Sen. Marc Snyder

Current law allows a physician to submit documentation to the department of public health and environment (department) stating that a patient has a debilitating medical condition or disabling medical condition and may benefit from the use of medical marijuana. The bill clarifies that the physician is submitting a recommendation to the department rather than a certification or authorization. The bill removes the following requirements for a physician's recommendation to the department: The physician's federal drug enforcement agency number; The maximum THC potency level of the medical marijuana product; The recommended medical marijuana product; The patient's daily authorized quantity of the medical marijuana product; and Directions for use of the medical marijuana product. The bill allows a physician to establish a bonafide physician-patient relationship remotely via video or telephone conference if the patient is: 21 years of age or older; Under 18 years of age; or 18 years of age or older but under 21 years of age and the patient received a medical marijuana recommendation prior to 18 years of age. The bill clarifies that a patient must only present a uniform certification form completed by a recommending physician to a medical marijuana store if the patient seeks to purchase more than the statutorily allowed limit of medical marijuana products. Current law limits the amount of medical marijuana concentrate that a patient may purchase in a single day to 8 grams. The bill increases that limitation to 40 grams, but limits the total amount that a patient can purchase in a 30-day period to the equivalent of 8 grams per day. Current law limits the combined amount of medical marijuana products that a patient may purchase in a single day to 20,000 milligrams. The bill adds an exception to that limitation for nonedible, nonpsychoactive medical marijuana products. Current law limits the amount of medical marijuana concentrate that a patient 18 years of age or older but under 21 years of age may purchase in a single day to 2 grams. The bill allows a patient that is 18 years of age or older but under 21 years of age and had a registry identification card issued by the department prior to 18 years of age to purchase in a single day up to 8 grams of medical marijuana concentrate. The bill clarifies that when a physician issues a uniform certification form to a patient 18 years of age or older, the physician may consider whether the patient had a registry identification card issued by the department prior to 18 years of age as a factor in recommending that the patient be allowed to purchase more than the statutorily allowed quantities of medical marijuana products. The bill allows a retail marijuana store to sell retail marijuana products to patients at the statutorily allowed limit for medical marijuana products and registered primary caregivers 21 years of age or older who present a registry identification card issued by the department. The bill also allows a registered primary caregiver to purchase retail marijuana products for a patient who is under 21 years of age at the applicable statutorily allowed limit for medical marijuana products for patients under 21 years of age. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act requires the Colorado state forest service to make certain upgrades and improvements to its seedling tree nursery in order to expand its capacity and its ability to contribute to reforestation efforts in the state. The act is repealed as of January 1, 2025. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, $5,000,000 is appropriated to the department of higher education for use by the board of governors of the Colorado state university system for the Colorado state forest service tree nursery. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Colorado law requires a new motor vehicle dealer or a used motor vehicle dealer to maintain a principal place of business and sets minimum standards for the principal place of business. The act clarifies that the following acts are not a violation of this requirement: Delivering a motor vehicle to a customer for a test drive away from the dealer's principal place of business; Delivering documents for a customer to sign away from the dealer's principal place of business; Delivering documents to, or obtaining documents from, a customer away from the dealer's principal place of business; or Delivering a motor vehicle to a customer away from the dealer's principal place of business.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the state treasurer to establish the Colorado household financial recovery pilot program (program) in the department of the treasury to partner with financial institutions to incentivize lending to low-income individuals and households, including households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic or its negative economic impacts. Money available for the program must be used for one or more of the following purposes: To establish a loan loss reserve to partially offset risk to lenders in making loans to individuals and households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; To make payments to lenders to buy down interest rates on loans made to individuals and households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; To provide lending capital for affordable, small loans to individuals and households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; or To award grants to nonprofit community-based organizations to conduct marketing and outreach to individuals and households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who may be eligible to participate in the program. The state treasurer may select one or more community development financial institutions to administer all or a portion of the money available for the program. The administrator or administrators are selected based, in part, on their proposed use of the money, their ability to partner with nonprofit community-based organizations that work with individuals and households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to connect borrowers to affordable banking products and other financial services. The act specifies program policies, including loan terms, and requires the state treasurer and administrators to establish and publicize additional program policies as necessary. The state treasurer or an administrator may establish a loan loss reserve to partially offset loan losses and thereby incentivize lending by financial institutions to individuals and households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state treasurer shall determine the amount of the offset and shall establish and publicize policies for participating financial institutions. On or before November 1, 2023, and on or before November 1 each year thereafter, the selected administrators shall report to the governor and to house of representatives business affairs and labor committee and the senate business, labor, and technology committee, or any success committees, concerning the use of program money and other information concerning the program. The act creates the Colorado household financial recovery pilot program fund (fund) and identifies allowable uses of the money in the fund. $5,200,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the fund to implement the pilot program. From this appropriation, $59,142 is reappropriated to the department of law for legal services for the department of the treasury. The appropriation is based on the assumption that the department of law will require an additional 0.3 FTE. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act establishes the wildfire mitigation incentives for local government grant program (grant program) in the Colorado state forest service (forest service). The grant program is established to provide state funding assistance in the form of grant awards to local governments to either match revenue raised by such governments from a dedicated revenue source or to expand existing programs administered by the local government on a long-term basis, which efforts are intended to be used for forest management or wildfire mitigation efforts at the local level. Such wildfire mitigation efforts include, without limitation, projects that promote fuel breaks, forest thinning, a reduction in the amount or extent of fuels contributing to wildfires, outreach and education efforts directed at property owners and other members of the public, and any other means of forest management or wildfire mitigation as determined appropriate for funding by the forest service. On or before March 1, 2023, the forest service is required to adopt polices, procedures, and guidelines for the grant program that include, without limitation: Procedures and timelines by which an eligible recipient may apply for a grant; Criteria for determining grant eligibility and grant amounts; and Reporting requirements for grant recipients. Any funding awarded under the grant program must match either revenues raised by the local government from a dedicated revenue source or supplement existing programs administered by the local government on a long-term basis, which efforts are intended to be used for forest management or wildfire mitigation efforts at the local level in accordance with policies, procedures, and guidelines developed by the forest service. A local government is eligible for funding under the grant program even in the absence of a dedicated revenue source if the local government has created and administers an existing program, project, or funding mechanism that creates long-term funding at the local level for wildfire mitigation or forest health or has created and administers other creative and innovative approaches for promoting wildfire mitigation and forest health. In allocating funding under the grant program, preference must be given to certain eligible recipients based on prioritization factors enumerated in the act. Eligible recipients may apply for funding from the grant program, and the recipient's application for funding may be approved by the forest service before the local government has created a dedicated revenue source that forms the basis for the match if the electors of the local government approve a ballot issue creating the revenue source at an election that takes place in the same calendar year in which the funding is awarded. The act creates the wildfire mitigation incentives local government grant program fund (fund) in the state treasury. On July 1, 2022, the state treasurer is required to transfer $10 million from the general fund to the fund. The forest service is to use the money transferred to fund awards under the grant program and pay the administrative costs of the forest service in administering the grant program. On or before November 1, 2024, and on or before November 1 of each year thereafter, the forest service is required to publish a report summarizing the use of all of the money that was awarded under the grant program in the preceding fiscal year. The act specifies additional required components of the report. The report must be posted on the website of the forest service. The act requires the Colorado department of higher education to summarize the information contained in the report in its "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" hearings. The act requires the forest service to prepare educational materials concerning the grant program and to display such materials on its official website. The forest service is also required to undertake outreach activities to inform local governments located in priority areas for wildfire mitigation of the grant program. The grant program is repealed, effective September 1, 2027. Before its repeal, the department of regulatory agencies is required to review the grant program as part of the general assembly's review of regulatory agencies and functions for repeal, continuation, or reestablishment. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

For state fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23, $1,000,000 is annually appropriated from the general fund to the department of human services for use by administration and finance for grants for operational expenses related to the Colorado 2-1-1 collaborative. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, an additional $55,645 is appropriated from the general fund to the department for use by administration and finance for the 2-1-1 collaborative based on the assumption that the department will require an additional 0.9 FTE. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the Colorado state forest service (forest service) to convene a working group (working group) that includes the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety (DFPC) and the United States forest service (USFS), and that may include other local, state, or federal partners and entities engaged in wildfire risk mitigation in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The working group shall consider how best to conduct enhanced outreach campaigns during wildfire awareness month in 2023 and 2024, as well as other outreach efforts that inform and motivate residents in the WUI to engage in more wildfire risk mitigation. After considering feedback from the working group, the forest service shall implement an enhanced wildfire awareness month outreach campaign in conjunction with the DFPC and the USFS in 2023 and 2024, as well as other outreach efforts in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 state fiscal years. In implementing an enhanced wildfire awareness month outreach campaign and other outreach efforts, the forest service may, subject to available appropriations: Develop or contract for the development or placement of marketing and educational materials, including videos, direct mail, social media, print media, television and radio spots, and billboards; Conduct or contract for educational events targeted to residents in the WUI; Retain consultants, as necessary, to implement all or part of an outreach campaign, as well as other outreach efforts; Make enhancements to the forest service's web-based clearinghouse for technical assistance and funding resources and coordinate with working group partners and other entities to provide links to web-based educational resources and information; and Secure necessary staff to implement the outreach efforts. The act requires the state forester to report to the wildfire matters review committee during the 2023 and 2024 legislative interims concerning the outreach efforts implemented pursuant to the act, including the amount and use of money appropriated for outreach efforts and the impact of those efforts in increasing awareness of wildfire risk mitigation in the WUI. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $800,000 from the general fund to the healthy forest and vibrant communities fund for use by the Colorado state forest service in implementing the act. The act also authorizes the appropriation of money to the DFPC as necessary to implement the outreach plan. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the microgrids for community resilience grant program (grant program) to be administered by the division of local government (division) in the department of local affairs (department), in collaboration with the Colorado resiliency office in the division and the Colorado energy office. A cooperative electric association or a municipally owned utility (utility) may apply to the division for a grant award to finance the purchase of microgrid resources in eligible rural communities within the utility's service territory that are at significant risk of experiencing severe weather or natural disaster events and in which one or more community anchor institutions, which institutions are important community, educational, health care, or other institutions, are located. The microgrids, which can be connected to or be disconnected from, and work independent of, the utility's electric grid, can increase an eligible rural community's ability to avoid or remediate interruptions to the electric grid, such as those caused by severe weather or natural disaster events. On an annual basis commencing in 2023, the division is required to: Report on the progress of the grant program, including information on the number of grants awarded and the amount of money awarded for each grant; Submit copies of the report to the house of representatives energy and environment committee and the senate transportation and energy committee, or their successor committees; and Publish the report on the department's website. For state fiscal year 2022-23, the bill appropriates from the general fund: $3,500,000 to the department for use by the division for implementation of the grant program; and $20,713 to the office of the governor for use by the Colorado energy office for grant program administration. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the Pikes Peak international hill climb special license plate. In addition to the standard motor vehicle fees, the plate requires 2 one-time fees of $25. One of the fees is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other to the licensing services cash fund. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, $41,734 is appropriated to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)