On July 1, 2023, the state treasurer is required to transfer $4,913,753 from the state employee reserve fund to the general fund. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 17, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Starting no later than January 1, 2024, The act requires the division of criminal justice (division) in the department of public safety (department) to contract with a third party every 5 years to conduct a financial audit of community corrections programs and report findings to the joint budget committee and the division of criminal justice by July 1, 2025. $100,000 is appropriated to the department from the general fund for use by the division for administrative services. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024 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 act requires a county that seeks to use county department employees (employees) to deliver employment services that are funded through the federal "Wagner-Peyser Act" to create a merit system for the selection, retention, and promotion of these employees. The act requires each county's merit system to conform to specific standards. If a county already has a system in place, the county is required to update the system to comply with the standards. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 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.)
If the Colorado commission on higher education (commission) enters into a professional student exchange program through the western interstate commission on higher education (WICHE), then, subject to available appropriations, the commission shall establish policies to maximize the benefit of the exchange program to Colorado residents. The policies may include, but need not be limited to: Policies for Colorado residents seeking postsecondary optometry degrees at institutions in other states. Beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, the commission shall ensure that any student who enters the postsecondary optometry program, as a part of the student's post-educational service commitment, shall agree to provide services to Coloradans enrolled in programs established pursuant to the "Colorado Medical Assistance Act". Policies that promote the provision of services in underserved areas. Such policies may include reducing the service requirement for an individual to meet the individual's post-educational service requirement by serving in areas that have insufficient access to optometry services. The act aligns Colorado law with the current operation of WICHE professional student exchange programs. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 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.)
In order to allow the department of military and veterans affairs (department) to impose charges for the charging of electric vehicles using electric vehicle services equipment (equipment) provided by the department at Colorado National Guard facilities and to use the revenue to fund the ongoing operation of the equipment, the act: Creates the electric vehicle service equipment fund (fund); Requires all money received by the department from such charges to be credited to the fund; Authorizes the department to accept gifts, grants, and donations to be credited to the fund; Subject to annual appropriation, authorizes the department to expend money from the fund to defray the costs associated with operation of the equipment; and Appropriates $50,000 from the fund to the department for state fiscal year 2023-24. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 17, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Starting April 1, 2024, the act allows the division of labor standards and statistics (division) in the department of labor and employment (department) to use money in the wage theft enforcement fund (fund) to pay employees who are owed money from their employers due to obligations and liabilities related to the payment of wages or other compensation. The division may pay an employee if an employer fails to fulfill an order by the division to pay the employee that results from a wage claim or an investigation: Within 6 months after the division issues a citation and notice of assessment to the employer; or If the employer requests a hearing, within 6 months after the hearing officer issues a decision. The act specifies that after the division pays the employee: The employee cannot recover that payment amount from the employer; The division replaces the employee as creditor and shall continue to pursue the payment from the employer; and Any money recovered from the employer by the division will be credited to the fund. The act requires the division to promulgate rules specifying procedures and criteria for employees to request payments and for the division to make determinations on employee requests. The act continuously appropriates money in the fund to the division for the purpose of making payments to employees for unpaid liabilities, but for purposes of the division's direct and indirect costs implementing wage laws, the money in the fund is subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly. The act excludes the fund from the limit on cash fund reserves. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $12,657 from the fund to the department for use by the department's office of the executive director for personal services. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 17, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes the general assembly to appropriate up to $10 million from the severance tax operational fund (operational fund) to the wildfire mitigation capacity development fund (wildfire fund) for state fiscal year 2022-23 and makes a corresponding appropriation. The act authorizes the general assembly to appropriate up to $5 million from the operational fund to the wildfire fund for state fiscal year 2023-24 and for each state fiscal year thereafter. Such appropriations may be made only if less than 100% of the money available in the operational fund is used for current core programs. APPROVED by Governor March 6, 2023 EFFECTIVE March 6, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The general assembly recognizes that the actual funded pupil count was lower and the at-risk pupil count was higher than expected when the appropriation amount for the state share of total program funding was established during the 2022 legislative session, resulting in an overall increase in total program funding for the 2022-23 budget year. In addition, the local property tax revenue and specific ownership tax revenue are higher than anticipated, resulting in an increase in the local share of total program funding. The act declares the general assembly's intent to maintain the budget stabilization factor at the amount of the original appropriation for the 2022-23 budget year. The act decreases the appropriation for the state share of total program funding by $76,383,372 in cash funds from the state education fund and adjusts the 2022-23 state fiscal year long bill accordingly. APPROVED by Governor March 3, 2023 EFFECTIVE March 3, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $5 million from the general fund to the department of health care policy and financing to distribute to the Denver health and hospital authority. APPROVED by Governor March 3, 2023 EFFECTIVE March 3, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
With exceptions for the departments of law, state, and the treasury, an executive branch agency and, for a project that is state-funded only, a state-supported institution of higher education is required to submit a budget request for an information technology project to the joint technology committee (JTC) as part of the budget process. In addition, the joint budget committee (JBC) may ask the JTC to review any budget request for an information technology project that was not required to be submitted to the JTC and instead was submitted directly to the JBC. The act clarifies that a review by the JTC as requested by the JBC may include a request for an information technology project submitted to the JBC by the legislative or judicial department, the department of law, the department of state, or the department of the treasury. The act requires the JTC to oversee any such information technology project that receives an appropriation from the information technology account (account) within the capital construction fund. The act also clarifies that the general assembly may appropriate money in the account for information technology projects that are not subject to review by the JTC and instead are submitted directly to the JBC by the legislative or judicial department, the department of law, the department of state, or the department of the treasury. APPROVED by Governor March 3, 2023 EFFECTIVE March 3, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
