Early Childhood and School Readiness Legislative Commission. The bill requires the department of human services (state department) to provide technical assistance and financial incentives to programs that are rated at a level one or 2 in the Colorado shines system (system) to support the programs in advancing to a higher quality level, and to programs that are rated at a level 3, 4, or 5 to support the programs in maintaining a high-quality level or advancing to a higher quality level. Each early childhood council (council) shall support the state department with this assistance by providing local community outreach and engagement strategies. The bill requires each council seeking to apply for school-readiness quality improvement funding (funding) to describe how the council will target and recruit programs that are rated in the system at a level one or higher in the council's 3-year school readiness plan. Councils that received funding prior to the 2020-21 fiscal year must amend the council's 3-year school readiness plan. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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The bill creates a regulatory and service system to provide secure transportation services, with different requirements than traditional ambulance services, for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Mobile crisis services, units linked to the walk-in crisis services, and crisis respite services may arrange for secure transportation in response to a behavioral health crisis. The department of human services shall allow for the development of secure transportation alternatives. The board of county commissioners of the county in which the secure transportation service is based (commissioners) shall issue a license to an entity (licensee), valid for one year, that provides secure transportation services if the minimum requirements set by rule by the state board of health are met or exceeded. The commissioners shall also issue operating permits, valid for 12 months following issuance, to each vehicle operated by the licensee. A fee may be charged for each license to reflect the direct and indirect costs to the applicable county in implementing secure transportation services licensure. The state board of health is given authority to promulgate rules concerning secure transportation licensure. The department of health care policy and financing is directed to create and implement a secure transportation benefit on or before January 1, 2022. Language is added to exempt secure transportation services from regulation under the public utilities commission. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill prohibits carriers from inducing, incentivizing, or otherwise requiring: A health care provider to collect any coinsurance, copayment, or deductible directly from a covered person or the covered person's responsible party; or A covered person to pay any coinsurance, copayment, or deductible directly to a health care provider. The carrier is required to collect any cost-sharing amounts owed by a covered person directly from the covered person in one consolidated bill. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Wildfire Matters Review Committee. The bill requires the division of housing within the department of local affairs (division) to create a working group to identify emerging, promising, and best practices related to homeless outreach for the purpose of reducing wildfire risk in the wildland-urban interface. The bill also establishes the reducing wildfire risk through homeless outreach grant program within the division. Grant recipients can use grant money to conduct outreach among individuals experiencing homelessness to reduce wildfire risk consistent with the emerging, promising, and best practices the working group identifies. The grant program prioritizes applications that take a collaborative approach and are founded in local knowledge and expertise. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates the "Get on Your Feet Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program" to provide no more than 24 monthly payments on a qualified loan on behalf of a qualified recipient. A qualified recipient is required to satisfy eligibility and program participation requirements. The department of higher education is required to administer the program pursuant to guidelines promulgated by the commission on higher education. A person who received a program award but did not satisfy all eligibility and program participation requirements may be required to fully or partially reimburse the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Joint Budget Committee. Pursuant to the declaration of a state fiscal emergency (emergency declaration), for the 2020-21 fiscal year only, the bill expands the purposes for which tobacco tax revenues in the tobacco education programs fund and the prevention, early detection, and treatment fund may be used to include any health-related purpose and to serve populations enrolled in the children's basic health plan and the Colorado medical assistance program at the programs' respective levels of enrollment as of January 1, 2005. Also pursuant to the emergency declaration, for the 2020-21 fiscal year only, the bill authorizes grantees under certain programs funded through tobacco tax revenue to use the grant money to investigate and control the spread of COVID-19. The bill repeals an obsolete provision of law. The bill makes and reduces certain appropriations. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the owner or operator of a carpooling service internet application (internet application) to register annually with the department of transportation and disclose to users of the internet application that operational requirements for other transportation services are not being met by the carpooling services provided by drivers matched to users through the internet application. The bill also limits the amount that can be charged to a user through the internet application, the number of passengers that can receive carpooling service at any one time from a driver through the internet application, and the number of round trips that a driver providing carpooling service through the internet application may make in a single day.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill defines "backcountry search and rescue" as the utilization, training, and support of responders, with their specialized equipment, to locate, provide assistance to, and remove to safety individuals who are lost, injured, stranded, or entrapped, generally in remote areas of the state. The department of natural resources (department) must conduct a study and develop recommendations on the issues related to backcountry search and rescue, including coordination among the local, state, and nonprofit organizations involved in backcountry search and rescue, the adequacy of resources and benefits available to volunteers who provide backcountry search and rescue services, the funding needs for equipment and reimbursement, and the needs for volunteer training and public education. The department must also, subject to available appropriations, conduct outreach and training related to the physical and psychological support needs of backcountry search and rescue volunteers, which may include working with consultants, providing programs, or creating a grant program for local governments or nonprofit organizations providing backcountry search and rescue. The bill makes conforming amendments related to the definition of "backcountry search and rescue". (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The act makes the following modifications to the existing "Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Act" (FRWRMA) and, specifically, the grant program funded by FRWRMA: Currently, grant applicants are required to self-finance 50% of the cost of a project funded by a grant. In the case of a project that is located in an area with fewer economic resources, the act lessens this requirement so that grant applicants are required to self-finance 25% of the total cost of the project. The forest service is required to establish a policy that specifies the criteria by which a project will satisfy such requirements. In meeting the match requirements under FRWRMA, the act specifies that a project may be funded in whole or in part from gifts, grants, or donations received from any organization, entity, or individual. In measuring an in-kind contribution under FRWRMA, the act specifies that such a contribution may include volunteer hours provided by the staff of an entity or organization applying for grant funding and the time for which staff receives monetary compensation in the form of salary or other financial benefits. Permits a grant project eligible to receive funding to support ongoing maintenance efforts undertaken by eligible recipients to reduce the threat of large, high-intensity wildfires. Eliminates an existing requirement that, to receive funding, a project must include a diverse and balanced group of stakeholders as well as appropriate governmental representatives. As part of the submission of grant applications, the forest service encourages applicants to include on their grant applications information that indicates whether the project satisfies these objectives. Adds to the list of recipients eligible to receive grant funding a fire protection district and a nonprofit organization or entity engaged in firefighting or fire management activities. Extends the date by which the grant program will be repealed to September 1, 2029. In the act, the general assembly encourages the forest service to modify its administrative policies and procedures to enable funding to be provided to grant recipients in March to enable wildfire mitigation to commence before the prime wildfire season starts in June. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)