The bill continues to allow the correctional treatment cash fund to be used to provide treatment for persons with mental and behavioral health disorders who are being served through the jail-based behavioral health services program (program). The program is housed in the office of behavioral health (office). The purpose of the program is to provide adequate staff to complete competency and behavioral health screenings, prescribe psychiatric medications as necessary, and provide mental health counseling, substance use disorder treatment, and transitional care coordination; train jail staff on behavioral health disorders and best practices in working with individuals with mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders; and fund administrative costs to jails participating in the program. The office shall prioritize jails with minimal behavioral health services, including rural and frontier jails. Jails that are participating in the program shall, at a minimum: Screen individuals who are being booked into the facility for various behavioral health issues; Provide adequate and appropriate access to health care and medications; Coordinate services with community behavioral health providers prior to the release of an inmate to ensure continuity of care following his or her release from the jail facility; and Track performance outcome measures for individuals affected by the program.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
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The bill updates the current newborn screening program to require more timely newborn hearing screenings. The department of public health and environment (department) is authorized to assess a fee for newborn screening and necessary follow-up services. The bill creates the newborn hearing screening cash fund for the purpose of covering the costs of the program. The bill requires the state board of health to promulgate rules: Concerning the requirements of the newborn screening program for genetic and metabolic disorders; Requiring entities with information pertinent to newborn screening to report to the department; and To establish and maintain appropriate follow-up services for newborns at risk of hearing loss and newborns who fail to receive screening. The bill requires the department to develop and publish materials on its website for education and training on cytomegalovirus. The bill appropriates money to the department from: The information technology cash fund for use by the center for health and environmental data for an information and technology system for hearing loss screening; The newborn screening and genetic counseling cash fund for use by the laboratory services division; and The newborn hearing screening cash fund for use by the center for health and environmental data.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill specifies that an autopsy report prepared in connection with the death of a minor is confidential and may be disclosed by the county coroner to any other person or entity only in accordance with certain exceptions. Under the bill, the coroner or his or her designee may only provide a copy of the autopsy report prepared in connection with the death of a minor to: A parent or legal guardian of the deceased if the parent or legal guardian submits a copy of a written request to the coroner for a copy of the report in addition to an affidavit, signed by the parent or legal guardian under the penalty of perjury, verifying his or her relationship to the decedent; A law enforcement or criminal justice agency, including a district attorney, that is either investigating the death or prosecuting a criminal violation arising out of the death upon the request of the law enforcement or criminal justice agency, including a district attorney; A requesting party in a civil case where the moving party demonstrates to the court that the autopsy report is discoverable in accordance with the Colorado rules of civil procedure, upon the entry of a specific order of the court authorizing disclosure of the autopsy report, and in accordance with any protective order necessary to limit disclosure of the identity of the deceased and other identifying personal information; Counsel for the defendant, or the defendant if he or she is not represented by counsel, for discovery purposes in a criminal case upon the entry of a specific order of the court authorizing disclosure of the autopsy report in accordance with the relevant rules of criminal procedure only if discovery has not otherwise been provided to counsel or the defendant; A law enforcement agency that is investigating the death upon the request of the law enforcement agency; A local or regional child fatality prevention review team upon the request of the review team; The Colorado department of public health and environment as necessary for the collection of data in accordance with the Colorado violent death reporting system. The Colorado child fatality review team upon the request of the review team; A county department of human or social services in connection with the investigation of an incidence of alleged abuse or neglect of a minor; The division of youth services in the department of human services in connection with the investigation of a fatality that has occurred within a state owned or operated residential facility; A community clinic or a treating hospital for inclusion within the medical records of the deceased; An eye bank, an organ procurement organization, or a tissue bank; or A local or regional domestic violence fatality review team or the Colorado domestic violence fatality review board upon the request of a team or the board, as applicable.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates the submarine service license plate. In addition to the standard motor vehicle fees, the plate requires 2 one-time fees of $25. One fee is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other to a fund that provides licensing services. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill states that any civil action to recover damages caused by an act of domestic violence must be commenced within 6 years after a disability has been removed for a person under disability or within 6 years after a cause of action accrues, whichever occurs later. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' continuation of benefits board (board) in the department of the treasury. The board is required to review submissions from counties or municipalities offering law enforcement or fire protection service or any special district or county improvement district in the state offering fire protection service (employers) for the continuation of medical and dental benefits for the dependants of any employee who dies in a work-related death and to oversee the payment of such benefits. The board is composed of the state treasurer, the executive director of the department of public safety, and the executive director of the fire and police pension association, or their designees. The bill specifies that any employer may enter into an agreement with the board to make quarterly contributions to the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' continuation of benefits fund (fund), which is created in the bill, on behalf of each person it employs whose duties are directly involved with the provision of law enforcement or fire protection. Only employers that make contributions to the fund are eligible to have the continuation of benefits for the dependants of an employee who died in a work-related death paid from the fund. The board shall determine the amount of the contribution required by each employer and shall determine the method by which each employer shall pay the quarterly contribution to the fund. The bill does not prohibit an employer that chooses not to make contributions to the fund from independently paying for the continuation of benefits for the dependents of any person it employs and who dies in a work-related death. The bill specifies that the dependents of an employee who dies in a work-related death are automatically qualified for the continuation of medical and dental benefits through the employer's medical and dental benefit coverage for 12 months from the end of the month in which the work-related death occurred, so long as the dependents had medical or dental benefits through the employer at the time of the employee's work-related death. The board will pay the cost of providing medical or dental benefits on behalf of the employee's dependents from the fund only if the employer has an agreement with the board to make contributions to the fund. At any time, if an employee dies from a work-related death and the money in the fund is insufficient to cover the costs of continuation of benefits for the dependents of the employee, the bill directs the state treasurer to advance sufficient money from the state treasury to cover such costs and to be repaid by the board on a schedule to be set by the board. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates up to 4 pilot programs in judicial districts in the state that divert individuals with low-level criminal behavior and a mental health condition to community resources and treatment rather than continued criminal justice involvement (program). The programs must be developed in accordance with the principles and proposed model recommended by the Colorado commission on criminal and juvenile justice, adopted on January 12, 2018.The state court administrator (SCAO) and the Colorado district attorneys' council shall collaborate to identify potential program sites, with the agreement of the elected district attorneys and chief judges in a judicial district. Once a judicial district has been selected as a program site, the chief judge and district attorney for the judicial district shall work collaboratively with interested and necessary participants to decide which courts and counties within the judicial districts are best suited to implement the pilot program. Interested and necessary participants include law enforcement, jail officials, public defenders, judges, pretrial service providers, and local community mental health and behavioral health service providers. The chief judge of a designated program district is responsible for the local implementation of the program, including establishing policies and procedures and facilitating formal agreements that might be required for implementation. The SCAO is responsible for overall program administration, including ensuring that, on or before January 1, 2019, each judicial district implements its own unique program. The mental health criminal justice diversion grant program (grant program) is created within the SCAO. The SCAO shall administer and monitor the grant program, including establishing funding guidelines and acceptable expenses, making specific grant awards, and disbursing grant award money to district attorneys' offices for the implementation of local programs. The program is repealed, effective December 1, 2021. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill changes the criteria that the department of education (department) must consider in assigning an accreditation category to a school district or the state charter school institute (institute) or in recommending the type of performance plan that a public school must implement. The bill clarifies that a school district or the institute, on its own behalf or on behalf of one of its public schools, may request reconsideration of the initial accreditation category or performance plan assignment. The bill specifies criteria the department may apply as part of the reconsideration. The bill directs the department to make training in governance and turnaround best practices available to the directors of the board of education of a school district that is accredited with improvement plan or lower or that includes a public school that is required to implement a priority improvement or turnaround plan and to make materials and training available to parents, school personnel, and school district and school accountability committees. The bill allows, rather than requires, the commissioner of education (commissioner) to assign the state review panel to evaluate a school district's, the institute's, or a public school's turnaround plan. And the commissioner may require the state review panel to conduct one or more on-site visits as part of the evaluation. In the third year in which a school district or the institute is accredited with priority improvement plan or lower, or earlier at the school district's or institute's request, the school district or institute must hold a parent and community meeting. Department personnel must attend the meeting. The bill specifies the information that must be provided at the meeting and the requirements for providing notice of the meeting. A school district or the institute, as appropriate, must also hold a parent and community meeting for a public school that is in the third year of implementing a priority improvement or turnaround plan, or earlier, and must combine the parent and community meeting with the public meeting required under existing law. Department personnel must attend the meeting. The department may require a school district or an institute charter school to provide proof of compliance with other public meeting requirements that apply to adoption of a priority improvement or turnaround plan. Under current law, if a school district or the institute is accredited with priority improvement plan or lower for 5 consecutive years, the department may recommend that the state board of education (state board) remove the school district's or institute's accreditation. The bill changes the time period, beginning with the 2018-19 school year, by providing that, if a school district or the institute performs at a level that results in being accredited with priority improvement plan or lower for 2 consecutive years followed by 3 additional years, consecutive or nonconsecutive, for a total of 5 years, the state board must require the school district or institute to take action as provided in statute. But if the school district or institute performs at a level that results in being accredited at a level higher than priority improvement plan for 2 consecutive years after the first 2 of the 5 years, then the 5 years stop accumulating. This change to calculating the 5 years also applies to a public school that performs at a level that results in being required to adopt a priority improvement or turnaround plan. While the 5 years are accumulating, the school district, institute, or public school is on performance watch. For the fourth year in which a public school, a school district, or the institute is on performance watch, the priority improvement or turnaround plan adopted by the public school, school district, or institute must include a description of how it would implement the actions that the state board may direct at the completion of 5 years on performance watch. The bill also changes the consequences for completing 5 years on performance watch. Under the bill, the commissioner must assign the state review panel to evaluate the school district's or the institute's performance and recommend one or more of several specified actions, which may include removal of accreditation. After considering the recommendations, the state board must determine the appropriate actions and direct the school district or institute accordingly. The school district or institute then goes on a 2-year cycle of evaluation by the state review panel, which may result in additional directions from the state board to the school district or institute. The school district or institute remains subject to the 2-year cycle until it performs at a level that results in being accredited with improvement plan or higher for 2 consecutive years. A comparable requirement for a 2-year cycle of review by the state review panel applies to a public school that completes 5 years on performance watch. The bill clarifies that the state board, at the request of a school district or the institute, may direct the school district or institute to take one of the specific actions, for itself or for a public school, before the school district, institute, or public school completes the 5 years on performance watch. The bill makes several changes to implementation of the performance indicators for measuring the performance of public schools, school districts, the institute, and the state, including: Repealing the specific details for calculating performance of the achievement and longitudinal growth indicators and directing the state board to specify calculations in rule; Specifying a performance indicator that measures growth to standards; Changing the terminology for describing a student's performance on the statewide assessments; and Removing the performance indicator concerning closing the achievement gaps and requiring the department to disaggregate performance by student groups in each of the remaining performance indicators and separately account for the performance of each student group on each performance indicator. The bill requires the school district accountability committees to meet quarterly to discuss whether school district leadership, personnel, and infrastructure are advancing or impeding school district performance. The bill requires the annual performance reports for public schools, school districts, the institute, and the state to specify the percentage of students enrolled by each public school, school district, or the institute who score at each of the performance levels on the statewide assessments. The bill identifies additional innovations that a public school may adopt if the state board directs that a school district convert the public school into a school of innovation. The bill changes the existing school turnaround leaders development program to the school transformation grant program. Under the school transformation grant program, in addition to awarding grants for the development of school turnaround leaders, the state board must award grants to applying school districts, the institute, and charter schools for educator professional development and to implement instructional transformation in the public schools. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill allows foster parents access to certain information regarding a foster child or prospective foster child, including judicial information and education records. The bill requires that a county prioritize child care assistance for certified foster parents and certified kinship foster parents and for noncertified kinship care providers that provide care for children with an open child welfare case. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill requires the public utilities commission (commission) to annually publish a 'state of 911' report. The report must address the commission's activities related to 911 service, the current statewide architecture and operations related to 911 service, 911 network reliability and resiliency, any identified gaps or vulnerabilities in 911 service, national trends and activities, funding, and the implementation of next generation 911. The commission is required to consult with public safety answering points, local 911 governing bodies, and statewide organizations representing public safety agencies in creating the report. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More