Sen. Lindsey Daugherty

Maddy summaryHJR 25-1005 is a ceremonial resolution encouraging Colorado communities to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20, 2025 - the 41st anniversary of the state holiday. It does not create new laws or alter existing policies but urges cities, schools, counties, and local governments to hold commemorative events. The resolution honors Dr. King’s legacy, noting Colorado’s early adoption of the holiday in 1985 and its ongoing observance through events like the annual Marade. This is a non-binding call for community engagement, not a substantive legislative change.

Effective January 1, 2025, the act repeals the existing statutory requirement to test a person who is pregnant for syphilis at the person's first professional visit with a health-care provider or during the first trimester of pregnancy. The act requires each health-care provider to take a blood sample from each pregnant person under their care and submit the sample to a laboratory for HIV testing and, if a pregnant person declines to be tested, to document in the person's medical record the refusal to be tested. The act requires the state board of health (board), on or before January 1, 2025, to promulgate rules concerning prenatal testing standards for syphilis, including the frequency of testing. At least once every 3 years, the department of public health and environment (department) is required to review the board's rules for alignment with national prenatal testing recommendations for sexually transmitted infections and the department's infection control duties. For statistical purposes, the department is required to make de-identified case rate data for syphilis available to county and district public health agencies, which data must remain confidential. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act allows a claimant for workers' compensation benefits to refuse an offer of modified employment if the employment requires the claimant to drive to or from work and the treating physician has restricted the claimant from driving. The act adds the loss of an ear to the list of other body parts for which an injured worker can receive whole person permanent impairment benefits. The act increases the current limitations on the amount of money a claimant may claim based on the claimant's impairment rating as follows: For an impairment rating of 19% or less, from $75,000 to $185,000; and For an impairment rating greater than 19%, from $150,000 to $300,000. The act requires a workers' compensation insurer to pay benefits to a claimant by direct deposit upon request by the claimant. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act amends the "Colorado Privacy Act" to add protections for individuals' biometric data by requiring a person that controls or processes one or more biometric identifiers (controller) to adopt a written policy that: Establishes a retention schedule for biometric identifiers and biometric data; Includes a protocol for responding to a data security incident that may compromise the security of biometric identifiers or biometric data; and Includes guidelines that require the deletion of a biometric identifier on or before certain dates. With certain exceptions, a controller must make its written policy available to the public. The act also: Prohibits a controller from collecting a biometric identifier unless the controller first satisfies certain disclosure and consent requirements; Specifies certain prohibited acts and requirements for controllers that process biometric identifiers and biometric data; Requires a controller to disclose to a consumer certain information concerning the collection and use of the consumer's biometric identifier; Restricts an employer's permissible reasons for obtaining an employee's consent for the collection of biometric identifiers; and Authorizes the attorney general to promulgate rules to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor May 31, 2024 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act removes the ability of most firefighter employers to select accident insurance, self-insurance, or a self-insurance pool as options to provide statutorily required monetary benefits to a firefighter who has experienced a heart and circulatory malfunction. As a result, all firefighter employers except for those exempted by the act must participate in a multiple employer health trust in order to provide such benefits. The act exempts firefighter employers that are cities and counties or municipalities that, as of July 2022, have a population of 400,000 or more and, as of April 30, 2024, have enacted an ordinance to provide the required monetary benefits that remains in effect. APPROVED by Governor May 24, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 24, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the state treasurer, on behalf of the state, to execute, no later than December 31, 2024, financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreements (financing agreements) to finance capital costs related to the construction of facilities for 4 state institutions of higher education. The financing agreements are to be issued in an aggregate principal amount of up to $246,936,092 plus reasonable and necessary administrative, monitoring, and closing costs and interest, including capitalized interest. The anticipated annual state-funded payments for the principal and interest components due under the financing agreements must not exceed $17,500,000 with principal amortization not occurring before July 1, 2027. The proceeds from the financing agreements will be used for the following 4 capital projects: Construction of facilities for the university of northern Colorado's college of osteopathic medicine; Construction of a health institute tower for metropolitan state university of Denver; Construction of a veterinary health education complex for Colorado state university; and Renovation of Trinidad state college's valley campus main building to move nursing and allied health programs into the building, address deferred maintenance issues, and create an assembly space that will serve both the college and the community and a one-stop student services center to support career and technical education and allied health students. The act also requires a general fund transfer of $41,250,000 to the university of northern Colorado for deposit into an escrow account to be held in escrow in accordance with the requirements of the accrediting body of the college of osteopathic medicine. If the money in escrow, including interest, is released to the university of northern Colorado upon graduation of the first cohort from the college of osteopathic medicine, then the university shall provide notice of the release of escrow to the joint budget committee of the general assembly, to the state treasurer, and to the office of state planning and budgeting. Additionally, for the state fiscal year in which the escrow money is released, the amount that is to be paid to the university pursuant to its fee-for-service contract for that state fiscal year is reduced by the lesser of an amount equal to the amount of the escrow money or an amount equal to the amount of a portion of the escrow money that reduces the amount to be paid pursuant to the fee-for-service contract to zero. If the amount of the escrow money exceeds the amount due under such fee-for-service contract, then the amount the university of northern Colorado would otherwise receive from the college opportunity fund is reduced by an amount equal to the excess. If, after both reductions, there remains excess escrow money, then in the next state fiscal year the amount that is to be paid to the university of northern Colorado pursuant to its fee-for-service contract for that state fiscal year is reduced by an amount equal to the amount of the remaining escrow money. The university of northern Colorado must use the escrow money, or a portion of it, as applicable, for each applicable reduction as an offset for the reduction. If the escrow money is released for failure of the college of osteopathic medicine to complete accreditation, then the university of northern Colorado shall provide a report of this to the joint budget committee of the general assembly, to the state treasurer, and to the office of state planning and budgeting. For the period that the escrow money is held in escrow, the amount of unrestricted general fund year-end balances that must be retained as a reserve is reduced by $41,250,000. The appropriation to implement the act anticipates that the department of higher education will receive $246,936,092 in cash funds from the proceeds of the financing agreements and is anticipated to use the amount as follows: $127,542,028 for construction of the college of osteopathic medicine at the university of northern Colorado; $50,000,000 for construction of the health institute tower at metropolitan state university of Denver; $50,000,000 for construction of the veterinary health education complex at Colorado state university; and $19,394,064 for renovation of the valley campus main building at Trinidad state college. APPROVED by Governor May 1, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 1, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act establishes a statutory bill of rights for children and youth (youth) in foster care in Colorado, including youth participating in the foster youth in transition program but excluding youth detained by or committed to the care and physical custody of the division of youth services. The office of the child's representative shall develop a written notice of the rights, and a county department of human or social services shall provide each youth who is 5 years of age or older with the written notice in the youth's primary language at the time of the youth's initial placement in foster care, at each placement change, and at least annually. APPROVED by Governor April 24, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act allows a health-care provider, a health-facility, and a hospital pharmacy to provide a patient with certain facility-provided medications if the medication is required for continued treatment, the medication does not contain a controlled substance, and the medication was administered to the patient during the patient's visit to the health-care provider or health facility. The health-care provider, health facility, or pharmacy that provided the medication to the patient is required to label the medication and to counsel the patient regarding the proper use of the medication. APPROVED by Governor April 22, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 22, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The youth restraint and seclusion working group (working group) is set to repeal September 1, 2024. The act extends the working group until September 1, 2034 and requires a sunset review prior to its repeal. APPROVED by Governor April 19, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill makes changes to the arbitration requirements for out-of-network health insurance claims by requiring the arbitration process to include a batching process, by which multiple claims may be considered jointly and under the same arbitration fee as part of one payment determination in alignment with federal law. The commissioner of insurance is required to promulgate rules that specify the information each insurance carrier is required to submit to a provider with the initial payment of a claim.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)