The act creates the Colorado rare disease advisory council (council) in the department of public health and environment (department) to inform state agencies, the public, and the legislature about rare diseases and make recommendations concerning the needs of Coloradans living with rare diseases and their medical providers and caregivers. The council consists of 12 voting members and one nonvoting member representing the office of health equity in the department. The council's 12 voting members include, in part, a researcher, a geneticist, a physician, a professional nurse, a pharmacist, persons living with a rare disease, the parent of a child diagnosed with a rare disease, and representatives of the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry and of a health insurer. Members of the council are appointed by the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives and the president and minority leader of the senate. The appointing authorities shall make initial appointments to the council by October 1, 2022. The act specifies the powers of the council and the activities that the council must perform. The activities include, in part: Convening public meetings and soliciting public comment to assist with a state survey of the needs of individuals in the state living with rare diseases; Consulting with experts and developing policy recommendations to improve access to rare disease specialists, clinical trials, timely treatment, and affordable and comprehensive health care; Educating and making recommendations to state agencies and health insurers concerning issues relating to utilization management procedures for treatment of patients with rare diseases; Researching and identifying best practices regarding continuity of care for patients who transition from pediatric to adult care; and Establishing a publicly accessible web page or website to include research, diagnosis, treatment, and other educational materials for providers and patients relating to rare diseases. Unless the council determines that a facilitator is not needed, the council shall contract with a facilitator to provide assistance to the council in carrying out the council's activities. The facilitator's activities may include, in part, conducting meetings, organizing the work of the council, conducting research on issues addressed by the council, conducting public outreach and soliciting expert and public feedback, and publicizing council recommendations. The council and the facilitator may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, and donations for the council's activities. The general assembly may appropriate money for the council. The act includes provisions for council meetings, including the number of meetings, notice to the public, and requirements regarding open meetings and public access to council records. The council shall submit an initial report 12 months after the council is established and then report annually to the governor and the health committees of the general assembly concerning the council's activities, funding, and recommendations addressing the needs of people living with rare diseases. The council repeals September 1, 2032, unless extended through the sunset process. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $80,567 from the general fund to the department for administration and support to the council. The appropriation is based on the assumption that the department will require and additional 0.4 FTE. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act implements recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (department), as specified in the department's sunset review of and report on the "Colorado Veterinary Practice Act" (practice act), as follows: Continues the practice act for 11 years, until September 1, 2033; Requires a veterinarian to notify the board of veterinary medicine (board) if the veterinarian suffers from a physical illness or condition or a behavioral or mental health disorder that renders the veterinarian unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety; Repeals the requirement that the board send a letter of admonition by certified mail; Requires veterinarians to create a written plan for the storage, security, and disposal of patient records; and If the board has reasonable cause to believe a veterinarian is unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety due to a physical condition, authorizes the board to order the veterinarian to submit to an examination and to suspend the veterinarian's license for failing to comply with the board's order. The act makes other amendments to the practice act as follows: Authorizes a person who is not a licensed veterinarian in this state to administer rabies vaccinations in a clinic setting under direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian, or through the indirect supervision of a licensed veterinarian if the person is working on behalf of an animal shelter for shelter-owned animals, if the person has been trained in rabies vaccine storage, handling, and administration and in the management of adverse events; Adds two members to the board who are veterinary technicians; Requires credit hours of practice act jurisprudence as part of veterinarians' continuing education program and permits veterinarians to take nonbiomedical courses as part of the program; and Repeals and reenacts the veterinary peer health assistance program to allow veterinary technicians access to the program and to require veterinary professionals, including veterinary technicians, to self-refer to the program upon arrest for a drug- or alcohol-related crime. The act also creates the regulation of veterinary technicians. Effective January 1, 2024, a person who practices as a veterinary technician in this state must be registered by the board. To be registered, a person must have and maintain a credential in good standing from a national veterinary technician credentialing organization. For an individual who is not yet nationally credentialed but who has been practicing as a veterinary technician, the board may issue a provisional registration of limited duration under specified circumstances. Veterinary technicians are subject to discipline by the board for engaging in conduct that is grounds for discipline. The act gives title protection to veterinary technicians and grants standard registration, rule-making, and disciplinary powers to the board. The act also repeals the regulation of veterinary technicians on September 1, 2033, subject to and consistent with the sunset review of the practice act. The act replaces the term "humane society" with "animal shelter" to update and make terminology in the practice act and other statutes consistent. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $80,708 to from the division of professions and occupations cash fund to the department for use by the division of professions and occupations to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the office of health equity (office) in the department of public health and environment to: On or before January 1, 2023, create a culturally relevant and affirming health-care training grant program (program) to provide money to nonprofit entities and statewide associations of health-care providers to develop new, culturally responsive training programs for priority populations; and Contract with a third-party administrator to administer the program. "Priority populations" is defined as people experiencing homelessness; people involved with the criminal justice system; black people, indigenous people, and people of color; American Indians and Alaska natives; veterans; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning; people of disproportionately affected sexual orientations and gender identities; people who have AIDS or HIV; older adults; children and families; and people with disabilities, including people who are deaf and hard of hearing, people who are blind and deafblind, people with brain injuries, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, people with other co-occurring disabilities; and other populations as deemed appropriate by the office of behavioral health. The third-party administrator is required to: Issue a grant application for nonprofit entities and statewide associations of health-care providers who wish to participate in the program to develop culturally relevant and affirming health-care training for health-care professionals; and Submit the list of the qualified applicants for the program to the health equity commission in the office for approval. Each regulator in the division of professions and occupations in the department of regulatory agencies for the applicable health-care professional is required to provide information concerning the training courses available to the licensee, certificate holder, or registrant. The regulator is required to encourage participation in the training courses. $900,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of public health and environment for allocation to the office to administer and support the program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the Colorado state patrol to develop an assessment report to identify the level of compliance by dealers, owners, keepers, or proprietors of a junk shop, junk store, salvage yard, or other secondhand property (applicable facility) with commodity metal transaction reporting requirements. The assessment report must encourage voluntary compliance and education concerning commodity metal transaction reporting requirements. The act requires applicable facilities to complete and submit the assessment report to the Colorado state patrol, and the state patrol is required to produce a summary of the reports received. The act requires the state patrol to develop an inspection form for authorities to use when inspecting applicable facilities for compliance with commodity metal transaction reporting requirements. Upon completion of the inspection form, the agency completing the inspection shall send the form to the state patrol within 2 weeks of completing the inspection. The state patrol has to provide a summary of all the statewide inspections to the commodity metal task force. The task force shall consider the report at a public meeting. The act creates the catalytic converter identification and theft prevention grant program to award grants to eligible recipients for public awareness campaigns regarding catalytic converter theft, catalytic converter theft prevention parts, assistance to victims of catalytic converter theft, and catalytic converter identification and tracking efforts. The act appropriates $300,000 from the general fund to the department of public safety for use by the Colorado state patrol. The act appropriates $105,871 from the highway users tax fund to the department of public safety for use by the executive director's office to purchase information technology services. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires every owner, keeper, or proprietor of a junk shop, junk store, salvage yard, or junk cart or other vehicle and every collector of or dealer in junk, salvage, or other secondhand property to keep a book or register detailing all transactions involving commodity metals and to comply with certain other requirements concerning transactions involving commodity metals. Current law also establishes the commodity metals theft task force (task force) and charges the task force with certain duties to address the theft of commodity metals. The act extends the scope of the current laws addressing commodity metal theft to include theft of catalytic converters. The act also expands the scope of the duties of the task force to include consideration of catalytic converter theft. For the purposes of the existing criminal statute prohibiting the operation of motor vehicle chop shops, the act adds catalytic converters to the definition of "major component motor vehicle part". (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (department), as specified in the department's sunset review of the state board of optometry (board), with modifications, by: Continuing the board and the regulation of optometry for 11 years, until September 1, 2033; Adding certain treatments and procedures to the scope of the practice of optometry; Removing the exemption for optometrists from the requirement to notify the board in the event that the optometrist is unable to treat patients with reasonable skill and safety; Removing references to the "National Board of Examiners in Optometry" and clarifying that the board may designate any national standardized examination that tests the applicant's ability to practice optometry as a requirement for licensure; and Requiring an optometrist licensed by the board to complete certain education, examination, and reporting requirements to perform laser procedures or treat ocular adnexa.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state forest service, on and after September 1, 2022, to develop a publicly accessible statewide carbon accounting framework that yields carbon stock and flux estimates for: Ecosystems by county and forest cover type; and Wood products. The state forest service must also develop a forest carbon co-benefit framework for project-level forest management practices, including wildfire mitigation. The state forest service must use this framework to train practitioners in adaptive management practices to be incorporated into current forest management practices, including wildfire mitigation. The state forest service must provide technical expertise to assist industry and landowners with carbon inventories and monitoring. The act also allows money from the existing healthy forests and vibrant communities fund to be used for new purposes, including the new statewide carbon accounting framework. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act: Transfers $3,000,000 and appropriates $95,407 from the general fund to the healthy forests and vibrant communities fund; Transfers $2,200,000 from the general fund to the forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation grant program cash fund; and Transfers $2,00,000 from the general fund to the wildfire mitigation capacity development fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of health care policy and financing (department) to prepare a behavioral health rates report of medicaid reimbursement rates for community mental health providers and independent mental health and substance use treatment providers. The department shall hire an independent auditor to prepare the behavioral health rates report. The department shall, in coordination with the behavioral health rates report, prepare recommendations to create equitable payment models between providers of community mental health centers and independent mental health and substance use treatment providers providing comparable behavioral health services. The department shall present the behavioral health rates report and recommendations to the house of representatives public and behavioral health and human services committee. The audit conducted must reflect data from state fiscal year 2020-21 and include a determination and recommendations on the adequacy of reimbursement rates paid to medicaid mental health providers. The department shall present an action plan to implement changes to reimbursement rates based on the findings of the audit to the joint budget committee before November 15, 2022. The department shall also prepare an annual progress report on the state's progress in implementing the action plan and provide an update at the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" hearing on or before August 1, 2023, and annually thereafter through August 1, 2025. The act requires the department to fully implement the action plan no later than December 31, 2025. The department shall publish an annual cost report on or before March 15, 2023, and each year thereafter. The department shall establish a cost report template and cost reporting schedule to assist community mental health centers in relaying cost information to the state department. The department shall establish a transparency report that translates the cost report data into meaningful and actionable information to ensure equity in provider compensation and adequate access to care for medicaid members. The department shall redact certain information from the cost reports to ensure compliance with state and federal privacy laws. The department shall create a publicly accessible website providing information on the behavioral health rates reports and information to assist the public, medicaid providers, and medicaid members in understanding the published information. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Section 1 of the act removes autocycle from the definition of motorcycle. The definition of motorcycle is changed to add that a motorcycle has handlebars to steer and a seat the rider sits astride. The definition of autocycle is also changed to classify it as a motor vehicle and to clarify that an autocycle may use handlebars to steer. In removing autocycle from the definition of motorcycle, the act makes the following clarifications and changes: Section 2 clarifies that the driver of an autocycle need not have a motorcycle endorsement regardless of the autocycle's maximum speed and that all 3-wheel motorcycle drivers need a general or limited motorcycle endorsement; Colorado law requires all motorcycle drivers to wear eye protection unless the motorcycle has 3 wheels, has a maximum speed of no more than 25 miles per hour, has a windshield, and has seatbelts. Section 3 clarifies that this exception applies to drivers of autocycles, not motorcycles, fitting that description. Colorado law requires a motorcycle driver who is under 18 years of age to wear a helmet unless the motorcycle has 3 wheels, has a maximum speed of no more than 25 miles per hour, has a windshield, and has seatbelts. Section 4 clarifies that this exception applies to autocycles, not motorcycles, fitting that description. Colorado law imposes a fee of $4 to register motorcycles for motorcycle operator safety training. Redefining autocycles as not being motorcycles in section 1 means that autocycle owners will not pay the fee. Section 5 removes the authorization for 2 autocycles to drive abreast in one lane; and Section 8 clarifies that the department of revenue will continue to issue a motorcycle license plate for an autocycle. Section 33 appropriates $15,976 from the general fund for use by the division of motor vehicles to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows fire departments, including fire protection districts and volunteer fire departments, to be compensated from certain state funding sources for wildland fire suppression activities conducted in the fire department's jurisdiction if the fire department relies primarily or solely on volunteer firefighters, the fire exceeds the department's capacity to extinguish or control, and the period of mutual aid has ended. The fire department must use money received to compensate volunteer firefighters in accordance with guidelines adopted by the division of fire prevention and control (division) in the annual wildfire preparedness plan. Boards of county commissioners are authorized to reimburse fire departments from county funds for wildland fire suppression activities conducted within the fire department's jurisdiction in the same circumstances. The act amends the existing local firefighter safety and disease prevention fund (fund) to require the division to give priority in awarding grants to governing bodies and volunteer fire departments that: Have lost tax revenues as a result of decreased assessment values due to a wildland fire within their jurisdiction in the previous 5 years; Rely solely or primarily on volunteer firefighters and serve communities affected by wildland fires; or Demonstrate the greatest need for additional funding to ensure the safety of volunteer and seasonal firefighters. In addition, money in the fund may be used to reimburse a multiple employer behavioral health trust (trust) for the direct costs of providing a behavioral health care to firefighters. In fiscal year 2022-23, the reimbursement to a trust is limited to $1 million. In subsequent years, the fire service training, certification, and firefighter safety advisory board makes recommendations on the amount that should be used for this purpose. The division is also authorized to directly purchase and distribute equipment and pay for training for governing bodies and volunteer fire departments without requiring a grant application. The general assembly is required to appropriate $1 million to the fund for fiscal year 2022-23, and to appropriate $5 million to the fund in each of fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25. On or before September 1, 2025, the staff of the joint budget committee is required to report on whether the amount of the annual appropriation should be adjusted based on current needs. The division is required to submit an annual report on expenditures from the fund to the wildfire matters review committee or a successor committee. An entity that employs firefighters, including volunteer firefighters, is required to participate in a trust to provide behavioral health-care services to its firefighters. The division is required to reimburse the trust for its direct costs, and if the available funding is insufficient, the requirement for employers to participate becomes optional. The trust is required to provide a program of basic services to firefighters for the prevention, diagnosis, and initial treatment of emotional, behavioral, or mental health disorders. The services are provided primarily on an outpatient basis, including telephonically or remotely. The trust is authorized to further define the services and benefits available and to adopt policies and procedures for the administration of the trust. The trust is required to report, together with the division, to the wildfire matters review committee on the extent to which the program is meeting the behavioral health-care needs of firefighters, the ongoing funding needs of the trust, and any other changes that are necessary to more effectively meet the behavioral health-care needs of firefighters. $1 million is appropriated from the general fund to the fund for use by the department. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)