Sen. Dominick Moreno

Current law requires the appointment of a guardian ad litem for children or youth in dependency and neglect cases. The act requires that client-directed counsel for youth be appointed for children or youth 12 years of age or older to provide specialized client-directed legal representation. The act prohibits the waiver of a child's or youth's right to counsel in dependency and neglect proceedings. The act also allows a child or youth to be a party in a dependency and neglect proceeding. For a child or youth 12 years of age or older with diminished capacity, a guardian ad litem shall remain in the role and separate counsel for the child or youth must be appointed. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act appropriates $61,419,806 to the legislative department for the payment of expenses in the 2022-23 state fiscal year. Additionally, the act appropriates $50,000 to the youth advisory council cash fund within the legislative department and further appropriates to the legislative council, for use in the 2022-23 state fiscal year for new member orientation, $17,500 that was appropriated to but not expended by the legislative council in the 2021-22 state fiscal year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the division of criminal justice within the department of public safety (department) to annually report to the general assembly during the department's "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" hearings any significant data, including trends over time, regarding missing person cases in Colorado. The report must include specific information about missing person cases involving women from minority communities, which includes women from African-American, Black, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Indigenous and tribal, Hispanic, Latino, and transgender communities, and information about missing person cases involving persons 50 years of age or older. The act requires any law enforcement agency to accept a missing person report submitted in person if the missing person is a Colorado resident or was last believed to be in Colorado. The act requires law enforcement agencies to accept a missing person report by telephone or other electronic media if accepting the report by those means is consistent with the agency's policies or practices. The act adds circumstances in which a law enforcement agency is not required to accept a missing person report. The act requires a law enforcement agency that receives a report of a missing adult to, within 8 hours after receiving the report, enter relevant information into the Colorado crime information center (CCIC) database and, as appropriate, contact other law enforcement agencies that may assist in locating the missing person. In the case of a reported missing child, a law enforcement agency must, within 2 hours after receiving the report, notify the Colorado bureau of investigation and enter any relevant information into the CCIC database. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act makes the following nonsubstantive changes to title 43: Corrects the citation made in section 43-1-128 (5) from "the national environmental policy act" to "the federal 'National Environmental Policy Act of 1969', 42 U.S.C. sec. 4321 et seq."; Adds the word "vehicle" in section 43-4-605 (1)(i) between the words "motor" and "registration"; and Corrects a reference in section 43-4-1301 (2)(c) stating "subsections (7) and (8) of this section" to say "section 43-4-1303".(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act changes the deadline to appoint nonlegislative members to the Colorado youth advisory council (council) and removes the requirement that nonlegislative members be selected by a majority vote of the council. The act repeals the requirement to appoint council co-chairs and vice-chairs, requires the council to adopt written bylaws setting forth a leadership structure for the council, and clarifies that the council can elect members to serve in any leadership position described in its bylaws. The act requires that 2 of the council's 4 meetings each year be held in person. The act changes the council's annual reporting requirement so that the council reports to the Colorado youth advisory council review committee (review committee) during the interim. The act requires the chair of the review committee and the chair of the legislative council to sign council contracts and requires the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives to appoint the chair and vice-chair of the review committee on an annually alternating basis. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act makes changes to the Tony Grampsas youth services program (program). The act eliminates state agencies and state-operated programs from the list of entities that can apply for a grant to participate in the program and changes the definition of "entity" to ensure compliance with federal case law. The act adds prevention services to the services provided for youth and their families through community-based programming, including services for reducing crime and violence, abuse and neglect, drug and alcohol use, and school dropouts. The act changes certain criteria for adult and youth members to be appointed to the Tony Grampsas youth services board and requires the grant application process for participating in the program to identify and prioritize funding programs that meet a need in the community. The act requires entities that provide evidence-informed services for the youth mentoring services program to meet certain criteria. The act specifies for entities providing services for the Colorado student before-and-after-school project that the services may include alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use intervention, prevention, and education components. The act requires unexpended and unencumbered money remaining in the funds that support the program at the end of a state fiscal year to remain in the funds and available for expenditure by the state department in the following state fiscal year without further appropriations to the funds. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The 2021 general appropriations act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of public health and environment. The general fund and reappropriated funds portions of the appropriation are increased. Senate Bill 21-181, concerning state agencies addressing health disparities in Colorado, is amended to further appropriate the amount appropriated the money for the 2022-23 fiscal year. Senate Bill 21-128, concerning modifications to the administration of the nursing home penalty cash fund, is amended to increase the amount appropriated to the department. Senate Bill 21-243, concerning annual appropriations to the department of public health and environment, is amended to clarify that the money appropriated is from the general fund. House Bill 21-1266, concerning efforts to redress the effects of environmental injustice on disproportionately impacted communities, is amended to clarify that the amount appropriated in subject to the (I) notation defined in the general appropriation act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The 2021 general appropriations act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of health care policy and financing. The general fund and reappropriated funds portions of the appropriation are decreased and the cash funds and federal funds portions are increased. A new appropriation to the department for overexpenditures of line item appropriations in the 2020 long bill is made. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The 2021 general appropriations act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of human services. The general fund, cash funds, and federal funds portions of the appropriation are increased. An appropriation made in Senate bill 21-236, concerning increasing the capacity of quality early childhood education through grant programs, is amended to further appropriate the amount appropriated through June 30, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The 2021 general appropriations act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated for capital construction projects. The capital construction fund and cash funds portions of the appropriation are increased. The 2020 general appropriations act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated for capital construction projects. The cash funds portion of the appropriation is decreased. The 2019 general appropriations act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated for capital construction projects. The capital construction fund and cash funds portion of the appropriation are decreased. The 2018 general appropriations act is amended to add a new footnote to allow an appropriation made for the electronic birth registration system to remain available until June 30, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)