For the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021, provides for the payment of expenses of the executive, legislative, and judicial departments of the state of Colorado, and of its agencies and institutions, for and during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021. The grand total for the operating budget is set at $34,663,861,108 of which $9,390,465,968 is from the general funds portion of the appropriation; $2,541,061,637 is from the general fund exempt portion; $9,556,366,495 is from the cash funds portion; $2,190,040,788 is from the reappropriated funds portion; and $10,985,926,220 is from the federal funds portion.The grand total for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021, for capital construction projects is $301,716,984 of which $217,395,025 is from the capital construction fund portion of the appropriation; $79,429,276 is from the cash funds portion; $1,800,000 is from the reappropriated funds portion; and $3,092,683 is from the federal funds portion.The grand total for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021, for information technology projects is $65,935,383 of which $28,711,790 is from the capital construction fund portion of the appropriation; $29,977,393 is from the cash funds portion; and $7,246,200 is from the federal funds portion.The 2018 capital construction appropriations is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the departments of higher education and human services.The 2019 general appropriation is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the departments of education, health care policy and financing, and higher education.The 2020 general appropriation is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the departments of education, health care policy and financing, higher education, human services, local affairs, military and veterans affairs, public safety and treasury. The 2020 capital construction appropriations are amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriation to the department of personnel.An appropriation made in the 2019 general appropriation act is amended to correct the name of the cash fund from which money is appropriated for the children's basic health plan medical and dental costs.Appropriations made in House Bill 20-1385, concerning the increased money received due to the federal "Families First Coronavirus Response Act", is amended to reduce the amount appropriated to the department of higher education.An additional appropriation is made to the legislative department for use by the joint budget committee.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act continues the council of higher education representatives (council) and extends the repeal of the council for 10 years, to September 1, 2031. Prior to the repeal, the act requires the department of regulatory agencies to conduct a sunset review of the council.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act extends expenditure or appropriation deadlines from December 30, 2020, to December 31, 2021, for the following programs for which the departments have not yet expended all of their appropriation from the care subfund:Eviction legal assistance; Human services referral services; Low-income energy assistance; Behavioral health services; Immunization operating expenses; and Local public health agencies in rural areas. In some cases, related program repeal deadlines are also extended.The act also extends the exclusion of the care subfund expenditures from the calculation of the general fund reserve and delays a transfer of any unused money from the care subfund to the unemployment compensation fund from December 30, 2020, to December 31, 2021.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes several changes to the existing statute concerning open educational resources, including:Expanding the open educational resources grant program (grant program) to provide grants to develop, implement, and replicate entire zero-textbook-cost degree programs; Moving preparation of the annual grant program report from the open educational resources council (council) to the department of higher education (department); and Extending the repeal date for the council and the grant program for 5 years. The statutes existing before passage of the act require public institutions of higher education, beginning in the fall of 2021, to inform students before registration of which courses use open educational resources. The act directs the commission on higher education to adopt guidelines to require public institutions of higher education, beginning no later than the fall of 2025, to also inform students at the point of registration concerning those courses that use open educational resources.The act directs the department to review the open educational resources policies adopted across the state and identify and determine the efficacy of policies that expand the use and promote the sustainability of open educational resources. The department must include this information in the annual grant program report.For the 2021-22 fiscal year, the act appropriates $1,108,200 to the department to use for open educational resource initiatives and preparation of the annual grant program report.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Joint Budget Committee. The bill requires the department of health care policy and financing, to the extent available and permitted by the federal government and the Colorado constitution, to maximize federal funds for payments for primary care services by aligning payments with the "Colorado Medical Assistance Act".(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Current law requires the department of human services to contract annually for a market rate study of provider rates for the Colorado child care assistance program. The act adjusts the contractual and reporting requirement to every 3 years.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Since July 1, 2011, money in the educator licensure cash fund (fund), which includes educator license fees, has been continuously appropriated to the state board of education and the department of education (department) for expenses incurred in the administration of the "Colorado Educator Licensing Act of 1991". While the money is continuously appropriated, the department is required to report to legislative committees about its expenditures from the fund and about application processing time. Beginning with the next fiscal year, the general assembly is required to annually appropriate the money, and the reporting requirement is repealed.The act grants the department 3 more years of continuous appropriation authority, and it likewise extends the related reporting requirement.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the PERA payment cash fund (fund) and appropriates $380 million from the general fund to the fund for the 2020-21 state fiscal year. The state treasurer is required to use the money in the fund for any portion of the $225 million direct distribution payment to PERA that would have otherwise been paid from the general fund on July 1, 2022, subsequent direct distributions that would have otherwise been paid from the general fund, and any of the state's employer contributions or disbursements.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act removes the $1 million limit for the grant share of individual projects under the forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation grant program (program). The act also adds a requirement that when the technical advisory panel (panel) considers hazardous fuel reduction projects for the program, the panel shows preference to applicants that are adopting local measures that reduce wildfire risks to people, property, and infrastructure that complement funds provided through the program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For fiscal year 2021-22 and any subsequent fiscal years while increased reimbursements and payments associated with the federal public health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic are still available, the act specifies that:If a provider or a school district submits a certification of public expenditure pursuant to federal law, the provider or school district shall receive federal matching funds in the amount of 50% of the amount certified, and any federal financial participation in excess of 50% of the amount certified must be transferred to the general fund for the medical assistance program; The amount of increased federal financial participation in excess of 50% generated from appropriations out of the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund must be used to offset other general fund appropriations for the medical assistance program; The amount of increased federal financial participation in excess of 50% for reimbursements and payments must be transferred from the medicaid nursing facility cash fund to the general fund for the medical assistance program expenditures; and The appropriation to the university of Colorado for fee-for-service contracts for health services is reduced by the amount of federal financial participation that exceeds 50%. The act adjusts the 2021-22 long bill appropriations as follows:The general fund appropriation for medical services premiums is decreased by $57,330,334; The appropriation for medical services premiums is reduced by $10,231,185 from reappropriated funds received from the department of higher education; The appropriation for medical services premiums is increased by $57,330,334, from fund the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund from the medicaid nursing facility cash fund; and The decrease of the appropriation of $10,231,185 is based on the assumption that the anticipated amount of federal funds received for the 2021-22 state fiscal year by the department of health care policy and financing for medical services premiums will decrease by $13,127,686. The act adjusts the 2021-22 long bill appropriations to the department of higher education as follows:The general fund appropriation for fee-for-service contracts with state institutions for specialty education programs is decreased by $10,231,185; and The appropriation for the regents of the university of Colorado is reduced by $10,231,185.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)