The bill requires the director of the division of employment and training (director) in the department of labor and employment to annually collect, analyze, and make recommendations to the general assembly based on data from workforce centers; the state, in relation to data it has collected concerning workers in specific age categories, beginning at age 50; and individuals with disabilities. The bill also requires the director, every 3 years, to conduct, or contract with an another entity to conduct, a survey to better understand the experiences and needed tools and resources of individuals in Colorado who are 55 years of age or older and are considering entering or reentering the workforce, are unemployed, underemployed, or are looking for a career change. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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The bill creates a special license plate to honor first responders who have a permanent occupational disability (first responder). A first responder may obtain a special license plate without paying taxes or fees for the plate or the vehicle. For additional vehicles, a first responder must pay the standard motor vehicle fees plus 2 one-time fees of $25. One fee is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other fee is credited to the licensing services cash fund. An individual may obtain the license plate with the identifying figure that allows the use of reserved parking for people with disabilities.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025, the act creates a new subclass of residential real property called qualified-senior primary residence real property, which includes residential real property that as of the assessment date is used as the primary residence of an owner-occupier, as defined in the act, if: The owner-occupier applies to the county assessor for the classification in the manner required by the act; The owner-occupier previously qualified for the property tax exemption for qualifying seniors (exemption) for a different property for a property tax year commencing on or after January 1, 2020, and does not qualify for the exemption for the current property tax year; and The circumstances that qualify the property for the classification have not changed since the filing of the application. The act also: Classifies property that might otherwise be classified as multi-family residential real property that contains a unit that qualifies as qualified-senior primary residence real property as multi-family qualified-senior primary residence real property and treats such property as qualified-senior primary residence real property; For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025, but before January 1, 2027, sets the valuation for assessment for qualified-senior primary residence real property at 7.15% of the amount equal to the actual value of the property minus the lesser of 50% of the first $200,000 of that actual value or the amount that causes the valuation for assessment of the property to be $1,000; Establishes the processes by which an owner-occupier of residential real property may apply to have the owner-occupier's primary residence classified as qualified-senior primary residence real property and by which such an application is approved or denied; For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025, but before January 1, 2027, requires the state to reimburse local governmental entities that levy property taxes for total property tax revenue lost due solely to the reduced valuation for assessment of qualified-senior primary residence real property as compared to the valuation for assessment of other residential real property and specifies the process by which the proper amount of reimbursement is calculated and reimbursement is made; and For state fiscal years in which excess state revenues are required to be refunded pursuant to the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, establishes the reimbursement to local governmental entities as a means of refunding such excess state revenues. APPROVED by Governor May 14, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Pursuant to the "Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado", death benefits will be paid to a dependent surviving spouse of a deceased employee for life, regardless of remarriage, rather than until remarriage, if the surviving spouse receives death benefits pursuant to law and the deceased employee was a state employee who worked in a job with a high-risk classification. A job with a "high-risk classification" means certain employees of the Colorado state patrol; certain employees of the Colorado bureau of investigation; certain employees of the department of corrections; firefighters, investigators, and fire marshals employed by the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety; wildlife officers and parks and recreation officers employed by the division of wildlife in the department of natural resources; employees of the department of transportation responsible for highway safety and maintenance; and employees of a state institution of higher education who are vested with the powers of a peace officer. APPROVED by Governor April 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill requires that schools built, purchased, or leased and school buses purchased or leased on or after July 1, 2024, be air conditioned. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act defines "emergency communications specialist" as a first responder whose duties involve emergency and nonemergency dispatch services. The act also clarifies that the currently authorized use of the emergency telephone charge, the 911 surcharge, and the prepaid wireless 911 charge, for training for public safety answering point (PSAP) personnel includes training for emergency communications specialists, technical support PSAP personnel, and other personnel essential for the provision of emergency telephone services, emergency notification services, and emergency medical dispatch. APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
$87,910 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of the treasury for the 2023-24 state fiscal year to support the administration of property tax deferrals for the 2023 property tax year as part of the property tax deferral program. APPROVED by Governor November 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE November 20, 2023(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act amends the "Colorado Youth Employment Opportunity Act of 1971" (CYEOA) to allow aggrieved parties, including parents of children protected by the CYEOA, to pursue remedies at law and in equity for violations of the act, in addition to workers' compensation remedies, if: An injury occurs to a minor during a week when the employer intentionally required the minor to work hours in violation of those allowed by the CYEOA; or An injury occurs to a minor while the minor was engaging in work prohibited by the CYEOA. The act clarifies that economic damages for claims in tort recovered by a party aggrieved by a violation of the CYEOA against the employer of a minor pursuant to the act must be reduced by the amount of compensation and benefits that the minor or the minor's dependents received for the same harm through the employer's workers' compensation insurance. APPROVED by Governor June 7, 2023 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
A person who is at least 65 years of age or who is a person called into military service may elect to defer the payment of real property taxes. Other residential real property owners may also defer the payment of a portion of real property taxes under certain circumstances. For all 3 categories of taxpayers who are eligible to defer the payment of real property taxes, the property for which the deferral is claimed cannot be income-producing. Beginning in the 2023 property tax year, the act specifies that the prohibition against the property being income-producing does not apply if the taxpayer claiming the deferral is at least 65 years of age, is a person called into military service, or is the surviving spouse of such a taxpayer. For a property owner called into military service or a property owner who is not called into military service and is not at least 65 years of age but is otherwise eligible to claim a property tax deferral, to be eligible for the property tax deferral the total value of all liens of mortgages and deeds of trust on the property must be less than or equal to 90% of the actual value of the property (90% requirement). For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2023, the act specifies that the 90% requirement does not apply if the owner of the property is a person called into military service and has a home loan guaranteed by the veterans administration of the United States. APPROVED by Governor June 1, 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 directs the office of future of work (office) in the department of labor and employment (department) to create a two-year apprenticeship navigator pilot program (program) with 2 full-time apprenticeship navigators, with each apprenticeship navigator assigned to a different school district selected by the office. The purpose of the program is to increase awareness of registered apprenticeship programs among graduating high school students in the selected school districts. Upon completion of the program, the act requires that the department issue a report detailing the direct and indirect costs of the operation and administration of the program to specified legislative committees of reference. The act directs the office to promote apprenticeship programs to high school students by creating and maintaining a web-based job board of apprenticeships and incorporating apprenticeships in the state's career planning tools. The department may promulgate rules for the administration of the program. The program is repealed, effective January 1, 2027. The act appropriates $342,638 from the general fund to the department for use by the department's executive director's office for the 2023-24 state fiscal year. The act also appropriates $44,000 to the department of education from the general fund for the 2023-24 state fiscal year. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 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.)