Sen. Jessie Danielson

The Colorado constitution prohibits the general assembly from enacting law that is retrospective in its operation. The concurrent resolution amends the Colorado constitution to authorize the general assembly to pass a retrospective law that permits a victim of sexual abuse that occurred while the victim was a minor to bring a civil claim for the sexual abuse. The concurrent resolution permits the general assembly to waive governmental immunity, by a law that is retrospective in its operation, for a child sexual abuse civil claim.(Note: This summary applies to this concurrent resolution as introduced.)

The act requires the public utilities commission's (commission) gas pipeline safety rules, on or before March 1, 2024, to address requirements for: The installation or reinstallation of service regulators by the owner or operator so that any vents associated with the service regulators are at least 12 inches above ground level and located in an area that is protected from external blockage; and The visual inspection of gas meters and service regulators by a qualified individual no less frequently than every 5 calendar years with intervals not to exceed 63 months and the record documentation of each inspection. The act requires the commission to promulgate rules, on or before March 1, 2024, to establish a process for determining whether an owner or operator of a natural gas distribution system (owner or operator) or a customer is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of the portion of the service line, if installed on or after August 14, 1995, and before March 1, 2024, that extends from the gas meter to the customer's primary residential or commercial structure that is serviced with natural gas (customer-owned service line). The act also requires the commission to promulgate rules, on or before March 1, 2024, requiring an owner or operator that distributes gas to a customer-owned service line installed by the owner or operator on or after March 1, 2024, to: Provide written notice to the customer, within 90 days after the installation of the customer-owned service line, informing the customer whether the owner or operator or the customer is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of the customer-owned service line; and Use best efforts to obtain a signed copy of the written notice from the customer. An owner or operator that fails to obtain a signed copy of the written notice must either maintain proof of efforts to obtain the customer's signature or document the customer's refusal to provide a signature. APPROVED by Governor June 7, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 7, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the Seabees license plate. An applicant qualifies for issuance of the license plate if the applicant is an active or former member of a construction battalion of the United States Navy. The act exempts an applicant for the Seabees license plate from paying the additional fees associated with special license plates for one set of Seabees license plates. To implement this act, $8,684 is appropriated to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles. This appropriation consists of $6,653 from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund and $2,031 from the license plate cash fund. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the direct care workforce stabilization board (board) in the department of labor and employment (department) to review the direct care industry, which is the industry of workers who provide home-based or community-based direct care to individuals who require assistance in accomplishing activities of daily living. The act directs the board, at least once every 2 years, to review the direct care industry and develop recommendations for: Minimum employment standards for direct care workers based on information gathered through an investigation of the direct care industry market in relation to the Colorado labor market; and Improving state communications with direct care workers about their rights and the obligations of direct care employers. The board must conduct public hearings to engage direct care workers, direct care employers, and direct care consumers in the development of the standards and recommendations for improved communications. The executive director of the department may direct the board to review minimum direct care employment standards more frequently. The board must report any recommendations approved by at least 8 board members to the governor and specified committees of the general assembly by September 1, 2024, and at least every 2 years thereafter. Direct care employers are required to provide annual notices to direct care workers regarding: Their rights and the obligations of direct care employers under the act; Any minimum direct care employer standards and local jurisdiction employment standards applicable to direct care workers; and Contact information for obtaining assistance from the department. Direct care employers are prohibited from retaliating against direct care workers for participating in board meetings and activities. The board is subject to a sunset review and repeal on September 1, 2029. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates: $186,876 from the general fund to the department of labor and employment for use by the executive director's office to implement the act; and $60,358 from the general fund and anticipates $60,358 in federal funds to the department of health care policy and financing to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law authorizes the director of the division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment (director) to create and administer a process to accept and mediate wage complaints, to provide legal resources concerning alleged wage inequity, and to promulgate rules as necessary for this purpose. The act changes these authorizations to requirements and further requires the director to create and administer a complaint mediation process by July 1, 2024. Additionally, the act requires the director to: Investigate complaints or other leads concerning employer violations of wage inequity; Upon finding a violation, order compliance and relief; and Promulgate rules to enforce the act. The act also requires an employer to: For each job opportunity, follow specific guidelines for posting the opportunity and provide specific information to employees regarding the compensation, benefits, and date that the application window is anticipated to close; and Make reasonable efforts to make known information regarding the candidate who is selected for the job opportunity. For positions with career progression, the act requires an employer to disclose and make available to all eligible employees the requirements for the career progression. $412,438 is appropriated from the general fund to implement the act. Of that sum, $292,590 is appropriated to the department of labor and employment and $119,848 is appropriated to the department of personnel. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE January 1, 2024 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the Colorado multidisciplinary health-care provider access training program (program) to improve the health care of medically complex, costly, compromised, and vulnerable older Coloradans. The university of Colorado Anschutz medical campus shall develop, implement, and administer the program. The program may be offered to Colorado institutions of higher education with clinical health professions graduate degree programs. The program coordinates and expands geriatric training opportunities for clinical health professions graduate students (students) enrolled in participating Colorado institutions of higher education (participating institutions) across Colorado studying to become advanced practice providers; dentists; nurses; occupational therapists; pharmacists; physicians, including medical doctors and doctors of osteopathy; physical therapists; psychologists; social workers; and speech-language therapists. Students who successfully complete the program are awarded certificates and issued letters authorizing those students to become trainers for the program in clinics across the state. The act creates the Colorado multidisciplinary health-care provider access training program advisory committee (committee) to ensure that the training for the program is consistent and collaborative across the fields of study. The committee is required to: Appoint a program chair; Set the program's standards for training and delivery of multidisciplinary medical care to medically complex, costly, compromised, and vulnerable older Coloradans; Establish requirements for the program; Identify and invite institutions of higher education that offer appropriate clinical health professions graduate degree programs to become participating institutions; Collaborate with participating institutions across Colorado to enhance recruitment of students to enter a field specific to geriatrics and select students with an interest in geriatric care to participate in the program; Assist with updating the program's curricula; Analyze data collected by the program; Build a multidisciplinary network of trained geriatric clinicians to collaborate and provide opportunities for clinicians to work together to better understand the roles of each health-care discipline in urban, rural, and underserved communities when caring for older Coloradans; Improve placement of students in experiential clinical training opportunities, prioritizing rural and underserved communities; Coordinate with graduates of the program to become geriatric trainers for future students; and Increase the number of clinical training sites across Colorado, specifically in rural and underserved communities. The act requires a representative of the program to submit a report on July 1, 2025, and no later than July 1 each year thereafter, summarizing program data to the health and human services committee of the senate and the health and insurance committee of the house of representatives, or their successor committees. The report must include the following: The number of students participating in the program; The number of students who successfully complete the program; The subsequent locations and job placements of program graduates; The number of program graduates who become trainers; and The description of facilities where program graduates become trainers. The act appropriates $784,269 to the department of higher education from the general fund. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the office of liaison for missing and murdered Indigenous relatives (office) in the department of public safety (department) to: Conduct case reviews of violent or exploitative crimes against an Indigenous person and publish a report about the case reviews annually; Communicate with relevant department divisions regarding investigations in cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous relatives; Seek a position for a representative of the Indigenous community on the sentencing reform task force of the Colorado commission on criminal and juvenile justice; Collaborate with Indigenous-led organizations and the Colorado district attorneys' council (CDAC) to assist CDAC in developing and providing training for victim advocates who work on missing or murdered Indigenous relatives cases; and Designate one employee of the office to serve as a point of contact for families in need of support regarding ongoing or completed missing or murdered Indigenous relatives cases. Office personnel may inspect relevant criminal justice records and medical, coroner, and laboratory records in the custody of state or local agencies that are necessary for the office to perform its duties. The office may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations in order to carry out the office's duties and to provide financial support to missing or murdered Indigenous relatives' families. The act requires the community volunteer advisory board within the office (advisory board) to prepare an annual report that includes a summary of the advisory board's work during the prior year and issues related to the office's work. The advisory board is required to submit its report to the judiciary and state affairs committees of the house of representatives and the senate. The state's fusion center in the office of prevention and security within the department shall create a dedicated phone line for missing or murdered Indigenous relatives that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and connects callers with the appropriate contact at the office or the Colorado bureau of investigation. The act appropriates $191,973 from the general fund to the department of public safety for administrative services and expenses related to the division of homeland security and emergency management and $170,601 from the general fund to the judicial department for information technology infrastructure. APPROVED by Governor June 2, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 2, 2023(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)