The bill creates the economic development organization (EDO) action grant program (program) within the Colorado office of economic development (office) to provide grants to Colorado-based EDOs to support and increase EDO capacity to implement community-specific economic development programming, as identified in each EDO's program application. The office is required to administer the program in consultation with the Colorado economic development commission and a statewide economic development organization. The economic development organization grant program cash fund (fund) is created in the state treasury, and the office is required to award program grants from the fund. The state treasurer is required to transfer $2 million from the general fund to the fund on July 1, 2024.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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The bill requires the department of education to create, maintain, and manage an online career support and pathways portal (online portal) for educators; staff; school districts, district charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative services, or approved facility schools (local education providers); and educator preparation programs (educator programs). The online portal must have: Access to career incentives, stipends, and loan forgiveness; Career pathway information for educators and staff, including, but not limited to, mentoring, induction program coaching, instructional coaching, district curriculum support, special assignments for teachers, and principal leadership; and A job posting and application portal for local education providers to post open employment positions and to search for prospective candidates, and for educators and staff to upload resumes and to apply to open employment positions. Local education providers and educator programs shall post a link to the online portal on their websites to promote the online portal to educators and staff. The bill allows Indian tribes and tribal organizations to access and use the online portal. Pursuant to current law, the educator and retention program (ERR program) provides support to members of the armed forces and nonmilitary-affiliated educator candidates. The bill expands criteria for participation in the ERR program to include applicants who are: Enrolled in a teacher degree apprenticeship program and employed by an Indian tribe or tribal organization or a local education provider; or Enrolled in an educator program to attain a special services provider license with the appropriate endorsement.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The General Assembly enacted House Bill 24-1421, a state fiscal year 2024-25 budget package bill that modified funding for certain grant programs administered by the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety, with a safety clause but without a specified effective date, making the bill take effect before the end of state fiscal year 2023-24. However, to avoid a temporary lapse in spending authority from multiple cash funds during state fiscal year 2023-24 while preserving its own timely implementation, House Bill 24-1421 needed to instead take effect on July 1, 2024, the first day of state fiscal year 2024-25. The act amends the Session Laws of Colorado to add a July 1, 2024, effective date clause to House Bill 24-1421 and thereby mitigate this problem. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 10, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires the department of higher education (department) and higher education institutions to develop a framework for evaluating the quality of nondegree credentials. The act formally recognizes the resulting quality and in-demand nondegree credentials framework (framework) as the primary tool for assessing the quality of nondegree credentials offered in the state. The act requires the department to collaborate with various agencies to ensure the effective integration of the framework within the state's education and workforce systems. Beginning January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the act requires the department to evaluate nondegree credentials offered through state-recognized programs to ensure the credentials meet the framework's quality standards. Beginning January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the department shall supply a list of nondegree credential programs that meet the framework's quality standards for inclusion in the Colorado talent report and in a credential registry endorsed by the state. The department shall engage state agencies, educational institutions, international organizations, industry associations, and other stakeholders to study and make recommendations about the adoption of the international standard classification of education (ISCED) as the state's standard framework for classifying nondegree credentials and ISCED's wider application in the state's education and workforce systems. The recommendations must include a process for assigning ISCED equivalency levels to nondegree credentials included in stackable credential pathways and apprenticeship programs. The act requires the department to report its findings and recommendations on or before July 31, 2025. Current law requires the department to create stackable credential pathways in growing industries. The act requires the department to assign appropriate ISCED equivalency levels to the stackable credential pathways on or before July 31, 2025. Beginning January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the act requires the office of future of work to coordinate with various agencies to determine ISCED equivalency levels for each apprenticeship program registered on and after July 31, 2025. The office of future of work shall then determine ISCED equivalency levels for each apprenticeship program registered before July 31, 2025. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $124,287 from the general fund to the department of higher education for use by the Colorado commission on higher education and higher education special purpose programs. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $30,000 from the general fund to the department of labor and employment for use by the office of future of work. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
In the "Construction Defect Action Reform Act" (act), Colorado law establishes procedures for bringing a lawsuit for a construction defect (claim). Section 2 Section 4 of the bill clarifies that a person that has had a claim brought on the person's behalf is also considered a claimant, and therefore, the act applies to the person for whom the claim is brought. Sections 3 and 6 create a right for a construction professional to remedy a claim made against the construction professional by doing remedial work or hiring another construction professional to perform the work. The following applies to the remedy: The construction professional must notify the claimant and diligently make sure the remedial work is performed; and Upon completion, the claimant is deemed to have settled and released the claim, and the claimant is limited to claims regarding improper performance of the remedial work. Currently, a claim may be held in abeyance if the parties have agreed to mediation. Section 3 also adds other forms of alternative dispute resolution for which the claim would be held in abeyance. Alternative dispute resolution is binding. If a settlement offer of a payment is made and accepted in a claim, the payment constitutes a settlement of the claim and the cause of action is deemed to have been released, and an offer of settlement is not admissible in any subsequent action or legal proceeding unless the proceeding is to enforce the settlement. To bring a claim or related action, section 4 section 2 requires a unit owners' association (association) to obtain the written consent of at least two-thirds 60% of the actual owners of the units in the common interest community. The consent must contain the currently required notices must be signed by each consenting owner, and must have certain attestations. Under the act, a claimant is barred from seeking damages for failing to comply with building codes or industry standards unless the failure results in: Actual damage to real or personal property; Actual loss of the use of real or personal property; Bodily injury or wrongful death; or A risk of bodily injury or death to, or a threat to the life, health, or safety of, the occupants. Section 5 requires the actual property damage to be the result of a building code violation and requires the risk of injury or death or the threat to life, health, or safety to be imminent and unreasonable. Section 3 changes the standard concerning the risk of bodily injury or death to a verifiable danger to the occupants and adds another option to bring a claim if the defect results in a failure or lack of capacity of a building component to perform the intended purpose of the building component. Under current law, an association may institute, defend, or intervene in litigation or administrative proceedings in its own name on behalf of itself or 2 or more unit owners on matters affecting a common interest community. For a construction defect matter to affect a common interest community, section 7 requires that the matter concern real estate that is owned by the association or by all members of the association. Section 7 also establishes that, when an association makes a claim or takes legal action on behalf of unit owners when the matter does not concern real estate owned by the association: The association and each claim are subject to each defense, limitation, claim procedure, and alternative dispute resolution procedure that each unit owner would be subject to if the unit owner had brought the claim; and The association has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of each unit owner. (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 creates the healthy food incentives program (program) in the department of public health and environment (department) to be administered by the prevention services division (division). The division shall partner with a statewide nonprofit organization that has experience in supporting healthy food incentives programs to provide healthy food incentives that benefit Colorado's low-income populations. The healthy food incentives must attempt to improve access to fresh Colorado-grown fruits and vegetables within Colorado's low-income communities. The act requires the division and the nonprofit organization to limit their administrative expenses. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $500,000 is appropriated to the department from the general fund for use by the division to implement the program. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act clarifies that the relative guardianship assistance program for children and youth and the adoption assistance program (programs) are entitlement programs. The state controller is authorized to allow overexpenditures for the programs. The act requires the department of human services (department) to report to the joint budget committee annually regarding actual and projected caseloads and expenditures for the programs. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $4,914,849 from the general fund and local funds to the department for use by the division of child welfare (division) for the programs. It is anticipated that the department will also receive $12,101,247 in federal funds. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $5,662,305 from the general fund and local funds to the department for use by the division for the programs. It is anticipated that the department will also receive $12,914,803 in federal funds. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes 3 changes to the funding and administration of the multidisciplinary crime prevention and crisis intervention grant program. The act: Requires the state treasurer to transfer $3 million from the general fund to the multidisciplinary crime prevention and crisis intervention grant fund on July 1, 2024; Modifies the multidisciplinary crime prevention and crisis intervention grant fund so that money in the fund is annually, rather than continuously, appropriated; and Extends the repeal date of the multidisciplinary crime prevention and crisis intervention grant program, grant fund, and advisory committee from January 1, 2025, to July 1, 2027. The act also modifies both the law enforcement workforce recruitment, retention, and tuition grant fund and the SMART policing grant fund so that money in both funds is annually, rather than continuously, appropriated. Lastly, the act states that unless the Colorado state patrol or a local law enforcement agency meets certain reporting requirements, or is working with the division of criminal justice to meet these reporting requirements, the Colorado state patrol or a local law enforcement agency is not eligible to be awarded grants under the multidisciplinary crime prevention and crisis intervention grant program, the law enforcement workforce recruitment, retention, and tuition grant program, or the state's mission for assistance in recruiting and training (SMART) policing grant program. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state treasurer to transfer all unexpended and unencumbered money in the controlled maintenance trust fund on July 31, 2024, to the general fund. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the financial assistance program for students experiencing homelessness (program) in the department of higher education (department). Beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, the act requires all Colorado public institutions of higher education (institutions) to provide financial assistance to a Colorado resident student (qualifying student) who is between the ages of 17 and 26 and who has experienced homelessness in the state at any time during high school. The institutions shall provide financial assistance to cover the remaining balance of the qualifying student's total cost of attendance in excess of the amount of any private, state, or federal financial assistance the student receives. Subject to available appropriations, the act requires the Colorado commission on higher education to provide institutions money to cover 50% of the remaining balance of financial assistance for qualifying students. The institutions are required to designate an employee to serve as a liaison to qualifying and prospective qualifying students. The institutions shall notify qualifying students of their eligibility for remaining balance financial assistance. The act requires the department to add one employee as a navigator to provide guidance to prospective qualifying students when selecting institutions and completing applications for admission and financial aid. The act requires the department to enter into a data-sharing agreement with the department of education in order to identify prospective qualifying students. The act clarifies student eligibility to participate in the foster youth financial assistance program. The act appropriates $1,668,381 from the general fund to the department for aid for students who experienced homelessness during high school. The act appropriates $26,055 from the general fund to the department of education for the homeless student scholarship program. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 29, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)