The bill requires the director of the office of economic development (office) or the director's designee to conduct or cause to be conducted a study (feasibility study) regarding the feasibility of using small modular nuclear reactors as a carbon-free energy source for the state and includes specific items that must be included in the feasibility study. By July 1, 2024, the director of the office is required to provide a written report to the committees of the senate and house of representatives having jurisdiction over energy matters regarding the findings and conclusions from the feasibility study. The bill appropriates $500,000 from the general fund to the office for the 2022-23 fiscal year to be used for the purposes of the feasibility study. In addition, current law defines recycled energy as energy produced by a generation unit with a nameplate capacity of not more than 15 megawatts. For pumped hydroelectricity generation only, the bill specifies that the energy be produced by a generation unit with a nameplate capacity of not more than 400 megawatts. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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Current law prohibits a hospital from including the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee as a separate line item in its billing statements. The bill allows a hospital to include the total amount of the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee as a separate line item in its billing statements to increase transparency for patients. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act directs the chief information officer to convene an advisory group to study where personally identifiable information is stored by state agencies throughout Colorado, to study entities that have access to personally identifiable information stored by state agencies, and to determine the costs and processes necessary to centralize the storage and protection of personally identifiable information.The advisory group consists of the members of the government data advisory board, a member who represents the attorney general's office, and members selected and appointed by the chief information officer who are personally identifiable information experts.The advisory group shall report to the general assembly on or before January 1, 2023, with its findings and recommendations for legislation, if any. The advisory group is subject to repeal January 1, 2024.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes various changes to statutory provisions to promote transparency for special districts. Specifically:Under current law, the designated election official is required to provide notice by publication of a call for nominations for a regular local government election. Except for metropolitan districts organized after January 1, 2000, the act requires that notice be made exclusively by publication and by any one of 4 additional means. In the case of any metropolitan district that was organized after January 1, 2000, the act requires the notice of the call for nominations to be made by emailing the notice to each active registered elector of the metropolitan district as specified in the registration list provided by the county clerk and recorder as of the date that is 150 days prior to the date of the regular local government election. Where the active registered elector does not have an e-mail address on file for such purpose with the county clerk and recorder as of that date, the public notice must be made by mailing the notice, at the lowest cost option, to each address at which one or more active registered electors of the metropolitan district resides as specified in the registration list provided by the county clerk and recorder as of that date. In addition to the means of providing public notice of the call for nominations that is required under the act, the designated election official must also provide public notice by any one of 4 alternate means specified in the act; The act exempts inactive special districts from new requirements under the act concerning maintenance of a district's website and a district's annual report; The act requires a metropolitan district, by a certain date, to establish, maintain, and annually update an official website in a form that is readily accessible to the public that contains information that is specified in the act; The act adds to existing statutory requirements regarding the annual report to be filed by a special district and, among other things, supplements the type of information to be included in the annual report; The act prohibits a metropolitan district from exercising its power of dominant eminent domain within a municipality or the unincorporated area of a county, other than within the boundaries of the jurisdiction that approved its service plan, without a written resolution approving the exercise of dominant eminent domain by the governing body of the municipality in connection with property that is located within an incorporated area or by the board of county commissioners of the county in connection with property that is located within an unincorporated area; and The act requires, on and after January 1, 2022, each owner of real property that sells real property that includes a newly constructed residence that is located within a metropolitan district, concurrently with or prior to the execution of a contract to sell the property, to provide to the purchaser of the property certain information or statements specified in the act relating to the finances of the metropolitan district, including information about the debt obligations of the district and an estimate of property taxes applicable to the property at the time of the sale.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act expands the peace officers mental health support grant program (grant program) to include law enforcement agencies, behavioral health entities, county or district public health agencies, community-based social service and behavioral health providers, peace officer organizations, and public safety agencies as eligible entities. The act renames the grant program the peace officers behavioral health support and community partnerships grant program to reflect these changes.The act also expands the purposes for which grant money can be used to include co-responder community responses and community-based alternative responses. Public safety agencies, law enforcement agencies, and peace officer organizations that apply for a grant are encouraged to do so in collaboration with mental health centers and other community-based social service or behavioral health providers in their region. The act specifies which funding opportunities each entity may apply for.The act appropriates $1,000,000 to the department of local affairs for the grant program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
On July 1, 2021, the state treasurer is required to transfer $124 million from the general fund to the state highway fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the rural jump-start zone grant program (grant program) and authorizes the Colorado economic development commission (commission) to issue grants, subject to available appropriations, as follows:Up to $20,000 to new businesses to establish operations; Up to $40,000 to new businesses to establish operations in a tier one transition community; Up to $2,500 to new businesses for each new hire; and Up to $5,000 to new businesses for each new hire who is hired for operations established in a tier one transition community. The act also authorizes the commission to issue grants, at its discretion and subject to available appropriations, not to exceed $30,000 per applicant, to a state institution of higher education or an economic development organization that collaborates with a new business in order to support the new business in meeting the requirements for the business under the grant program.The act creates the rural jump-start zone grant fund account in the Colorado economic development fund, which consists of any money appropriated to the fund by the general assembly, and may be used:By the commission to issue grants; and For the direct and indirect costs that the Colorado office of economic development incurs, not to exceed a specified amount, to administer the grant program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)