The act changed the requirements to be issued an instruction permit by requiring, on or after January 1, 2027: Minors who are 15 years of age or older and under 18 years of age to complete a 30-hour driver education course, which may include an online course, approved by the department of revenue (department); and Minors who are 18 years of age and older to either complete a 30-hour driver education course, which may include an online course, approved by the department or a 4-hour prequalification driver awareness program approved by the department. The act requires a minor who is under 21 years of age to successfully complete an instruction program in motorcycle safety that is approved by the Colorado state patrol before being issued an instruction permit to drive a motorcycle. The act authorizes the following individuals who hold a valid Colorado driver's license to supervise a minor's driving under a permit: The minor's parent or stepparent; The minor's grandparent with power of attorney; An individual who is 21 years of age or older and who signed the affidavit of liability; The minor's foster parent who signed the affidavit of liability; An approved driver education instructor; An alternate permit supervisor who is 21 years of age or older and is appointed by the person who signed the affidavit of liability; and If the minor is a foster child, an individual authorized to supervise the foster child. The act authorizes the issuance of a temporary driver's license or temporary minor driver's license, which temporary license is valid for up to one year unless extended by the department of revenue and which immediately becomes invalid upon issuance of a permanent driver's license or upon refusal for good cause. The act prohibits a person who has been convicted of certain violent or sexual crimes from providing behind-the-wheel driving instruction to minors and at-risk adults. A commercial driving school is prohibited from employing such a driving instructor to provide behind-the-wheel driving instruction to minors and at-risk adults. Each instructor employed by a commercial driving school must obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history record check to verify that the instructor has not committed a disqualifying crime. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 1, 2026(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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Current law requires the pipeline safety rules of the public utilities commission (commission) to address the mapping of all pipelines within the commission's jurisdiction. The bill clarifies current law by requiring the commission's mapping requirements for all pipelines within its jurisdiction to be available at a scale of 1 to 6,000 or greater. On or before December 31, 2024, the commission must adopt rules that require: An owner or operator of a transmission line, a distribution system, or a gathering line to use advanced leak detection technology in accordance with certain requirements; An owner or operator of a transmission line, a distribution system, or a gathering line or an investor-owned natural gas utility (owner or operator) to repair grade 1 gas leaks immediately upon detection, grade 2 gas leaks no later than 60 days after detection, and grade 3 gas leaks no later than one year after detection; and That all pipeline road and railroad crossings are inspected with advanced leak detection technology on a monthly basis for damage caused from traffic. The bill also requires a section of pipeline that has not been used for 2 or more years to be removed or abandoned in place. An owner or operator may abandon a section of pipeline in place only in certain circumstances. If an owner or operator intends to remove a section of pipeline or abandon a section of pipeline in place, the owner or operator must notify the commission no less than 30 days before the owner or operator commences the removal or abandonment in place. The commission may review a notice of abandonment in place to determine whether the proposed abandonment in place is less impactful than removal. The bill also requires the commission to develop a user-friendly, public-facing website (website) for pipeline safety data in the state. The website must include the location, date, and owner or operator for the following data: Reportable safety events; Violations; Compliance actions; Pipeline inspection data; and How to access the mapping of pipelines within the commission's jurisdiction. Current law provides that any person that violates certain pipeline safety laws is subject to a penalty of up to $200,000 dollars per violation. The bill changes this maximum penalty to $500,000 per violation. The amount of the penalty must also be no less than $5,000 for each day of a violation and, in the event that the commission deems that the penalty is necessary for the protection of public health, safety, welfare, the environment, or wildlife resources, no less than $15,000 per day of a violation. Beginning in 2026, the commission is required to adjust the penalty amounts for inflation every 2 years. Current law allows the commission to reduce penalties based on certain metrics and factors (factors). The bill changes current law to allow the commission to also increase penalties based on the factors and adds additional factors that the commission must consider. Except with respect to an owner or operator of a distribution system serving fewer than 1,000 customers in the state, the commission is prohibited from reducing a penalty based on the factors by more than 15% and the violator is required to conduct certain compliance actions before a reduction occurs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates a new refundable tax credit to be claimed in tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2036. The credit may be claimed for certain costs related to the conversion of a commercial structure to a residential structure. In order to claim the credit, a person must submit an application, a conversion plan, and an estimate of the qualified conversion expenditures under the conversion plan (documents) to the governor's office of economic development (office). Within 90 days of receiving documents, the office shall review the documents, determine whether to reserve a tax credit for the applicant, and provide written notice to an applicant for whom the office determines to reserve a tax credit. The office may not reserve a tax credit in excess of $3 million for any one project and may not reserve more than $5 million of tax credits during any calendar year. If the office reserves less than $5 million in a calendar year, the office may reserve a total of $5 million plus the amount less than $5 million that the office did not reserve in the previous calendar year. An applicant for whom the office reserves a tax credit shall commence a conversion plan and incur 20% or more of the estimated qualified conversion expenditures (expenditures) within 18 months of receiving notice from the office that it is reserving a tax credit for the applicant. Such an applicant shall place in service the conversion set forth in a conversion plan on or before December 31, 2035. After an applicant has placed a conversion in service, the applicant shall notify the office and provide the office with documentation of the applicant's certification of the expenditures and a certified public accountant's review of the expenditures. Within 90 days of receiving this documentation, the office shall review this documentation and issue a tax credit certificate to the applicant in an amount equal to 25% of the expenditures. If, as of the last day of any taxable year within 15 taxable years from when the applicant placed a conversion in service, the structure that is the subject of the conversion plan is not a qualified residential structure, the qualified applicant shall add the full amount of the credit to its return as a recaptured credit for that taxable year. The bill requires the office, in consultation with the department of revenue, to submit an annual report to the general assembly on the impact of the tax credit and to promulgate any policies and procedures necessary to implement the tax credit. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act prohibits a municipality that is within a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) or a county that has unincorporated areas within an MPO (local government), on or after June 30, 2025, from enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements that apply to a land use approval for a multi-family residential development, adaptive re-use for residential purposes, or adaptive re-use mixed-use purposes which include at least 50% of use for residential purposes that is within, as applicable, the unincorporated area of the county or the municipality, within a metropolitan planning organization, and at least partially within an applicable transit service area. An applicable transit service area is an area identified by a map published by the department of local affairs as an area that is one-quarter mile of certain transit stops. The prohibition on enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements does not lower the protections provided for persons with disabilities or prohibit a local government from: Enacting or enforcing a maximum parking requirement; Enforcing any agreement made before the effective date of the act in connection with a land use approval to provide regulated affordable housing in exchange for reducing minimum parking requirements; Being awarded funding for affordable housing that requires a ratio of a certain number of parking spaces; Enacting or enforcing a minimum parking requirement for bicycles; or Imposing the following requirements on a parking space that is voluntarily provided in connection with a development project: That the owners of such a parking space charge for the use of the space; That the owner of such a parking space contribute to a parking enterprise, permitting system, or shared parking plan; and That such a parking space allow for electric vehicle charging stations in accordance with existing law. Furthermore, notwithstanding the prohibition on enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements, a local government may impose or enforce a minimum parking requirement in connection with a housing development project that is intended to contain twenty unity or more or contain regulated affordable housing. To impose or enforce such a minimum parking requirement, a county or municipality must publish certain written findings and annually report to the department of local affairs. Lastly, the act requires the department of local affairs: In consultation with the department of transportation, and the Colorado energy office, to develop and publish best practices and technical assistance materials concerning optimizing parking supply and managing parking; and In consultation with the department of transportation, the Colorado energy office, metropolitan planning organizations, and transit agencies that operate within metropolitan planning organizations, to publish a map that designates applicable transit service areas to be used by local governments in complying with the act. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill creates the Colorado alcohol impact and recovery enterprise (enterprise) in the department of revenue behavioral health administration in the department of human services to: Collect a fee from manufacturers and wholesalers that distribute alcohol within Colorado; and Use the fee for alcohol and related substance use disorder prevention, early intervention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services and programs in communities throughout the state. The bill exempts small manufacturers and wholesale distributors of alcohol based on production and distribution level amounts for which a manufacturer or distributor may pay reduced tax or claim an exemption under federal law beverages. The bill also: Creates the alcohol impact enterprise board and specifies membership and duties of the board; and Requires the state auditor to conduct an audit of the enterprise in the 2030-31 state fiscal year and every fourth state fiscal year thereafter. The bill also exempts the enterprise from the prohibition on an enterprise receiving more than $100,000,000 in revenue in fees in the enterprise's first 5 fiscal years without first receiving voter approval. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
On or before December 31, 2028, the bill requires the air quality control commission (AQCC) in the department of public health and environment (department) to adopt by rule certain emission standards and requirements for in-use, off-road, diesel-fueled fleets. On or before December 31, 2025, the AQCC must adopt rules for controlling emissions from facilities, buildings, structures, installations, or real property that generates mobile source activity that results in emissions of air pollutants (indirect source) within the 8-hour ozone Denver metro/north front range nonattainment area (covered nonattainment area). The rules must include emission reduction targets for indirect sources to achieve and a process for the division of administration (division) in the department to review alternative approaches proposed by an owner or operator of an indirect source. The commission may establish a fee for indirect sources within the covered nonattainment area to cover the division's costs in implementing the rules. The bill also defines "ozone season" as the period beginning May 1 and ending September 30 of each year (ozone season). Beginning in the 2025 ozone season, and in each ozone season thereafter, any oil and gas preproduction activity within the covered nonattainment area must pause for the duration of the ozone season. On or before June 30, 2024, and on or before each June 30 thereafter, an oil and gas operator in the state is required to submit an oil and natural gas annual emission inventory report (inventory report) to the division that includes, for the previous calendar year, the emissions of certain air pollutants from oil and gas operations under the control of the oil and gas operator. On or before October 1, 2024, and on or before each October 1 thereafter, the division, in coordination with the energy and carbon management commission (ECMC), must prepare a report regarding the inventory reports received by the division for the previous calendar year and certain other information. On or before November 30, 2024, and on or before each November 30 thereafter, for the ozone season of the subsequent year, an oil and gas operator that controls oil and gas operations in the covered nonattainment area must submit a report to the division estimating emissions of nitrogen oxides from the oil and gas operator's operations in the covered nonattainment area (estimates). For the 2025 ozone season, and for each ozone season thereafter, the ECMC, in consultation with the division, must develop an ozone season nitrogen oxides emission budget (budget) for the emissions of nitrogen oxides by oil and gas operations in the covered nonattainment area, which budget must set certain maximum average emission levels of nitrogen oxides by oil and gas operations. On or before February 1, 2025, and on or before each February 1 thereafter, the division must prepare a nitrogen oxides report regarding the estimates received by the division for use by the ECMC in determining if the total estimates received exceed the budget for the ozone season of the current year. Beginning in February 2025, and in each February thereafter, the ECMC, in consultation with the division, must act to limit emissions of nitrogen oxides from oil and gas operations in the covered nonattainment area in a manner that prevents an exceedance of the current year's budget. The bill also requires the department of transportation to establish vehicle miles traveled reduction targets for the covered nonattainment area and to develop policies and programs to assist applicable metropolitan planning organizations in meeting the targets. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act prohibits a person from knowingly affiliating with a public safety radio network without authorization from the network's authorizing entity. Unlawful affiliation with a public safety radio network is a class 2 misdemeanor. APPROVED by Governor May 1, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and for each state fiscal year thereafter through the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2033, the bill allows a data center business or a data center operator (taxpayer) to claim a rebate for all state sales and use tax that the taxpayer paid for construction materials or data center equipment that is for the construction or operation of an eligible data center. To be eligible to claim a sales and use tax rebate, a taxpayer is required to obtain certification from the Colorado office of economic development (office) stating that the data center is an eligible data center and that the taxpayer may claim a rebate of state sales and use tax (certification). An "eligible data center" is defined as a data center that creates a specified number of jobs, generates a specified amount of revenue, and requires a specified amount of power. The sales and use tax rebate is allowed only for the sale, storage, or use of construction materials or data center equipment that occurs on or after the date that the taxpayer obtains certification from the office. When a taxpayer believes that the data center that will be identified in a sales and use tax rebate application satisfies the criteria to be an eligible data center, the taxpayer may apply to the office for the certification. The taxpayer must demonstrate in the certification application that the data center is an eligible data center, and the taxpayer is required to submit any documentation or proof that the office deems necessary to determine whether a data center satisfies the criteria to be an eligible data center. Before issuing a certification, the office shall provide the application to the Colorado economic development commission (commission) to determine whether the data center satisfies the criteria to be an eligible data center, and the commission shall approve or deny the certification. When approving an application for certification as an eligible data center, the commission may limit a certification by specifying that an eligible data center may claim a rebate only up to a specified dollar amount based on specified economic development priorities. The commission may issue certification for up to 3 data centers to claim a sales and use tax rebate in any fiscal year. If the commission determines that a data center satisfies the criteria to be an eligible data center, the office is required to notify the department of revenue (department) and issue a certification to the taxpayer. To claim a sales and use tax rebate, a taxpayer must submit a rebate application and a copy of the certification from the office to the department. A taxpayer is required to submit certain documentation with the application. The bill allows a taxpayer to assign a certification to specified types of parties after it is awarded. The bill requires the office and the department to prepare an annual report including information regarding eligible data centers and state sales and use tax rebates allowed. The office is required to submit the report to the finance committees of the house of representatives and senate. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates the electric vehicle enterprise (enterprise) in the department of labor and employment (department). The business purpose of the enterprise is to synchronize electric vehicle charging protocols to create consistency and transparency for electric vehicle charging consumers. The enterprise constitutes an enterprise for purposes of section 20 of article X of the state constitution so long as it retains the authority to issue revenue bonds and receives less than 10% of its total annual revenue in grants from all Colorado state and local governments combined. So long as it constitutes an enterprise, the enterprise is not subject to section 20 of article X of the state constitution. The bill establishes a board of directors for the enterprise, including the board's membership, powers, and duties. The bill authorizes the enterprise to impose and collect a fee beginning July 1, 2025, to be paid by each electric vehicle charging station retailer based on the total number of retail electric vehicle charging stations operated by the retailer and the total number of power supply devices used at such stations. The bill creates the electric vehicle enterprise special revenue fund (fund) and continuously appropriates money in the fund to the enterprise to accomplish its duties. The bill requires the state treasurer, on July 1, 2024, to transfer $264,000 from the general fund to the fund and, on July 1, 2025, to transfer $160,000 from the general fund to the fund for the purpose of defraying expenses incurred by the enterprise before it receives fee revenue or revenue bond proceeds. The money is transferred as a loan to the enterprise, to be paid in full not later than December 31, 2028, with interest. The bill requires the enterprise, in consultation with the Colorado energy office and the division of oil and public safety within the department, to promulgate rules establishing minimum standards related to specifications and tolerances for retail electric vehicle charging equipment and methods of retail sale at publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations to promote equity in the marketplace. The department must begin enforcing the rules on July 1, 2025, for all electric vehicle charging stations installed before, on, or after July 1, 2025. For the purposes of existing laws concerning fuel products, the bill amends the definitions of the terms "fuel products" and "motor fuel" to include electricity when used to fuel electric vehicles. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Current law specifies the conditions a person must meet in order to change the person's name if the person was convicted of a felony. Among those conditions is that the person must show good cause to be able to change the person's name to a name different from the name the person was convicted under. The act states that good cause includes changing the petitioner's name to conform with the petitioner's gender identity. The act authorizes the court to require a petitioner to give public notice of a name change if the name change was requested by a petitioner with a felony conviction and is for the purpose of changing the petitioner's name to conform with the petitioner's gender identity. APPROVED by Governor April 19, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 19, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)