Rep. Daneya Esgar

The act repeals the current provision that directs the state treasurer to transfer the unexpended money from the appropriation to pay counties for the amount of money lost due to exemptions from property taxes to the senior services account (account) of the older Coloradans cash fund (fund) and to the veterans assistance grant program cash fund. The act directs the state treasurer to transfer any money remaining in the account to the fund and repeals the account. The act directs the state treasurer to deduct $13 million from the fund and transfer it to the general fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act transfers $1,000,000 from the general fund to the capital construction fund for use by the department of natural resources to develop infrastructure to open a state park on the property surrounding Fishers Peak. The parks and wildlife commission is instructed to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of developing and improving Fishers Peak state park. By December 1, 2020, the commission will submit a report to the general assembly detailing state park funding needs and shortfalls. The general fund appropriation made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2020-21 state fiscal year to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology for applications administration is decreased by $1,000,000, thus enabling the transfer of $1,000,000 from the general fund to the capital construction fund. The act appropriates $1,000,000 from the capital construction fund to the department of natural resources for use by the division of parks and wildlife for capital construction related to infrastructure development projects, including conducting any necessary cultural and natural resource studies, at the new Fishers Peak state park in Las Animas county. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

For the purpose of augmenting the revenue in the state general fund, the act requires the state treasurer to make specific transfers to the general fund. On June 30, 2020, the state treasurer is required to transfer the following amounts to the general fund: $3,176 from the employment verification fund, as it existed prior to its repeal in 2016; The unexpended and unencumbered balance from the fund state employee reserve fund; $7.9 million from the Fort Logan land sale account in the capital construction fund; $8,381,753 from the indirect costs excess recovery fund; $1,887,116 from the state supplemental security income stabilization fund; $1 million from the veterans assistance grant program cash fund; $167,463 from the Moffat tunnel cash fund; and $10 million from the multimodal transportation options fund. On July 1, 2020, the state treasurer is required to transfer: $45.5 million from the severance tax perpetual base fund to the general fund; and $43 million from the unclaimed property trust fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act: Repeals the state regulatory program concerning the registration, fees, record keeping, violations, and rules regarding waste grease; and Reduces the cash funds appropriation from the solid waste management fund made in the 2020-21 general appropriation act (long bill) by $100,890 and reduces the related FTE by 0.7 FTE.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act makes revisions to the higher education funding provisions creating a new higher education funding allocation model (new funding model). The new funding model begins in the 2021-22 state fiscal year and includes new provisions for calculating fee-for-service contracts for institutions and makes related changes to the calculation of state funding to support specialty education programs, area technical colleges, and local district colleges. Under the new funding model, fee-for-service contracts for institutions are based on 3 components: Ongoing additional funding, performance funding, and temporary additional funding. The Colorado commission on higher education (commission), in conjunction with the department of higher education (department) and in collaboration with the institutions, shall calculate and make funding recommendations to the joint budget committee for these components as part of the annual budget request process. Ongoing additional funding is base building and may be awarded to an institution to make progress toward the commission's master plan goals, which may include addressing base funding disparities or funding priorities not addressed through performance funding metrics. An institution may also receive ongoing additional funding through a formula set forth in the act to recognize an institution's additional costs associated with educating and providing services to first-generation undergraduate students. Performance funding is calculated based on an institution's change over time in performance on each performance funding metric compared to other institutions' change in performance and adjusted based on each institution's share of funding in the previous state fiscal year. The performance funding metrics include: Resident student full-time equivalent enrollment; Credential completion; Resident Pell-eligible student population share; Resident underrepresented minority student population share; Retention rate; One-hundred-percent-of-time graduation rate; One-hundred-fifty-percent-of-time graduation rate; and Resident first-generation undergraduate student population share. The joint budget committee determines the amount of funding allocated to each performance funding metric for a fiscal year after considering recommendations from the commission and department that are developed in collaboration with the institutions. Finally, temporary additional funding, which is not base building, may be awarded to an institution for a specified period of time to address commission master plan goals or other areas the commission identifies. Under current law and the new model, minimum funding for specialty education programs, local district colleges, and area technical colleges is based on their previous year's funding, increased or decreased by the average percentage change in state funding for all institutions (percentage change). However, the act modifies how the percentage change is calculated so that it does not include amounts awarded to institutions for ongoing additional funding or temporary additional funding in the applicable state fiscal year. The act requires the annual budget request that the commission and the department submit relating to the new funding model to include detailed information and funding recommendations. The act also requires the commission, in conjunction with the department and in collaboration with the institutions, to identify and make recommendations to the joint budget committee by July 1, 2022, concerning ways to better measure success for students who are not first-time, full-time students. This may include a recommendation for a statutory change to the calculation of one of the graduation rate performance funding metrics. The act repeals fiscal limits, reporting requirements, and budget provisions that do not apply to the new funding model. The act amends statutory references to reflect the creation of a new higher education funding model. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Beginning when the higher federal match afforded through the federal "Families First Coronavirus Response Act" expires, the act reduces the adult dental benefit so that it does not exceed $1,000 per year for a participant. From the savings from the reduction of the adult dental benefit in the medical assistance program, the act transfers $1,139,402 from the unclaimed property trust fund to the general fund in the 2020-21 fiscal year and $2,278,804 in the 2021-22 fiscal year. Furthermore, the act requires $331,462 to be appropriated from the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund to offset general fund expenditures for the state medical assistance program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act removes the requirement that the department of health care policy and financing and the department of human services implement high-fidelity wraparound services for children and youth at risk of out-of-home placement or in an out-of-home placement unless money is appropriated for the implementation of the services. The act removes the requirement that the department of public health and environment provide statewide training for primary care providers on the standardized screening tools unless money is appropriated for the training. The act reduces appropriations to the department of health care policy and financing and the department of human services. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law authorizes the general assembly to appropriate money to the state historical society from the museum and preservation operations account of the state historical fund to pay for history Colorado certificates of participation. The act allows money to also be appropriated from the general fund or any other available fund. On October 1, 2019, the state treasurer transferred $1 million from the preservation grant program account in the state historical fund to the capital construction fund to repaint the interior of the dome of the state capitol building. The act transfers the unencumbered portion of that amount on July 1, 2020, from the capital construction fund to the museum and preservation operations account in the state historical fund. The state historical society is authorized to direct the state treasurer to transfer up to $1 million from the preservation grant program account in the state historical fund to the museum and preservation operations account for each of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 state fiscal years. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The office of economic development (office) currently contracts with a nonprofit entity that was designated by the federal defense logistics agency to provide procurement technical assistance statewide (nonprofit entity). The nonprofit entity helps small businesses in the state obtain and perform government contracts at the local, state, and federal level. This includes small businesses owned by women, minorities, and veterans. The current 6-year contract between the office and the nonprofit entity will expire in September 2020. The act authorizes the office to renew the contract for up to 5 years. As part of the state's investment in the procurement technical assistance program (state's investment), current law specifies that the general assembly shall not contribute more than $200,000 from the general fund or any other source annually. The act specifies that for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 state fiscal years, the general assembly shall not provide more than $175,000 from the general fund for the state's investment, and that for the 2020-21 state fiscal year only, the office shall provide, within existing resources, the remaining $25,000 toward the state's investment. In addition, the act allows the general assembly to increase its contribution to the state's investment in any contract year so long as the nonprofit entity contributes a 100% match to the increased amount in the same contract year by soliciting gifts, grants, and donations. In addition, the nonprofit entity is required to obtain $200,000 in gifts, grants, or donations annually for part of the state's investment. In the 3rd through 6th contract year of the original contract, current law requires that at least 25% of the $200,000 be in the form of cash. The act extends this requirement for each year of the renewed contract. Current law also requires the state treasurer to annually transfer $220,000 from the general fund to the procurement technical assistance cash fund through the 2019-20 state fiscal year. The act extends the annual transfer through the 2024-25 fiscal year; except that for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 state fiscal years, the amount of the transfer is $175,000. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act repeals the prohibition on the general assembly appropriating the bulk of the money from the marijuana tax cash fund until the year following the year that the revenue is received by the state. The fund reserve is clarified in light of this change. The state treasurer is required to transfer $136,989,750 from the fund to the general fund on October 1, 2020. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)