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
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Hazardous materials - routing for transport. The act authorizes a public highway authority or a governmental partner in a public-private partnership to apply to the Colorado state patrol (CSP) for a new or modified hazardous materials route designation for a road or highway that it directly or indirectly maintains. The act also requires the department of transportation (CDOT) to conduct a study to assess the feasibility of allowing the transportation of hazardous materials through the Eisenhower-Edwin C. Johnson Memorial Tunnel and prepare a study report no later than December 1, 2020, that includes findings and recommendations as to whether and under what conditions the transportation of hazardous materials through the tunnel should be allowed. CDOT must solicit input from representatives of specified counties, towns, communities, ski resorts, industries, organizations, and emergency services providers and from the department of public safety, including representatives of the division of fire prevention and control and the CSP, regarding the scope of the study and must consider specified information and criteria and conduct specified types of analysis when conducting the study.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Colorado mountain college - authorization for baccalaureate degree program - local college district annexations - funding. The act changes the role and mission of Colorado mountain college from authorizing no more than 5 baccalaureate degree programs, as determined by its board, to authorizing a limited number of baccalaureate degree programs, as determined by its board. Colorado mountain college should confer with regional education providers to determine the feasibility of cooperative delivery of new bachelor's programs in adjacent localities. If a local college district annexes a school district or group of school districts into the local college district, for at least 5 years after annexation, the act requires the Colorado commission on higher education to consider annually recommending increases to the direct grant amount appropriated to a local college district to reflect increases in resident enrollment. Prior to recommending the increase, the commission shall consult the affected local college district. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Early childhood development service districts - creation - powers and duties. The act authorizes the creation of early childhood development service districts (districts) to provide services for children from birth through 8 years of age. Early childhood development services are defined to include early care and educational, health, mental health, and developmental services, including prevention and intervention. Districts are authorized to seek voter approval to levy property taxes and sales and use taxes in the district to generate revenues to provide early childhood development services. The district must be organized pursuant to the "Special District Act" as modified by the act. All eligible electors in the proposed district, rather than only property owners, are able to vote on the organization of the district and related ballot issues. The service plan for a proposed district is not required to be submitted to the planning commission for each county in which the special district is proposed to be located, and instead is submitted directly to the board of county commissioners (board) for such counties. In addition, the board is not allowed accept or act upon the request of a person owning property in the proposed service area to have his or her property excluded from the special district. The court conducting a hearing for the petition is also directed to not accept or act upon such a petition to exclude property from the district. The districts are governed by the "Special District Act"; except that they are not subject to provisions concerning the inclusion or exclusion of property, procedures for the levy and collection of taxes, the certification and notice of special district taxes for general obligation indebtedness, property tax reduction agreements, and public improvement contracts. A district is authorized to contract with or work with another district or other provider of early childhood development services to provide services throughout the district. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Distribution of student loan repayment information - public service employees. The act requires the department of personnel to develop and annually facilitate the distribution of informational materials to state employees concerning federal student loan repayment programs and loan forgiveness programs for which state employees may be eligible. The department of personnel may use existing federal informational materials, if available. The informational materials may be distributed by e-mail or through a regular mailing or communication to state employees. The department of personnel shall update the materials at least annually and facilitate the distribution of any updated materials. In addition, the department of personnel shall distribute the informational materials to: The department of education, for distribution to school district, charter school, institute charter school, and boards of cooperative services employees; The department of higher education, for distribution to employees at state institutions of higher education; The secretary of state, for dissemination to nonprofit public service organizations, as defined in the act, with encouragement for these organizations to distribute the informational materials to their employees; and The division of local government in the department of local affairs, for distribution to cities, counties, cities and counties, special districts, and other local government entities, with encouragement for those entities to distribute the informational materials to their employees.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Alcohol beverages - fermented malt beverage licenses - sale for consumption on and off the licensed premises - continued availability in rural areas. Recent legislation (Senate Bill 18-243, concerning the retail sale of alcohol beverages) terminated the licensing of retailers to sell fermented malt beverages (formerly known as "3.2 beer" but now including all beer) for consumption on and off a licensed premises as of June 4, 2018, requiring the holder of such a license to combine its renewal application with an application to convert the license into either a license to sell for consumption on the licensed premises or a license to sell for consumption off the licensed premises. The act lifts the requirement to convert an existing license and reinstates the availability of new licenses to sell beer for consumption both on and off the licensed premises, in specified areas with low populations. The act specifies that it applies to license applications filed on or after June 4, 2018. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More