Rep. Daneya Esgar

The act creates the southern Colorado institute of transportation technology (institute) at Colorado state university - Pueblo, which is designated as the host institution for the institute, and specifies that the role and mission of the institute is to conduct research related to the safety, security, and innovation of railroad, ground, and intermodal transportation and general issues related to surface transportation problems in the state. The institute must also support government and academic surface transportation related research and serve as a competitive funding resource for small Colorado businesses developing and testing surface transportation technologies. The act also: Establishes a governing board for the institute, requires the institute to have a director, and specifies the powers and duties of the governing board and the director; Requires the institute to annually report to the joint budget committee and education committee of the general assembly; and Specifies a process by which Colorado state university - Pueblo may opt out of being the host institution for the institute.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $4 million from the general fund to the Colorado state fair authority cash fund within 3 days after the date the act takes effect to partly fund the implementation of the 2021 Colorado state fair master plan. $4,000,000 is appropriated from the Colorado state fair authority cash fund to the department of agriculture for use by the Colorado state fair. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Beginning July 1, 2023, the act grants the public employees of a county with a population of 7,500 people or more (county employees) the right to: Organize, form, join, or assist an employee organization or refrain from doing so; Engage in collective bargaining; Engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection; Communicate with other county employees and with employee organization representatives and receive and distribute literature regarding employee organization issues; and Have an exclusive representative at formal discussions concerning a grievance, a personnel policy or practice, or any other condition of employment. The act clarifies that county employees may participate fully in the political process. Additionally, the act: Grants the exclusive representative of county employees the right to access county employees at work, through electronic communication, and through other means, including employee orientations; Requires counties to honor county employee authorizations for payroll deductions for the exclusive representative; Clarifies that specific rights of county employers are not impaired unless otherwise agreed to in a collective bargaining agreement; Clarifies that nothing in a collective bargaining agreement restricts or usurps the existing authority granted to county commissioners; Requires the director of the division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment (director) to enforce, interpret, apply, and administer the provisions of the act and, in doing so, to adopt rules, hold hearings, and impose administrative remedies; Authorizes the director or any party of interest to request a district court to enforce orders made pursuant to the act; Sets forth the process by which an employee organization is certified and decertified as the exclusive representative of county employees; Sets forth the process by which an appropriate bargaining unit is determined; and Requires the county and the exclusive representative to collectively bargain in good faith. The act states that the collective bargaining agreement is an agreement negotiated between an exclusive representative and a county, with the approval of the board of county commissioners of the county, that must: Be for a term of at least 12 months and not more than 60 months; and Provide a grievance procedure that culminates in final and binding arbitration. The act prohibits a collective bargaining agreement from: Delaying the prompt interviewing of county employees under investigation; Permitting a county employee to use paid time for a suspension from employment; Permitting the expungement of disciplinary records under certain circumstances; and Imposing limits on the period of time for which a county employee may be disciplined for incidents of violence. The act describes the dispute resolution process that the exclusive representative and a county must follow if an impasse arises during the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement. The act sets forth the actions taken during the collective bargaining process by a county or an exclusive representative that are unfair labor practices. To implement the act, $326,092 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of labor and employment and from that appropriation, $59,142 is reappropriated to the department of law to provide legal services for the department of labor and employment. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires: The department of higher education (department), in consultation with state institutions of higher education (institutions) and a business organization or industry representative, to develop and implement a process that encourages institutions to identify incremental achievements on the path to degree completion, organize stackable credentials, and identify how credentials may be evaluated and then may become stacked into stackable credential pathways to provide increased access to employment and may result in a degree; The department to facilitate the creation of stackable credential pathways for at least 3 growing industries by January 1, 2024, and at least 2 more growing industries by January 1, 2025; The general assembly to appropriate $1 million to the department from the workers, employers, and workforce centers cash fund for the 2022-23 fiscal year; and The department of higher education to submit a report to the education committees regarding implementation of the act that includes data collected by institutions to measure the total number of credits, credentials, certificates, and professional licenses earned in each pathway at each institution and the funding allocated and distributed to implement the act. The act requires the department to allocate and disburse funds to community and technical colleges and local district colleges to fund student access to nondegree credential programs. The general assembly is required to appropriate $1.8 million to the department for this purpose for the 2022-23 fiscal year. The act requires the general assembly to appropriate $800,000 to the department of education for the adult education and literacy grant program for the 2022-23 fiscal year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the America 250 - Colorado 150 commission (commission) in History Colorado to develop programs and plan for the official observance of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood. The commission is directed to develop and promote plans for activities between July 1, 2025, and December 31, 2026, including historical activities, publication of historical documents, public ceremonies, educational activities for Colorado youth, and other commemorative events, to be supported by comprehensive marketing and tourism campaigns. The commission is required to identify, celebrate, and build knowledge around the history of Black communities, Indigenous communities, communities of color, women, and people with disabilities. In addition, the commission is required to ensure that the activities planned by the commission represent the geographic and demographic diversity of the state, are accessible to people with disabilities, and are accessible to communities throughout the state on an equitable basis. The commission is also authorized to represent the state in official dealings with the United States semi-quincentennial commission and the America250 foundation. An advisory panel composed of regional representatives from the state's tourism districts is created to consult on regional activities celebrating the history and culture of regions across the state. The commission is authorized to establish additional subcommittees to assist the commission in the fulfillment of its duties. History Colorado is required to annually report on the commission's activities as part of its "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" reports. The commission is repealed effective June 30, 2027. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Whenever a child is conceived or born as a result of an assisted reproduction procedure (procedure) and the person who did not give birth is a parent or a presumed parent, the act allows the parents to complete an adoption of the child to affirm parentage. In such an instance, both parents must join the adoption petition as petitioners. The act details what must be included on a form for adoption or a voluntary acknowledgment of parentage to acknowledge parentage of the child, as well as jurisdictional requirements and options. The act clarifies the requirements for parentage when a child is conceived through a procedure, including that the donor of gametes used in the procedure is not considered a parent, unless the gamete donor is a spouse or civil union partner of the person who gives birth to the child. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The property tax administrator is required by law, after consultation with the advisory committee to the property tax administrator and subject to the approval of the state board of equalization, to prepare and publish manuals, appraisal procedures, instructions, and guidelines (property tax materials) concerning the administration of property tax. Beginning January 1, 2023, section 1 of the act requires the administrator to conduct a public hearing on a proposed change to the property tax materials before submitting the proposed change to the advisory committee to the property tax administrator. The administrator must publish notice of the hearing and mail notice to those people who so request. At the hearing, interested persons may submit information and the administrator is required to consider any submissions. Any interested person may also file a written petition to the administrator for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of any property tax materials. Currently, a taxpayer who wishes to protest the valuation of their taxable real property must file a notice of their objection and protest with the assessor by June 1. Sections 3 and 4 extend this deadline to June 8. Section 4 also requires an assessor who discovers any error that impacts the valuation of a class or subclass of property to recommend to the county board of equalization an adjustment to the class or subclass of property to correct the error. Section 5 requires the state board of assessment appeals to advance an appeal concerning the valuation of rent-producing commercial real property on the board of assessment appeals' calendar when the taxpayer provides certain relevant information and requests an advancement on or before July 15 of the same calendar year. The board of assessment appeals may charge a fee to a taxpayer, if the board of assessment appeals advances the taxpayer's appeal. Section 6 places a 5% cap on the amount by which a valuation of property set by a county board of equalization can be increased on appeal. $2000 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of local affairs for use by the board of assessment appeals for implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)