State institutions of higher education - application for admission - criminal or educational disciplinary history inquiry. A state institution of higher education (institution) is prohibited from inquiring, prior to admission, about an applicant's criminal history or disciplinary history at an elementary, secondary, or postsecondary institution (disciplinary history); except that the institution may inquire into the following: An applicant's prior convictions or disciplinary history for stalking, sexual assault, and domestic violence; An applicant's convictions within 5 years before submitting the application for assault, kidnapping, voluntary manslaughter, or murder; and Any pending criminal charges against the applicant. An institution that accepts a form of application that may be used to apply to other institutions is prohibited from considering any criminal or disciplinary history information provided on that application that the institution is prohibited from inquiring into on its own application. An institution that accepts a form of application that is designed by a national application service, tailored for admission to a specific degree program, and used in other states may consider criminal history information provided on that application. An institution's review of an otherwise qualified applicant's disclosed criminal history or disciplinary history must be made in a reasonable amount of time. The institution shall provide an appeals process for an otherwise qualified applicant denied admission based on the applicant's criminal or disciplinary history. An institution is required to post its policies regarding inquiries into an applicant's criminal and disciplinary history on its website and file such policies with the Colorado commission on higher education (commission). An institution shall notify the commission at least 30 days before making any changes to such policies. An institution is permitted to inquire into an admitted student's criminal history when obtaining information pertaining to participation in campus life or student housing. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Sponsored bills
Traffic infractions - passing authorized snow plows in echelon formation - appropriation. The act states that a person commits a class A traffic offense if the person passes a snowplow that is operated by a state, county, or local government, displaying its lights, and performing its service function in echelon formation with one or more other such snowplows. "Echelon formation" means a formation in which snowplows are arranged diagonally, with each unit stationed behind and to the right, or behind and to the left, of the unit ahead. $3,375 is appropriated to the department of revenue to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Sex crimes - unlawful electronic sexual communication - minors. The act creates the crime of unlawful electronic sexual communication. The act prohibits a person from knowingly importuning, inviting, or enticing through communication via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message a person whom the actor knows or believes to be 15 years of age or older but less than18 years of age and at least 4 years younger than the actor, and the actor committing the offense is one in a position of trust with respect to that person, to: Expose or touch the person's own or another person's intimate parts while communicating with the actor via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message; or Observe the actor's intimate parts via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message. A violation of this provision is a class 6 felony. The act prohibits a person from knowingly communicating over a computer or computer network, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message to a person the actor knows or believes to be 15 years of age or older but less than 18 years of age and at least 4 years younger than the actor and, in that communication or in any subsequent communication, describes explicit sexual conduct and, in connection with that description, makes a statement persuading or inviting the person to meet the actor for any purpose, and the actor committing the offense is one in a position of trust with respect to that person. A violation of this provision is a class 6 felony, but it is a class 5 felony if committed with the intent to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual exploitation or sexual contact. The act require a person who commits unlawful electronic sexual communication to undergo sex offender treatment and register as a sex offender, and the defendant is subject to the sex offense against children procedures. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Under current law, if a defendant is arrested for certain crimes and the court determines that the public would be in significant peril if the accused is released, the defendant is not bailable. The bill removes from the list of crimes that are not bailable the crime of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and sex assault crimes. The bill requires each judicial district to develop: A pretrial screening process; and A chief judge administrative order specifying written criteria for the immediate release of certain defendants without any monetary conditions. The office of the state court administrator shall develop statewide standards and guidelines for the pretrial screening process and written criteria for immediate release of certain defendants without any monetary conditions. The bill creates a presumption that a defendant should be released with the least restrictive conditions possible and without monetary conditions unless the court finds one or more of the following: The person poses a substantial risk of danger to the safety of any person or the community; or There is a substantial risk that the person will attempt to flee prosecution; or There is a substantial risk that the person will attempt to obstruct or otherwise wilfully avoid the criminal process; and There are no reasonable nonmonetary conditions of release that reasonably assure: The safety of any person or the community; That the person will not attempt to flee prosecution; or That the person will not attempt to obstruct or otherwise wilfully avoid the criminal justice process. The bill requires the court to consider the results of empirically developed and validated risk assessment instruction when making determinations about the type of bond and conditions of release, but the assessment cannot be the sole basis for the decision. The bill outlines the other factors to consider in selecting the type of bond and conditions of release. The bill delineates the types of bond that a court can set: An unsecured personal recognizance bond, which may include an amount specified by the court; An unsecured personal recognizance bond with additional nonmonetary conditions of release designed specifically to reasonably ensure the appearance of the person in court and the safety of any person or persons or the community; A bond with secured monetary conditions; and A bond with secured real estate conditions when the court determined that release on an unsecured personal recognizance bond without monetary conditions will not reasonably ensure the appearance of the person in court or the safety of any person or persons or the community. The bill requires all counties and cities and counties to develop a pretrial services program by July 1, 2020. A community advisory board is established in each county or city and county to develop the plan for the pretrial services program. The chief judge shall approve the plan developed by the community advisory board prior to implementing and starting the pretrial services program. The bill prohibits for-profit entities from operating a pretrial services program and requires any entity operating a pretrial services program to be conflict free. The bill creates a funding program to allow judicial districts to develop and sustain pretrial programs. If a county is unable to operate a pretrial services program, the county shall file a statement of inability to comply with the state court administrator, which must outline, in detail, the reasons why the county is unable to provide a pretrial services program. The office of the state court administrator shall develop minimum standards for pretrial services programs, and the bill specifies other criteria for pretrial services programs. The bill requires the state court administrator to review and approve an empirically developed and validated risk assessment instrument to be used by pretrial services programs. The bill specifies how a defendant, prosecuting attorney, or bonding and release commissioner can ask for a review and modification of bond. The bill appropriates $440,493 from the general fund to the judicial department, of which, $330,253 goes to general court administration and $110, 240 goes to information technology services. The bill appropriates $39,813 to division of criminal justice in the department of public safety for administrative services. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill: Sets the reimbursement rate that a health insurance carrier must pay a health care facility if a covered person is treated for emergency services; Requires in-network health care facilities and health care providers to make disclosures to patients covered by a health benefit plan concerning the provision of services by an out-of-network provider; Outlines the claims and payment process, including reimbursement rates for the provision of out-of-network services for health care facilities and health care providers; and Authorizes arbitration for the payment of health care claims that are in dispute if certain criteria are met. The commissioner of insurance is required to submit a report annually to the general assembly concerning unanticipated out-of-network services. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
Defendant pretrial release - no monetary bond for low level offenses. Under current law, the court is required to release a person charged with a class 3 misdemeanor, petty offense, or unclassified offense on a personal recognizance bond unless certain conditions exist. The act removes petty offenses from that requirement. The act prohibits a court from imposing a monetary condition of release for a defendant charged with a traffic offense, petty offense, or comparable municipal offense, except for a traffic offense involving death or bodily injury, eluding a police officer, circumventing an interlock device, or a municipal offense with substantially similar elements to a state misdemeanor offense. The act does not prohibit a defendant's release based on a pretrial policy that includes monetary conditions if the defendant is informed that he or she would be released without monetary conditions if he or she waits for a bond hearing. The act does not prohibit issuance of a warrant with monetary conditions of bond for a defendant who fails to appear in court as required or who violates a condition of release.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Public meetings - notice - online posting. Current law requires local governments to post notices of public meetings required by the state open meetings law in physical locations. The act allows a local government to post the notices on the local government's website. The notices are accessible to the public at no charge. The notices shall be searchable, if feasible, by type of meeting, date and time of meeting, and agenda contents. A local government that posts notices of public meetings on its website may continue to post the notices in a physical location, but is not required to do so.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Area technical colleges - capital construction and equipment requests. The act establishes a grant program to provide up to $4 million annually to area technical colleges (ATC) for specified capital construction and equipment purchases. An ATC may submit a request to the Colorado commission on higher education (commission). If there is more than one request in a year, the ATCs must prioritize the requests. The commission may include the grant request in its budget request for ATCs in the following state fiscal year. If the commission includes more than one request, it must prioritize the requests. If the ATC receives grant money, the ATC must submit a report back to the commission in any year in which it expends grant money.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Public hospitals - boards of trustees - membership - acquisition of real and personal property by lease. Under current law, not more than 4 of the 7 trustees of a public hospital board of trustees (hospital board) may be residents of the city or town in which the associated hospital is located. The act removes this restriction. Current law states that a hospital board may acquire real and personal property by lease only with the approval of the board of county commissioners. The act clarifies this requirement and creates an exception to it; that is, a hospital board that has designated its public hospital as an enterprise for purposes of section 20 of article X of the state constitution is not required to obtain such approval. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Currently, as part of the public school performance report, each public school provides the department of education (education) internet links to descriptions of certain courses and programs the public school offers to its students. The bill adds basic life skills education to this list of courses and programs.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More