Rep. Leslie Herod

In 2019, the general assembly extended the office of public guardianship (office) until 2023. The act corrects dates that should have been extended. The repeal of the article creating the office and the repeal of the office's cash fund are extended to June 30, 2024, to allow additional time for the office to wind up its affairs if it is not further extended.The general assembly increased certain court fees to fund the office. If it is not further extended, the office is required to notify the joint budget committee that those fees can be reduced.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Senate Bill 20-222, enacted in 2020, created a grant program financed through the federal "Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act" to support small businesses suffering from the economic impacts of COVID-19 and related public health restrictions.The act appropriates $15 million from the general fund to continue the grant program until the end of the 2021-22 state fiscal year, modifies the criteria pursuant to which grants are awarded, adds certain preferences for awarding grants, and establishes limits on the amount of a grant to an individual small business.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act establishes an outdoor equity board (board) in the division of parks and wildlife. The board is responsible for the governance of the outdoor equity grant program (grant program), which is created in the act. The purpose of the outdoor equity grant program is to increase access and opportunity for underserved youth and their families to experience Colorado's open spaces, state parks, public lands, and other outdoor areas.The act specifies that the board may award grants to applicants that will directly utilize the grant to engage eligible youth and their families by reducing barriers to the Colorado outdoors, creating pathways for formal or informal conservation of the Colorado outdoors, or offering environmental and Colorado outdoor-based educational opportunities.The act funds the grant program through a redistribution of lottery money that is earmarked for the general fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act:Transfers $5 million from the general fund to the Colorado office of film, television, and media operational account cash fund and appropriates that amount to the governor's office for use in the 2021-22 state fiscal year by the Colorado office of film, television, and media in awarding performance-based incentives for film production in Colorado and for the loan guarantee program to finance production activities; For the 2020-21 state fiscal year, appropriates $3.5 million, in addition to the amount appropriated pursuant to Senate Bill 20B-001, from the general fund to the creative industries cash fund for the arts relief program and removes the prohibition against an applicant that received a relief payment from the small business relief program from also receiving a relief payment under the arts relief program; For the 2020-21 state fiscal year, appropriates $1.5 million from the general fund to the creative industries cash fund for allocation by the creative industries division to a nonprofit organization that administers grants to certain cultural facilities that focus on programming for and have board representation from defined historically marginalized and under-resourced communities; and Transfers the following amounts of money appropriated for the small business relief program that is not encumbered or expended by June 30, 2021: Up to $12 million to the creative industries cash fund for the arts relief program; and Up to $1 million to the Colorado office of film, television, and media operational account cash fund for performance-based incentives for film production in Colorado and for the loan guarantee program to finance production activities.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Based on the findings and recommendations of the committee on legal services, the act extends all state agency rules that were adopted or amended on or after November 1, 2019, and before November 1, 2020, with the exception of certain rules of the following agencies, as specifically listed in the act:The state board of education concerning administration of the public school transportation fund; The air quality control commission concerning stationary source permitting and air pollutant emission notice requirements; and A number of boards and commissions within the department of regulatory agencies concerning rules implementing H.B. 20-1326 and S.B. 20-102. Those specified rules will expire as scheduled in the "State Administrative Procedure Act" on May 15, 2021, on the grounds that the rules either conflict with statute or lack statutory authority.(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.)

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.)

The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $100 million from the general fund to the state education fund on July 1, 2021.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act eliminates certain measures that reduce the adult dental benefit.The act requires the state treasurer to transfer money from the general fund to the unclaimed property trust fund to repay the unclaimed property trust fund for money transferred from it to the general fund in the 2020-21 fiscal year from savings from the reduction of the adult dental benefit in the medical assistance program.The act appropriates $1,522,875 to the department of health care policy and financing, of which $335,723 is from the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund and $1,187,152 is from the adult dental fund. The department may use the appropriation for medical and long-term care services for medicaid-eligible individuals.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Section 1 of the act is a nonstatutory legislative declaration stating the critical need for the provision and financing of auxiliary services throughout rural areas of the state. Auxiliary services are aids and services that assist in effective communication with a person who is deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind.Section 2 requires the Colorado commission for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind (commission) to arrange for the provision of auxiliary services in rural areas of the state, including the provision of training and outreach regarding the auxiliary services. The commission is required to report annually on the program to the joint budget committee.Section 3 amends the definition of "entity" regarding entities eligible to apply to the commission for grant money to remove the requirement that a not-for-profit organization must be a community-based organization to be eligible to apply for grant money.Section 4 directs the public utilities commission to implement a cost-recovery mechanism to support the provision of auxiliary services in rural areas of the state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)