Health care cost analysis task force - creation - analysis of health care financing systems - report - gifts, grants, and donations - repeal - appropriation. The act creates the health care cost analysis task force (task force). The president of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority leader of the house of representatives shall each appoint one legislative member to the task force. The governor shall appoint 4 members to the task force. The executive directors of the departments of human services, public health and environment, and health care policy and financing, or their designees, also serve on the task force. The task force is required to issue a competitive solicitation in order to select an analyst to provide a detailed analysis of fiscal costs and other impacts to 3 health care financing systems. The health care financing systems to be analyzed are: The current health care financing system, in which residents receive health care coverage from private and public insurance carriers or are uninsured; A multi-payer universal health care system, in which all residents of Colorado are covered under a plan with a mandated set of benefits that is publicly funded and paid for by employer and employee contributions; and A publicly financed and privately delivered universal health care system that directly compensates providers. The analyst may use the same specified criteria when conducting the analysis of each health care financing system. The task force is required to report the findings of the analyst to the general assembly. The task force may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, and donations for the analysis. The general assembly may appropriate money to the health care cost analysis cash fund for the purposes of the task force, the analysis, and reporting requirements. The act appropriates $92,649 to the department of health care policy and financing from the general fund to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
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Use of campaign contributions received for reasonable and necessary expenses - care of children or other dependents. The act permits a candidate committee established in the name of a candidate to expend contributions received and accepted during any particular election cycle to reimburse the candidate for reasonable and necessary expenses for the care of children or other dependents the candidate incurs directly in connection with his or her campaign activities during the election cycle. The candidate committee is required to disclose these expenditures in the same manner as any other expenditures the committee is required to disclose.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Electric utilities - solar energy - community solar gardens - allowable size and location - standards for construction and installation of components. The act amends the current statute authorizing the creation of community solar gardens (CSGs) by: Increasing the maximum size of a CSG from 2 megawatts to 5 megawatts, with the option for the public utilities commission (PUC) to authorize construction of a CSG up to 10 megawatts beginning July 1, 2023; Removing the requirement that a CSG subscriber's identified physical location be in the same county as, or a county adjacent to, that of the CSG, while retaining the requirement that it be within the service territory of the same investor-owned utility; and Requiring all photovoltaic electrical work on a CSG of greater than 2 megawatts to be supervised by a licensed master electrician, licensed journeyman electrician, or licensed residential wireman, and comply with all applicable electrical codes and standards. If an investor-owned utility owns all or part of a CSG, the utility is required to use either its own employees or a contractor whose employees have access to specified apprenticeship programs to operate and maintain the CSG. Beginning in 2020, all photovoltaic electrical work for installations of at least 300 kilowatts must be performed by a licensed master electrician, licensed journeyman electrician, licensed residential wireman, or properly supervised electrical apprentices and must comply with all applicable electrical codes and standards. The PUC shall determine the conditions under which a subscriber to a CSG may choose to retain or sell the renewable energy credits attributable to the subscriber's participation in the CSG. Section 4 of the act is contingent upon House Bill 19-1172 becoming law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Campaign and political finance - rules of the secretary of state - enforcement procedures. The act codifies in the "Fair Campaign Practices Act" the rules of the secretary of state (secretary) addressing the procedures that govern the enforcement of state laws governing campaign and political finance. In particular, the codified provisions specify the procedures governing the filing of complaints, initial review of complaints by the elections division (division) within the secretary's office, the method by which a respondent may cure a violation of the campaign finance laws, the investigation of unresolved or uncured complaints by the division, the conduct of hearings, review by the division of campaign finance documents it receives for filing, and the issuance of advisory opinions by the secretary. The act also deletes an existing statutory provision it makes obsolete requiring administrative law judges to complete continuing legal education in campaign finance. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Serious bodily injury to a vulnerable road user - appropriation. The act makes it a class 1 traffic misdemeanor when careless driving of a motor vehicle is the proximate cause of serious bodily injury to a vulnerable road user, which is defined in the act. The act allows the court to require the violator to attend a driver improvement course and to require the violator to perform useful public service. The act also subjects a violator to a restitution order and 12 points pursuant to the point system schedule. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $1,575 from the licensing services cash fund to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Greenhouse gas emissions reports on bills - process for requesting - content of reports - appropriation. Beginning with the 2020 legislative session, the staff of the legislative council are required to prepare greenhouse gas emissions reports (reports) on legislative bills in each regular session of the general assembly. The speaker of the house of representatives, the minority leader of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the minority leader of the senate are authorized to request 5 reports each, or more at the discretion of the director of research of the legislative council. When a member of leadership requests a report, the staff of the legislative council must meet with the requesting member and the sponsor of the bill to discuss whether a report can practically be completed for that bill. If not, the member of leadership may request a report on a different bill, within the limits specified in the act. A greenhouse gas emissions report is defined as a report that uses available data to assess whether a legislative measure is likely to directly cause a net increase or decrease in greenhouse gas pollution in the 10-year period following its enactment. The report must identify new sources of emissions, any increase or decrease in emissions from existing sources, and any impact on sequestration, but is not required to quantify the magnitude of the impact. Greenhouse gas is defined to mean to carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or sulfur hexafluoride. The director of research of the legislative council must develop the procedures for requesting, completing, and updating the reports and memorialize the procedures in a letter to the executive committee of the legislative council. The director must provide a report to the legislative council on the implementation of the act on or before December 1, 2024. The act is repealed effective September 1, 2025. $81,911 is appropriated to the legislative department for use by the legislative council staff for the implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Campaign and political finance - contributions to issue committees - campaign activity by noncitizens - restrictions on independent expenditure committees - expanded disclaimer requirements for independent expenditures - written affirmation where certain money transfers are earmarked for particular campaign purposes - disclosure by issue committees and small-scale issue committees - appropriation. The act prohibits an issue committee or small-scale issue committee from knowingly accepting contributions from: Any natural person who is not a citizen of the United States; A foreign government; or Any foreign corporation that does not have the authority to transact business in this state. Under the act, a natural person who is not a citizen of the United States, a foreign government, or a foreign corporation is prohibited from establishing, registering, or maintaining a political committee, small donor committee, political party, issue committee, or small-scale issue committee, or making an electioneering communication or regular biennial school electioneering communication. If, within the 6 months before becoming a candidate for public office, a person actively solicits funds for an independent expenditure committee with the intent of benefitting his or her future candidacy, any expenditure made by that independent expenditure committee in that candidate's race is presumed to be controlled by or coordinated with that candidate and deemed to constitute both a contribution by the maker of the expenditures and an expenditure by the candidate committee. The act extends existing restrictions barring a foreign corporation from expending money on an independent expenditure to include a natural person who is not a citizen of the United States or a foreign government. The act also prohibits an independent expenditure committee from knowingly accepting a donation from any natural person who is not a citizen of the United States, any foreign government, or any foreign corporation. The act expands existing requirements requiring a disclaimer to include communication placed on a website, streaming media service, or an online forum for a fee, or that is otherwise distributed. Existing requirements pertaining to the nature of the disclaimer are expanded to include online video or audio communications. Any corporation, labor organization, or independent expenditure committee (covered organization) that contributes, donates, or transfers $10,000 or more to any person during any one calendar year earmarked for the purpose of making an independent expenditure or electioneering communication must provide to the recipient of the contribution, donation, or transfer a written affirmation. Any covered organization that transfers $10,000 or more to any person, earmarked for the purpose of that person making a contribution, donation, or transfer to pay for an independent expenditure or electioneering communication, during any one calendar year, must provide to the recipient of the transfer a written affirmation. Particular disclosure requirements are made applicable to a covered organization that is not a for-profit organization. The act prohibits any person from accepting a contribution, donation, or transfer from a covered organization unless the covered organization provides a written affirmation. The act describes the required contents of the affirmation. The act repeals and reenacts existing statutory provisions addressing small-scale issue committees and, in particular, specifies requirements governing when such committees are required to disclose and file reports of their contributions or expenditures. Under existing law, an issue committee making an expenditure in excess of $1,000 on a communication is required to disclose in the communication the name of the issue committee making the expenditure. The act expands these requirements so they apply to a candidate committee, political committee, small donor committee, political organization, political party, or other person, as well as an issue committee, making or spending more than $1,000 per calendar year on a communication. The act also extends these requirements to communication placed on a website, streaming media service, or online forum for a fee. Instead of requiring that the communication disclose certain information, the act requires that the responsible person include in the communication a disclaimer statement. The act specifies the contents of the disclaimer statement. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $42,650 to the department of state from the department of state cash fund for use by the information technology division. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Victim notification - eliminate opt-in. With certain exceptions, the act eliminates requirements that victims must opt in to effect their rights in criminal proceedings involving their alleged offender or offender. This act appropriates $784,542 to the department for implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Federal immigration enforcement - no arrest based on civil detainer - no personal information to immigration authorities from probation - advisement before immigration interview. The act allows a law enforcement officer or employee to cooperate or assist federal immigration enforcement authorities in the execution of a warrant issued by a federal judge or magistrate or honoring any writ issued by any state or federal judge concerning the transfer of a prisoner to or from federal custody. The act prohibits a law enforcement officer from arresting or detaining an individual solely on the basis of a civil immigration detainer. The act prohibits a probation officer or probation department employee from providing an individual's personal information to federal immigration authorities. If a law enforcement officer is coordinating a telephone or video interview between federal immigration authorities and an individual in jail or another custodial facility, the individual must be advised that: The interview is being sought by federal immigration authorities; The individual has the right to decline the interview and remain silent; The individual has the right to speak to an attorney before submitting to the interview; and Anything the individual says may be used against him or her in subsequent proceedings, including in a federal immigration court.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Hiring practices - limitations on criminal history inquiries - exceptions - enforcement - appropriation. Effective September 1, 2019, for employers with 11 or more employees, and effective September 1, 2021, for all employers, employers are prohibited from: Advertising that a person with a criminal history may not apply for a position; Placing a statement in an employment application that a person with a criminal history may not apply for a position; or Inquiring about an applicant's criminal history on an initial application. An employer may obtain a job applicant's publicly available criminal background report at any time. An employer is exempt from the restrictions on advertising and initial employment applications when: The law prohibits a person who has a particular criminal history from being employed in a particular job; The employer is participating in a program to encourage employment of people with criminal histories; or The employer is required by law to conduct a criminal history record check for the particular position. The department of labor and employment (department) is charged with enforcing the requirements of the act and may issue warnings and orders of compliance for violations and, for second or subsequent violations, impose civil penalties. A violation of the restrictions does not create a private cause of action, and the act does not create a protected class under employment anti-discrimination laws. The department is directed to adopt rules regarding procedures for handling complaints against employers. The department is appropriated $38,113 from the employment support fund and 0.6 FTE to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More