The justice reinvestment crime prevention initiative (initiative) is administered by the division of local government (division) in the department of local affairs (department) to expand small business lending and provide grants aimed at reducing crime and promoting community development. The initiative consists of the targeted crime reduction grant program, which provides funding to eligible entities for programs, projects, or direct services aimed at reducing crime and promoting community development in certain target communities, and a statewide business and entrepreneurship training and grant program for justice-system-involved persons. The targeted crime reduction grant program cash fund (fund) was continuously appropriated to the department for the purposes of these 2 grant programs. The act specifies that for state fiscal year 2023-24 and subsequent fiscal years, the department may expend money from the fund subject to annual appropriation and that the department may use any remaining appropriated money during the year following the year for which the general assembly appropriated the money. The act specifies that the statewide business and entrepreneurship training and grant program for justice-system-involved persons will be repealed on September 1, 2024. The department may expend money from the justice reinvestment initiative expansion account (account) in the fund for the purposes of expanding the targeted crime reduction grant program to Grand Junction and Trinidad and to implement the grant program for justice-system-involved persons. The law required the state treasurer to transfer any money remaining in the account to the general fund on July 1, 2023 and specified that the account will repeal on September 1, 2023. The act changes the repeal date of the account to September 1, 2024, and requires the state treasurer to transfer any money remaining in the account to the fund on July 1, 2024. The act specifies that the department may expend the transferred money for the targeted crime reduction grant program and the grant program for justice-system-involved persons. The act clarifies that the initiative is repealed, effective September 1, 2027, and that the department of regulatory agencies will review the initiative for repeal, continuation, or reestablishment before the initiative is repealed. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $3,000,000 is appropriated from reappropriated funds in the fund to the department of local affairs to fund crime prevention initiative grants. APPROVED by Governor June 1, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act eliminates the requirement that a local government that offers police or fire protection services (employer) must contribute to the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' continuation of benefits fund (fund) to be eligible to have the continuation of medical and dental benefits for dependents of an employee who died in a work-related death paid for from the fund for one year. Instead, the act makes any employer eligible to have the continuation of benefits paid for from the fund for one year when an employee dies in a work-related death. To provide for the costs of ongoing claims, the state treasurer is directed to transfer $150,000 from the general fund to the fund on July 1, 2023, and on July 1 each year thereafter through July 1, 2025. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $150,000 from the fund to the department of the treasury to be used for the implementation of the act. APPROVED by Governor June 1, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of health care policy and financing (department) to: At least quarterly, publish on its website an audit activity report detailing current and recently completed recovery audits and summaries of the findings of recovery audits; When the department enters into a new contract for recovery audits, post on its website a copy of the contract, scope of work, and information regarding supervision of contractor deliverables for such audits; At least quarterly, conduct trainings for providers and hold stakeholder meetings; and Create a provider advisory group to advise the department on issues that providers have concerning the recovery audits. The act requires the office of the state auditor to: During the 2023-24 state fiscal year, contract for an independent review of the department's recovery audit contractor program for compliance with requirements of the federal recovery audit contractor's program, coding practice standards, and state law; and Contract with an entity to assess federal flexibilities to improve the recovery audit contractors program and assist the department in pursuing those flexibilities. The act appropriates from the general fund $39,287 to the department and $850,000 to the legislative department for use by the office of the state auditor. APPROVED by Governor June 1, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act establishes the office of the statewide behavioral health court liaison (office) as an independent agency within the judicial department to administer the statewide behavioral health court liaison program, which is known as the bridges program (program). The head of the office is the director. The office provides program services. The act establishes the bridges program commission (commission) to support the office. The commission appoints the director of the office, provides guidance to the office, provides fiscal oversight of the office's general operating budget, participates in program services funding decisions, and assists with the office's duties concerning program training and public outreach. The act clarifies the scope, requirements, and duties of the program, including requiring the program to inform county attorneys of available behavioral health services and connect participants to, and support engagement with, relevant services. The act clarifies the duties of the program's court liaisons, including: Addressing system gaps and barriers and promoting positive outcomes for program participants; Keeping judges, district attorneys, county attorneys, and defense attorneys informed about available community-based behavioral health services; and Providing consultation and training to criminal and juvenile justice personnel regarding behavioral health and community treatment options and program best practices. The office is required to annually report to the joint budget committee about the office's work and administration of the program. The act appropriates $5,181,020 from the general fund to the judicial department for use by the office and $100,453 from the general fund to the judicial department for legal services, which is reappropriated to the department of law to provide legal services to the judicial department. The act reduces the appropriation in the 2023 long bill to the judicial department for the program by $2,802,491. APPROVED by Governor April 27, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 27, 2023 NOTE: Certain sections of the act are contingent on whether or not Senate Bill 23-228 becomes law. Senate Bill 23-228 was signed by the governor April 20, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the office of school safety (office) within the office of the executive director in the department of public safety. The office oversees the school safety resource center (center), which assists schools in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and crisis situations by offering training and other supportive services. Among other duties, the center is responsible for providing information and resources related to school safety, school emergency response planning and training, and interoperable communications to the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety for distribution to school districts and schools. The act clarifies that this responsibility does not permit the provision of firearms to schools districts or schools. The director of the office is required to appoint the director of the center and appoint a grants manager to assist schools in obtaining funding related to school safety. The act also creates the crisis response unit within the office to assist schools in responding to a crisis or emergency and creates a youth violence prevention grant program within the office. Currently, the school access for emergency response grant program (SAFER) is administered by the division of homeland security and emergency management in the department of public safety. The act moves the administration of SAFER to the office. The act specifies that eligible entities may use money received from the school security disbursement program to implement school resource officer programs and co-responder programs. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $25,798,091 is appropriated to the department of public safety for use by the office. This appropriation consists of $20,401,600 from the general fund, $5,000,000 from the school access for emergency response grant program cash fund, $250,000 from the marijuana tax cash fund, and $146,491 from the school safety resource center cash fund. To implement the act, the office may use this appropriation as follows: $5,524,916, which consists of $274,916 from the general fund, $5,000,000 from the school access for emergency response grant program cash fund, and $250,000 from the marijuana tax cash fund, for administrative services, which amount is based on an assumption that the office will require an additional 1.8 FTE; $1,825,744, which consists of $1,679,253 from the general fund and $146,491 from the school safety resource center cash fund for the center, which amount is based on an assumption that the office will require an additional 11.2 FTE; $1,144,023 from the general fund for the crisis response unit, which amount is based on an assumption that the office will require an additional 3.7 FTE; $303,408 from the general fund for threat assessment, which amount is based on an assumption that the office will require an additional 0.5 FTE; $16,000,000 from the general fund for the school security disbursement program; and $1,000,000 from the general fund for the youth violence prevention program. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, $313,951 is appropriated to the department of public safety for use by the office of the executive director of the department of public safety. This appropriation is from the general fund. To implement the act, the office of the executive director may use this appropriation as follows: $108,422 for personal services, which amount is based on an assumption that the office of the executive director will require an additional 0.9 FTE; $80,761 for health, life, and dental; $1,141 for short-term disability; $35,571 for amortization equalization disbursement; $35,571 for supplemental amortization equalization disbursement; $9,135 for operating expenses; $10,800 for vehicle lease payments; and $32,550 for leased space. APPROVED by Governor April 27, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 27, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows money from the small communities water and wastewater grant fund to be used to match money provided by the federal government through the federal "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" for certain clean water projects. APPROVED by Governor April 25, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 25, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act: Removes a $50 fee for dairy plant employees who sample or test milk, cream, or any other dairy product; Increases the licensing fee a dairy plant is required to pay by 30%; and Creates a new fee of one cent for every 100 pounds of milk, to be paid by a dairy plant that receives 20,000 pounds or more of milk each day. The department of public health and environment is required to cap the amount a dairy plant must pay in total for the licensing fee and volume of production fee at $150,000 in a year. APPROVED by Governor April 25, 2023 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires the general assembly to transfer money to the preschool programs cash fund from the general fund or the state education fund in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 state fiscal years. Beginning in the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the amount transferred is required to increase by the rate of inflation. The act repeals those requirements and instead requires the general assembly to appropriate money to the department of early childhood (department) for the 2023-24 state fiscal year for purposes of the Colorado universal preschool program. Beginning in the 2024-25 state fiscal year, and each year thereafter, the amount appropriated must increase annually by the rate of inflation. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 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 creates the office of administrative services for independent agencies (office) in the judicial department to provide administrative support services to the office of the child protection ombudsman, the independent ethics commission, the office of public guardianship, and the commission on judicial discipline. The act requires the office to be governed by an administrative board that is responsible for hiring the director of the office, assisting the office director in establishing office policies regarding the delivery of support services, and providing human resources assistance to assist in the hiring of office employees. The act sets responsibilities for the office. The act requires the judicial department to provide the office with administrative support until July 1, 2024, and to provide office space for the office. Under current law, certain independent agencies operate through a memorandum of understanding with the judicial department. The act repeals the memorandum of understanding requirements to allow the office to provide those services to the office of the child protection ombudsman and the office of public guardianship. To implement the act, $746,909 is appropriated from the general fund to the judicial department for use by the office, and $100,453 is appropriated from the general fund to the judicial department for the purchase of legal services and is reappropriated to the department of law to provide legal services for the judicial department. Provisions of the act are contingent upon Senate Bill 23-064 being enacted and becoming law. APPROVED by Governor April 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 20, 2023 NOTE: Certain sections of the act are contingent on whether or not Senate Bill 23-064 becomes law. Senate Bill 23-064 was signed by the governor May 30, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)