The bill establishes the community transition specialist program (program) in the office of behavioral health (office) in the department of human services (department). The program coordinates referrals of high-risk individuals to transition specialists by certain behavioral health facilities and programs. High-risk individuals are under an emergency or involuntary hold, have a significant mental health or substance use disorder, and are not in consistent behavioral health treatment. Transition specialists provide services related to housing, program placement, access to behavioral health treatment or benefits, advocacy, and other supportive services. The department is required to adopt rules to implement the program. The bill requires the office to collect data and make recommendations to the department, and the department is required to include program information in the department's annual SMART act report. $1,588,250 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of human services for use by the office of behavioral health to implement the community transition specialist program. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Sponsored bills
Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Interim Study Committee. The bill restricts the number of opioid pills that a health care practitioner, including physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, and veterinarians, may prescribe for an initial prescription to a seven-day supply and allows each health care practitioner to exercise discretion to include a second fill for a seven-day supply, unless, in the judgment of the practitioner, the patient: Has chronic pain that typically lasts longer than 90 days or past the time of normal healing, as determined by the podiatrist, or following transfer of care from another podiatrist who prescribed an opioid to the patient; Has been diagnosed with cancer and is experiencing cancer-related pain; or Is experiencing post-surgical pain that, because of the nature of the procedure, is expected to last more than 14 days. Additionally, an advanced practice nurse may prescribe a refill if the patient is undergoing palliative or hospice care. The restrictions repeal on September 1, 2021. Current law allows health care practitioners and other individuals to query the prescription drug monitoring program (program). The bill requires health care practitioners to indicate his or her specialty or practice area upon the initial query and to query the program prior to prescribing the second fill for an opioid unless the person receiving the prescription meets certain requirements. The bill requires the department of public health and environment to report to the general assembly its findings from studies regarding the prescription drug monitoring program conducted pursuant to a federal grant program. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill makes it an unfair employment practice for an employer to seek wage or salary history information, including compensation and benefits, about an applicant for employment, unless the employer notifies the applicant of the wage or salary range for the current employment opening or the applicant agrees to discuss his or her wage or salary history. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill adopts the following greenhouse gas emission reduction goals: Statewide greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 26% by 2025 when compared with 2005 levels; and Carbon dioxide emissions from electrical generation, when compared with 2012 levels, should be reduced by 25% by 2025 and by 30% by 2030. The Colorado resiliency and recovery office in the division of local government in the department of local affairs is required to, on an ongoing basis: Collect and analyze data regarding the economic and environmental impacts of not addressing climate change and calculate the economic costs of climate change; Develop a model to estimate the future impacts of climate change on Colorado; Analyze the results of the modeling on regional and Colorado-specific climatic conditions currently and the expected future conditions under a variety of climate change scenarios; Update the Colorado resiliency framework, taking into account the goals, the rules, and the data and analysis; and Develop tools and resources to support locally led climate resilience initiatives. The bill appropriates $432,345 and 1.6 FTE to the department of local affairs for use by the Colorado resiliency and recovery office to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill establishes the Colorado secure savings plan (plan) board of trustees (board) to study the feasibility of creating the Colorado secure savings plan and other appropriate approaches to increase the amount of retirement savings by Colorado's private sector workers. The board consists of the director of the governor's office of state planning and budgeting and 8 additional trustees with certain experience who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate. The board is required to conduct the following four analyses or assessments (analyses) within 2 years of the appointment of the board's membership, with an update to certain legislative committees after one year: A detailed market and financial analysis to determine the financial feasibility and effectiveness of creating a retirement savings plan in the form of an automatic enrollment payroll deduction IRA, to be known as the Colorado secure savings plan. The plan would be designed to promote greater retirement savings for private sector employees in a convenient, low-cost, and portable manner. A detailed market and financial analysis to determine the financial feasibility and effectiveness of a small business marketplace plan to increase the number of Colorado businesses that offer retirement savings plans for their employees. The marketplace plan would be voluntary for both employers and employees, open to all employees and employers with fewer than one hundred employees, and administered by the state department of labor and employment. The bill specifies certain duties of the state department of labor in connection with the marketplace plan if it is implemented. An analysis of the effects that greater financial education among Colorado residents would have on increasing their retirement savings; and An analysis of the effects that not increasing Coloradans' retirement savings would have on current and future state and local government expenditures. The board may accept any gifts, grants, and donations, or any money from public or private entities to pay for the costs of the analyses. The board may delay implementation of one or more of the analyses if it does not obtain adequate money to conduct the analyses. If after conducting the analyses the board finds that there are approaches to increasing retirement savings for private-sector employees in a convenient, low-cost, and portable manner that are financially feasible and self-sustaining, the board is required to recommend a plan to implement its findings to the governor and the general assembly. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The federal 'Tax Cuts and Jobs Act', which became law in December 2017, added distributions for elementary or secondary school expenses as qualified distributions from a qualified state tuition program, also known as a 529 account, thereby allowing, on the federal level, income tax-free distributions for elementary and secondary school expenses in addition to already authorized income tax-free distributions for higher education expenses. The bill amends Colorado law to ensure that a taxpayer may not claim a deduction for contributions to qualified state tuition programs for elementary or secondary school expenses and clarifies that such expenses are not qualified distributions. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Early Childhood and School Readiness Legislative Commission. If a district chooses to use early childhood at-risk enhancement (ECARE) positions to enroll children in the district's full-day kindergarten program, children using the ECARE positions must satisfy at least one of the eligibility requirements of the Colorado preschool program.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Early Childhood and School Readiness Legislative Commission. The bill amends the application and eligibility requirements for the school-readiness quality improvement program and the infant and toddler quality and availability grant program to align with the Colorado shines quality rating and improvement system to streamline the administration of the programs. The bill removes obsolete references to early childhood and education councils. The bill makes conforming amendments to reflect the references changed in the bill and to remove terms no longer used in the programs. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Under current law, a school district, board of cooperative services, district charter school, or institute charter school (local education provider) must notify students and their parents of opportunities for concurrent enrollment in postsecondary courses. The bill requires the notice to include information regarding the local education provider's timelines that affect student eligibility to take these courses and a statement informing students that they may significantly reduce college expenses, increase the likelihood of completing college, and earn marketable workforce skills by taking concurrent enrollment courses. Prior to the beginning of the enrollment period for postsecondary concurrent enrollment courses, the local education provider shall provide students and their parents with written notice of postsecondary courses offered at the local education provider's facility and the cost of those courses, as well as notice regarding postsecondary courses offered at the postsecondary institution's facility and the cost of those courses. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
, Read More