The act allows a member of the general assembly who is absent when the general assembly is in session for a long-term illness, parental leave in excess of the permitted maximum period, or another similar purpose, subject to approval by the president of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives, respective to the member's house, to be exempted from forfeiture of their compensation. Previously, the exemption from forfeiture of compensation was only for an approved absence for a long-term illness. The act also allows a member of the general assembly to receive compensation for an absence due to parental leave for a maximum of 12 weeks, plus up to an additional 4 weeks for a serious health condition related to complications of pregnancy or childbirth. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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In addition to the protection and security services currently provided to members of the general assembly by the Colorado state patrol, the Colorado state patrol is authorized to provide other protection and security services to a member of the general assembly as requested by the executive committee of the legislative council and as deemed necessary by the chief of the Colorado state patrol. The executive committee of the legislative council is required to establish a process by which a member of the general assembly may request other protection and security services from the Colorado state patrol. The Colorado state patrol is required to ensure that members of the general assembly are aware of the protection and security services that may be requested from the Colorado state patrol. The Colorado state patrol is required to provide protection and security services to the secretary of state, attorney general, and state treasurer (statewide constitutional officers) upon request of the statewide constitutional officer. The Colorado state patrol is required to designate state patrol officers to be available to provide protection services to statewide constitutional officers and the chief of the Colorado state patrol is required to determine the priority in assigning state patrol officers among each statewide constitutional officer. The act specifies that it is not intended to provide around-the-clock protection for a statewide constitutional officer unless there is a credible threat as determined in the discretion of the chief of the Colorado state patrol. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, $1,115,090 is appropriated to the department of public safety from the general fund to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act transfers $15 million from the general fund, with $5 million allocated to the just transition cash fund (fund) and $10 million allocated to the coal transition workforce assistance program account (account), and directs the department of labor and employment (department), through the just transition office (office), to expend the money for specified coal community and worker supports. The act also: Specifies that money remaining in the fund or the account at the end of any fiscal year remains in the fund or account, as applicable; Eliminates the requirement to spend a certain percentage of the money in the fund by the end of specified fiscal years and instead allows the department to expend money in the fund through the end of the 2023-24 state fiscal year and authorizes roll-forward spending authority of amounts appropriated from the fund to the department pursuant to 2021 legislation through the 2023-24 state fiscal year; Allows roll-forward spending authority of amounts appropriated from the account to the department pursuant to legislation passed earlier in the 2022 legislative session through the 2023-24 state fiscal year; and Starting in 2022, requires the director of the office to report to the joint budget committee on the history of expenditures from the fund and the account and the purposes for which money in the fund and account were expended or obligated in the previous state fiscal year. The act appropriates: $5 million from the fund to the department for use by the division of employment and training (division) to implement coal community supports; and $10 million from the account to the department for use by the division to implement coal worker supports.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act changes current state law to align with the federal "No Surprises Act" (federal act) by: Allowing a covered person who requests an independent external review of a health-care coverage decision to request a review to determine if the services that were provided or may be provided by an out-of-network provider or facility are subject to an in-network benefit level of coverage; Requiring that payments made for health-care services provided at an in-network facility or by an out-of-network provider be applied to the covered person's in-network deductible and any out-of-pocket maximum amounts as if the services were provided by an in-network provider; Requiring that emergency health-care services, regardless of the facility at which they are provided, be covered at the in-network benefit level; Requiring each health insurance carrier (carrier) to cover post-stabilization services to stabilize a patient after a medical emergency at the in-network benefit level; Requiring carriers to develop disclosures to provide to covered persons that comply with the act; Requiring the commissioner of insurance (commissioner) and certain regulators of health-care occupations to adopt rules concerning disclosure requirements, including a list of ancillary services for which a provider or facility cannot charge a balance bill; Requiring the commissioner to convene a work group to facilitate and streamline the implementation of the payment of claims for services provided by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility and for services surrounding a medical emergency; Prohibiting a carrier from recalculating a covered person's cost-sharing amount based on an additional payment made as a result of arbitration; Requiring the parties to an arbitration over health-care coverage to split the costs of the arbitrator if the parties reach an agreement before the final decision of the arbitrator; Authorizing the commissioner to promulgate rules to implement the requirements of the act, including rules necessary to implement the requirements of the federal act; Changing the amount of time that a managed care plan must allow a person to continue to receive care from a provider from 60 after the date an in-network provider is terminated from a plan without cause to up to 90 days after a carrier provides notice that the contract is terminated; Implementing specific requirements for health-care coverage and services for covered persons who are continuing care patients of a provider or facility whose contract with the patient's health insurer is terminated; Authorizing the regulator of health-care providers, in consultation with the commissioner, to adopt rules concerning consumer disclosures; Allowing an out-of-network provider and an out-of-network facility to charge a covered person a balance bill for health-care services other than ancillary services if the out-of-network provider complies with specific notice requirements and obtains the covered person's signed consent; and Requiring a carrier offering an individual health benefit plan or short-term limited duration health insurance policy to make consumer disclosures. The act changes from January 1 to March 1 the date by which a carrier is required to submit information to the commissioner concerning the use of out-of-network providers and out-of-network facilities and the impact on health insurance premiums for consumers. $233,018 is appropriated from the division of insurance cash fund to the department of regulatory agencies for use in the 2022-23 state fiscal year for personal services, operating expenses, and to purchase legal services, and of that amount, $88,713 is reappropriated to the department of law to provide legal services for the department of regulatory agencies. $7,506 is appropriated from the health facilities general licensure cash fund to the department of public health and environment for use in the 2022-23 state fiscal year by health facilities and emergency medical services division to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act prohibits a hospital or other person or entity collecting on behalf of the hospital from initiating or pursuing collection actions against a patient or patient guarantor for debt incurred by the patient on the date or dates of service when the hospital was not in material compliance with federal hospital price transparency laws. Nothing in the act: Prohibits a hospital from billing a patient or health insurer for items or services provided to the patient; or Requires a hospital to refund a payment made to the hospital for items or services provided to a patient. If a patient believes that a hospital was not in material compliance with price transparency laws, the patient or patient guarantor may file a lawsuit. If a judge or jury finds the hospital out of material compliance with federal hospital price transparency laws, the hospital is subject to a penalty equal to the amount of the debt, must refund any amount paid on the debt, dismiss any court action initiated by the hospital, and pay attorney fees and costs the patient or patient guarantor incurred relating to the action. Critical access hospitals have until February 15, 2023, to comply with federal hospital price transparency laws before the provisions of the act apply. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, the executive committee of the legislative council committee of the general assembly is permitted to establish policies allowing legislative committees to take remote testimony from one or more centralized remote sites around the state. The act repeals that provision and allows the executive committee of the legislative council to establish policies allowing legislative committees to take testimony from government officials and employees and the public. The act reduces general assembly general fund appropriation in the legislative appropriation act by $10,000 and appropriates $401,709 from the general fund to legislative council to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
On September 1, 2022, the state treasurer is required transfer to the capitol complex renovation fund (fund) any amounts credited to state agency capital reserve accounts on June 30, 2022, for annual depreciation-lease equivalent payments that are funded in connection with every appropriation in the capital construction section of the annual general appropriation act. For the 2022-23 fiscal year through the 2028-29 fiscal year, the state controller is required to credit the annual depreciation-lease equivalent payments to the fund rather than to the state agency capital reserve accounts. Each state agency that terminates a lease for private space is required to calculate the annual reduction in its costs for leased space. Beginning in the 2023-24 fiscal year, the general assembly is required to annually transfer an amount equal to each state agency's annual reduction in lease costs to the capital construction fund. Such transfers continue until the state treasurer determines that the amount transferred to the capital construction fund from lease savings equals the amount transferred to the fund from the annual depreciation-lease equivalent payments. The capitol complex renovation fund is created, and the money in the fund is appropriated to the department of personnel for certain capital construction needs for existing state-owned buildings in the capitol complex. Up to $23 million of the money in the fund is set aside for use by the legislative department for improvements to legislative spaces in the capitol complex. The department of personnel is required to submit a quarterly report to the capital development committee regarding the status of the capitol complex renovations funded with money in the fund. Any unexpended and unencumbered money appropriated to a department in a specific line item for utilities in a fiscal year remains available for expenditure in the next fiscal year without further appropriation for the department to purchase utilities conservation equipment or services. $18,600,000 is transferred from the capitol complex master plan implementation fund to the fund. Two floors of the capitol building annex at 1375 Sherman street are included in the spaces over which the general assembly has control and for which the general assembly is responsible for the supervision of maintenance. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, $26,721,314 is appropriated to the department of personnel from the fund. The department may use the appropriation for capital construction related to capitol complex renovation projects pursuant to the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Currently, there is a property tax deferral program (program) for the state to make a secured loan to a qualified taxpayer to pay property taxes owed for the taxpayer's homestead. The act shifts the administrative responsibilities for the program from county treasurers to the state treasurer. This includes requiring: A taxpayer to file a claim for deferral with the state treasurer; The state treasurer to supply the deferral forms; The state treasurer to issue the certificate of tax deferral and record the certificate with the appropriate county clerk and recorder free of charge; The county treasurer to refund any overpayment on an account that has been deferred to the person who paid the taxes; A taxpayer to tender repayment of the loan to the state treasurer; and The state treasurer to send a deferral notice to taxpayers who have previously deferred property taxes, which notice has been updated to reflect the state treasurer's administrative role. The state treasurer cannot be held personally liable for failure to provide notices relating to property in the program. In addition, the state treasurer is permitted to: Conduct a public education campaign about the program; Contract with a third party to administer the program on behalf of the state treasurer; and Promulgate rules for the administration of the program. The act also creates an exception to the requirement that a loan becomes payable for a taxpayer when a property is no longer the taxpayer's homestead or when the taxpayer's equity in the property is less than the amount of the deferral and accrued interest on the deferral if the property becomes uninhabitable and loses its value as a result of natural causes, and it permits the state treasurer to foreclose a deferred tax lien once taxes and accrued interest become delinquent, instead of requiring the foreclosure. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates a film incentive task force to study how to make the performance-based incentive for film production in Colorado more effective. The task force is required to submit its findings to the house of representatives business affairs and labor committee and the senate business, labor, and technology committee by January 1, 2023. The executive director of the office of economic development is authorized, in the executive director's discretion, to authorize the approval or issuance of an incentive in an amount that exceeds the current statutory limit of 20% of qualifying local expenditures for a production company that qualifies for an incentive. On July 1, 2022, the state treasurer is required to transfer $2 million from the general fund to the Colorado office of film, television, and media operational account cash fund. The $2 million that is transferred is appropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of economic development for the Colorado office of film, television, and media. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)