Sen. Judy Amabile

Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Behavioral Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems. To provide ongoing funding for the Colorado 911 resource center, the state treasurer is required to issue a warrant, paid from the general fund, in the amount of $250,000 to the Colorado 911 resource center on July 1, 2023, and on each July 1 thereafter.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The act makes changes to hospital community benefit activity requirements and imposes certain requirements on the public meetings regarding each reporting hospital's community benefit activities and community implementation plan (plan). The act requires each reporting hospital to: Expand upon the manner in which the hospital invites the public to attend meetings, including by posting the invitation on the hospital's website and social media accounts and by distributing the invitation via the reporting hospital's electronic newsletter, e-mail lists, or any other communications between the hospital and the community it serves at least 30 days before the meeting; Share at each public meeting the community benefit activities from the previous year, the amount funded for each activity, and a description of how the activities and funding align with community priorities; Submit a report to the department of health care policy and financing(state department) that details who attended the public meeting, the topics discussed at the meeting, and any decisions made as a result of the discussion, particularly as they pertain to community benefit priorities, and community feedback received and how the hospital plans to incorporate the feedback into its community beneift implementation plan; Make each report available to the public; and Present priority areas identified in its most recent community health needs assessment and any other community benefit investment option it recommends. The act requires the state medical services board to promulgate rules governing accommodation standards for the public meetings and include in its annual report a summary of the estimated federal, state, and property tax exemptions received by each hospital. The act requires the state department to: Conduct a stakeholder meeting to determine best practices to ensure diverse input from local community members is used to determine community priorities as well as best practices for hospitals to collaborate with local public health agencies and community organizations to reduce redundant community needs assessments. Take remedial action if a hospital fails to comply with the hospital community benefit activity requirements. Such remedial action can include weekly fines between $5,000 and $20,000 for each violation. The act requires a reporting hospital to expend any amount fined on community benefit investment priorities described in its current community benefit implementation plan. The reporting hospital must include information on how the money from fines was expended in the reporting hospital's annual report submitted to the state department. The act appropriates $50,000 from the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund to the state department for use by the office of the executive director of the state department, $100,000 from reappropriated funds received from the state department to the department of revenue for personal services, and $50,000 in anticipated federal funds for transfer to the department of revenue. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 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.)

Under existing law, a board of county commissioners (board) may designate unincorporated areas of a county where it is unlawful to discharge firearms (designated area) , except the board may not prohibit discharge of firearms in shooting galleries, on private grounds, or in residences under circumstances that do not endanger persons or property. A designated area must have an average population density of 100 persons or more per square mile. The bill repeals the exception for private property, repeals the minimum population density requirement, and instead requires that the designated area have 30 35 dwellings or more per square mile. A board is not allowed to prohibit discharge of a firearm in a designated area by a peace officer, in an indoor shooting gallery located in a private residence, or at a shooting range , pursuant to a wildlife management activity, or by a person engaged in a lawful hunting activity or livestock management. Under existing law, certain state laws concerning the state's liability for damages done to property by wild animals protected by the game laws of the state do not apply to a designated area. The bill repeals this exception. (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.)

The act establishes a waiting period before a firearms seller may deliver a firearm to a purchaser. The waiting period is the later in time of 3 days after the initiation of a required background check of the purchaser or when the purchase is approved following any background check. Delivering a firearm prior to the expiration of the waiting period is a civil infraction, punishable by a $500 fine for a first offense and a $500 to $5,000 fine for a second or subsequent offense. The waiting period does not apply to the sale of an antique firearm or a curio or relic; the sale of a firearm by a person serving in the armed forces who will be deployed outside of the United States within the next 30 days to any family member; or a firearm transfer for which a background check is not required pursuant to state or federal law. APPROVED by Governor April 28, 2023 EFFECTIVE October 1, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill establishes a domestic relations judicial training advisory committee (advisory committee) to develop a domestic relations training program (training program) for judges, magistrates, and court personnel to improve decision-making in domestic relations cases. In carrying out its duties, the advisory committee shall seek input from judges and magistrates from each judicial district, the state court administrator's office, and other stakeholders. The advisory committee is repealed September 1, 2027, and is subject to a sunset review prior to its repeal. The training program must satisfy training standards established by the chief justice of the Colorado supreme court (chief justice). The state court administrator must begin providing the training program no later than July 1, 2024, and may contract with a third party to provide the training. The training program must include both initial training and continuing training. The bill requires the general assembly to fund development of the training program and requires the judicial department to include in its annual budget request an amount necessary to ensure that judicial officers who hear domestic relations cases and domestic relations court personnel may attend the training program at no cost. The bill requires the advisory committee to collaborate with the chief justice and state court administrator on the development of the training standards. If the chief justice does not establish training standards by November 30, 2023, the advisory committee establishes the standards. The state court administrator shall coordinate with the advisory committee to a establish an ongoing review process to measure outcomes of the training program. The bill requires the state court administrator to study strategies for increasing opportunities for judicial officers to attend domestic relations judicial training. The general assembly encourages the chief justice and the chief judges of each judicial district to establish dedicated domestic relations dockets in each district and to assign to those dockets judges, magistrates, and court personnel who have completed the training program. The general assembly further encourages each judicial district nominating commission and the governor, when nominating and appointing replacements for domestic relations judges, to consider candidates who have substantial experience in domestic relations litigation, have attended the domestic relations program as a private attorney, and who demonstrate willingness to serve on a domestic relations docket. Under existing law, a child or youth who has special needs that create a barrier to the child or youth's adoption is eligible for adoption benefits. To be eligible for adoption benefits, the child or youth must be legally available for adoption. The bill expands this requirement to make a child or youth eligible for adoption benefits if the child or youth has been legally available for adoption within 90 days before the application for the benefits. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act adds information to the department of higher education's current annual reporting requirement as it relates to Colorado scholars. Current law limits the number of Colorado scholars that each institution counts in an academic year to 8% of the total number of in-state students. The act increases that limit to 15%. The act requires a peace corps volunteer to be classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes if the student was certified by the director of the peace corps as having served satisfactorily as a peace corps volunteer. A peace corps volunteer who is classified as an in-state student must not be counted as a resident student for any purpose other than tuition classification. APPROVED by Governor April 11, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 11, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act extends the maximum length of an employment contract between a state system of higher education, or a campus of a state institution of higher education, and an individual who has a non-tenure-track classroom teaching or librarian appointment from 3 years to 5 years. APPROVED by Governor March 23, 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 bill authorizes a physician, a physician assistant, and an advanced practice registered nurse licensed health-care professional who is authorized to prescribe drugs (prescriber) to prescribe and administer a drug approved by the federal food and drug administration (FDA) for an off-label use. if: The off-label use of the drug for the indication has longstanding, common use; There is medical evidence to support the off-label use and no known evidence contraindicating such off-label use; and The prescriber has provided the patient or a minor patient's parent or guardian with an informed consent form, and the patient or parent or guardian has signed the form. The bill applies the same standard of care for the off-label use of the drug as for the on-label use of the drug. The bill clarifies that: The prescription and administration of an FDA-approved drug for an off-label use is not, by itself, a grounds for discipline; and A pharmacist who fills a prescription for off-label use is not subject to discipline by the state board of pharmacy. (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.)

The act requires public and private higher education institutions to print Colorado and national crisis and suicide prevention contact information on student identification cards. If an institution does not use student identification cards, the act requires the school to distribute Colorado and national crisis and suicide prevention contact information to the student body each semester or trimester. APPROVED by Governor March 17, 2023 EFFECTIVE March 17, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires 1 of the 7 members of the state board of psychologist examiners (board) to be a prescribing psychologist. The act allows a licensed psychologist to prescribe and administer psychotropic medications if the licensed psychologist holds a prescription certificate issued by the board. A licensed psychologist may apply to the board for a prescription certificate and must include in the application satisfactory evidence that the applicant: Has completed a doctoral program in psychology; Has completed a master of science in a clinical psychopharmacological program with specified areas of core instruction; Has passed the psychopharmacology examination for psychologists; Has completed a supervised and relevant clinical experience approved by the board; Has successfully undergone a process of independent peer review; and Maintains the required malpractice insurance. A licensed psychologist with a prescription certificate (prescribing psychologist) is authorized to prescribe and administer psychotropic medications if the prescribing psychologist: Maintains the required malpractice insurance; Completes at least 40 hours of continuing education every 2 years; and Maintains a collaborative relationship with the health-care provider who oversees the client's general medical care. The board is authorized to promulgate rules to: Implement procedures for obtaining a prescription certificate; and Establish grounds for denial, suspension, and revocation of the certificates. The Colorado medical board is required to review complaints regarding violations of the act and make recommendations to the board regarding disciplinary action. The act requires a prescribing psychologist to disclose to each patient that the psychologist is not a licensed physician. The act requires a prescribing psychologist to file with the board all individual federal drug enforcement administration registrations and numbers. The board and the Colorado medical board are required to maintain current records of every psychologist with prescriptive authority, including registrations and numbers. The department of regulatory agencies (department) is required to annually collect information regarding prescribing psychologists, to compile the information, and to share the information with the office in the department responsible for conducting sunset reviews for inclusion in each scheduled sunset review concerning the regulation of mental health professionals. APPROVED by Governor March 3, 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.)