Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet

Sex offenses - sexual contact definitions. The act adds the following conduct to the definition of sexual contact for the purposes of defining sex crimes: The knowing emission or ejaculation of seminal fluid onto any body part of the victim or the clothing covering any body part of the victim; and Knowingly causing semen, blood, urine, feces, or a bodily substance to contact any body part of the victim or the clothing covering any body part of the victim if that contact is for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Statute of limitations - failure to report child sexual abuse - 3 years. The act makes the statute of limitations 3 years for failure to report child abuse when a mandatory reporter has reasonable cause to know or suspect that a child has been subjected to unlawful sexual behavior or observed the child being subjected to circumstances or conditions that would reasonably result in unlawful sexual behavior.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Interdistrict transportation of students. The act restores the statutory language in section 22-32-113 to the language as it existed before the statute was amended by section 7 of House Bill 18-1306, concerning ensuring educational stability for students in out-of-home placement. Section 7 has been declared void by a Colorado court for violating section 21 of article V of the Colorado constitution that requires bills to contain a single subject clearly expressed in the bill's title. The act allows a school district to furnish transportation, or to reimburse parents or others for the cost of transportation, to and from its schools to students who are residents of another school district if the resident school district is adjacent to the school district of attendance and the resident school district consents to the transportation of its students to the adjacent school district. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Read More

The bill aligns state law with federal 'Every Student Succeeds Act' (ESSA) provisions relating to students in foster care, referred to in state statutes as 'students in out-of-home placement'. ESSA permits students in out-of-home placement at any time during the school year to remain in their school of origin, as defined in the bill, rather than move to a different school upon placement outside of the home or changes in placement, unless the county department of human or social services (county department) determines that it is not in the child's best interest to remain in his or her school of origin. Specifically, the bill: Defines 'education provider' to include public schools, school districts, and boards of cooperative services; Clarifies the role of an education provider's child welfare education liaison with respect to the best interest determination, the transfer of records, transition planning, and immediate enrollment of the child or youth; Subject to available appropriations, establishes a permanent foster care education coordinator at the department of education with duties beginning in the 2019-20 fiscal year; Requires education providers to immediately enroll students in out-of-home placement in school even without academic and immunization records and includes provisions for requesting and receiving records from a sending school; Requires education providers and county departments to enter into agreements relating to how transportation and other necessary services for students in out-of-home placement will be provided, arranged, and funded; and Removes barriers to obtaining a high school diploma by allowing education providers to waive course requirements or provide competency-based measures to satisfy graduation requirements. Commencing with the 2019-20 fiscal year, the bill creates the educational stability grant program (grant program) in the department of education to provide, subject to available appropriations, grants to education providers to provide educational services and supports to highly mobile students. The state board of education shall adopt rules for the grant program and award the grants. The department of education shall report on the implementation and outcomes of the grant program. The bill requires county departments to develop a process for determining the best interests of a child or youth in remaining in the school of origin. Counties are required to provide services, including transportation, for students remaining in the school of origin and services for those students transferring to another school, and to enter into agreements with education providers regarding the provision of these services and funding for the services. The bill updates the definition of 'homeless child' to include children and youth and amends education statutes relating to school attendance and services for homeless children and youth. The bill makes an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Sunset Process - House Public Health Care and Human Services Committee. The bill continues the Colorado advisory council for persons with disabilities (council), but transfers it from the office of the governor to the department of health care policy and financing (department). The makeup of the council is decreased from no more than 20 members to a total of 10 members, 3 of whom are nonvoting members. The newly appointed council shall convene its first meeting on or before August 1, 2018, and meet quarterly thereafter. The department is authorized to provide staff support to the council. The powers and duties of the council are expanded and articulated. On or before January 1, 2019, the department shall designate, from interested applicants, a Colorado nonprofit organization (nonprofit) to perform the duties and responsibilities of the disabled parking education program that, under current law, is under the purview of the council. On or before December 1, 2019, the council shall make a recommendation to the department concerning whether or not to contract with the nonprofit to administer the disabled parking program for an addition year or to return the duties to the council. The council is scheduled for a sunset review prior to repeal in September 2023. The bill makes conforming amendments. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Current law creates an annual appropriation to provide lunches at no charge to children in state-subsidized early childhood education programs administered by public schools or in kindergarten through fifth grade who would otherwise have to pay for a reduced-price lunch. The bill extends the grade of eligibility to eighth grade in schools that elect to participate in the expanded program. The bill authorizes an annual appropriation, including a cap on the amount of the annual appropriation, to cover the expanded grades of eligible children. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

The bill directs the Colorado children's trust fund board to develop and administer a training program to prevent child sexual abuse (program) for early childhood providers and others who interact with young children. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More

Section 1 of the bill establishes an office of the ombudsman for behavioral health access to care as an independent office within the office of the executive director of the department of human services to assist Coloradans in accessing behavioral health care. Section 3 requires the commissioner of insurance to report on issues related to mental health parity requirements. $85,695 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of human services to use for the office of the ombudsman for behavioral health access to care, and $8,355 is appropriated from the division of insurance cash fund to the division of insurance to implement the bill. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

The bill requires the safe2tell program (program) to do the following: Provide training and support to all preschool, elementary, and secondary schools and school districts in Colorado regarding school safety related to the safe2tell program, including answering questions and discussing reports received by the program; Provide educational materials to all preschool, elementary, and secondary schools in Colorado aimed at preventing misuse of the program; Provide technical assistance and support to law enforcement officials and school officials when there is misuse of the program; and Analyze and follow up with law enforcement and schools to determine the outcome of a report made to the program, including actions taken on the report. The bill requires the safe2tell program to prepare a written report analyzing data from the previous year on or before each December 1, beginning in 2018. The report must include data from the preceding fiscal year concerning the following and any recommendations concerning the following: A summary of outcomes and actions taken on reports made to the program; The number of safe2tell reports by category, broken down by month; The total number of incidents of misuse of the program, broken down into categories; The number of reports received involving a single incident; The number of times safe2tell was used by a reporting party to make a threat against or otherwise harm another person; The number of times a reporting party was in crisis and was reporting to the program to obtain assistance and the time it took to identify the reporting party and respond; The effectiveness of the safe2tell dispatch center in the department of public safety; and Recommendations regarding how to improve the program based on the available data. The bill appropriates $164,920 from the marijuana tax cash fund and provides 1.6 FTE to the department of law to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More