Rep. Jeni James Arndt

Under current law, the department of education may issue a professional license to a teacher or special services provider who holds a comparable license from another state and has 3 years of continuous teaching or special services experience. The bill exempts military spouses, as defined in the bill, from the requirement that the teaching or special services experience be continuous, and instead requires 3 years of experience within the previous 7 years. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More

Current law allows the Colorado water conservation board to approve up to 15 pilot projects for agricultural water leasing or fallowing projects. The bill expands the types of projects that may be approved to include deficit irrigation projects, which use less than the optimal amount of water on a particular crop, but limits these projects to water divisions 2 and 3 and within the boundaries of the upper Gunnison water conservancy district. The bill also excludes from the determination of historical consumptive use decreases in use resulting from deficit irrigation projects to conserve or lease water. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Water Resources Review Committee. Pursuant to the federal clean water act and the federal 'Safe Water Drinking Act', the Colorado water resources and power development authority (authority) makes loans under its water pollution control revolving fund and its drinking water revolving fund. Under state law, the duration of any water pollution control loan made by the authority must not exceed 20 years after project completion; however, the federal clean water act now allows for loans up to the lesser of 30 years or the projected useful life of the project, as determined by the state. The bill removes the 20-year limitation on water pollution control loans and authorizes the authority to make loans in compliance with the clean water act and the 'Safe Water Drinking Act'.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Water Resources Review Committee. Current law requires operators of sand and gravel open mines that expose groundwater to the atmosphere to obtain a well permit and either: A replacement plan approved by the ground water commission for designated groundwater; or a plan for augmentation approved by the water court or a plan of substitute supply approved by the state engineer for tributary groundwater. The bill specifies that the replacement plan (in section 1 of the bill) or the plan of substitute supply (in section 2 ) and the permit may authorize uses of water incidental to open mining for sand and gravel, including specifically (among other things) the mitigation of impacts from mining and dewatering.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Under current law, if a school district board of education (local school board) denies an application for a charter school or revokes or refuses to renew an existing charter, the charter applicant or charter school can appeal the decision to the state board of education (state board). If the state board remands the decision for reconsideration and the local school board confirms its prior decision, the charter applicant or charter school can appeal to the state board again, and the state board may order the local school board to grant the charter application or to reinstate or renew the existing charter. The bill removes the second appeal for denial of a charter application or the revocation or nonrenewal of an existing charter. If a charter applicant or charter school appeals a local school board's decision to deny an application or revoke or not renew an existing charter, the state board may remand the decision to the local school board for reconsideration, but the local school board's decision upon remand is final and not subject to further appeal. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More

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Current law regulating campaign finance does not set limits on contributions to candidates for school district director. Section 2 of the bill: Sets aggregate limits on contributions to candidates for school district director from persons other than small donor committees for any regular biennial or special school election in the amount of $500; and Sets aggregate limits on contributions to candidates for school district director from small donor committees for any regular biennial or special school election in the amount of $5,000. Section 3 subjects the new contribution limits to existing statutory provisions governing the disclosure of campaign contributions. Section 4 contains requirements governing when a candidate for school district director is required to disclose information concerning campaign contributions and clarifies that such candidates are required to file their disclosure with the secretary of state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More

The bill creates a marijuana research and development license that allows the holder to possess marijuana for research purposes and a marijuana research and development cultivation license that allows the holder to grow, cultivate, possess, and transfer marijuana for research purposes. An applicant must submit with the license application a description of the research to be conducted, and if the research involves a public entity or public money, then the scientific advisory commission shall review and assess the research project. A marijuana research and development cultivation licensee may only sell marijuana it grows to other marijuana research and development cultivation licensees. A marijuana research and development licensee or marijuana research and development cultivation licensee may contract with a public research institution of higher education or another marijuana research and development licensee. The state licensing authority may promulgate rules related to marijuana research and development licenses and marijuana research and development cultivation licenses. The bill allows a medical marijuana testing facility licensee to test medical marijuana and medical marijuana-infused products for marijuana research and development licensees and marijuana research and development cultivation licensees, and marijuana or marijuana-infused products grown or produced by a registered patient or registered primary caregiver on behalf of a registered patient, upon verification of registration and verification that the patient is a participant in a clinical or observational study conducted by a marijuana research and development licensee or marijuana research and development cultivation licensee. The bill takes effect July 1, 2018. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Current law allows water to be stored only at a location that has been specifically identified in a decree. The bill allows a water right for which the historical consumptive use was previously quantified to be stored in any reservoir, without the necessity of adjudicating an additional change of water right, if: The water will be diverted from a point of diversion that has already been decreed for that water right and the alternate place of storage is located on the same ditch or reservoir system; Previous notice is given to the division engineer; Transit and ditch losses are assessed from the decreed point of diversion to the alternate place of storage; The division engineer approves the proposed accounting of the storage; and The water was not imported from another water division.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Currently, a tow carrier who tows abandoned motor vehicles uses an electronic system to access department records to ascertain and notify the motor vehicle's owner and lienholder. The bill allows insurers and salvage pools to use the same system to determine a motor vehicle's owner and lienholder. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)