The act creates a data-sharing task force with 15 members that will meet a minimum of 6 times to evaluate data-sharing practices between state and municipal courts. The act requires the task force to: Investigate current data sharing and access to court data systems; Consider processes for sharing data and providing access to court data systems statewide; and Consider safety measures or integration of systems in order to protect sensitive data in court systems. The task force is required to report its findings and recommendations to the judiciary committees of the house or representatives and the senate, or any successor committees, on or before January 8, 2024. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $115,440 is appropriated from the general fund to the judicial department to implement the act. The department may use this appropriation for information technology infrastructure. APPROVED by Governor June 7, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 7, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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In 2021, Senate Bill 21-271 adjusted misdemeanor penalties for a variety of offenses described in the Colorado Revised Statutes, including the penalty for certain offenses involving the operation of a commercial motor vehicle. This penalty was changed from a misdemeanor to a class A traffic infraction. However, despite making this change, Senate Bill 21-271 retained certain language that describes the punishment for the former misdemeanor offense. The act clarifies that the penalty for the described offenses involving a commercial motor vehicle, including operating a commercial motor vehicle without a commercial driver's license, is $100, to be accompanied by a $15 surcharge. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes the following changes to the "Colorado Open Records Act" (CORA): Prohibits a custodian of public records from requiring a requester to provide any form of identification to request or inspect records pursuant to CORA unless a requester is otherwise required to provide identification pursuant to law; Clarifies that if a public record is available in a digital format that is searchable, the custodian is required to provide a digital copy of the record in a searchable format unless otherwise requested by the requester; Specifies that if a public record is available in a digital format, the custodian is required to transmit copy of the record in a digital format by electronic mail or by another mutually-agreed upon transmission method if the size of the record prevents transmission by electronic mail; Prohibits a custodian from converting a digital record into a non-searchable format prior to transmission; Allows a custodian to deny a requester's right to inspect the telephone number or home address that a person provides to an elected official, agency, institution, or political subdivision of the state for the purpose of future communication with the elected official, agency, institution, or political subdivision of the state; Notwithstanding specified provisions of law, makes certain records of sexual harassment complaints made against an elected official and the results or report of investigations regarding alleged sexual harassment by an elected official available for inspection if the investigation concludes that the elected official is culpable for any act of sexual harassment; Requires each member of the general assembly, the governor's office and each office of the governor, and each state agency and institution to submit, on or before January 1, 2024, a report to the staff of the legislative council of the general assembly outlining its respective electronic mail retention policy; Prohibits a custodian from charging a per-page fee for providing copies of a public record if the record is provided in a digital or electronic format; and Requires a custodian to allow records requesters to pay any fee or deposit associated with the request via a credit card or electronic payment if the custodian allows members of the public to pay for any other service or product provided by the custodian with a credit card or electronic payment. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act expands the duties of the office of the inspector general in the department of corrections (department) to include, upon request of law enforcement, seeking out and arresting any fugitive from a correctional facility and assisting law enforcement in the apprehension of any fugitives from justice throughout the state. The department is required to annually report to the general assembly about the inspector general's work apprehending, and assisting law enforcement agencies with apprehending, fugitives. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act establishes the division of civil protections and rights in the department of law. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows a state elected official or local elected official to restrict or bar an individual from using the private social media of the elected official. Private social media is social media that is not supported by government resources and is not required by law to be created or maintained by an elected official. An elected official may restrict or bar an individual from using the private social media of the elected official for any reason, including for bullying, harassment, or intimidation, in the elected official's discretion. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows the department of transportation (department) to establish steep downhill grade zones within the public highways of the state where the downhill grade is 5% or greater and where there are safety concerns related to commercial motor vehicle drivers exceeding the posted speed limits. If the department establishes a steep downhill grade zone, the department must erect signs identifying the zone and notifying commercial motor vehicle drivers that increased fines are assessed for speeding in the zone. The act subjects a commercial motor vehicle driver who commits a speeding violation in a steep downhill grade zone to doubled fines and surcharges. The act creates the mountain highways commercial motor vehicle safety account (account) within the highway users tax fund and requires the state treasurer to credit one-half of the amount of each doubled fine and surcharge to the account for the department to pay costs associated with the provision of educational outreach and public information about runaway truck events, the purchase and implementation of equipment for the purpose of reducing the frequency of runaway truck events, and the completion of studies of means by which the state may reduce the frequency of runaway truck events and improve overall commercial motor vehicle safety on state highways that pass through the state's mountains. The act appropriates $54,073 to the department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund for the 2023-24 state fiscal year. The act reappropriates $7,425 of the appropriation to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology to provide information technology services to the department of revenue. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE January 1, 2024 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to annually prepare a written hospital expenditure report. The act changes the name of the report to the hospital transparency report (transparency report). The act adds specified information that each hospital shall report to the state department for the transparency report. No later than July 1, 2024, the act requires each hospital to provide specified information to the state department for previous fiscal years. The act authorizes the state department to impose certain enforcement mechanisms against a hospital that does not provide all of the information required to be reported to the state department. Current law requires the state department to submit the transparency report to the house of representatives public and behavioral health and human services committee. The act requires the transparency report to also be submitted to the house of representatives health and insurance committee. The act requires the state department to report on the transparency report during the state department's "SMART Act" hearing. Beginning July 1, 2024, the act requires any patient bill to follow industry standard billing practices, including, at a minimum, the date of service, the patient's name, the provider's name, a description of the services provided, and the charges for each service. The act appropriates $75,167 to the state department from the healthcare affordability and sustainability cash fund to implement the act. It is anticipated that the state department will receive an additional $75,165 in federal funds for the implementation of the act. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act codifies the Colorado access to justice commission (commission). The governor, legislative leadership, supreme court of Colorado, and Colorado legal organizations appoint the 17- to 20-member commission, and the Colorado supreme court justice liaison, the executive director of Colorado legal services, the executive director of the legal aid foundation of Colorado, and a representative of the Colorado attorney general serve as ex officio nonvoting members of the commission. The act directs the commission to make recommendations regarding legislative and regulatory changes that could help improve access to justice for all Coloradans, and allows the commission to hire staff. The act creates the Colorado access to justice commission cash fund. The commission is authorized to receive gifts, grants, and donations to fund the commission's duties. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law criminalizes auto theft as "aggravated motor vehicle theft in the first degree" and "aggravated motor vehicle theft in the second degree." The penalties for both aggravated motor vehicle thefts are based on the value of the vehicle or vehicles stolen. The act changes the term "aggravated motor vehicle theft" to "motor vehicle theft," changes the elements for motor vehicle theft in the first degree and second degree, and creates the offense of motor vehicle theft in the third degree. The penalties for motor vehicle theft are no longer based on the value of the vehicle or vehicles stolen. The act makes motor vehicle theft in the first degree a class 3 felony, motor vehicle theft in the second degree a class 4 felony, and motor vehicle theft in the third degree a class 5 felony. The act creates the offense "unauthorized use of a motor vehicle" and makes it a class 1 misdemeanor, or a class 5 felony for a second or subsequent offense. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $24,409 is appropriated from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund to the division of motor vehicles in the department of revenue for DRIVES maintenance and support. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)