The act creates the secondary school student substance use committee (committee) in the department of education (department) to develop a practice, or identify or modify an existing practice, for secondary schools to implement that identifies students who need substance use treatment, offers a brief intervention, and refers the students to substance use treatment resources. The department is required to publicly publish a report of the committee's findings and submit the report to the superintendent of every school district and chief administrator of every institute charter school that is a secondary school. For the 2023-24 budget year, $49,950 is appropriated from the general fund to the department to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor April 26, 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.)
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The act creates several opportunities for youth, defined as the age of eligibility for membership in the Colorado youth advisory council, to be involved in the review of the state's education standards. Youth representatives are appointed as follows: The commissioner of education (commissioner) shall appoint youth representatives from nominations submitted by schools throughout the state to participate in the standards development process, which includes community engagement; The commissioner shall appoint 2 youth representatives to any regional educator meetings; and Each local education provider shall appoint 2 youth representatives to any review committees for local education providers. In each instance, the appointing authority shall select the youth representatives from nominations submitted by schools throughout the state, and, when possible, one must be from an urban area and one must be from a rural area. Youth representatives may be reappointed pursuant to each committee's process. The department of education (department) may compensate youth representatives for actual expenses incurred with participation, and, if appropriate, provide a stipend in an amount determined by the department. The department shall promote the opportunities for youth involvement and request schools nominate youth to participate. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $7,650 to the department of education from the general fund. The department may use this appropriation for content specialists. APPROVED by Governor April 26, 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 grants the state historical society, also known as history Colorado, the authority to sell 3 properties that no longer fit within the mission of history Colorado. Specifically, the act grants history Colorado the authority to sell the following: The real property known as the McFarlane House in Central City; The real property known as the Pearce-McAllister Cottage in Denver; and The real property known as the Pueblo Museum Support Center, which was used as a storage facility by history Colorado until the artifacts housed at the facility were recently moved to a more northern storage facility for better access by history Colorado staff. The act specifies that the proceeds of the sales are to be credited to the state museum cash fund to be used in connection with the acquisition or construction of a consolidated collections care and storage facility or for controlled maintenance. APPROVED by Governor March 31, 2023 EFFECTIVE March 31, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act clarifies the procedures for emergency and nonemergency continuing placement of a child or youth that a county department of human or social services (county department) or a local law enforcement agency (law enforcement) with custody of the child or youth shall follow before making the emergency or nonemergency continuing placement of a child or youth with a relative or kin. For emergency placements, the county department or law enforcement shall perform an initial criminal history record check (initial check) on the relative or kin and any adult who resides at the home (adults) using Colorado and federal databases. If the initial check reveals certain criminal convictions, the county department or law enforcement shall not place the child or youth in that home on an emergency basis. If the initial check does not reflect certain criminal convictions on the part of the adults, the child or youth may be placed in the home on an emergency basis. If the child or youth has been placed with a relative or kin on an emergency basis, the adults shall, no more than 14 days after the placement, submit a complete set of fingerprints to the county department or another designated third party to conduct a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history record check. If the results of the fingerprint-based criminal history record check reveal a felony conviction, the child or youth must be immediately removed from the placement unless there is a motion regarding placement pending before the court. A court may review the placement and affirm or deny placement of the child or youth with the relative or kin. The act sets forth the criminal offenses or other matters that qualify for the denial of placement of a child or youth with the relative or kin. A county department may make a placement with a relative or kin who would otherwise be disqualified if such placement conforms with rules promulgated by the state board of human services or if a court affirms the placement. The state board of human services is granted authority to promulgate rules concerning emergency and nonemergency, continuing placement of children and youth with relatives or kin. APPROVED by Governor March 17, 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 requires a motor vehicle driver to move to one lane apart from a stationary motor vehicle when the stationary motor vehicle has its hazard lights activated, 2 lanes move in the same direction, and the driver is able to move to the lane apart. If a driver cannot move to be one lane apart from the stationary motor vehicle, the driver must slow down and drive at a safe speed. APPROVED by Governor March 17, 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.)
Transportation Legislation Review Committee. For 10 income tax years, section 1 of the bill creates a refundable income tax credit for purchasing driver education and training for a minor. The amount of the credit is the amount spent on driver education and training, but cannot exceed $1,000 per student. To claim a credit, an individual must provide the department of revenue (department) with a receipt for the amount paid if the department requests the receipt. Currently, a minor who is under 18 years of age may be issued a driver's license or temporary driver's license if the minor has held an instruction permit for 12 months and has completed 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours of night driving. Section 2 adds the requirements that the applicant must: Complete a 30-hour driver education course, which may include an online course, approved by the department; and Receive at least 6 hours of behind-the-wheel driving training with a driving instructor or, for minors who live in rural areas of the state, 12 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a parent, a legal guardian, or an alternate permit supervisor. Additionally, section 2 eliminates the current instructional requirements for minors under 16 and one-half years of age to hold an instruction permit for 12 months, complete 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours of night driving, and receive 6 hours of behind-the-wheel driving training with a driving instructor or, if the minor lives more than 30 miles from a business offering driving instruction, at least 12 hours of training from a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult to be eligible for issuance of a driver's license. Section 2 also adds a requirement that a minor who is 18 years of age or older and under 21 years of age must successfully complete a 4-hour prequalification driver awareness program approved by the department to be issued a driver's license or temporary driver's license. Current law authorizes the department to issue an instruction permit to a minor if the minor meets one of the following conditions: A minor who is 16 years of age or older need not complete a driver education course; A minor who is at least 15 and one-half years of age but under 16 years of age must have completed a driver education course or a 4-hour driver awareness course; or A minor who is 15 years of age or older but under 15 and one-half years of age must have completed a driver education course. Sections 2 and 3 eliminate the tiered system and require all minors who are under 18 years of age to complete a 30-hour driver education course and minors who are 18 years of age or older but under 21 years of age to complete a 4-hour driver awareness course. Section 5 prohibits a person who has been convicted of certain violent or sexual crimes from providing behind-the-wheel driving instruction to minors. A commercial driving school is prohibited from employing such a driving instructor to provide behind-the-wheel driving instruction to minors. Each instructor employed by a commercial driving school must obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history record check to verify that the instructor has not committed a disqualifying crime.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act clarifies provisions in the "Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado" (workers' compensation act) relating to the release and disclosure of mental health records pertaining to an injured employee making a claim under the workers' compensation act (claimant). The act: Defines "mental health records" psychological or psychiatric tests, including neuropsychological testing; other records prepared by or for a mental health provider; independent medical examination records, audio recordings, and reports that address psychological or psychiatric issues; division independent medical evaluation records and reports that address psychological or psychiatric issues; and records relating to the evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment of a substance use or abuse disorder; Requires a mental health provider to provide an insurer or employer, if self-insured, with mental health records, as necessary for payment, adjustment, and adjudication of claims involving psychological or psychiatric issues; to the employer, as necessary, to enable to employer to comply with applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations; and to the referring physician and any other relevant treating or evaluating providers; Prohibits the disclosure of mental health records to any person who is not reasonably necessary for the medical evaluation, adjustment, or adjudication of claims involving psychological or psychiatric issues, unless otherwise directed by order of the director of the division of workers' compensation (director) or an administrative law judge; Permits an insurer to release information from a claimant's mental health records to the claimant's employer concerning work restrictions and information necessary for the adjustment or adjudication of the claim, but prohibits the disclosure of the claimant's actual mental health records to third parties that do not need the information; and For a self-insured employer: Requires the employer to keep a claimant's mental health records separate from personnel files; Limits disclosure of the claimant's mental health records to a supervisor or manager to only information from the mental health records pertaining to work restrictions placed on the claimant; and Prohibits disclosure of the claimant's mental health records to any third party and redisclosure by the third party to any person who is not directly involved in adjusting or adjudicating claims involving psychological or psychiatric issues, unless the disclosure is otherwise ordered by the director or an administrative law judge. The act authorizes the director to promulgate rules necessary for the implementation of the act. The act requires a person providing mental health services under the workers' compensation act to be a licensed mental health provider. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act renames the area agency on aging grant program to the strategic investments in aging grant program (grant program). The grant program administers state assistance to finance projects across the state that are intended to assist and support older Coloradans. The act extends the grant program indefinitely to continue the support of projects that promote the health, equity, well-being, and security of older Coloradans across the state. The act renames the area agency on aging cash fund to the strategic investments in aging cash fund (fund). Money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the department of human services to fund programs and projects consistent with the grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under existing law, the department of revenue (department) is required to issue a driver's license, instruction permit, or identification card (identification documents) to a person who is lawfully present in the United States if: The individual qualifies for the identification document; The individual produces documents that satisfy the department that the individual is lawfully present; and The federal government confirms the individual's status, including electronically through the federal systematic alien verification for entitlements (SAVE) system. The bill repeals the requirement that the federal government confirm the individual's status. The bill appropriates $19,397 to the department of revenue to implement the bill, and $2,575 to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology to provide information technology services for the department of revenue. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
To engage in industrial hemp cultivation in the state, a person is required to apply to the department of agriculture for a registration. In applying for a registration, the person must include the names and addresses of all key participants in the registered activity. The act amends the definition of "key participant" to include faculty at an institution of higher education to align with federal law requirements that all individuals authorized to grow hemp under a registration undergo a criminal history record check. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)