Rep. Andy Boesenecker

The act prohibits a property owner (owner) of a multiunit building, including a multidwelling and multitenant building and a mobile home park, from denying a broadband provider (provider) access to the property to install the necessary infrastructure to provide broadband service. The act specifies the legal obligations and rights of both broadband providers and owners regarding the deployment of broadband infrastructure. APPROVED by Governor May 22, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act clarifies the scope of the high-performance transportation enterprise's (transportation enterprise) powers and duties to expand its capacity to execute its charge and more explicitly prioritize mitigation of traffic congestion and traffic-related pollution through the completion of multimodal surface transportation infrastructure projects as follows: Section 13: Authorizes the transportation enterprise to impose a congestion impact fee, as a new user fee, in maximum amounts of up to $3 per day that is subsequently adjusted for inflation, and, in conjunction with section 12, requires the fee to be collected and administered in the same manner as an existing state daily vehicle rental fee; Clarifies that providing diverse multimodal transportation options, including rail projects, that reduce traffic congestion and degradation of existing surface transportation infrastructure is part of the transportation enterprise's statutory charge; Requires the transportation enterprise to develop a new multimodal strategic capital plan that aligns with the 10-year transportation plan of the Colorado department of transportation (CDOT) and statewide greenhouse gas pollution reduction goals and priorities, complies with specified environmental standards adopted by the transportation commission, and prioritizes benefits to user fee payers and the reduction of adverse impacts on highways; Requires the transportation enterprise to complete an initial assessment of opportunities available through 2030 to leverage federal money made available to the state and to thereafter assess such opportunities on an ongoing basis; and Requires the transportation enterprise to detail its work to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions and support the expansion of public transit in its annual report to the legislative committees with oversight over transportation; and Section 11 modifies an existing definition of "surface transportation infrastructure" to explicitly include multimodal transportation options and transportation of freight. Section 11 also modifies an existing definition of "user fee" to include the new congestion impact fee. Section 4 authorizes the regional transportation district (RTD) to extend construction and operations of its northwest rail fixed guideway corridor beyond its boundaries if all capital and operating expenses outside the RTD are fully accounted for and already reimbursed to the RTD by a public body. Section 6 requires the front range passenger rail district (rail district), in cooperation with RTD, CDOT, and the transportation enterprise, to provide to the transportation legislation review committee and the governor: A report containing an implementation plan, which must include, among other things, identification and evaluation of options for creating a separate legal entity or intergovernmental agreement as a business model, for construction and operations of the corridor and may also consider the creation of a Colorado rail authority to house some or all passenger rail services under one entity; and A report, which must also include the cooperation of any separate legal entity created, concerning a plan to begin providing front range passenger rail service no later than January 1, 2029. Sections 5, 7, 8, and 13, respectively and in conjunction with section 2, provide specific, explicit authorization to the RTD, the rail district, CDOT, and the transportation enterprise, in accordance with an implementation plan developed as required by section 6, to enter into a standalone intergovernmental agreement with or create a separate legal entity with each other to implement the completion of construction and operation of the RTD's northwest fixed guideway corridor, including an extension of the corridor to Fort Collins as the first phase of front range passenger rail service. Section 10 requires CDOT and the rail district to annually report to the transportation legislation review committee and the governor regarding the status of the service development plan for front range passenger rail service between Trinidad, Pueblo, and Fort Collins and requires the plan to include descriptions of steps taken to maximize the chances of securing federal grant assistance and of how the project will create good-paying, high-quality, and safe jobs. Section 9 requires CDOT's transit and rail division to submit a report containing a development plan for rocky mountain rail service to the legislative committees that oversee transportation and the governor not later than December 31, 2024. Section 15 appropriates $42,399 from the general fund to the department of revenue to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 16, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill creates a state sales and use tax exemption commencing on July 1, 2024, for all sales, storage, use, and consumption of college textbooks. The bill allows a county or municipality to choose to adopt the exemption by express inclusion in its sales and use tax ordinance or resolution. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill requires the Colorado school of public health to analyze draft model legislation for implementing a single-payer, nonprofit, publicly financed, and privately delivered universal health-care payment system for Colorado that directly compensates providers. The Colorado school of public health must submit a report detailing its findings to the general assembly by October 1, 2025 December 31, 2025 . The bill also creates the statewide health-care analysis advisory task force collaborative ("analysis collaborative") consisting of 21 members appointed 20 members invited by the general assembly and the governor executive director of the department of health care policy and financing, four members of the general assembly appointed by the president of the senate, minority leader of the senate, speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority leader of the house of representatives , as well as executive directors of specified state departments, the commissioner of insurance, and the chief executive officer of the Colorado health benefit exchange or any designees of the executive directors, the commissioner, and the chief executive officer. The advisory task force analysis collaborative is created for the purpose of advising the Colorado school of public health during the analysis. (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 improve the operational efficiency of the front range passenger rail district (district): Section 1 of the act modifies: The requirement that the board of the district (board) hold annual joint meetings with the transportation commission, the board of directors of the I-70 coalition or any successor entity, and the board of directors of the regional transportation district to require the board to provide an annual update, which may be provided by district staff, at the meeting and to allow the meeting to be held in a manner that allows members of the board and the entity it is meeting with to attend the meeting by electronic means; and The boundaries of the district. Section 2 clarifies when the terms of board members begin and end; and prohibits an advisory nonvoting member of the board from participating in an executive session if the board determines that a particular matter to be discussed in the executive session concerns the appointing authority for the advisory nonvoting member and should not be discussed when the advisory nonvoting member is present; Section 3 establishes that the board exercises its powers by a majority vote of a quorum of its voting directors rather than by a majority vote of a quorum of its total membership and, in conjunction with section 4, clarifies that the board has discretion to delegate its power to enter into contracts and agreements other than intergovernmental agreements and contracts for public-private partnerships to the officers and employees of the district; and Section 5 changes the name of a state-required district plan for developing rail service to avoid potential confusion that could be caused by similarity between the current name of the plan and the name of a federally required plan and specifies requirements for the certification of ballot measures referred by the board to the registered electors of the district. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill clarifies that the naturopathic doctor formulary (formulary) may include prescription classes of medicines and adds certain medicines to the formulary, including all legend drugs and, for a naturopathic doctor with a federal drug enforcement administration registration, all drugs listed on schedules III through V under the "Uniform Controlled Substances Act of 2013", except for benzodiazepines, opioids, and opioid derivatives . Before obtaining, dispensing, administering, injecting, ordering, or prescribing any of the medicines or devices on the formulary, a naturopathic doctor who is currently registered with the department of regulatory agencies must show proof of completion of 10 hours of pharmacological continuing education pertinent to or reflective of the naturopathic formulary. The bill prohibits a naturopathic doctor from prescribing any medicine or device to an individual under 18 years of age, or ketamine to an individual of any age, unless recommended by the naturopathic doctor advisory committee and approved by the director. Beginning September 1, 2024, the bill requires an individual applying for registration as a naturopathic doctor to pass a pharmacology examination administered by the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners or a nationally recognized, director-approved successor entity. For the renewal of a naturopathic doctor registration on or after June 1, 2025, the bill requires a naturopathic doctor to complete 12 hours per year of education in pharmacology. (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.)

On or before December 1, 2026, the bill requires a board of county commissioners or the governing body of a municipality to adopt a building code, or amend an existing building code, to allow up to 5 stories of a multifamily residential building to be served by a single exit. To satisfy this requirement, a local government shall incorporate by reference and adopt or adapt and adopt language from a portion of an existing building code that allows a single exit to serve no more than 5 stories of a group r-2 occupancy in the same building. If a local government so requests, the department of local affairs shall provide technical assistance to the local government in satisfying this requirement. The bill also clarifies that the adoption or amendment of a building code to satisfy the requirements of the bill does not qualify as adopting or enforcing a building code for the purpose of determining whether a board of county commissioners or the governing body of a municipality is required to adopt an energy code. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act modifies provisions governing the Colorado health benefit exchange (exchange) by: Eliminating the requirement for the board of directors of the exchange (board) to submit a report on the development of the exchange to the governor and the general assembly by January 15 and instead requiring the report to be submitted annually and to address open enrollment; Requiring the board to also present an open enrollment update to specified legislative committees during each legislative session; Requiring the exchange, rather than the board, to annually present to the Colorado health insurance exchange oversight committee (committee) the exchange's financial and operational plans and the major actions taken by the board; and Modifying the number of meetings of the committee during the interim. APPROVED by Governor April 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

On or before July 1, 2027, section 2 of the bill requires the energy and carbon management commission (commission) to adopt rules (permitting rules) to cease issuing new oil and gas permits (permits) before January 1, 2030, which rules must include certain reductions in the total number of oil and gas wells covered by new permits issued in 2028 and 2029. Section 2 also requires the commission to include as a condition in any permit issued after July 1, 2024, that certain operations must commence on or before December 31, 2032, as to each oil and gas well included in the permit. If the commission determines that mitigation of adverse environmental impacts is necessary as a result of oil and gas operations, current law requires the commission to issue an order requiring a responsible party to perform the mitigation. If the responsible party refuses to perform the mitigation or is identified after the state provides funds for the mitigation, the commission must sue the responsible party to recover the costs of the mitigation. Section 3 changes current law by: Expanding mitigation to include mitigation of adverse environmental impacts as a result of any activity regulated by the commission; Adding a prior owner or operator to the definition of "responsible party"; and Allowing a current or prior owner or operator to be held jointly and severally liable for the costs of any mitigation. Section 4 requires the office of future of work to present recommendations as a result of the adoption of the permitting rules to the general assembly in January 2028.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

For small group and individual health benefit plans, if an individual who is entitled to receive benefits or services under a health benefit plan has incurred any out-of-pocket expenses, including payments for a deductible or other coinsurance amount, under the health benefit plan during a plan year, and the individual's health insurance carrier exits the health insurance market and can no longer provide coverage to the individual, the bill requires the individual's new health insurance carrier to credit all of the out-of-pocket expenses paid by the individual in accordance with the original health benefit plan in the given plan year to the new health benefit plan if the individual enrolls in the new health benefit plan in the established special enrollment period. The bill grants rule-making authority to the commissioner of insurance. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)