With regard to health-care services, section 1 of starting January 1, 2024, the bill requires a health insurance carrier (carrier) or private utilization review organization (organization) , as applicable, to offer a qualified provider with at least a 95% approval rate of prior authorization requests over the prior 12 months an alternative to prior authorization requirements, including an exemption from the requirements or incentive awards or other innovative programs to reward provider compliance designed by the carrier or organization that reduce patient wait times or administrative burdens to receiving the requested health-care service . To be a "qualified provider", a provider must: Be, and have been continuously for at least the immediately preceding 12 months, a participating provider; and Have, over the immediately preceding 12 months: At least a 95% approval rate on prior authorization requests submitted for the same health-care service; and submitted at least 24 prior authorization requests for the same health-care service. A carrier or organization is required to inform a provider of the provider's status as a qualified provider and, at least annually, to reevaluate whether a provider satisfies the requirements of a qualified provider.With regard to drug benefits, section 2 requires a carrier or pharmacy benefit management firm, as applicable, to offer the same types of alternatives to prior authorization requirements to a provider who has at least a 95% approval rate of prior authorization requests over the prior 12 months. (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.)
Sponsored bills
The act removes the exemption for greyhound breeders from the "Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act". By removing this language, greyhounds are elevated to a class of pet that is intended to be a companion pet. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill creates the Colorado critical infrastructure resiliency initiative and the Colorado resilient infrastructure board (board). The board consists of 10 members, 9 of whom are appointed by the executive director of the department of public safety. The board is required to: Provide oversight of Colorado's infrastructure enhancement program; Identify electric grid, water, oil and natural gas, and telecommunications infrastructure needs and provide recommendations on infrastructure improvements; Oversee efforts to prevent or reduce the severity of damage to the electric grid due to a natural disaster or human-caused emergency; Monitor and implement best practices for critical infrastructure protection; Ensure compliance of the state's publicly owned or commercially owned utilities associated with the state's power, oil and natural gas, water, and telecommunications sectors; Attempt to secure funding from various sources; Coordinate with the Colorado electric transmission authority; and Assess the capacity and availability of existing resources for resiliency of critical infrastructure sectors. The board is required to report its findings to the general assembly no later than 30 days after the general assembly convenes in the 2025 legislative session and no later than 30 days after the general assembly convenes in the regular legislative session in subsequent years. The board is scheduled to repeal on September 1, 2027. Before the repeal, the board is subject to sunset review by the department of regulatory agencies. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
There is currently a property tax exemption for an owner-occupied residence of a qualifying senior or veteran with a disability (homestead exemption) that is equal to 50% of the first $200,000 of the actual value of the property. For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2023, the concurrent resolution: Increases the maximum amount of actual value of the owner-occupied residence of a qualifying senior or veteran with a disability that is exempt from property taxation from $200,000 to $300,000 for the 2023 property tax year and to $300,000 plus cumulative inflation for each property tax year thereafter; and Makes the homestead exemption portable by allowing a senior who qualifies for the exemption to move and continue to claim the exemption without meeting the 10-year ownership and occupancy requirement, so long as the senior has continuously owned residential real property since qualifying for the exemption. The concurrent resolution also makes a conforming amendment so that the change in the actual value of which 50% is exempt does not affect the general assembly's ability to raise or lower this amount. (Note: This summary applies to this concurrent resolution as introduced.)
The act allows local education providers, upon entering into an agreement with an individual or entity that offers hunter education courses certified by the division of parks and wildlife (division), to provide a hunter education course (course) to all seventh graders. The act does not preclude a local education provider from offering hunter education courses as an elective course in any other grade. The course must satisfy the requirements of a hunter education course certified by the division; except that hands-on activities are not required. The course must be taught by a division-certified instructor. A parent or legal guardian must provide permission for a student to participate in any hands-on activities that are offered as part of the course. A hunter education course shall only allow the possession of inert firearms and dummy rounds on the grounds of any elementary, middle, junior high, or high school. The act defines local education providers to mean school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative services that enroll students in seventh grade. The parks and wildlife commission may accept completion of a course toward meeting the requirements of a hunter education certificate. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill creates the plant-based medicine policy review panel (policy review panel). The purpose of the policy review panel is to study the use of plant-based medicines to support mental health. The policy review panel operates for one year. The policy review panel shall submit a report on its findings and policy recommendations to the house of representatives public and behavioral health and human services committee and the senate health and human services committee, or any successor committees; the governor; and the department of human services. The bill defines "plant-based medicine" as a naturally occurring hallucinogenic plant-based compound. Forms of plant-based medicine only include psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine, and ibogaine. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
A child welfare appeals workgroup was established in the state judicial department that made recommendations for changes in 2021. The act requires the child welfare appeals workgroup to monitor those changes, study changes to the child welfare appeals system, and submit reports in January 2023 and July 2024. The act requires the district court to make written orders within 35 days after a hearing. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires a county property tax assessor to send a notice of valuation of personal property to the operator of each wellsite, or if there is no operator, to the owner who has filed a statutorily required statement with the assessor. The act: States that oil and gas fractional interest owners are not entitled to separate valuation, notification, review, audit, protest, abatement, or appeal procedures by the assessor; and Designates the operator of each wellsite, or if there is no operator, the owner who filed the statement, as the representative of all fractional interest owners and as the exclusive point of contact for the assessor for all notification, review, audit, protest, abatement, and appeal procedures.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act adds child representatives, code enforcement officers, health-care workers, an officer or agent of the state bureau of animal protection, an animal control officer, and office of the respondent parents' counsel staff members and contractors to the list of protected persons whose personal information may be withheld from the internet if the protected person believes dissemination of such information poses an imminent and serious threat to the protected person or the safety of the protected person's immediate family. The act adds a protected person's full name and home address to the list of personal information that the protected person's written request for removal must include. The act authorizes access to records maintained by a county recorder, county assessor, or county treasurer for certain individuals if such access is related to a real estate matter. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act updates the "Older Coloradans' Act" (act). The purpose of the act is to support older Coloradans through community planning, social services, health and well-being services, and strategies to prepare the state's infrastructure for an increasing older population of Coloradans. The act updates include: Reorganizing the commission on aging (commission) and increasing membership from 17 to 19 in order to coordinate and implement the strategic action plan on aging (plan) and to make recommendations; Appointing a state department of human services (state department) liaison to act as the primary contact for the commission in order to coordinate commission-related duties with the state department and other state agencies; Convening a technical advisory committee (committee) comprised of key state agency representatives to direct the implementation of the plan and the commission's recommendations; and Creating the lifelong Colorado initiative within the state department's state office on aging to coordinate strategies and implementation of the plan and the commission's recommendations with the commission, committee, and key state agencies.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)