Joint Budget Committee. Pursuant to the declaration of a state fiscal emergency (emergency declaration), for the 2020-21 fiscal year only, the bill expands the purposes for which tobacco tax revenues in the tobacco education programs fund and the prevention, early detection, and treatment fund may be used to include any health-related purpose and to serve populations enrolled in the children's basic health plan and the Colorado medical assistance program at the programs' respective levels of enrollment as of January 1, 2005. Also pursuant to the emergency declaration, for the 2020-21 fiscal year only, the bill authorizes grantees under certain programs funded through tobacco tax revenue to use the grant money to investigate and control the spread of COVID-19. The bill repeals an obsolete provision of law. The bill makes and reduces certain appropriations. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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The property tax administrator is required by law to prepare and publish manuals, appraisal procedures, instructions, and guidelines (property tax materials) concerning the administration of the property tax. Beginning January 1, 2021, section 1 of the bill requires the administrator to conduct a public hearing on a proposed change to the property tax materials prior to submitting the proposed change to the advisory committee to the property tax administrator (advisory committee). The administrator must publish notice of the hearing and mail notice to those people who so request. At the hearing, interested persons may submit information and the administrator is required to consider these submissions. Any interested person may also petition the administrator for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of any property tax material. At least 2 weeks prior to the advisory committee reviewing a proposed change to the property tax materials, section 2 requires the property tax administrator to publish notice about the proposed change.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill modifies specific provisions of the Tony Grampsas youth services program statute for general uniformity. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill amends provisions concerning students in out-of-home placement that mandate cooperation between schools and county departments of human services relating to education. Specifically, the bill: Amends the definition "student in out-of-home placement" to align with those students in custody of county departments of human or social services; Streamlines billing practices for transportation services provided to students in out-of-home placement by requiring the use of invoices and forms approved by both the department of education and the state department of human services; and Authorizes school districts and the state charter school institute establishing transportation plans with county departments of human or social services, as required by law, to establish transportation plans by region or through a board of cooperative services. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates the financial empowerment office (office) and the director of the office (director) in the department of law to grow the financial resilience and well-being of Coloradans through specified community-derived goals and strategies. The director is appointed by the Colorado attorney general and may hire staff as necessary to perform the duties and functions of the office. The office also consists of a manager who is appointed by the director. The office is authorized to partner with governmental bodies, community organizations, financial institutions, local service providers, and philanthropic organizations to achieve the purposes of the office. The office is also authorized to develop: Methods to increase access to safe and affordable financial products; Tools and resources that advance, increase, and improve Colorado residents' financial management; and Community-informed policies and systems that dismantle systemic barriers to building ownership and wealth for all, especially low-income communities and communities of color. The financial empowerment office is required to: Support the organization of community coalitions to define and lead financial resilience strategies; Align, support, and build ties to build financial education and well-being in communities across the state; Establish a statewide coalition to assist the director in increasing access to safe and affordable banking products that help improve the financial stability of Colorado residents; Work with stakeholders to increase access to low-cost, credit-building loans and financial products; Work with state authorities and other stakeholders to expand access to safe and affordable banking products with low fees and easy account access; Develop technical assistance to launch or expand local financial coaching and counseling efforts; Raise money to support coaching, safe and affordable banking, and potential loan funds; Collaborate with the office of the state treasurer on the creation and management of a loan fund to support small credit-building loans; and Track community feedback on consumer financial abuses and coordinate with the enforcement teams at various state agencies, connect consumers with existing resources, and educate the public on their related consumer rights. The office is also required to submit an annual report to the general assembly regarding the activities of the office and the state of affordable banking access in Colorado. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under current law, a child is neglected or dependent if the child's environment is injurious to the child's welfare. The bill clarifies that the child's environment is injurious to the child's welfare because the child's parent has placed the child in or failed to remove the child from a situation that a reasonable person would realize requires judgment or actions beyond the child's level of maturity, physical condition, or mental ability and that results in bodily injury or a substantial risk of immediate and grave harm as a result of a blatant disregard of parent or caretaker responsibilities. A child is not neglected or dependent if a child who is of sufficient maturity, physical condition, and mental ability is left by the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian, under conditions that are reasonably deemed safe and secure sufficient to avoid substantial risk of physical harm, to engage in independent activities specified in the bill. The bill amends the criminal code to reflect that a person does not commit child abuse if the person is exercising reasonable judgment in allowing a child to engage in independent activities as described in language added to the dependency or neglect statute in the bill. The bill amends the definition of neglect in the children's code to state that a child is not neglected when allowed to participate in independent activities specified in the bill that a reasonable and prudent parent would consider safe given the child's maturity, condition, and abilities. (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.)
Statutory Revision Committee. Under current law, the income tax deduction for previously taxed income or gain for C corporations allows C corporations, when calculating their Colorado taxable income, to deduct from their federal taxable income any income or gain that was taxed by Colorado prior to 1965, to the extent that such income or gain is included in their current federal taxable income. The bill repeals this income tax deduction.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Under current law, the fuel tax exemption for nonprofit transit agencies exempts nonprofit transit agencies from the fuel excise tax on liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas used in vehicles for transit purposes. The act repeals this tax exemption. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law authorizes the formation of marijuana financial services cooperatives under the regulation of the state commissioner of financial services. The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies' sunset review of marijuana financial services cooperatives by repealing the authorizing law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)