The act adopts the dentist and dental hygienist compact (compact) to facilitate the interstate practice of dentistry and dental hygiene. With the adoption of the compact, a dentist or dental hygienist who holds an active, unencumbered license in a participating state and does not have an encumbered license from any participating state may apply to another participating state (remote state) for a privilege to practice dentistry or dental hygiene, as applicable, (compact privilege) in that state. Under a compact privilege, the dentist or dental hygienist must practice within the scope of practice authorized for a dentist or dental hygienist licensed in the remote state and is subject to the remote state's licensing authority, which may, within the borders of the remote state, take adverse action against the dentist's or dental hygienist's compact privilege in order to protect the health and safety of its citizens. If a remote state, acting through its licensing authority, takes adverse action, the dentist's or dental hygienist's compact privilege in all remote states is removed until any restriction on the compact privilege is removed. Only the participating state in which the dentist or dental hygienist is licensed may take adverse action against the dental or dental hygienist's license; however, a remote state may take adverse action against the dentist's or dental hygienist's compact privilege in the remote state. The compact creates the dentist and dental hygienist compact commission (commission). The commission consists of one commissioner from each participating state who is selected by the state's licensing authority. The compact authorizes the commission to create the administrative structure for the compact, including granting the powers necessary to establish and operate the commission, adopt rules and bylaws, establish an executive committee, hire employees, establish an office, and conduct the commission's meetings. Further, the commission shall develop and maintain a coordinated database and reporting system to include significant investigatory information from participating states concerning the dentist's or dental hygienist's practice and to record any adverse action against the dentist or dental hygienist. To pay the costs associated with the compact, the compact authorizes the commission to levy and collect an annual assessment from each participating state and to impose fees on licensees for the granting or renewal of a compact privilege; except that an active military member or the member's spouse will not be required to pay the commission's fee for a compact privilege. The compact includes provisions governing disputes among participating states and between the commission and a participating state, enforcement provisions, and withdrawal of participating states from the compact. The compact is effective for participating states on the date on which the compact is enacted in the seventh participating state. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $78,750 is appropriated to the department of regulatory agencies from the division of professions and occupations cash fund for use by the department to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor May 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (department), as specified in the department's sunset review of the regulation of respiratory therapy, as follows: The act continues the regulation of respiratory therapy for 11 years, until September 1, 2035; The definition of respiratory therapy in current law includes certain treatments of patients pursuant to a prescription issued by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or certified midwife. The act expands the definition to also include a prescription issued by a physician assistant. Current law exempts an unregistered polysomnographic technologist (technologist) who practices respiratory therapy from the state regulatory requirements for respiratory therapists if the technologist is practicing under the supervision of a respiratory therapist, physician, or certain other practitioner. The act narrows this exemption to practices that do not exceed oxygen titration with pulse oximetry and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation titration. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill requires all private insurance companies to provide coverage for the treatment of the chronic disease of obesity and the treatment of pre-diabetes, including coverage for intensive behavioral or lifestyle therapy, bariatric surgery, and FDA-approved anti-obesity medication. No later than January 2025 The bill requires the department of health care policy and financing (department) to seek federal authorization to provide treatment for the chronic disease of obesity and the treatment of pre-diabetes. Within existing appropriations and upon receiving federal authorization, the department is required to notify medicaid members in writing about the availability of the treatment. (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.)
For income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2026, but before January 1, 2033, the bill creates a new refundable state income tax credit for a qualified licensed veterinarian and a registered veterinary technician (veterinary professional) working full-time in an underserved area or under-resourced area (underserved area) and for a buyer of a veterinary practice in an underserved area. The department of agriculture (department) is required to certify tax credits for eligible veterinary professionals and buyers of a veterinary practice in an underserved area in an amount not to exceed, in aggregate, $2 million in any tax year. No later than July 1, 2025, the department is required to promulgate rules for issuing a tax credit certificate to an eligible veterinary professional working full-time in an underserved area and for a buyer of a veterinary practice in an underserved area using the recommendations of an advisory board (board) that consists of 3 licensed veterinarians, 3 registered veterinary technicians, 3 agricultural animal producers, and 3 representatives from animal welfare nonprofits chosen by the commissioner of agriculture. The department must promulgate rules that include criteria for the determination of which geographic areas of the state fall within the definition of an underserved or under-resourced area. The department must also promulgate rules that determine a mechanism to determine the tax credit amount the department is able to certify to an eligible veterinary professional working full-time in an underserved area that is no less than $5,000 and no more than $30,000 and to a buyer of a veterinary practice in an underserved or under-resourced area that is no less than $10,000 and no more than $200,000. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Colorado Commission on Uniform State Laws. The bill repeals the "Uniform Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Act" and enacts the "Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act", drafted by the uniform law commission. The bill provides guidance for guardians and conservators and clarifies how appointees must make decisions on behalf of a person under guardianship or conservatorship. The bill encourages the use of protective arrangements and less restrictive alternatives instead of conservatorship or guardianship if a person's needs can be met with support services and technology. The bill expands the procedural rights for respondents to ensure that guardianships and conservatorships are only imposed when necessary. The bill provides for expanded monitoring of guardians and conservators to ensure compliance with fiduciary duties and prevent exploitation. The bill provides for visitation and communication rights for individuals subject to guardianship or conservatorship. This includes a limitation on a guardian's ability to prevent communication, visitation, or interactions between a person subject to guardianship and a third party. The bill provides for protections to prevent exploitation of vulnerable individuals by allowing the court to restrict access to the respondent or the respondent's property by a specified person without imposing a guardianship or conservatorship. The bill prohibits courts from establishing full guardianship or conservatorship if a limited guardianship or conservatorship would meet the respondent's needs, requires a petitioner seeking full guardianship or conservatorship to provide support to justify full guardianship or conservatorship, and requires courts to provide findings to support the imposition of full guardianship or conservatorship. The bill updates provisions concerning minors subject to guardianship and provides for involvement of a minor in decisions that involve the minor. The bill provides guidance for property management for individuals subject to guardianship. The bill contains model forms for petitioners and respondents to use when filing petitions and notice with the court. (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.)
Current law refers to a "member", "client", "consumer", and "recipient" interchangeably when referring to an individual who is enrolled in the state medical assistance program (medicaid). The act updates the terminology to refer only to medicaid "members". APPROVED by Governor May 1, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act concerns the use of telehealth to provide veterinary services. The act defines different types of telehealth tools that can be used in a veterinary practice. In current law, one criterion for the establishment of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship is that the veterinarian has conducted an examination of the animal that is the patient. The act clarifies that the examination must be an in-person, physical examination. The act also extends the veterinarian-client-patient relationship to other licensed veterinarians who share the same physical premises as the veterinarian who established the relationship if the other veterinarians have access to and have reviewed the patient's medical records. The act allows a licensed veterinarian who has established a veterinarian-client-patient relationship to use telehealth to provide veterinary services to clients and patients in Colorado with the consent of the client. A licensed veterinarian may also refer a patient to a veterinary specialist, who may provide veterinary services via telemedicine under the referring veterinarian's veterinarian-client-patient relationship. The act authorizes the state board of veterinary medicine to establish rules for the use of telehealth to provide veterinary services. The act clarifies that only a licensed veterinarian with an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship may prescribe medication using telemedicine. The act allows a licensed veterinarian who has established a veterinarian-client-patient relationship to supervise a registered veterinary technician who is not located on the same premises using telesupervision if the veterinarian and the registered veterinary technician are employees of the same veterinary practice location, the veterinary professionals are licensed or registered in Colorado, and the patient is located in Colorado. The act establishes record-keeping, confidentiality, and privacy requirements related to the use of telehealth. APPROVED by Governor April 19, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, aggravated cruelty to animals is a class 4 felony. The act specifies that a person commits the offense of aggravated cruelty to animals if the person knowingly kills or causes serious bodily injury resulting in death to a law enforcement animal whether the of a law enforcement animal is on duty or not. The act creates an affirmative defense stating that a person is justified in using physical force upon a law enforcement animal to defend their own person or a third person when the person reasonably believes that a law enforcement animal is an application of unreasonable or excessive force. The act requires an on-duty peace officer to intervene to prevent or stop another peace officer who is the handler of a law enforcement animal from allowing the law enforcement animal from using the degree of excessive physical force permitted by law while carrying out the peace officer's duties. A peace officer who witnesses the use of excessive force by a law enforcement animal, as permitted by the animal's handler, must report the excessive force to the officer's or handler's supervisor. The act specifies situations in which a licensed veterinarian or a person who owns or is charged with the care of a law enforcement animal has immunity from liability when it is necessary to euthanize or provide immediate veterinary care to a law enforcement animal. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 17, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill states that the Colorado prescription drug affordability review board has no authority to perform an affordability review of, or to establish an upper payment limit for, any prescription drug that is designated as a drug for a rare disease or condition by the federal food and drug administration. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act extends to December 31, 2025, the time in which the department of agriculture may implement wild horse population management pursuant to Senate Bill 23-275, concerning managing wild horses. APPROVED by Governor March 22, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 22, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)