The bill directs the commissioner of insurance to study methods of providing health care coverage to high-risk individuals and reducing health insurance premiums in the individual market, which study is to explore the feasibility of high-risk pools, reinsurance programs, or other high-risk programs and consider requirements under applicable federal law, potential financial impacts on consumers and businesses, potential funding mechanisms to ensure financial sustainability of a high-risk or reinsurance program, and necessary procedural requirements for seeking any required federal waivers or other authorization to implement and fund such programs. The commissioner is to submit a report on the study to the joint budget committee and other specified legislative committees by October 1, 2017, and present the report to specified legislative committees during SMART Act hearings prior to the 2018 legislative session. The commissioner is authorized to seek, accept, and expend public and private gifts, grants, and donations or any federal funding to defray the study costs. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
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With respect to an application screening fee that a landlord may charge a prospective tenant, the bill: Limits the fee to cover the landlord's actual costs; Requires the landlord to provide any person who has paid the fee with either a disclosure of the landlord's anticipated expenses for which the fee will be used or a receipt that itemizes the landlord's actual expenses incurred. The landlord may provide the person with an electronic receipt, unless the person requests a paper receipt. Requires the landlord to return any amount of the fee that is not used as authorized by law; and Establishes a penalty for a landlord that does not comply with the requirements related to the fee. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Current law regulating campaign finance does not set limits on contributions to candidates for a county office. Section 1 of the bill sets the maximum amount of aggregate contributions that certain persons may make to a candidate committee of a candidate for a county office, and that a candidate committee for such candidate may accept from such persons, as follows: In the case of any person other than a small donor committee or a political party, $1,250 for both the primary and general elections; In the case of a small donor committee, $12,500 for both the primary and general elections; and In the case of a political party, $22,125 for the applicable election cycle. The bill defines 'county office' to mean a county commissioner, county clerk and recorder, sheriff, coroner, treasurer, assessor, or surveyor. Section 1 also specifies that the contribution limits in the bill are required to be adjusted for inflation in the same manner as other contribution limits specified in the state constitution. The bill also makes statutory requirements governing the disclosure of campaign finance information and the filing of disclosure reports applicable to a contribution made to, or received by, a candidate committee of a candidate for a county office. Section 2 makes a conforming amendment. For the 2017-18 state fiscal year, section 3 appropriates $10,000 to the department of state from the department of state cash fund. The department may use this appropriation for personal services related to information technology services.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill implements changes to the Colorado constitution approved by voters at the 2016 general election that make it more difficult to amend the state constitution by: Prohibiting a petition for an initiated state constitutional amendment to be submitted to voters for approval or rejection unless the petition is signed by the constitutionally specified number of registered electors who reside in each state senate district and total number of registered electors; and Requiring at least 55% of the votes cast on any state constitutional amendment to adopt the amendment; except that only a simple majority of the votes cast is necessary to adopt a state constitutional amendment that only repeals in whole or in part a provision of the state constitution. When a draft of a ballot issue that proposes a state constitutional amendment is filed with the title board, the title board must decide if the proposed constitutional amendment only repeals in whole or in part a provision of the state constitution for purposes of determining the required percentage of votes cast to adopt the amendment. The designated representatives of the proponents or any registered elector who is not satisfied with the title board's decision may appeal the decision by filing a motion for rehearing to the title board. Decisions of the title board at the rehearing on this issue may be directly appealed to the Colorado supreme court in the same manner as ballot title and fiscal impact abstract appeals. The bill requires the secretary of state to notify proponents of a petition for an initiated state constitutional amendment of the number and boundaries of the state senate districts in existence and the number of registered electors in each state senate district at the time the petition format is approved. The secretary of state must validate signatures on a petition for an initiated state constitutional amendment by random sampling. If the random sample establishes that the number of valid signatures is 90% or less of the total number of registered electors needed to declare the petition sufficient, the secretary of state is required to deem the petition to be not sufficient. If the random sample establishes that the number of valid signatures is more than 90% of the total number of registered electors needed to declare the petition sufficient, the secretary of state is required to order the examination of each signature filed. After the examination of a petition for an initiated constitutional amendment, the secretary of state is required to issue a statement as to whether a sufficient number of valid signatures from each state senate district and a sufficient total number of valid signatures appear to have been submitted to certify the petition to the ballot. If the secretary of state declares that the petition appears not to have either a sufficient number of valid signatures from each state senate district, a sufficient total number of valid signatures, or both, the secretary of state's statement shall specify the number of sufficient and insufficient signatures from each state senate district, the total number of sufficient or insufficient signatures, or both, as applicable. The bill allows the proponents of the petition to cure an insufficiency of signatures in one or more state senate districts, the total valid signatures, or both, as applicable. $4,120 is appropriated from the department of state cash fund for use by the department of state for personal services. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The department of health care policy and financing (department), in consultation with the hospital provider fee oversight and advisory board, shall prepare an annual report detailing uncompensated hospital costs and the different categories of expenditures made by general hospitals in the state (hospital expenditure report). In compiling the hospital expenditure report on expenses by hospitals in the state, the department shall use publicly available data sources whenever possible. Each general hospital in the state is required to submit certain specified information to the department, including: Hospital cost reports submitted to the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services, including a copy of the final forms and worksheets submitted as part of the hospital cost reports; Annual audited financial statements; except that, if a hospital is part of a consolidated or combined group, the hospital may submit a consolidated or combined financial statement if the group's statement separately identifies the information for each of the group's licensed hospitals; Utilization and staffing information and standard units of measure. The bill directs the department to consult with the hospital provider fee oversight and advisory board on the development of the hospital expenditure report. The department may combine the hospital expenditure report with the advisory board's annual report on the hospital provider fee. The advisory board, using staff and analysis from the department, shall provide estimates for the payment-to-cost ratio and the cost-shift analysis portions of its report based on information provided to the department by hospitals. The hospital expenditure report shall include, but not be limited to: A description of the analysis methods and definitions of report components; Uncompensated care costs; and The percentage that different categories of expenses contribute to overall expenses of hospitals. The department is required to submit each hospital expenditure report to the governor; the joint budget committee; the public health care and human services committee of the house of representatives, or any successor committee; the health and human services committee of the senate, or any successor committee; and the medical services board in the department. The department is also directed to place the hospital expenditure reports on the department's website. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill requires the state housing board to work cooperatively with the Colorado housing and finance authority to promulgate rules that will result in the reduction of duplicative inspections required by low-income housing programs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill clarifies the specific duties of a county surveyor and provides that certain services may be provided at the surveyor's discretion and when compensated by agreement between the surveyor and the board of county commissioners. The board of county commissioners may elect to have some of the discretionary services contracted out to a private surveyor or have other county departments perform the services. If the office of the county surveyor is vacant, current law requires the board of county commissioners to fill the vacancy within 90 days. The bill extends this period to 6 months. The bill modifies the process used to fix and define an indefinite boundary line between 2 counties. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)