Section 1 of the act creates the industrial and manufacturing operations clean air grant program (clean air grant program) through which the Colorado energy office (office) awards grant money to private entities, local governments, tribal governments, and public-private partnerships for voluntary projects to reduce air pollutants from industrial and manufacturing operations. Voluntary projects eligible for grant money include: Energy efficiency projects; Renewable energy projects; Beneficial electrification projects; Transportation electrification projects; Projects producing or utilizing clean hydrogen; Projects involving carbon capture at industrial facilities and direct air capture projects; Methane capture projects; Projects producing or utilizing sustainable aviation fuel; and Industrial process changes that reduce emissions. Starting in 2025, the office is required to report annually on the progress of the clean air grant program, submit the report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over energy matters, and post the reports on the office's website. On June 30, 2022, the state treasurer shall transfer $25 million from the general fund to the industrial and manufacturing operations clean air grant program cash fund, which fund is created in the act. The fund may also consist of money from federal sources and from gifts, grants, and donations. The money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the office for its administration of the clean air grant program. The office may use up to 9% of the money in the fund for its administrative costs in implementing the clean air grant program. The clean air grant program is repealed on September 1, 2029. Section 1 also creates the cannabis resource optimization cash fund, which fund the office is required to administer to provide financial incentives for energy and water use conservation and sustainability practices in cannabis operations. The state treasurer is directed to transfer $1.5 million from the general fund to the cannabis resource optimization cash fund on July 1, 2022. Section 2 creates the community access to electric bicycles grant program (electric bicycles grant program) through which the office awards grant money to local governments, tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations that administer or plan to administer a bike share program or an ownership program for the provision of electric bicycles in a community. Section 2 also creates the community access to electric bicycles rebate program (rebate program) through which the office provides rebates for purchases of electric bicycles and equipment used for commuting purposes to individuals in low- and moderate-income households, businesses, or nonprofit organizations (program participants) or bicycle shops that sell electric bicycles to program participants at discounted prices. Starting in 2025, the office is required to report annually on the progress of the electric bicycles grant program and the rebate program, submit copies of the report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over transportation matters, and post the report on the office's website. On June 30, 2022, the state treasurer shall transfer $12 million from the general fund to the community access to electric bicycles cash fund (fund), which fund is created in the act. The fund may also consist of money from federal sources and from gifts, grants, and donations. The money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the office for its administration of the electric bicycles grant program and the rebate program. The office may use up to 9% of the money in the fund for its administrative costs in implementing the electric bicycles grant program and the rebate program. The electric bicycles grant program and the rebate program are repealed on September 1, 2028. Section 3 creates the electrifying school buses grant program (school buses grant program) through which the department of public health and environment (department), with technical assistance from the office, awards grant money to school districts, including schools operated by tribal governments, and charter schools, or nonprofit partners acting on behalf of a school district or charter school, to help finance the procurement and maintenance of electric-powered school buses, the conversion of fossil-fuel-powered school buses to electric-powered school buses, charging infrastructure, and upgrades for electric charging infrastructure and the retirement of fossil-fuel-powered school buses. The department of education is authorized to provide assistance to school districts and charter schools in applying for or implementing a project funded with grant money. Starting in 2025, and every odd-numbered year thereafter, the department is required to report on the progress of the school buses grant program, submit copies of the report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over education, energy and environment, and transportation matters, and post copies of the report on its website. On June 30, 2022, the state treasurer shall transfer $65 million from the general fund to the electrifying school buses grant program cash fund (electric school buses fund), which fund is created in the act. The electrifying school buses fund may also consist of money from federal sources and from gifts, grants, and donations. The money in the electrifying school buses fund is continuously appropriated to the department for its administration of the school buses grant program. The department may use up to 8% of the money in the electrifying school buses fund for its administrative costs in implementing the electrifying school buses grant program. The school buses grant program is repealed on September 1, 2034. Section 4 updates the definition of "federal act" regarding the reference to the federal "Clean Air Act". Section 4 also updates the definition of "issue" with respect to an order, permit, determination, or notice issued by the division of administration in the department (division), to remove certified mail and add electronic mail as options to issue such order, permit, determination, or notice. Section 5 clarifies that the statutory fee caps for fees collected by the air quality enterprise apply only to the annual stationary source emission fees. The statutory fee caps are $1 million for state fiscal year 2021-22, $3 million for state fiscal year 2022-23, $4 million for state fiscal year 2023-24, and $5 million on and after July 1, 2024. Section 6 removes the requirement that the division make the forms on which a person provides details necessary for filing an air pollution emission notice available at all of the air pollution control authority offices. Section 7 authorizes a person to seek judicial review of the division's failure to grant or deny a renewable operating permit until the division grants or denies the permit and authorizes the division to contract with third parties to perform permit application reviews, air quality monitoring reviews, or other work to support the division's air quality permit programs. Section 8 extends the time within which the air quality control commission must grant or deny a request for a hearing from within 15 days after the request was made to within 30 days after the request was made and, if granted, requires the commission to set the hearing no later than 90 days after its first regularly scheduled meeting following receipt of the hearing request. Existing law authorizes the commission to submit any additions or changes to the state implementation plan (SIP) to the administrator of the federal environmental protection agency (administrator) for conditional or temporary approval pending legislative council review of the additions or changes. Section 9 authorizes the commission to submit the changes or additions to the administrator as a provisional submission, pending possible introduction and enactment of a bill to modify or delete all or a portion of the commission's additions or changes to the SIP. Section 11 appropriates from the general fund: $750,000 to the department of personnel for the costs of issuing free annual eco passes to state employees; and $7,000,000 to the department to finance the aerial surveying of pollutants, $90,725 of which is reappropriated to the office of information technology in the governor's office to provide information technology services to the department. Section 11 also appropriates $44,365 from the electrifying school buses grant program cash fund to the department of education to provide technical assistance to school districts and charter schools applying for grant money from the school buses grant program and implementing projects awarded grant money. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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For the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, the act prohibits a school district or board of cooperative services from using measures of student academic growth derived from the Colorado growth model or from considering the performance plan type implemented by the school district or board of cooperative services or by a school in determining evaluation ratings for licensed personnel. For the 2022-23 budget year, the act appropriates $21,265 from the general fund to the department of education to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the executive director of the department of natural resources or the executive director's designee (executive director) to conduct a study as soon as practicable regarding the challenges for native pollinating insect populations, their associated ecosystems, and their health and resilience in the state. Based on the results of the study, the executive director is required to make recommendations: For the protection of native pollinating insects; and On how to develop education and outreach programming. On or before January 1, 2024, the executive director shall submit to the general assembly and the governor a report summarizing the study and the executive director's recommendations based on the study. The act appropriates $179,642 for state fiscal year 2022-23 from the general fund to the department of natural resources for implementation of the study. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows a hospital employee or agent to dispense a 7-day to 28-day supply of drugs for prophylaxis of sexually transmitted infections to an emergency room patient who is a victim of sexual assault. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act declares that every individual has a fundamental right to use or refuse contraception; every pregnant individual has a fundamental right to continue the pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion; and a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights under the laws of the state. The act prohibits state and local public entities from: Denying, restricting, interfering with, or discriminating against an individual's fundamental right to use or refuse contraception or to continue a pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion in the regulation or provision of benefits, services, information, or facilities; and Depriving, through prosecution, punishment, or other means, an individual of the individual's right to act or refrain from acting during the individual's own pregnancy based on the potential, actual, or perceived impact on the pregnancy, the pregnancy's outcomes, or on the pregnant individual's health.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill clarifies the purposes of licensed educator performance evaluations. The bill directs the state board of education (state board) to adopt rules as necessary to ensure that: Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, student academic growth is considered, without a percentage, along with the quality standards as part of a comprehensive evaluation of a teacher's or principal's performance; and Student assessment scores may be used collectively at a particular grade level or the school-building level solely for specified purposes, and collective measures may not be used beyond the school level. The bill specifies the measures a school district or board of cooperative services may consider in determining student academic growth for purposes of evaluating teacher performance. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill implements a number of measures to protect pollinators and people throughout the state. Section 1 of the bill makes legislative findings.Section 2 restricts the use of pesticides on the grounds of a school, preschool program, child care center, or children's resident camp and requires that notification be sent when a pesticide is used at such a location. The executive director of the department of public health and environment may adopt rules to implement section 2.Section 3 requires the executive director of the department of natural resources or the executive director's designee (DNR executive director) to conduct a study on how to address pollinator decline and increase pollinator health in the state. In conducting the study, the DNR executive director shall consult with other state agencies and with scientists with expertise in pollinator health, ecological processes, biodiversity, native plants, and ecological land management. The DNR executive director shall submit a report of the study to the general assembly and the governor on or before January 1, 2024.Section 4 creates a pilot grant program in the department of agriculture to provide financial grants to agricultural producers to test the use of noncoated seed-applied systemic insecticide on their crops.Sections 5 and 6 require the commissioner of agriculture to adopt rules designating as restricted-use certain pesticides that contain an active ingredient belonging to the neonicotinoid class of insecticides or the sulfoxomine class of insecticides, but allowing the use of such pesticides in pet care, personal care, wood preservatives, and indoor pest-control products and products used on golf courses. The commissioner's rules will not affect the use of the restricted-use pesticides for agricultural purposes.Sections 7 through 10 authorize local governments to regulate pesticide use and remove certain preemptions regarding local government regulation of pesticide use.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act establishes the commission on improving first responder interactions with persons with disabilities (commission) in the attorney general's office. The commission is comprised of 12 members appointed by the attorney general, including 2 persons with a disability, 2 parents of a child with a disability, 2 representatives from advocacy organizations, a person from a disability community not otherwise represented on the commission, a representative of a statewide organization of current and former peace officers, a representative of a statewide organization of chiefs of police, a representative of a statewide organization of county sheriffs, a member of the peace officer standards and training board (P.O.S.T. board), and a member of the P.O.S.T. board's curriculum subject matter expert committee.After reviewing the existing Colorado peace officer training and existing available curricula, the commission must recommend to the P.O.S.T. board a curriculum for peace officer training concerning interactions with persons with disabilities. Subject to available appropriations, the P.O.S.T. board must implement the recommended curriculum by July 1, 2022. The commission is required to review implementation of the curriculum and may recommend changes that the P.O.S.T. board may adopt.The commission is repealed on December 31, 2023, but prior to its repeal the attorney general may recommend continuation of the commission.The act requires the fire service training and certification advisory board to advise the director of the division of fire prevention and control on whether to include the commission's curriculum or similar curriculum in the fire service education and training program. The department of public health and environment is required to consider including the commission's curriculum in training for personnel who routinely respond to emergencies.The act makes an appropriation of $39,775 to the department of law for use by the P.O.S.T. board.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act increases and clarifies domestic violence training requirements (training) for court personnel (personnel) who are regularly involved in cases related to domestic matters, including child and family investigators, parenting responsibility evaluators, and legal representatives of children.Training for all personnel must include both an initial training requirement as well as an ongoing annual continuing education requirement as follows:Six initial hours of training on domestic violence, including coercive control, and its traumatic effects on children, adults, and families; Six initial hours of training on child abuse and child sexual abuse and its traumatic effects; and Four subsequent hours of training every two years on domestic violence, child abuse, and child sexual abuse and the traumatic effects on children, adults, and families. For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $86,680 to the judicial department from the general fund for general courts administration and $6,200 for capital outlay.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act directs the public utilities commission (PUC) to establish energy savings targets and approve plans under which investor-owned electric utilities will promote the use of energy-efficient electric equipment in place of less efficient fossil-fuel-based systems. This directive would substantially follow the model of existing demand-side management (DSM) policies established by the PUC.Section 1 of the act declares that DSM has provided substantial economic and environmental benefits, and the PUC's administration of DSM has successfully carried out legislative intent; therefore, the PUC is directed to implement beneficial electrification programs and plans using the same approach.Sections 3 and 5 specify the parameters for these programs and plans, including the types of systems and appliances that are eligible for installation, the criteria to be considered when the PUC evaluates plan proposals, the implementation of plans, utility cost-recovery mechanisms, and performance incentives. Section 5 also requires that any installation, upgrade, or new construction under a beneficial electrification program must be performed either by utility employees or by qualified, Colorado-licensed contractors. For large projects, contractors must be selected from a list, maintained by the Colorado department of labor and employment, of contractors that participate in apprenticeship programs registered with the United States department of labor.Section 2 adds heat pumps to the list of energy efficiency measures that cannot be prohibited under the covenants of a homeowners' association.Section 4 directs the PUC to apply current standards for measurement of the social cost of carbon emissions, including methane, in evaluating the cost, benefit, or net present value of utility plans and proposals for beneficial electrification.The act appropriates $168,448 to the department of regulatory agencies, for use by the PUC, and $73,351 to the department of labor and employment, for use by the division of employment and training, to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)