Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Behavioral Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems. Under current law, the department of human services (department) offers statewide access to crisis system services (services) for children and youth. The bill expands the services provided through the creation of the crisis resolution team program (program) in the department. The behavioral health administration (BHA) shall administer the program to provide community-based services to de-escalate and stabilize children or youth experiencing high-acuity behavioral health crises. The BHA shall contract with crisis resolution team providers (providers) to provide community-based de-escalation and stabilization services to children or youth. A child or youth is eligible for services provided by the program if the child or youth: Is 21 years of age or younger; Has experienced high-acuity behavioral health crises as identified by the behavioral health crisis response system or emergency departments; and Is safe to remain in the home or the community while receiving intensive, short-term stabilization interventions. Providers shall offer the following services to children or youth and their caregivers: Counseling or therapy; Case management to help meet treatment plans; Peer support or family skills coaching to foster connectedness, goal setting, and new routines to achieve positive, lasting change; Medication management; and Care coordination to provide tailored support and connection. Providers shall offer services to a child or youth a minimum of 3 days per week with a variety of services offered daily depending on the child's or youth's clinical needs. Services must be offered to the child or youth for a minimum of 4 weeks up to a maximum of 6 weeks depending on the child's or youth's clinical needs. The BHA shall: Maintain existing relationships with community partners; Conduct outreach and educate community partners regarding providers' services; Provide technical assistance to providers regarding specialized training and the use of screening and assessment tools; and Conduct an annual evaluation of the program. On or before September 1, 2025, the BHA shall submit to the general assembly a feasibility study to determine whether the program can be further expanded statewide. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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The act allows a health-care provider, a health-facility, and a hospital pharmacy to provide a patient with certain facility-provided medications if the medication is required for continued treatment, the medication does not contain a controlled substance, and the medication was administered to the patient during the patient's visit to the health-care provider or health facility. The health-care provider, health facility, or pharmacy that provided the medication to the patient is required to label the medication and to counsel the patient regarding the proper use of the medication. APPROVED by Governor April 22, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 22, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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.)
For income tax years commencing before January 1, 2024, the law allowed individuals younger than 55 years of age to subtract from federal taxable income for the purpose of determining state taxable income certain amounts received from military retirement benefits. The act extends the subtraction to income tax years commencing before January 1, 2029. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act consolidates the review and approval process for educator preparation programs under the department of education and the state board of education. The act creates an advisory committee to the state board of education and the department to provide input on relevant topics related to educator preparation and educator quality. The act anticipates an appropriation of $108,990 from the educator licensure cash fund to the department of education for the office of professional services. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die; except that section 22-60.5-121 (2)(h) takes effect only if House Bill 23-1231 becomes law and takes effect on the effective date of this act or the effective date of House Bill 23-1231, whichever is later. House Bill 23-1231 took effect May 15, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the Colorado universal preschool program provider participation bonus program (bonus program). The bonus program requires a one-time bonus payment to any eligible preschool provider (provider) that participates in the preschool program established in the department of early childhood (department). The department can award additional bonus payments to eligible recipients that maintain or increase their licensed capacity to serve infants and toddlers between April 1, 2022, and April 1, 2024. Subject to available appropriations, the department shall also award bonus payments to eligible recipients located in low-capacity preschool areas. The purpose of the bonus program is to: Increase provider participation in the Colorado universal preschool program (preschool program) to ensure that all children have access to a universal preschool classroom in their communities; Strengthen the mixed delivery system by supporting providers that have not previously participated in the Colorado state-run preschool program; and Preserve access to infant and toddler care. Providers are required to use the bonus payments to implement or support the preschool program or maintain or expand infant and toddler care. The department is required to report to the joint budget committee on or before September 1, 2024, on the number and types of providers that receive bonus payments and the number and types of bonus payments awarded. The bonus program is repealed, effective July 1, 2025. The act appropriates $2,500,000 from the general fund to the department for purposes of the program. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 2, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the Colorado department of public health and environment (department) to distribute stop the bleed training materials and bleed control kits to K-12 schools that opt into receiving them. The act also requires the department, in collaboration with the American college of surgeons' committee on trauma, to report the number of schools that opt in, the number of people who have been trained in stop the bleed procedures in schools, the total number of stop the bleed control kits sent to schools, and the total cost of distributing stop the bleed control kits, for each school year from 2024 through 2026. The act appropriates $155,541 for the 2023-24 state fiscal year from the general fund to the department for use by the health facilities and emergency medical services division. Any money not used for the 2023-24 school year is further appropriated to the department for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years for the same purpose. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 15, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the family and community intervener program (program) to support children who are deafblind and their families. The program provides deafblind children the services of an intervener who is specifically trained in deafblindness, building language and communication skills, and intervention strategies with children who are deafblind and their community, families, and environment. The Colorado commission for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind shall contract with an intervener program manager (manager) who has oversight over the program, the intervener activities, and the outcomes for children who are deafblind. The manager and intervener shall collaborate with other state agencies as appropriate that provide direct or indirect services to children who are deafblind and their families to identify potential additional services or opportunities for children who are deafblind. The program is funded through the Colorado telephone users with disabilities fund. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $130,092 is appropriated to the Colorado commission for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind cash fund from the Colorado telephone users with disabilities fund. This amount is reappropriated to the department of human services for use by the office of adults, aging, and disability services for the implementation of this act. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to seek federal authorization from the centers for medicare and medicaid services to provide medicaid reimbursement for community health worker services. The act requires the state department to hold at least 4 public stakeholder meetings to solicit input on considerations to include in the state department's request for federal authorization. The act grants the state department the authority to promulgate rules regarding the voluntary competency-based community health worker registry. The act requires that on or before January 31, 2026, the state department include a report on how community health workers are being utilized through medicaid in its presentation to the joint budget committee of the general assembly and in its presentation at the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" hearing. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $40,717 from the general fund to the state department to be used by the executive director's office as follows: $36,842 for personal services; and $3,875 for operating expenses. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act anticipates the state department will receive $40,717 in federal funds to be used as follows: $36,842 for personal services; and $3,875 for operating expenses. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $169,973 to the department of public health and environment to be used by chronic disease prevention programs in the prevention services division for the community health workers initiative. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)