Current law limits the amount of uncommitted reserves that may remain in a cash fund at the end of any fiscal year. The definition of "uncommitted reserves" excludes revenue credited to a cash fund that is estimated to be derived from non-fee sources. Current law further specifies that when calculating the estimated revenue from non-fee sources, the estimate is required to be an amount equal to the portion of total revenues received from non-fee sources in the prior fiscal year. This requirement and the phrase "prior fiscal year" are causing confusion among executive branch departments, and the requirement is not necessary for the proper administration of the statute. The act repeals the requirement that the estimate for non-fee revenue is equal to the portion of total revenues received from non-fee sources in the prior fiscal year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The state treasurer is required to execute up to $500 million of lease-purchase agreements in each of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 state fiscal years for the purpose of funding transportation projects. A statewide ballot issue will be referred to the voters at the 2020 general election as required by Senate Bill 19-263 (SB 263) and will, if approved, authorize the state to issue up to $1.837 billion of transportation revenue anticipation notes (TRANs) for the purpose of funding transportation projects. When enacting SB 263, the general assembly intended that, upon approval of the ballot issue, the TRANs authorized would replace the lease-purchase agreements as a source of funding for transportation projects. However, due to an error in the effective date clause of SB 263, if the TRANs are approved, the state treasurer will still be required to execute the lease-purchase agreements. The act corrects the error and thereby ensures that approval of the ballot issue stops the issuance of the lease-purchase agreements. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Joint Budget Committee. The housing assistance for persons transitioning from the criminal or juvenile justice system cash fund (cash fund), which is administered by the division of housing in the department of local affairs (division), currently includes reversions from unspent general fund appropriations to the division of criminal justice. The bill repeals these reversions. and replaces it with money that the division receives from the department of corrections or the department of human services from amounts the general assembly appropriated to those departments for persons transitioning from the criminal or juvenile justice system. The bill also adds explicit authority for the general assembly to appropriate this money to the departments of corrections and human services. (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 "Colorado Municipal Election Code of 1965" (code) specifies procedures that municipal clerks are required to use when mailing ballots to voters who are covered by the federal "Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act" (UOCAVA). The code specifies that standard voting materials for the purposes of UOCAVA include a declaration prescribed to accompany a federal absentee write-in ballot; however, the municipal clerks are unable to use that declaration. The act repeals this requirement. The code also specifies that, to be valid, an active military or overseas voter must complete a signed affirmation required by federal law. The act specifies the language required to be included in the affirmation. The code currently requires all paper ballots, including mail ballots, to include a ballot stub and a duplicate stub on the top portion of the ballot. This requirement is unnecessary for mail ballots, as municipalities have other ballot verification methods. The act specifies that mail ballots are not required to include a stub and a duplicate stub. The act also amends several provisions in the code regarding mail ballot elections to be consistent with other general provisions in the code regarding municipal elections. Specifically: The provision in the code that requires nomination petitions in mail ballot elections to be corrected no later than 66 days before the election is amended to be consistent with the general provision that specifies such petitions must be amended prior to 63 days before the election; The provision in the code that requires a withdrawal affidavit for a mail ballot election to be filed by the close of business on the 63rd day prior to the election is amended to be consistent with the general provision that specifies such withdrawals must occur prior to 63 days before the election; and The wording of the self-affirmation that is required to appear on the envelope for a mail ballot is amended to be consistent with the wording of the self-affirmation that is required to appear on the envelope for an absentee ballot.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act amends provisions relating to the Colorado opportunity scholarship initiative (COSI), including: Removing the definition of "tuition assistance" and replacing it with a definition for "financial assistance", which is tied to cost of attendance, and making amendments throughout to reflect the changed terms; Removing the statutory restriction that not more than 10% of money in the COSI fund in any fiscal year may be awarded to state agencies and nonprofit organizations for student success and support services and for other services, and the requirement that a certain percentage of the money awarded for student success and support services and for other services be awarded to nongovernmental entities; Changing the current provision that, to the extent practicable, scholarships must be equally distributed between students who are eligible for federal PELL grants and students within a certain range of income. Instead, the act requires scholarships to be equitably distributed between students with an expected family contribution, as defined in the act, of less than 100% of the annual federal PELL grant award and students with an expected family contribution between 100% and 250% of the annual federal PELL grant award. Removing references to obsolete reports and requirements. The act amends provisions relating to the payment of administrative expenses by authorizing the department of higher education to spend from the COSI fund an amount equal to not more than 7.5% of total expenditures from the fund for the prior fiscal year unless the general assembly modifies the percentage in the annual budget act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act sets the minimum pay for a member of the state military forces engaged in any service ordered by the governor as the rate paid to an enlisted person holding the rank of E-4 with over 6 years of service. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The general assembly recognizes that the actual funded pupil count and the actual at-risk pupil count for the 2019-20 budget year are higher than anticipated when the appropriation amount was established during the 2019 legislative session, resulting in an increase in total program for the 2019-20 budget year. In addition, specific ownership tax revenue was less than anticipated, but local property tax revenue was more than anticipated, resulting in a net increase in the local share of total program funding. The increase in the local share of total program funding offsets a portion of the increase in total program. The act declares the general assembly's intent to maintain the budget stabilization factor at the dollar amount of the original appropriation. In addition, the total program amount set forth in statute was increased to reflect new provisions concerning funding for full-day kindergarten. The act increases appropriations for the state share of total program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act changes the date that the statutory revision committee is required to report its findings and recommendations to the general assembly from on or before November 15 of each year to on or before July 1 of each year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Fire and police pension association - entry for social security employers - participation in defined benefit system. The board of the fire and police pension association (association) is authorized to allow an employer that covers employees under the federal "Social Security Act" whose duties are directly involved with the provision of law enforcement or fire protection (employer) and that is eligible to participate in the social security supplemental plan established by the association to alternatively elect to participate in one or more of the defined benefit plans administered by the association with full benefits and unreduced contribution rates. An employer that elects to affiliate with the association to participate in a defined benefit plan is required to make the election through the governing board of the local government or county. An application for coverage by the association is required to be approved by at least 65% of all active members employed by the employer who vote in the election proposing coverage. The board of the association is authorized to adopt rules to allow an employee of the affiliating employer to elect to remain in a predecessor plan and not have coverage by the association. All active employees at the time of affiliation with the association, with the exception of employees who elect to remain in a predecessor plan, and all employees who are hired after affiliation will become participants in the association and such participation cannot be revoked. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More