The act: Declares that the jurisdiction of the Colorado public utilities commission (commission) does and traditionally has always been understood to extend to the determination of just and reasonable rates by all public utilities; Explicitly states that the terms and conditions imposed by one cooperative electric association on another regarding the installation, interconnection, and use of energy storage systems must be just and reasonable; and Declares that if a retail cooperative electric association withdraws from membership in a wholesale electric cooperative, the withdrawal is a matter of statewide concern for which the commission has authority to adjudicate complaints regarding such withdrawal. In relation to a retail cooperative electric association's withdrawal from membership, the wholesale electric cooperative must act in good faith and fair dealing, cannot impose unreasonable contractual terms in relation to the withdrawal, and must facilitate maintaining the retail cooperative electric association's native electric load priority for accessing firm transmission capacity.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act makes the following modifications to the existing "Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Act" (FRWRMA) and, specifically, the grant program funded by FRWRMA: Currently, grant applicants are required to self-finance 50% of the cost of a project funded by a grant. In the case of a project that is located in an area with fewer economic resources, the act lessens this requirement so that grant applicants are required to self-finance 25% of the total cost of the project. The forest service is required to establish a policy that specifies the criteria by which a project will satisfy such requirements. In meeting the match requirements under FRWRMA, the act specifies that a project may be funded in whole or in part from gifts, grants, or donations received from any organization, entity, or individual. In measuring an in-kind contribution under FRWRMA, the act specifies that such a contribution may include volunteer hours provided by the staff of an entity or organization applying for grant funding and the time for which staff receives monetary compensation in the form of salary or other financial benefits. Permits a grant project eligible to receive funding to support ongoing maintenance efforts undertaken by eligible recipients to reduce the threat of large, high-intensity wildfires. Eliminates an existing requirement that, to receive funding, a project must include a diverse and balanced group of stakeholders as well as appropriate governmental representatives. As part of the submission of grant applications, the forest service encourages applicants to include on their grant applications information that indicates whether the project satisfies these objectives. Adds to the list of recipients eligible to receive grant funding a fire protection district and a nonprofit organization or entity engaged in firefighting or fire management activities. Extends the date by which the grant program will be repealed to September 1, 2029. In the act, the general assembly encourages the forest service to modify its administrative policies and procedures to enable funding to be provided to grant recipients in March to enable wildfire mitigation to commence before the prime wildfire season starts in June. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Various deadlines related to ballot access requirements for candidates are extended in 2020 due to public health concerns. Parties may amend their bylaws as needed during 2020 to allow remote participation in assemblies and conventions and to fill vacancies. Delegates to assemblies may participate remotely if allowed by the party, and parties may reduce or waive any quorum requirements to allow assemblies to proceed. Members of vacancy committees may participate in meetings remotely if allowed by the party, and parties may determine whether to allow proxies at vacancy committee meetings. The ability of the state chair to fill a vacancy is extended to situations in which the vacancy occurs because the designation was not filled by the assembly or the vacancy committee. If a party has restrictions in its rules or bylaws concerning the timing of notice requirements for meetings of the state central committee or other meetings, the timing requirements may be waived so long as at least 3 days notice is given. If a designated election official is not able to receive candidate petitions due to public health concerns, the official may extend the deadline to file the petitions or designate an alternate filing location, or both. Signatures gathered after the original deadline are not valid. The modifications are repealed effective December 31, 2020. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act expands the types of election equipment and supplies for which counties can be reimbursed from the local elections assistance cash fund. Counties can also be reimbursed for the incremental increase in costs to lease that equipment, in addition to purchases of equipment that are currently eligible for reimbursement. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Physicians - mental health care providers - conversion therapy for minors prohibited - disciplinary action. The act prohibits a licensed physician specializing in psychiatry or a licensed, certified, or registered mental health care provider from engaging in conversion therapy with a patient under 18 years of age. A licensee who engages in these practices is subject to disciplinary action by the appropriate licensing board. "Conversion therapy" means efforts to change an individual's sexual orientation, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attraction or feelings toward individuals of the same sex. Specified provisions of the act are contingent upon House Bill 19-1172 becoming law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Public utilities commission - continuation under sunset law - distribution system planning - workforce transition planning - clean energy plan - wholesale electric cooperative electric resource plan - vehicle booting regulation - energy impact bonds - rules - appropriation. The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies' 2018 sunset review and report on the public utilities commission (commission) by: Authorizing the commission to promulgate rules to delegate routine, administrative transportation matters to staff and clarifying that the commission provides initial review of each case submitted for adjudication and determines whether it wishes to retain the case or to assign it to an administrative law judge or to an individual commissioner; Providing for alternate forms of communication that a public utility may utilize to notify its customers of rate changes, including text message and e-mail, and requiring the public utility to post notice of the rate change on its public website, including a reference to the docket numbers of relevant rules or adjudicatory matters; Transferring the administration of the legal services offset fund from the department of law to the department of regulatory agencies; Making technical changes regarding criminal history record checks and telecommunications; Repealing a requirement that an electric utility, as part of the electric utility's plan for acquisition of renewable resources, purchase a certain amount of energy from community solar gardens in 2011 through 2013, but delaying the repeal until 2043 to keep the legislation in place until contracts entered into pursuant to the requirement have likely all expired; Repealing the requirement that the commission, in considering electric utilities' proposals for generation acquisition, give consideration to proposals to propose, fund, and construct integrated gasification combined cycle generation facilities; and Clarifying that the commission may impose a civil penalty for a violation of railroad crossing safety regulations. The act also: Directs the commission to promulgate rules to require an investor-owned utility to file with the commission, for the commission's approval, a distribution system plan regarding the utility's anticipated distribution system investments; Requires an investor-owned utility, when submitting a filing to the commission that includes a proposed retirement of an electric generating facility, to include in the filing a workforce transition plan that provides estimates of workforce transitions that will occur as a result of retiring the electric generating facility; Directs the commission to conduct an investigation of financial performance-based incentives and performance-based metric tracking to identify mechanisms for aligning utility operations and investments with various public benefit goals, including safety, cost efficiency, and emissions reduction. The commission must report the findings of its investigation to the general assembly 18 months after the act's passage; Requires the commission to open a nonadjudicatory proceeding to conduct a survey of public utility retail rates and to consider recommendations for providing rate relief in geographic areas with retail rates that are materially greater than the state average; Directs the commission to require a wholesale electric cooperative to submit to the commission an application for approval of an integrated or electric resource plan; Declares the rights of retail electric utility customers to generate, consume, store, and export electricity from eligible energy resources through distributed generation; Requires a qualifying retail utility to submit a plan, and allows any other electric utility to voluntarily submit a plan, to the commission as part of its ongoing resource acquisition planning process to seek approval from the commission on how the qualifying retail utility plans to address clean energy targets established in the act. A utility implementing a clean energy plan may recover its cost of implementation through electricity rates, as approved by the commission. Directs the commission to evaluate the cost of carbon dioxide emissions in certain proceedings related to a public utility subject to the commission's jurisdiction and to promulgate rules to require those public utilities, when submitting filings, to include the cost of carbon dioxide emissions related to the evaluation of electric generation resources. Starting in 2020, the commission is required to establish a base cost of carbon dioxide emissions in an amount not less than $46 and shall modify the cost thereafter based on escalation rates established by a federal interagency working group. Authorizes the commission to regulate vehicle booting companies, which are private entities in the business of immobilizing motor vehicles through use of a boot, through issuance of permits and enforcement mechanisms including inspections, imposition of a civil penalty, and revocation of a permit; and Adopts the "Colorado Energy Impact Bond Act", under which electric utilities may finance the retirement of fossil-fuel-powered generation facilities and the transition to renewable energy sources by issuing low-cost corporate securities. The securities are subject to commission approval and required to have a rating of at least AA or Aa2, must have a scheduled maturity date of 32 years or less, and are repayable through electricity rates as part of the costs of implementing a clean energy plan. The act continues the functions of the commission for 7 years, until 2026. $907,566 is appropriated for state fiscal year 2019-20 to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the commission for personal services, operating expenses, and the purchase of legal services. The money is appropriated from the public utilities commission fixed utilities fund. Additionally, $163,820 is appropriated to the department of public health and environment from the general fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Uniform Election Code of 1992 - modifications - appropriation. The act makes changes to the "Uniform Election Code of 1992" (code), including changes to procedures for voter registration, including registration on Indian reservations; ballot access requirements, including changes to the number of signatures required on candidate petitions and requiring licensing and training for petition entities; political party organization filing requirements; procedures for in-person voting, including allowing a person who does not reside in a county but wishes to vote at a polling location to cast a ballot that contains statewide federal and state offices and questions; requirements for the content of an election plan; procedures for curing ballots; and requirements for recall petitions, including allowing the incumbent to file a statement to included on the petition and changes to the procedures for curing petitions. The formulas and hours for drop boxes and voter service and polling centers are revised, and counties are required to locate some drop boxes and voter service and polling centers on higher education campuses and Indian reservations. Seventeen year olds who are preregistered and who will be eighteen on the date of the next general election are allowed to participate in primary elections and caucuses. A person may seek a court order to keep polling locations open past the regular closing time on election day when voting at or access to a polling location has been substantially impaired. The secretary of state is required to complete updates to the statewide voter registration database to reduce wait times at polling locations. The act makes additional technical changes and corrections to the code. The act creates the local elections assistance cash fund to reimburse counties for the one-time purchase of voting equipment necessary to fulfill the requirements of the act. For the implementation of the act, $50,945 is appropriated to the department of state for use by the elections division, $255,298 is appropriated to the department of state for use by the information technology division, and $2,790 is appropriated to the department of personnel for use by the division of central services. In addition, $2,0960,000 is appropriated to the local elections assistance cash fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More