Beginning in the 2019-20 budget year, the bill requires school districts that collect revenue from mill levies in addition to the total program mill levy and that authorize an innovation school or a charter school to: adopt a plan for distributing the revenue to the schools of the school district for the benefit of the students enrolled in the school district; or distribute 95% of the per pupil amount of the revenue to the innovation schools and charter schools of the school district (per pupil distribution). The bill specifies the requirements for the plan and requirements that apply if the school district makes a per pupil distribution. In adopting a plan or making a per pupil distribution, the school district may distribute a portion of the revenue specifically for specified underserved populations. If a school district is distributing a portion of the mill levy revenue to the charter schools or innovation schools of the school district during the 2016-17 budget year, it must maintain the same distribution amount for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 budget years. By July 1, 2018, each school district that chooses to adopt a plan must post the plan on the school district's website. If the school district chooses to distribute 95% of the per pupil amount, the school district must post a notice of such intent by July 1, 2018, and, starting July 1, 2019, must post the amount received in revenue, the amount distributed for underserved populations, and the amount distributed to each charter school and each innovation school. Commencing July 1, 2018, the charter school institute and each school district, board of cooperative services, and charter school must post on its website a link to certain federal tax forms and schedules filed by the institute, school district, board of cooperative services, or charter school. Commencing July 1, 2017, each school district and each charter school must post a list of the waivers of state statute that it has received and, for each nonautomatic waiver, the plan for meeting the intent of the statute. The department of education, the state charter school institute, and a statewide association of charter schools must create a standardized description of each of the statutes for which the state board of education grants an automatic waiver and the rationale for granting the automatic waiver. Starting July 1, 2018, each charter school must post the description and rationale for each of the automatic waivers it is invoking. The bill creates the mill levy equalization fund, consisting of such money as the general assembly may appropriate to it, to provide additional funding for institute charter schools. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
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The bill clarifies the intent of the general assembly for establishing a coordinated behavioral health crisis response system (crisis system). The crisis system is intended to be a comprehensive, appropriate, and preferred response to behavioral health crises in Colorado. By clarifying the role of the crisis system and making necessary enhancements, the bill puts systems in place to help Colorado end the use of jails and correctional facilities as placement options for individuals placed on emergency mental health holds if they have not also been charged with a crime and enhances the ability of emergency departments to serve individuals who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis. The crisis system is intended to provide an appropriate first line of response to individuals in need of an emergency 72-hour mental health hold. The statewide framework created by the crisis system strengthens community partnerships and ensures that first responders are equipped with a variety of options for addressing behavioral health crises that meet the needs of the individual in a clinically appropriate setting. The bill expands and strengthens the current crisis system in the following ways: Encourages crisis system contractors in each region to develop partnerships with the broad array of crisis intervention services in the region; Requires crisis system contractors to be responsible for community engagement, coordination, and system navigation for key partners in the crisis system. The goals of community coordination are to formalize key relationships within contractually defined regions, pursue collaborative programming for behavioral health services, and coordinate interventions as necessary with behavioral health crises in the region. Increases the ability of all crisis services facilities, including walk-in centers, acute treatment units, and crisis stabilization units within the crisis system, regardless of facility licensure, to adequately care for an individual brought to the facility in need of an emergency 72-hour mental health hold; Expands the ability of mobile response units to be available within 2 hours, either face-to-face or using telehealth operations for mobile crisis evaluations; Recognizes the obligations of hospitals and hospital-based emergency departments under federal law to screen and stabilize every patient who comes to the hospital-based emergency department, including those patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis; and Requires that, on or before January 1, 2018, all walk-in centers throughout the state be appropriately designated, adequately prepared, and properly staffed to accept an individual in need of an emergency 72-hour mental health hold. The department of human services (department) shall ensure consistent training for professionals who have regular contact with individuals who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis. The department shall conduct a needs and capacity assessment of the crisis system. The office of behavioral health is required to submit a report on or before November 1, 2017, and on or before May 1, 2018, concerning the status of funding, the use of new and existing resources, and the implementation of additional behavioral health crisis services. This report is separate and in addition to the information the department is required to provide concerning the crisis system in its annual SMART report to the general assembly. The bill removes language from statute that allows, at any time for any reason, an individual who is being held on an emergency 72-hour mental health hold to be detained or housed in a jail, lockup, or other place used for the confinement of persons charged with or convicted of criminal offenses. The effective date of this component of the bill is May 1, 2018. The bill requires annual reports to the department by each emergency services facility that has treated a person pursuant to an emergency 72-hour mental health hold. The reports must only include aggregate and nonidentifying information. The reports must include information on the names and counties of involved facilities; the total number of persons treated at the facility; a summary regarding the different reasons for which persons were treated at the facility; and a summary of the disposition of the persons transferred to a designated mental health facility. An appropriation from the marijuana tax cash fund is authorized. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill requires a school district to distribute revenue it receives from ongoing local property tax mill levies equally, on a per-student basis, to the school district charter schools. Under specified circumstances, the school district may distribute the revenue using a different calculation. The bill does not require a school district to redistribute to charter schools any amount of the mill levy revenue that it distributed in budget years before the 2017-18 budget year. The requirement to distribute local property tax mill levy revenue to the district charter schools is phased in over 3 years starting in the 2018-19 budget year. In that year, a school district must calculate the per-student amount based on 33% of the amount of local property tax revenue collected. In the 2019-20 budget year, the per-student amount is calculated based on 66% of the amount of revenue collected. In the 2020-21 budget year and each budget year thereafter, the per-student amount is calculated based on 100% of the amount of revenue collected. But, if a school district in the 2016-17 budget year distributed to the district charter schools more than the amount required for the 2018-19 budget year or the 2019-20 budget year, it must continue distributing the higher amount in each of those budget years. A school district may place a question on the ballot in the next school district election after the bill passes asking the school district voters whether they want the school district to distribute to the district charter schools the amount of local property tax mill levy revenue that was approved before July 1, 2017, as required in the bill. If a majority votes 'no', the local school board may choose whether to distribute any portion of the local property tax mill levy revenue to the district charter schools. If a majority votes 'yes', then the local school board must distribute the local property tax mill levy revenue to the district charter schools as required in the bill. The election does not apply to any local property tax mill levies that are approved on or after July 1, 2017. The bill creates the mill levy equalization fund for charter schools authorized by the state charter school institute (institute charter schools). The general assembly chooses whether to appropriate money to the fund. The department of education is required to distribute any amount appropriated to the institute charter schools on a per-pupil basis in recognition of the institute charter schools' inability to access any amount of local property tax mill levy revenue. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill, addressing appraisals conducted for insurance purposes, sets standards for when an appraiser, including an appraisals umpire, is considered fair, impartial, and neutral. The bill imposes the following requirements: An appraiser is prohibited from having a direct, material interest in the amounts determined by the appraisal process; An appraiser, including an appraisals umpire, must disclose to all parties any known fact discovered at any time that a reasonable person would consider likely to affect the appraiser's interest in the amount determined by the appraisal; Both the insurer and the insured, and their representatives, are prohibited from communicating with the other party's appraiser without the consent and participation of both parties; except that appraisers may directly communicate with each other to reach an agreed-upon settlement amount; The insurer, the insured, and their representatives, including adjusters, attorneys, and appraisers, must not have ex parte communications with the umpire during the appraisal process; and The umpire must not have ex parte communications with the insurer, including adjusters, the insured, and their representatives, including public adjusters.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill extends the repeal date of existing laws that limit the amount of permit, plan review, or other fees that counties, municipalities, or the state may charge for installing solar energy devices or systems. The bill also clarifies that the statutory limitations on the amount of fees applies to any related or associated fees, not just to permit or plan review fees. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill provides the purposes of community corrections programs. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)