The act requires the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to provide certain behavioral health services for medicaid recipients who are under 21 years of age. The act requires the state department to begin providing the services no later than July 1, 2024. On or before November 1, 2025, and each November 1 thereafter, the act requires the state department to report to the house of representatives public and behavioral health and human services committee and the senate health and human services committee, or their successor committees, on the utilization of the services provided for in the act and any feedback received from stakeholders in implementing coverage for those services. APPROVED by Governor May 20, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act directs the office of future of work (office) in the department of labor and employment (department) to create a two-year apprenticeship navigator pilot program (program) with 2 full-time apprenticeship navigators, with each apprenticeship navigator assigned to a different school district selected by the office. The purpose of the program is to increase awareness of registered apprenticeship programs among graduating high school students in the selected school districts. Upon completion of the program, the act requires that the department issue a report detailing the direct and indirect costs of the operation and administration of the program to specified legislative committees of reference. The act directs the office to promote apprenticeship programs to high school students by creating and maintaining a web-based job board of apprenticeships and incorporating apprenticeships in the state's career planning tools. The department may promulgate rules for the administration of the program. The program is repealed, effective January 1, 2027. The act appropriates $342,638 from the general fund to the department for use by the department's executive director's office for the 2023-24 state fiscal year. The act also appropriates $44,000 to the department of education from the general fund for the 2023-24 state fiscal year. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act transfers certain administrative responsibilities from: The behavioral health administration (BHA) to the department of human services (department); The office of behavioral health (OBH) to the department; OBH to the BHA; and The department to the BHA. The act repeals OBH as an office in the department. The act requires the chief information officer of the office of information technology to invite the commissioner of the BHA to select a member to represent the BHA on the government data advisory board. The act adds the commissioner of the BHA to the health equity commission. The act states that the BHA is a health oversight agency charged with overseeing the behavioral health-care system in Colorado and discharging the BHA's duties. The act authorizes the BHA to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations for the purpose of administering any behavioral health program and service. The act requires a behavioral health safety net provider to include services that address the necessary language and cultural barriers to serve communities of color and other underserved populations. Current law requires the department of public health and environment to continue issuing and renewing behavioral health entity licenses until June 30, 2023. The act extends the date to December 31, 2023. The act requires the statewide behavioral health safety net system to include services for adults who have a serious mental illness and children and youth who have a serious emotional disturbance. The act authorizes the BHA to revoke or refuse to renew a behavioral health entity's license if the owner, manager, or administrator of the entity has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving conduct that the BHA determines could pose a risk to the health, safety, or welfare of the entity's consumers. The act requires the BHA to include in the contract for designated behavioral health administrative services organizations (BHASO) a requirement that the BHASO perform appropriate fiscal management and quality oversight of providers in its network. Current law requires the BHA to create one regional subcommittee of the advisory council for each behavioral health administrative services organization region. The act requires the BHA to create a regional subcommittee structure as part of the BHASO to promote local community input pertaining to behavioral health service needs. The act adds certain members to the regional subcommittee. The act requires the BHA to serve as the central organizing structure and responsible entity for jail-based behavioral health services. Current law requires the commissioner to select and contract with regionally based behavioral health organizations to establish, administer, and maintain adequate networks of behavioral health safety net services and care coordination no later than July 1, 2024. The act extends the date to July 1, 2025. For state fiscal year 2023-24, the act requires the BHA to safeguard partnerships between community-based behavioral health providers and rural hospitals by allocating money to community-based behavioral health providers. To implement the care navigation program, the act requires the BHA to provide, directly or through contract, care navigation services and align the care navigation services with the care coordination infrastructure. The act continuously appropriates money to the 988 crisis hotline cash fund. Current law specifies the rights of a person detained by a certified peace officer or emergency medical services provider and transported to an outpatient mental health facility or facility designated by the commissioner of the BHA. The act expands the rights to any person detained whether or not the person is transported to an outpatient mental health facility or facility designated by the commissioner of the BHA. If a person detained is transported to an emergency medical services facility, the transportation hold expires upon the facility receiving the person for screening by an intervening professional. Current law states the BHA is responsible for licensing mental health residential facilities on and after July 1, 2023. The act extends the date to October 1, 2023. The act extends the date that behavioral health entities can legally operate without a license from July 1, 2024, to January 1, 2024. The act decreases the general fund appropriation for use by the BHA and increases the general fund appropriation for use by the OBH for jail-based behavioral health services by $2,250,400. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 16, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Pension Review Commission. The bill creates an income tax credit that is available for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2023, but prior to January 1, 2025, for a qualifying public service retiree, which means a full-time Colorado resident individual who is: 55 years of age or older at the end of the 2023 or 2024 income tax year; and A retiree of a Colorado public pension plan administered pursuant to the Colorado Revised Statutes or a retiree of a public pension plan administered by a local government of the state of Colorado.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning Tax Policy. For income tax years beginning January 1, 2024, the bill both: Increases the amount of federal taxable income taxpayers may have and still qualify for the state income tax credit for purchasing long-term care insurance and annually adjusts that amount of federal taxable income for inflation; and Doubles the amount of the credit that a taxpayer may claim and annually adjusts the credit for inflation.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill eliminates the requirement that the department of education administer a state assessment in social studies to elementary and secondary students. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies, as contained in the department's sunset review of the issuance of private letter rulings (rulings) and information letters (letters) by the department of revenue, as follows: Continues the issuance of rulings and letters by the department of revenue and removes the issuance of rulings and letters from the sunset review process; Allows the department of revenue to extend the 90-day deadline to issue a ruling if the taxpayer agrees to the extension; and Allows the department of revenue to issue letters and rulings for any issue related to a tax or fee administered by the department of revenue. For the 2023-24 fiscal year, the act appropriates $53,644 from the private letter ruling fund to the department of revenue for use by the taxation business group for personal services related to taxation services. APPROVED by Governor May 1, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law limits product liability actions against manufacturers of firearms and ammunition to situations in which there was a defect in the design or manufacture of a firearm or ammunition. The act repeals that limitation. The act defines the terms "firearm industry member" (industry member) and "firearm industry product" (industry product) and requires each industry member that is engaged in the manufacture, distribution, importation, marketing, or wholesale or retail sale of an industry product in Colorado to establish and implement reasonable controls and precautions related to the industry product in its control. An industry member shall not knowingly engage in conduct, through acts or omissions, that violates statutory firearms provisions or the "Colorado Consumer Protection Act". If an industry member's knowing violation of the provisions of the act creates a reasonably foreseeable risk of harm, the violation is presumed to be the proximate cause of the harm in an action brought pursuant to the act. An intervening act by a third party, including unlawful misuse of an industry product, does not protect an industry member from liability. A cause of action may be brought within 5 years after the date that the violation or harm occurs. APPROVED by Governor April 28, 2023 EFFECTIVE October 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Beginning on or before August 1, 2024, the act requires the department of law to annually convene a training for school resource officers and school officials to discuss best practices in responding to safe2tell reports, including defining roles, communication about a report, outcome reporting, and training resources to improve school resource officers' support of students and school staff. Safe2tell may conduct a survey to collect data and discussions regarding its operations. APPROVED by Governor April 27, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 27, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill requires the department of education (department) to cap standardized summative assessments administered to the minimum extent possible, if requested by the local education provider. The bill requires the department to apply for a federal waiver for federal assessment requirements. The bill requires the department to support, through various means, local education providers and schools to innovate new assessments.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)