Rep. Ken DeGraaf

The concurrent resolution creates a parents' bill of rights and establishes certain rights for parents, including the right to: Direct the parent's child's education, upbringing, and moral or religious training; Enroll the parent's child in a public school, private school, or any other school choice option; Consent to medical or mental health-care treatment for the parent's child; Be promptly notified if an employee of the state suspects that a criminal offense has been committed against the parent's child; Consent or withhold consent to the parent's child's participation in reproductive health and safety education programs; Seek medical or religious exemptions from immunization requirements; Opt out of data collection and student information surveys; Review all available materials that the parent's child has borrowed from a school library or accessed in the classroom; Access the parent's child's education records or health records and be promptly notified of changes in the parent's child's education and health services or monitoring; and Be notified if the parent's child is experiencing gender incongruence. The concurrent resolution prohibits a health-care provider, practitioner, or facility from providing, soliciting, or arranging for the treatment of a child without first obtaining written or documented consent from the child's parent. (Note: This summary applies to this concurrent resolution as introduced.)

The state constitution currently only allows a senior who has owned and occupied the senior's primary residence for 10 years, or the surviving spouse of such a senior, to claim a property tax exemption for 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value of the primary residence (exemption). If approved by the voters of the state at the 2024 general election, the concurrent resolution will allow a senior, or the surviving spouse of such a senior, who has previously qualified for the exemption for 2016 or any later year for a prior primary residence to claim the exemption for the senior's current owner-occupied primary residence regardless of how long the senior has owned and occupied that residence. (Note: This summary applies to this concurrent resolution as introduced.)

The bill requires the public utilities commission (commission) to develop a contingency plan to create electrical generation and grid resilience against geomagnetic storms. Standards are set for the plan. The commission shall promulgate rules requiring an electrical utility to: Incorporate the resiliency plan; Monitor the space weather prediction center of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration in order to isolate large power transformers and power generation from the grid; Mechanically isolate critical components if or when the coronal mass ejection is likely to cause geomagnetically induced currents; Restrict or close fuel pipeline valves to mitigate damage in a sectional failure; Install automatic neutral ground blocking devices in large power transformers; Ensure computer equipment can be mechanically isolated from the grid and sheltered from geomagnetically induced surges; Require all networked systems that operate electrical generation and distribution to be electronically and physically separable from the outside networks; and Require cyber-certification of hardware and software that operate electrical generation and distribution. Current law sets carbon dioxide emission reduction goals for the years 2030 and 2050. The bill extends these goals to 2040 and 2060 and makes these goals a lower priority than the electrical generation and distribution resilience provisions of the bill. The bill prohibits the classification of carbon dioxide as an air pollutant and establishes, notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, that state statute, executive agency rules, and any regulations of political subdivisions of the state must not include the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions as a pollutant. Any portion of an executive agency rule that treats carbon dioxide emissions as a pollutant is void. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

For property tax years commencing during property tax reassessment cycles (cycles) that begin on or after January 1, 2025, the bill changes the amount of the exemptions for the owner-occupied primary residence (residence) of a qualifying senior, a veteran with a disability, or the surviving spouse of a United States armed forces service member who died in the line of duty or veteran whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease (exemptions) from 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value of the residence to 50% of an amount of actual value of the residence equal to 50% of the estimated state median home value (median home value) for the state; except that, if the median home value declines, the exemption amount continues to be calculated based on the median home value used to calculate the exemption amount for the property tax years included in the prior cycle. The state constitution currently only allows a senior who has owned and occupied the senior's residence for 10 years, or the surviving spouse of such a senior, to claim the exemption. If at the 2024 general election the voters of the state approve a referred constitutional amendment to allow a senior, or the surviving spouse of such a senior (surviving spouse), who has previously qualified for the exemption for 2016 or any later year for a prior residence to claim the exemption for the senior's or surviving spouse's current residence regardless of how long the senior or surviving spouse has owned and occupied that residence, the bill makes the statutory changes needed to conform to the constitutional amendment. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

A distributed ledger is a permanent database that is consensually shared, synchronized, and publicly accessible. A distributed ledger allows information to be entered into a publicly available common database from multiple locations at different times. The bill establishes a system for the use of distributed ledgers in elections. In the case of an elector who votes in person: A vetting registrar, in the presence of a vetting registration observer team, verifies that the elector is eligible to vote and updates the voter eligibility status distributed ledger to reflect this process; A token assignment registrar, in the presence of a token assignment observer team, assigns the elector a vote tracking number, which is a unique, randomly assigned, anonymous, text identifier, and updates the token assignment status which causes the vetting registrar to update the voter eligibility status distributed ledgers to reflect the assignment. This vote tracking number is part of the ballot. The elector completes the elector's ballot and the vote tracking number is attached to that ballot whether beforehand or at that time; and An election official ensures that the elector is provided with a copy of the elector's ballot and the elector's vote tracking number. In the case of an elector who votes by mail: A vetting registrar, in the presence of a vetting registration observer team, notifies the elector that the elector's ballot which contains a unique, randomly assigned, anonymous vote tracking number has been received and will only be counted after the elector acknowledges the ballot's receipt; If the elector confirms the receipt of the elector's ballot with the vetting registrar, in the presence of the vetting registration observer team, the vetting registrar shall indicate this confirmation on a voter eligibility form attached to the ballot and update the voter eligibility status distributed ledger to reflect the confirmation; and A token assignment registrar, in the presence of a token assignment observer team, assigns the ballot a vote tracking number, and updates the token assignment status, which causes the vetting registrar to update the voter eligibility status distributed ledgers to reflect the assignment. Before any ballot is counted, it is verified, in the presence of a token assignment observer team, that a unique vote tracking number is attached to the ballot. Upon counting a ballot, unless the ballot is counted as part of a manual count, a cast vote record of the ballot including the vote tracking number must be created and entered into the cast vote record distributed ledger. The public may access the various distributed ledgers described in the bill to confirm that the approach in the bill is followed and that votes are counted accurately. The public may also access a tally status report distributed ledger as votes are counted to track election results. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

By July 1, 2024, the secretary of state is required to include, on the voter registration page on the secretary of state's official website (website), places for a registered elector to: Confirm the registered elector's mailing address; Select whether to receive a mail ballot or to vote in person; and Select which major political party's ballot to receive for a primary election. The secretary of state is required to ensure that the default selection for every registered elector for each election is to vote in person. The secretary of state is required to add a notice to the website to explain the costs incurred in sending mail ballots to registered electors, and the amount of taxpayer money that is wasted by sending mail ballots that will not be used. On or after July 1, 2024, every registered elector is required to access the registered elector's voter registration through the website at least one time during each election cycle to verify the registered elector's address and make the selections regarding the registered elector's voting and ballot preference (selections). Each registered elector is required to make the selections only once for an election cycle but may alter the selections as many times as the registered elector wishes prior to specified elections. The secretary of state is required to allow electors who first register to vote on or after July 1, 2024, to make selections when registering to vote. If a registered elector does not make the selections for an election cycle, the registered elector is presumed to have opted to vote in person and the registered elector will not receive a mail ballot. The secretary of state and the designated election official in each county (election official) are required to provide written notice, in specified places, of the requirements that a registered elector confirm the registered elector's address and make the selections. For the 2024-2025 state fiscal year and for each state fiscal year thereafter, the staff of the joint budget committee of the general assembly is required to determine whether there is a reduction as a result of the bill, compared to the previous fiscal year, in the amount appropriated to the department of state to reimburse counties for the costs of conducting elections. The general assembly is required to appropriate an amount equal to 50% of any such reduction for programs that combat food vulnerability among children in the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill makes the following changes to forfeiture actions: A forfeiture order must not be entered unless: The civil complaint is filed within 90 days after the property is seized; and The plaintiff establishes that the seized property is an instrumentality of, or proceeds derived directly from, the crime for which the owner is convicted; When feasible, the court hearing the criminal proceeding also hears the civil forfeiture action; All proceedings in the forfeiture action are stayed until a criminal conviction is obtained; Any party to a forfeiture action may appeal an order concerning disposition of seized property except the defendant in the criminal action, who may only appeal after the final judgment; A forfeiture order must not be entered until there is a criminal conviction, unless a specified exception is met; Any person with an interest in the seized property may request a prompt post-seizure hearing within 14 days after the seizure; and 25% of the proceeds of a forfeiture are deposited in a new forfeiture defense fund created in the bill rather than the law enforcement community services grant program fund. The bill also authorizes the judge in a forfeiture proceeding to appoint an attorney to represent an indigent owner of an interest in seized property. Fees and costs of the appointed attorney may be charged against other parties to the proceeding or may come from the new forfeiture defense fund if a party is indigent. The bill prohibits a Colorado law enforcement agency from transferring seized property to a federal agency for forfeiture unless the Colorado law enforcement agency is part of a joint task force with the federal government, and then only if the seized property includes at least $50,000 in U.S. currency. The bill makes conforming amendments. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act requires that a report related to a seizure and forfeiture include the estimated value and equity of the property and information on the outcome of the forfeiture proceeding. The act appropriates $22,549 to the department of local affairs that is reappropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology and includes 0.2 FTE. APPROVED by Governor June 7, 2023 EFFECTIVE September 1, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

A distributed ledger is a permanent database that is consensually shared, synchronized, and publicly accessible. A distributed ledger allows information to be entered into a publicly available common database from multiple locations at different times. The bill establishes a system for the use of distributed ledgers in elections. In the case of an elector who votes in person: A vetting registrar, in the presence of a vetting registration observer team, verifies that the elector is eligible to vote, and updates the voter eligibility status distributed ledger to reflect this process; A token assignment registrar, in the presence of a token assignment observer team, assigns the elector an election token, which is a unique anonymous text identifier, and updates the token assignment status and voter eligibility status distributed ledgers to reflect the assignment; The elector completes the elector's ballot and the election token is attached to that ballot; and An election official ensures that the elector is provided with a copy of the elector's ballot and election token. In the case of an elector who votes by mail: A vetting registrar, in the presence of a vetting registration observer team, notifies the elector that the elector's ballot has been received and will only be counted after the elector acknowledges the ballot's receipt; If the elector confirms the receipt of the elector's ballot with the vetting registrar, in the presence of the vetting registration observer team, the vetting registrar shall indicate this confirmation on a form attached to the ballot and update the voter eligibility status distributed ledger to reflect the confirmation; and A token assignment registrar, in the presence of a token assignment observer team, assigns the ballot an election token, which is a unique anonymous text identifier, and updates the token assignment status and voter eligibility status distributed ledgers to reflect the assignment. Before any ballot is counted, it is verified, in the presence of a token assignment observer team, that a unique election token is attached to the ballot. Upon counting a ballot, unless the ballot is counted as part of a manual count, a cast vote record of the ballot must be created and entered into the cast vote record distributed ledger. The public may access the various distributed ledgers described in the bill to confirm that the approach in the bill is followed, and that votes are counted accurately, and that the public may access a tally status report distributed ledger as votes are counted to track election results. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)