Sen. Kevin Priola

Building regulations - energy efficient building code standards required - reporting. The act requires local jurisdictions to adopt one of the 3 most recent versions of the international energy conservation code at a minimum, upon updating any other building code, and encourages local jurisdictions to update the Colorado energy office on any changes to the jurisdictions' building and energy codes.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Colorado new energy improvement district - inclusion of housing authority property. The Colorado new energy improvement district (NEID) administers a commercial property assessed clean energy program through which an owner of eligible real property, which includes residential properties having at least 5 dwelling units (eligible property), may finance energy improvements to the eligible property by joining the NEID and agreeing to pay a NEID special assessment against the eligible property. A city, county, or multijurisdictional housing authority (housing authority) and its property, whether owned or leased, are generally exempt from the payment of special assessments to the state or any political subdivision of the state. The act clarifies that this exemption does not preclude a housing authority, an entity in which a housing authority has an ownership interest, or a lessor who leases real property to or from a housing authority from voluntarily applying to include eligible real property that it owns into the boundaries of the NEID and accepting the levying of a NEID special assessment against the eligible property.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Smoking restrictions - application to vape and e-cigarette use - exemptions - age restrictions in permitted smoking areas - signage - penalties. The act amends the "Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act" by: Adding a definition of "electronic smoking device" (ESD) to include e-cigarettes and similar devices within the scope of the act; Citing the results of recent research on ESD emissions and their effects on human health as part of the legislative declaration; Eliminating the existing exceptions for certain places of business in which smoking may be permitted, such as airport smoking concessions, businesses with 3 or fewer employees, designated smoking rooms in hotels, and designated smoking areas in assisted living facilities; Repealing the ability of property owners and managers to designate smoking areas through the posting of signs; Exempting FDA-approved nebulizers, inhalers, and vaporizers, as well as humidifiers that emit only water vapor, from the definition of an ESD; Amending signage requirements for tobacco businesses and vape shops that must notify customers of prohibitions on entry by persons under the age of 18; Increasing the radius of an "entryway", the area around the doorway to a building where smoking is not permitted, from a minimum of 15 feet to a minimum of 25 feet except where existing local regulations permitted a smaller radius when construction or renovation of a business commenced, on or before July 1, 2019; and Creates a grace period, affirmative defenses, and graduated penalties for enforcement of the amended signage requirements and age restrictions for tobacco businesses and vape shops. The act takes effect July 1, 2019, except for the provisions requiring exclusion of minors and the posting of appropriate signage relating to the exclusion, which provisions take effect October 1, 2019. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

The bill creates the employment support and job retention services program (program) within the division of employment and training (division) in the department of labor and employment (department) to provide emergency employment support and job retention services to eligible individuals in the state. The bill requires the director of the division (director) to contract with an entity to administer the program to provide reimbursement for employment support and job retention services provided to eligible individuals statewide. In order to be eligible for services for which a service provider may be reimbursed under the program, an individual must be 16 years of age or older, be eligible to work in the United States, have a household income that is at or below the federal poverty line, and be underemployed or unemployed and actively involved in employment preparation, job training, employment pursuit, or job retention activities. The director is required to establish procedures and guidelines to implement and set parameters for the operation of the program. The general assembly is required to appropriate money to the employment support and job retention services cash fund created in the bill for allocation to the division to implement and operate the program. The department is authorized to accept gifts, grants, and donations for the implementation and operation of the program. The program is repealed, effective September 30, 2022. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More

Census outreach grant program - department of local affairs - division of local government - appropriation. The 2020 census outreach grant program (grant program) is created in the division of local government (division) in the department of local affairs (department) to provide grants to local governments, intergovernmental agencies, councils of government, housing authorities, school districts, nonprofit organizations, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (eligible recipients) to support the accurate counting of the population of the state for the 2020 census. The department, in coordination with the grant program committee (committee), which is also created in the division, is required to implement and administer the grant program and to develop policies and procedures necessary for such implementation and administration. The committee consists of 5 members, one of whom is appointed by the secretary of state and 4 of whom are appointed, one each, by the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the minority leaders of the house of representatives and the senate, although such appointees may not be members of the general assembly. Eligible recipients may use grant money to conduct 2020 census outreach, promotion, and education to focus on hard-to-count communities in the state and to increase the self-response rate and accuracy of the 2020 census. Eligible recipients may also use grant money to further award grants to other local governments, intergovernmental agencies, councils of government, housing authorities, school districts, or nonprofit organizations. To receive a grant, an eligible recipient must submit an application to the department in accordance with the policies and procedures developed by the department. The committee is required to review the applications received and to make recommendations to the department regarding which grant applications to approve. In developing its recommendations, the committee is required to consider whether the eligible recipient will be conducting outreach in hard-to-count communities and the size and geographic and demographic diversity of the hard-to-count communities in which outreach, education, and promotion of the 2020 census will occur as provided by all eligible recipients that receive grant money. The department is required to award grants for the purposes of the grant program on or before November 1, 2019, and to distribute the grant money to eligible recipients that were awarded grants within 30 days after the grants are awarded. In addition to money appropriated by the general assembly, the department may solicit, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of the grant program. Each eligible recipient that received a grant through the grant program is required to submit 2 reports to the department including information to be determined by the department. The department is required to submit 2 reports to the local government committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or any successor committees, and to the governor regarding the census outreach conducted through the grant program. On or before May 1, 2026, and on or before May 1 every 10 years thereafter, the department and the office of the governor are required to develop a strategic action plan, including a discussion of necessary funding for the plan, for outreach and promotion for a successful count of the population in Colorado during the upcoming decennial census. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, $6 million from the general fund is appropriated to the department for use by the division for the direct and indirect costs of administering the grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Substance use disorders - alternatives to arrest and criminal charges for persons in need of substance use treatment - treatment in prisons and jails - record sealing - harm reduction program - appropriation. The act enacts policies related to the involvement of persons with substance use disorders in the criminal justice system. The Colorado commission on criminal and juvenile justice is required to study and make recommendations concerning: Alternatives to filing criminal charges against individuals with substance use disorders who have been arrested for drug-related offenses; Best practices for investigating unlawful opioid distribution in Colorado; and A process for automatically sealing criminal records for drug offense convictions. Jails that receive funding through the jail-based behavioral health services program must have a policy in place on or before January 1, 2020, that describes how medication-assisted treatment will be provided, when necessary, to individuals in the jail. The jail may enter into agreements with community agencies and organizations to assist in the development and administration of medication-assisted treatment. The department of corrections (DOC) is required to allow medication-assisted treatment to be provided to persons who were receiving treatment in a local jail prior to being transferred to the custody of the DOC. The DOC may enter into agreements with community agencies and organizations to assist in the development and administration of medication-assisted treatment. The act adds to an existing legislative declaration that the substance abuse trend and response task force should formulate a response to current and emerging substance abuse problems from the criminal justice, prevention, and treatment sectors that includes the use of drop-off treatment services, mobile and walk-in crisis centers, and withdrawal management programs as an alternative to entry into the criminal justice system for offenders of low-level drug offenses. The act creates a simplified process for sealing convictions for level 4 drug felonies, all drug misdemeanors, and any offense committed prior to October 1, 2013, that would have been a level 4 drug felony or drug misdemeanor if committed on or after October 1, 2013. A defendant may file a motion to seal records 3 years or more after final disposition of the criminal proceedings. Conviction records may be sealed only after a hearing and upon court order. This provision of the act is contingent upon House Bill 19-1275 being enacted and becoming law. The harm reduction grant program is established to reduce health risks associated with drug use and improve coordination between law enforcement agencies, public health agencies, and community-based organizations. Grants may be awarded to nonprofit organizations, public health agencies, and law enforcement agencies. The department of regulatory agencies shall review the grant program prior to its scheduled repeal in 2024. The following appropriations are made for the 2019-20 state fiscal year: $1,963,832 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of human services for use by the office of behavioral health; $492,750 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of corrections; $1,800,000 is appropriated from the marijuana tax cash fund to the harm reduction grant program, which the department of public health and environment is responsible for the accounting related to such appropriation; and $40,300 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of public safety for use by the division of criminal justice for administrative services.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Recovery from substance use disorders - housing vouchers - recovery residence standards and requirements - recovery residence certification grant program - creation of the opioid crisis recovery funds advisory committee - appropriation. The act: Expands the housing voucher program currently within the department of local affairs to include individuals with a substance use disorder; Establishes standards for recovery residences for purposes of referrals and title protection and prohibits a facility from using the terms "recovery residence", "sober living facility", or "sober home" unless the facility meets specified conditions; Creates the recovery residence certification grant program; and Creates the opioid crisis recovery funds advisory committee to advise and collaborate with the department of law on uses of any custodial funds the state receives as settlement or damage awards resulting from opioid-related litigation. To implement the act: $1,000,000 is appropriated to the department of local affairs; $2,620 is appropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology; and $50,000 is appropriated to the department of human services for use by the office of behavioral health.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Prescription insulin drugs - 30-day supply - cost-sharing cap - appropriation. Effective January 1, 2020, the act caps the cost sharing a covered person is required to pay for prescription insulin drugs at $100 per 30-day supply of insulin. The act requires the department of law to investigate the pricing of prescription insulin drugs and submit a report of its findings to the governor, the commissioner of insurance, and the judiciary committees of the senate and house of representatives. $26,054 is appropriated to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the division of insurance to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Registration - fees and surcharges - appropriation. The act requires the department of revenue to give prorated credit for registration fees and surcharges on a vehicle that is sold before the vehicle's registration year ends. The credit is applied to vehicles subsequently registered. To implement the act, $7,200 is appropriated to the department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

State board of accountancy - continuing education requirements - continuation under sunset law. The automatic termination date of the regulation of accountants by the state board of accountancy is extended until September 1, 2030, pursuant to the provisions of the sunset law. The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies' sunset review and report on the state board of accountancy by: Making the use of fraudulent, coercive, or dishonest practices, or the demonstration of incompetence, untrustworthiness, or financial irresponsibility, grounds for discipline (section 9 of the act); Clarifying that foreign corporations operating a Colorado office must register with the board and adding "limited liability partnership" to the list of business types that must register (section 8); Permitting a person that is not certified or registered to use an accounting designation that includes the word "management" conferred by a bona fide nationally recognized accounting organization if the designation does not purport to confer the right to perform audit or attest services (sections 4 and 7); Authorizing the board to take disciplinary action against uncertified or unregistered persons, including resident managers, if they provide services that require certification or registration (section 9); Allowing a person to request inactive status via any board-approved method (section 5); and Making technical changes (sections 5, 10, and 11). Section 3 updates the names of several regional accrediting agencies. Section 6 specifies that a nonresident certificate holder's completion of continuing education requirements in the holder's home state satisfies the Colorado continuing education requirements. Specified provisions of the act are contingent upon House Bill 19-1172 becoming law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More