Rep. Stephanie Luck

The bill authorizes a fire station, hospital, or community clinic emergency center (authorized facility) to install a newborn safety device on its premises for parents who voluntarily relinquish their child who is 72 hours old or younger. A newborn safety device must be installed in a conspicuous location at the authorized facility and be equipped with a dual alarm system. An authorized facility that installs a newborn safety device is responsible for the cost of the installation and maintenance, shall ensure the dual alarm system is functioning, and shall make information available to the relinquishing parent. The bill makes conforming amendments. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill creates the tax code legislative task force (task force). The task force consists of both members of the general assembly and individuals who are not members of the general assembly. The purpose of the task force is to make recommendations to restructure the tax burden on the citizens of the state to foster economic growth and to design a new tax code that eliminates all taxes and fees in the state other than the sales and use tax. The task force is required to: Convene no later than June 3, 2024; Meet at least once every 3 months or more often as directed by the chair of the task force; Make findings and determinations regarding specified aspects of state and local government taxes and revenue; and Submit a report with its findings and recommendations to the general assembly within one year of its first meeting. The task force is repealed on June 30, 2026. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act requires the Colorado department of transportation (department) to stagger delineator posts every 1/10th of a mile and to consider implementing flexible delineator posts and other engineering solutions to accommodate the needs of all vehicles when it constructs a new 2-lane state highway or when it repaves or repairs an existing 2-lane state highway if farming or other oversize loads actively utilize that section of the highway. The act clarifies that it does not require delineator posts to be placed where they are not deemed necessary by the department of transportation. 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 bill establishes the commission to study family courts (commission) to evaluate family courts in Colorado and make recommendations to the general assembly for changes to the administration of family courts to better serve the people of Colorado. The commission is comprised of 4 parents who have been involved in a family court case, 4 persons with lived experience as a child in a family court case, a victim advocate, a representative of a child support agency, a parental responsibility evaluator or child and family investigator, 2 family law attorneys, a district judge with experience presiding over a family court, a representative of the state court administrator's office, a senator, and a member of the house of representatives. The legislative council staff and office of legislative legal services provide staff support to the commission. The commission may hire a person to assist the commission with compiling data and information relevant to the commission's duties and to prepare the commission's report. The commission shall hold its first meeting no later than September 30, 2023, and shall meet at least once every 3 months. The commission may meet remotely and at locations throughout the state. No later than September 30, 2024, the commission shall submit a report on family courts in Colorado to the judicial department and to the judiciary committees of the house of representatives and the senate. The report must include the commission's findings on issues it studied and any recommendations from the commission for improving the administration of family courts, including proposed legislation and funding sources for implementing any recommendations. The commission is repealed December 31, 2024. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The concurrent resolution creates 2 different types of regular legislative sessions during the 2-year cycle of each general assembly, each of which has limits on the types of bills that may be introduced. The first regular session after a general election is a budget session and the second is a general session. During a budget session, the only bills that may be introduced are: The biennial general appropriation bill (biennial long bill), which includes 2 state fiscal years of appropriations; Supplemental appropriation bills, which must be unanimously approved by the joint budget committee (JBC) prior to introduction; Bills that are part of the biennial long bill package, which were unanimously approved by the JBC; Bills to enact the Colorado Revised Statutes and to postpone the expiration of rules; and Bills to respond to an emergency, which, to be introduced, require for each proposed bill at least a 2/3rds vote in the house of introduction that the proposed bill is necessary to address an actual emergency. The concurrent resolution also establishes procedures related to the biennial long bill. The executive and judicial branches are required to submit 2 budget requests to the general assembly. One budget request must identify the least critical 10% in the budget and the other must be at least 5% less than the department's appropriations for the current year. Once every 4 budget cycles, a department is required to use a zero-based budget method to create the budget, based on a schedule developed by the general assembly, and the zero-based budget will replace the 2 versions of the budget request. Once received, the following process applies to the bill: A joint committee of reference (joint committee) will thoroughly review a department's functions and budget request and prepare a proposed budget for the department; and The joint committee will refer the bill to the JBC on or before the 70th day of the budget session, and the JBC will reconcile the department budgets to prepare the final biennial long bill for introduction, which must be no later than 30 days after the JBC receives the last departmental budget. The concurrent resolution also limits the number of bills that may be introduced during a general session. Each senator or representative may only introduce up to 5 bills, which may be on any topic, provided that 90 days prior to the session, the bill is identified by subject on the general assembly's website and, 30 days prior to the session, the first or most recent draft of the bill is published on the website. Interim committee bills are excluded from the 5-bill limit. Supplemental appropriation bills and emergency bills, which are each subject to the same standards previously described, are not subject to the bill introduction limit in a general session. (Note: This summary applies to this concurrent resolution as introduced.)

The bill requires a health-care provider who performs an abortion of an unborn child who is 20-weeks gestational age or more to administer a painkiller to the child prior to the abortion. The bill makes exceptions to this requirement in specific circumstances. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)