to the Colorado bureau of investigation to enhance the effective investigation and prosecution of computer-facilitated sexual exploitation of children. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Under current law, it is unlawful for a person to make available on the internet personal information of a law enforcement official (official) or child abuse or neglect caseworker (caseworker), or the official's or caseworker's family if the dissemination of the personal information poses an imminent and serious threat to the official's or caseworker's safety or the safety of his or her family. The act replaces the definition of "caseworker" in statute with a new definition of "human services worker" to include state and county employees, including county attorneys and contractors who are engaged in duties relating to the following matters and who have contact with the public regarding these duties: Investigating allegations of child abuse or neglect pursuant to article 3 of title 19; Investigating allegations of mistreatment of an at-risk adult pursuant to article 3.1 of title 26; Establishing, modifying, and enforcing child support orders pursuant to article 13 of title 26; and Determining eligibility for or investigating fraud in public programs established in article 2 of title 26. "Human services worker" also includes employees of juvenile detention facilities who have contact with juveniles. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes the following modifications to the existing "Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Act" (FRWRMA) and, specifically, the grant program funded by FRWRMA: Currently, grant applicants are required to self-finance 50% of the cost of a project funded by a grant. In the case of a project that is located in an area with fewer economic resources, the act lessens this requirement so that grant applicants are required to self-finance 25% of the total cost of the project. The forest service is required to establish a policy that specifies the criteria by which a project will satisfy such requirements. In meeting the match requirements under FRWRMA, the act specifies that a project may be funded in whole or in part from gifts, grants, or donations received from any organization, entity, or individual. In measuring an in-kind contribution under FRWRMA, the act specifies that such a contribution may include volunteer hours provided by the staff of an entity or organization applying for grant funding and the time for which staff receives monetary compensation in the form of salary or other financial benefits. Permits a grant project eligible to receive funding to support ongoing maintenance efforts undertaken by eligible recipients to reduce the threat of large, high-intensity wildfires. Eliminates an existing requirement that, to receive funding, a project must include a diverse and balanced group of stakeholders as well as appropriate governmental representatives. As part of the submission of grant applications, the forest service encourages applicants to include on their grant applications information that indicates whether the project satisfies these objectives. Adds to the list of recipients eligible to receive grant funding a fire protection district and a nonprofit organization or entity engaged in firefighting or fire management activities. Extends the date by which the grant program will be repealed to September 1, 2029. In the act, the general assembly encourages the forest service to modify its administrative policies and procedures to enable funding to be provided to grant recipients in March to enable wildfire mitigation to commence before the prime wildfire season starts in June. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill specifies that for property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2021, a senior is deemed to be a 10-year owner-occupier of a primary residence that the senior has owned and occupied for less than 10 years and therefore qualifies for the senior property tax exemption for the residence if: The senior would have qualified for the senior property tax exemption for the senior's former primary residence but for the fact that medical necessity required the senior to stop occupying the former primary residence; The senior has not previously received the exemption for a former primary residence on the basis of medical necessity; and The senior has not owned and occupied another primary residence since the senior first stopped occupying his or her former primary residence due to medical necessity. "Medical necessity" is defined as a medical condition of a senior that a physician licensed to practice medicine in Colorado has certified, on a form developed by the state property tax administrator, as having required the senior to stop occupying the senior's prior primary residence. When applying for such an exemption, a senior must provide the form establishing proof of medical necessity. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
For state fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2020, the bill requires 10% of net revenue from sales and use tax, as a portion of the sales and use taxes attributable to sales or use of vehicles and related items, to be credited to the highway users tax fund (HUTF) and thereafter allocated for state, county, and municipal highway system projects in accordance with the existing "second stream" formula for the allocation of HUTF money as follows: 60% to the state highway fund; 22% to counties; and 18% to municipalities.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Colorado fire commission - creation - powers and duties - repeal - appropriation. The Colorado fire commission (commission) is created in the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety. The commission's purpose is to enhance public safety in Colorado through an integrated statewide process focused on the fire service's capacity to conduct fire management and use, preparedness, prevention, and response activities to safeguard lives, property, and natural resources, and increase the resiliency of local and regional communities. The commission is charged with developing an accurate understanding of Colorado's fire problems, reviewing the current emergency fire fund program, evaluating the funding mechanisms for effective response to large fires, assessing the capacity of the state to provide emergency fire support and technical expertise to local communities, developing performance measures of overall response effectiveness, strengthening statewide and regional coordination, developing best practice recommendations related to high-risk occupancies, developing and publishing an assessment of fire treatment costs and cost distribution, developing methodical approaches to Colorado's fire service concerns, and forecasting upcoming funding and resource challenges. The commission may establish task forces to study and make recommendations on specific subjects within the commission's areas of study. The commission is repealed, effective September 1, 2024, and is subject to a sunset review prior to its repeal. The act appropriates $174,183 to the department of public safety for use by the division of fire prevention and control for the implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More