In current law, the "Colorado Recreational Use Statute" (CRUS) protects landowners (owners) from liability resulting from the use of their lands by other individuals for recreational purposes. However, the CRUS does not limit an owner's liability for injuries or death resulting from the owner's willful or malicious failure to guard or warn against a known dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity likely to cause harm (willful or malicious failure). The act states that under such circumstances, an owner does not commit a willful or malicious failure if: Prior to the injury or death, the owner posts a warning sign at the primary access point where the individual entered the land, which sign satisfies certain criteria; The owner maintains photographic or other evidence of each such sign; and The dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity that caused the injury or death is described by the sign. The act requires an individual who accesses land for recreational purposes to stay on the designated recreational trail, route, area, or roadway unless the owner expressly allows otherwise, or be deemed a trespasser. Currently, the CRUS states that "owner" includes the possessor of any interest in land. The act clarifies that "owner" includes a possessor or holder of a conservation easement. The act states that the CRUS may not be construed to limit an owner's ability to restrict or prohibit the use of the owner's land for any recreational purposes. The act also updates certain archaic language within the CRUS. APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act generally prohibits covenants and other restrictions that disallow the installation, use, or maintenance of fire-hardened building materials in residential real property, including in common interest communities. However, the act allows a unit owners' association of a common interest community to develop reasonable standards regarding the design, dimensions, placement, or external appearance of fire-hardened building materials used for fencing within the community. APPROVED by Governor March 12, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 12, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Subject to limited exceptions, current law requires that a victim's name and identifying information be deleted from criminal justice records released to the public if the person was a victim of certain sexual offenses. The act permits the release of unredacted records to the named victim, victim's designee, or victim's lawful representative. Subject to limited exceptions, current law requires that a child's name and identifying information be deleted from criminal justice records released to the public if the child was a victim of or witness to a criminal offense. The act permits the release of unredacted records to the office of the state public defender, the office of the alternate defense counsel, the office of respondent parents' counsel, the office of the child's representative, municipal attorneys, county attorneys, and a named child victim's lawful representative. This release requirement must be implemented by July 1, 2024. The act clarifies that changes in 2023 to the law related to records of child victims and child witnesses apply to records pertaining to offenses committed on or after January 1, 2024. For records pertaining to earlier offenses, the law in effect prior to January 1, 2024 applies. APPROVED by Governor February 20, 2024 EFFECTIVE February 20, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires each institution of higher education (institution) to acquire and stock a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors. The act encourages each institution to place epinephrine auto-injectors in sufficient quantities in emergency public access stations to ensure reasonable availability to a person perceived to be experiencing anaphylaxis. The act encourages the person, immediately after using an epinephrine auto-injector, to make a 911 emergency call. The act encourages an institution to accept a donation of a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors that meets standards established by the federal food and drug administration, and to accept gifts, grants, and donations, including in-kind donations, designated for obtaining a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors. The act requires each institution to adopt a policy concerning the placement of epinephrine auto-injectors that focuses on areas where students gather in the largest volumes, including in dormitories and dining halls. The act provides immunity for any person who acts reasonably and in good faith to furnish or administer an epinephrine auto-injector to an individual the person reasonably believes is experiencing anaphylaxis. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the parks and wildlife commission (commission) to promulgate rules on or before July 1, 2024, establishing: A process by which the Chatfield watershed authority (authority) may request that the commission create by rule a water quality fee (fee) to be collected by the division of parks and wildlife (division) from visitors to Chatfield state park; Criteria for approving a request for such a fee; and Criteria for determining which visitors to Chatfield state park should be required to pay the fee. In promulgating the rules, the commission must ensure that the amount of the fee is rounded to the nearest dollar and does not exceed $2. The commission must review the fee on January 1, 2030, and every 5 years thereafter, and after each such review, the commission may either eliminate the fee or adjust the amount of the fee to account for inflation or deflation. On and after July 1, 2024, the commission may establish the fee. If the commission establishes the fee, the division must collect the fee on and after January 1, 2025. The division must transfer the total amount of money collected to the state treasurer, who must credit the money to the parks and outdoor recreation cash fund (fund); except that the division may retain up to 3.33% percent of the amount of money collected as fees to pay its administrative costs. Beginning July 1, 2025, and every 6 months thereafter, the division must pay to the authority from the fund the total amount of money collected as fees during the preceding 6 months. If the commission establishes the fee, the commission: Must require the authority to expend up to 25% of the money received from the division on water quality projects within the boundaries of Chatfield state park; and May include additional requirements and restrictions concerning the expenditure by the authority of money received from the division on water quality projects inside the boundaries of Chatfield state park. The authority is required to expend the money received from the division to support water quality projects, including projects that provide for the construction, operation, and maintenance of nonpoint source projects, water quality monitoring, and urban runoff and erosion management and control. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 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 "National Labor Relations Act" does not apply to federal, state, or local governments and the "Colorado Labor Peace Act" excludes governmental entities, with an exception for mass transportation systems, which means that these labor laws do not cover most public employees. The act grants certain public employees, including individuals employed by counties, municipalities, fire authorities, school districts, charter schools, public colleges and universities, library districts, special districts, public defender's offices, the university of Colorado hospital authority, the Denver health and hospital authority, the general assembly, and a board of cooperative services, the right to: Discuss or express views regarding public employee representation or workplace issues; Engage in protected, concerted activity for the purpose of mutual aid or protection; Fully participate in the political process while off duty and not in uniform, including speaking with members of the public employer's governing body on terms and conditions of employment and any matter of public concern and engaging in other political activities in the same manner as other citizens of Colorado without discrimination, intimidation, or retaliation; and Organize, form, join, or assist an employee organization or refrain from organizing, forming, joining, or assisting an employee organization. However, a public employer that has a nonpartisan role may limit the right of an employee to fully participate in the political process while off duty and not in uniform to the extent necessary to maintain the nonpartisan role of the employer. The act also prohibits certain public employers from discriminating against, coercing, intimidating, interfering with, or imposing reprisals against a public employee for engaging in any of the rights granted. The division of labor standards within the Colorado department of labor and employment (division) is charged with enforcing any alleged violation of these rights and is granted rule-making authority. A party may appeal the department's final decision to the Colorado court of appeals. The act requires the court of appeals to give deference to the final decision of the department. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $151,751 is appropriated to the department of labor and employment for use by the division and for the purchase of legal services as needed to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2023 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE July 1, 2024 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and portions of it take effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the Colorado multidisciplinary health-care provider access training program (program) to improve the health care of medically complex, costly, compromised, and vulnerable older Coloradans. The university of Colorado Anschutz medical campus shall develop, implement, and administer the program. The program may be offered to Colorado institutions of higher education with clinical health professions graduate degree programs. The program coordinates and expands geriatric training opportunities for clinical health professions graduate students (students) enrolled in participating Colorado institutions of higher education (participating institutions) across Colorado studying to become advanced practice providers; dentists; nurses; occupational therapists; pharmacists; physicians, including medical doctors and doctors of osteopathy; physical therapists; psychologists; social workers; and speech-language therapists. Students who successfully complete the program are awarded certificates and issued letters authorizing those students to become trainers for the program in clinics across the state. The act creates the Colorado multidisciplinary health-care provider access training program advisory committee (committee) to ensure that the training for the program is consistent and collaborative across the fields of study. The committee is required to: Appoint a program chair; Set the program's standards for training and delivery of multidisciplinary medical care to medically complex, costly, compromised, and vulnerable older Coloradans; Establish requirements for the program; Identify and invite institutions of higher education that offer appropriate clinical health professions graduate degree programs to become participating institutions; Collaborate with participating institutions across Colorado to enhance recruitment of students to enter a field specific to geriatrics and select students with an interest in geriatric care to participate in the program; Assist with updating the program's curricula; Analyze data collected by the program; Build a multidisciplinary network of trained geriatric clinicians to collaborate and provide opportunities for clinicians to work together to better understand the roles of each health-care discipline in urban, rural, and underserved communities when caring for older Coloradans; Improve placement of students in experiential clinical training opportunities, prioritizing rural and underserved communities; Coordinate with graduates of the program to become geriatric trainers for future students; and Increase the number of clinical training sites across Colorado, specifically in rural and underserved communities. The act requires a representative of the program to submit a report on July 1, 2025, and no later than July 1 each year thereafter, summarizing program data to the health and human services committee of the senate and the health and insurance committee of the house of representatives, or their successor committees. The report must include the following: The number of students participating in the program; The number of students who successfully complete the program; The subsequent locations and job placements of program graduates; The number of program graduates who become trainers; and The description of facilities where program graduates become trainers. The act appropriates $784,269 to the department of higher education from the general fund. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The automobile theft prevention board (board) awards grants to eligible entities for programs for theft prevention, enforcement, prosecution, or offender rehabilitation. The act specifies that the board may also award grants for programs to support victims of automobile theft and technology enhancement. Money in the auto theft prevention cash fund (fund) is annually appropriated to the department of public safety (department) to implement the automobile theft prevention grant program. The fund consists of gifts, grants, and donations and any money credited to the fund from the collection of fees paid by certain automobile insurers to support the automobile theft prevention authority. The act specifies that the fund also consists of any money that the general assembly may appropriate or transfer to the fund. The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $5 million from the general fund to the fund on July 1, 2023, to be used for the following purposes: Implementing a statewide program to increase awareness of automobile theft; Implementing programs to support victims of automobile theft; Additional overtime for law enforcement agencies; Implementing a dedicated automobile theft prosecution program; Enhancing and upgrading the automobile theft tracking and reporting system; or Any other direct or indirect costs associated with the implementation of the automobile theft prevention grant program. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 2, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the HOA homeowners' rights task force (HOA task force) and the metropolitan district homeowners' rights task force (metro district task force) in the division of real estate (division) in the department of regulatory agencies (department). The director of the division or the director's designee serves as the chair of both task forces. Members of the HOA task force must be designated or appointed on or before August 1, 2023. The HOA task force is required to: Study issues confronting HOA homeowners' rights, including homeowners' associations' fining authority and practices, foreclosure practices, communications with homeowners, and the availability and method of making certain documents available to HOA homeowners in the association; Review HOA homeowners' complaints and relevant state and federal laws related to common interest communities; Review a representative sample of governing documents, governance policies, financial information, and collections and legal activities; and Develop initial findings and conclusions, including legislative recommendations, and, on or before April 15, 2024, prepare a final report. The department must publish the initial findings and conclusions and final report on its website. The HOA task force must submit copies of the final report to the metro district task force, certain legislative committees, and the governor. Members of the metro district task force must be designated or appointed on or before November 1, 2023. The metro district task force is required to: Study issues confronting metropolitan district homeowners' rights, including metropolitan district boards' tax levying authority and practices, foreclosure practices, communications with homeowners, governance policies, and the process by which a metropolitan district could transition into a common interest community; and On or before March 1, 2024, prepare an interim report and, on or before June 15, 2024, a final report regarding its findings and conclusions, publish the reports on the department's website, and submit copies of the reports to certain legislative committees and the governor. For state fiscal year 2023-24, the act appropriates $208,408 from the general fund to the department for use by the division to implement the act and $1,887 from the general fund to the legislative department for use by the general assembly for legislator per diem and travel reimbursement expenses. APPROVED by Governor May 24, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 24, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)