Sen. John Cooke

Currently, there is a prosecution fellowship program that matches CU and DU law student graduates with rural district attorneys' offices. The fellowships last for one year. The bill extends the fellowships to 15 months. The bill appropriates $165,726 from the general fund to the department of higher education for use by the Colorado commission on higher education for the prosecution fellowship program. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Section 1 of the bill authorizes the creation of an energy and innovation collaboration agreement between an investor-owned utility and the government of a city, county, town, or city and county served by that utility. The agreement is subject to approval by the public utilities commission, which is directed to ensure that safe and reliable service is maintained and that the utility's costs of complying with the agreement are paid for by the community and not imposed on other customers of the utility. Section 2 increases the allowable size of a community solar garden from 2 megawatts to 5 megawatts. Section 3 appropriates $67,498 to the public utilities commission from the public utilities commission fixed utilities fund for purposes of implementing the bill.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Sunset Process - House Transportation and Energy Committee. The bill continues the automobile theft prevention authority and the automobile theft prevention board until 2029.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

The bill requires the state court administrator to administer a court reminder program to remind criminal defendants to appear at their scheduled hearings in the county courts and district courts of the state, except for the Denver county court. The objective of the program is to significantly reduce the number of defendants who are committed to the custody of a county jail solely as a result of their failure to appear in court. The bill makes an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

Currently, Colorado criminalizes posting nude images of another person for harassment purposes or for pecuniary gain. The bill makes the following changes to those crimes: Adds images of sex acts that may not include nude images; Removes the requirement that the defendant intend to inflict serious emotional distress; Removes as an exception to the crimes that the image relates to a newsworthy event; and Clarifies that the images subject to the crimes may be disclosed by law enforcement personnel, human or social services personnel, prosecutors, and court personnel in the course of their normal business.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

House Bill 16-1316 amended the venue statute for transferring child welfare proceedings between counties and inadvertently struck the word 'not' in one sentence. Due to this error, courts are not allowed to transfer child welfare proceedings between counties after adjudication even though the intent of House Bill 16-1316 was to allow post-adjudication transfers. The bill reinserts the word 'not' to allow such transfers. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

The bill prohibits the governor from involving Colorado in any state-level climate collaboration that attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions or to otherwise promote the goals of the Paris Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (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 modifies and repeals selected provisions of recent legislation (S.B. 13-252) in the following areas: S.B. 13-252's increase in the renewable portfolio standard for cooperative electric associations serving 100,000 or more meters, which for 2020 had been increased from 10% to 20%, returns to 10%; S.B. 13-252's expansion of the definition of 'eligible energy resources' is curtailed by eliminating synthetic gas produced by pyrolysis of municipal waste, but the inclusion of coal mine methane is retained, subject to a determination by the public utilities commission that the coal mine methane is greenhouse gas neutral, and large and preexisting hydroelectric generation facilities are added; A multiplier in the formula for calculation of renewable energy credits used to accelerate the construction of new solar generation, which expired in 2015 under S.B. 13-252, is reinstated; The maximum permissible retail rate impact of compliance with the standards, which S.B. 13-252 increased from 1% to 2% for cooperative electric associations, returns to 1%; S.B. 13-252's additional carve-outs for distributed generation are eliminated; and Reporting requirements and portfolio standards for cooperative electric associations that sell electricity wholesale (qualifying wholesale utilities) are eliminated.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More

The bill extends the motor vehicle emissions inspection cycle for 1982 and newer model motor vehicles from every 2 years to every 4 years and specifies that a motor vehicle does not fail an emissions inspection solely because a check-engine light is illuminated on the motor vehicle's dashboard. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More