Sen. John Cooke

The current definition of 'special respondent' in the Children's Code only allows a party to be involuntarily joined in a dependency or neglect proceeding. The bill amends that definition to allow a party to be voluntarily joined in a dependency or neglect proceeding. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The bill states that when a peace officer or community parole officer has probable cause to believe that an offender in an intensive supervision program has committed an escape by knowingly removing or tampering with an electronic monitoring device that he or she is required to wear as a condition of parole, the officer shall immediately seek a warrant for the offender's arrest or arrest the offender without undue delay if the offender is in the presence of the officer. However, before an officer arrests an offender, the officer, if practicable, shall determine that the notification of removal or tampering was not merely the result of an equipment malfunction. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

In current law, several sex-assault-on-a-child crimes are designated 'pattern' offenses, meaning that the defendant has a pattern of sexually assaulting the same child repeatedly. When such assaults occur in more than one jurisdiction, the district attorney in each such jurisdiction must prosecute a case for the incident that occurred in his or her jurisdiction. The bill allows a prosecutor to charge and bring a pattern-offense case for all such assaults in any jurisdiction where one of the acts occurred. The bill allows the prosecution of a defendant charged with sex-assault-on-a-child pattern offense or sex-assault-on-a-child-in-a-position-of-trust pattern offense to be tried: In a county where at least one or more of the incidents of sexual contact occurred; or In a county where an act in furtherance of the offense was committed.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

There is a sunrise review process for groups seeking peace officer status. The bill clarifies that municipalities do not need to go through that process to employ a police force. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The bill consolidates and clarifies various statutory sections concerning reductions of sentences for county jail inmates. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Current law requires persons who wish to cultivate industrial hemp to apply to the department of agriculture for a registration. The bill adds a requirement that applicants to cultivate industrial hemp for commercial purposes provide the names of each officer, director, member, partner, or owner of 10% or more in the entity applying for registration and any person managing or controlling the entity. Applicants for a registration may be denied registration for up to 3 years if any individual or entity listed in the application was previously subject to discipline, or the individual or entity was previously listed by an entity that was subject to discipline. When a registration is suspended, revoked, or relinquished, a new application for registration may be denied for up to 3 years after the effective date of discipline. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Under current law, an applicant for a concealed handgun permit must satisfy certain criteria, including a requirement that the he or she is at least 21 years of age. The bill amends this requirement to state that the applicant must be either: Twenty-one years of age or older; or Eighteen years of age or older and on active duty in, or honorably discharged from, any branch or reserve branch of the United States military forces, including the National Guard.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Current law authorizes 2 grant programs relating to forest management: One relating to wildfire risk reduction that is administered by the department of natural resources, which is financed by a one-time transfer of $1 million from the general fund, and one relating to landscape-scale forest health that is administered by the state forest service located within Colorado State University, which is financed by annual transfers of $1 million from the severance tax operational fund that ended on July 1, 2016. Section 1 of the bill repeals the grant program administered by the department of natural resources, and section 4 transfers it to the state forest service, renamed as the 'forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation grant program'. Section 4 also adjusts the composition of the technical advisory panel and specifies that the panel is no longer subject to sunset review. Sections 2 and 3 realign the funding for the new grant program and the healthy forest and vibrant communities fund by allowing $50,000 that had been allocated to the department of public health and environment relating to the air quality impacts of prescribed fire to be used for any authorized purpose of the healthy forests and vibrant communities fund and extending funding for the consolidated grant program for 7 years. Section 2 also allows the forest service to use the existing unencumbered balance of the forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation grant program cash fund for community watershed restoration purposes. Section 3 also extends the funding for 2 related forest programs for 7 years. Section 5 makes the bill effective on July 1, 2017.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)