The act continues the functions of the Colorado resiliency office in the department of local affairs until September 1, 2037, pursuant to the provisions of the sunset law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the executive director of the department of natural resources or the executive director's designee (executive director) to conduct a study as soon as practicable regarding the challenges for native pollinating insect populations, their associated ecosystems, and their health and resilience in the state. Based on the results of the study, the executive director is required to make recommendations: For the protection of native pollinating insects; and On how to develop education and outreach programming. On or before January 1, 2024, the executive director shall submit to the general assembly and the governor a report summarizing the study and the executive director's recommendations based on the study. The act appropriates $179,642 for state fiscal year 2022-23 from the general fund to the department of natural resources for implementation of the study. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows a hospital employee or agent to dispense a 7-day to 28-day supply of drugs for prophylaxis of sexually transmitted infections to an emergency room patient who is a victim of sexual assault. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the division of homeland security and emergency management in the department of public safety (division) to procure and maintain a stockpile of essential materials that is available for distribution after the governor has a declared a disaster emergency. The division, in consultation with the department of public health and environment, may distribute the essential materials to state agencies, schools, local public health agencies, hospitals, primary care providers, or other health-care providers, or to any other individual or entity that the director of the division determines is in need as a result of the disaster emergency. The division may contract with a third-party entity to administer the stockpile. To ensure that the materials in the stockpile are rotated prior to their expiration date, the act: Requires state agencies to procure essential materials from the division, to the extent possible; and Permits the division to donate or sell essential materials as necessary to avoid having stock that is past its expiration date. Any proceeds from the sale of the essential materials are credited to the newly created emergency stockpile rotation cash fund, which is continuously appropriated to the department of public safety for use by the division for administering the stockpile. Under current law, the state board of health has the authority to adopt rules and to establish standards to assure that hospitals; other acute care facilities; county, district, and municipal public health agencies; and trauma centers are prepared for an emergency epidemic that is declared to be a disaster emergency. The act specifies that under this authority the state board may adopt rules or establish standards for the maintenance of an adequate stockpile of personal protective equipment for infection control and to assure staff proficiency in using the personal protective equipment. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes money from the tobacco master settlement agreement allocated to the state dental loan repayment program to also be used for oral health programs administered by the department of public health and environment (department). The act renames the "state dental loan repayment fund" as the "state dental loan repayment and oral health programs fund" (fund) and modernizes language relating to the fund. The act requires the department to report annually for 6 years to the joint budget committee concerning the amount of money allocated to the state dental loan repayment program and the number of qualified professionals applying for and receiving loan repayment. The report must also include information concerning the proportion and use of money from the fund for oral health programs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the primary care and behavioral health statewide integration grant program in the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to provide grants to primary care clinics for implementation of evidence-based clinical integration care models. The act requires the state department, in collaboration with the behavioral health administration and other agencies, to develop a universal contract for behavioral health services. The act requires the state department to undertake efforts to transform the state department's process for clients attempting to receive long-term care in the community to respond to the United States department of justice's letter of findings concerning the investigation of Colorado's use of nursing facilities to serve adults with physical disabilities. The act appropriates to implement the act: $616,968 to the department from the general fund; $986,948 to the department from federal funds; and $31,750,00 to the department from the behavioral and mental health cash fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act directs the state treasurer to transfer $11,720,278 from the general fund to the division of professions and occupations cash fund for use beginning in the 2022-23 state fiscal year and until fully expended to fund the expenses of the state board of nursing in order to facilitate fee relief for nurses, nurse aides, and psychiatric technicians. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the health-care workforce resilience and retention program (program) using existing initiatives to ensure that Colorado's health-care workforce is supported in order to meet the health-care demands of Coloradans and to support the resilience, well-being, and retention of health-care workers. The program is authorized to seek and expend gifts, grants, and donations to support the program. The program is exempt from the procurement code. The act appropriates $2 million from the economic recovery and relief cash fund for the program. The act creates the practice-based health education grant program (grant program) to increase practice-based training opportunities necessary for health profession students enrolled in accredited Colorado schools to complete degree requirements and become licensed to practice or program participants enrolled in other training or residency programs offered by a public or nonprofit Colorado medical school or accredited residency program to gain hands-on experience in pursuit of a license in the health-care field. The primary care office in the department of public health and environment administers the grant program and shall conduct a stakeholder engagement process to determine key operational components of the grant program policies and procedures. The act appropriates $20 million from the economic recovery and relief cash fund for the grant program. The act directs the state board for community colleges and occupational education (board) to administer the in-demand short-term health-care credentials program in order to support the expansion of available health-care professionals. The bill appropriates $26 million from the economic recovery and relief cash fund for these programs. The board shall allocate funds to community colleges, area technical colleges, local district colleges, and community not-for-profit organizations that deliver hybrid programming that leverages place-based supports in partnership with local district colleges, community colleges, and area technical colleges through reimbursement based on students enrolled in eligible programs for fiscal years 2022-23 to 2025-26 to: Provide assistance for tuition, fees, and course materials for eligible programs; Support alignment with existing efforts, such as apprenticeship and work-based learning, for students to earn eligible program credentials that lead into health-care careers such as nursing; and If unexpended resources exist or if the program use is less than anticipated, to expand eligible programs in allied health based on in-demand credential needs or include high school equivalency support and attainment for students without a high school degree who participate in the program. The act requires the primary care office and the governor's office of information technology to work through the government data advisory board to determine data-sharing agreements that integrate data collected by the state under existing authorities that may inform the analysis of need, allocation of resources, and evaluation of performance of state-administered or state-financed health workforce planning or development initiatives. Under current law, a nurse who holds a volunteer nurse license cannot get paid for nursing tasks. The act removes this limitation. The act directs the nurse-physician advisory task force for Colorado health care to make recommendations on: Alignment of health-care licensing with federal statutory minimums; Identification of unnecessary regulatory burdens or barriers; Regulatory reforms that support health-care licensees to work at their full scope of practice; and Feasibility of temporary candidate licenses for students nearing the completion of an accredited health-care program. The act makes the following changes and additions to the school nurse grant program: Repeals the requirement of a 5-year grant cycle; Requires that the grant supplement, not supplant, funding for school nurse positions existing in the local education provider's most recent fiscal year prior to applying for a grant; Directs the department of public health and environment to annually award grants; and Appropriates $3 million to the department of public health and environment for the grant program from the economic recovery and relief cash fund. The act appropriates $10 million from the economic recovery and relief cash fund to the department of public health and environment. The department shall use this appropriation for recruitment, re-engagement efforts of workers in the health-care profession with current or expired licenses, and staffing. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows a person whose residence has been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by a natural disaster or by other means to maintain residency for purposes of voting at the address of the destroyed residence if the person intends to return to the residence once it is replaced or becomes habitable. In such a case, the person's residence given for motor vehicle registration and for state income tax purposes is not required to be the same as the person's residence for voting purposes. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act concerns provisions of a public school contract, which is defined in the act as an agreement between a public school contracting entity and a contractor where the principal purpose is to acquire supplies, services, or construction or to dispose of supplies for the direct benefit of or in support of a public school other than an agreement for the acquisition of certain types of professional services. For public school contracts executed on or after July 1, 2022, the act requires specified provisions to be included in a public school contract, states that a public school contract shall be deemed to include such provisions if they are inadvertently or otherwise omitted, and specifies that certain specified types of terms or conditions in a public school contract, including any provision that conflicts with Colorado law or rules or any provision required to be included in a public school contract, are void. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
