The act requires the following regarding the application for a license to practice medicine in Colorado (application) and the questionnaire accompanying the form for a license renewal (questionnaire): The Colorado medical board (board) must consider the recommendations of the Federation of State Medical Boards and the requirements of the federal "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" when developing the application questions; The application and questionnaire must not require the disclosure of personal medical or health information that is not relevant to the applicant's ability to provide safe, competent, and ethical patient care at the time of application; The application and questionnaire must not include questions seeking information about past health-related conditions that do not impact an applicant's ability to practice safe, competent, and ethical patient care at the time of application; and The board shall include information in the application about the board's peer health assistance program, the applicant's ability to self-refer to the peer health assistance program at any time, and the applicant's ability to self-refer in lieu of disclosure to the board. The act clarifies that an individual subject to the licensing requirements of the "Colorado Medical Practice Act" is not required to disclose a physical illness, physical condition, behavioral health disorder, mental health disorder, or substance use disorder that no longer impacts the individual's ability to practice the applicable health-care profession or occupation with reasonable skill and safety to patients or clients. Current law requires that if a health-care professional has a physical illness, physical condition, or behavioral or mental health disorder that renders the person unable to practice the applicable health-care profession or occupation with reasonable skill and safety to patients or clients, the licensee, registrant, or certificate holder shall notify the regulator that regulates the person's profession or occupation of the physical illness, physical condition, or behavioral or mental health disorder. The act requires that a health-care professional must additionally provide notice of a substance use disorder and specifies that the health-care professional is required only to provide notice of a current physical illness, physical condition, behavioral health disorder, mental health disorder, or substance use disorder. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act creates the behavioral and mental health excise tax cash fund that is designated to hold money received from the firearm and ammunition excise tax (Proposition KK) for certain behavioral health-related purposes. Current law requires $8 million that is received from Proposition KK to be transferred to the behavioral and mental health cash fund. The act requires this money to instead be transferred to the behavioral and mental health excise tax cash fund. The act requires the state treasurer to transfer the Proposition KK money in the behavioral and mental health cash fund to the behavioral and mental health excise tax cash fund. Current law repeals the behavioral and mental health cash fund on July 1, 2032. The act changes the repeal date to July 1, 2027. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act allows the Centennial correctional facility-south c-tower to be used to temporarily house protective-, close-, and medium-custody inmates for the duration of the Sterling correctional facility access controls project (project). The use of the Centennial correctional facility-south c-tower is permitted only after the department of corrections (department) determines that there are no suitable beds available to house an inmate in another department facility. The act requires the department to, at least 30 days prior to relocating any inmates, provide a structured relocation plan to the joint budget committee and the house of representatives judiciary committee and the senate judiciary committee, or their successor committees, and to update those committees during the project. The plan must include, but is not limited to: What programs or classes will be available to the inmates; What behavioral health and medical care will be available; What employment opportunities will be available and the rate of pay for each employment opportunity; What recreational opportunities will be available; What visitation opportunities will be available; How many hours a day an inmate will be allowed out of their cell based on their medium- or close-custody level or protective custody status; Whether, prior to transfer, the department plans to conduct a reclassification or other custody review on any medium-security inmate to determine whether the inmate is appropriate to progress or have an override to minimum-restrictive custody; and An estimate of how long inmates will be temporarily held at Centennial correctional facility-south c-tower and if the relocations will be based on the duration of the project at the Sterling correctional facility. The act also requires the department to provide updates on the status of the access controls project at its "SMART Act" hearing required by section 2-7-203. The act appropriates $1,829,000 from the general fund to the department to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The act excludes from the statewide managed care program (program) services for medicaid members in a qualified residential treatment program or a psychiatric residential treatment facility and in the care and custody of a county department of human or social services until July 1, 2026. The act excludes from the program residential child health-care program services in counties that have a written agreement regarding services. No later than December 1, 2025, the act requires the department of health care policy and financing (HCPF), in collaboration with the department of human services, the behavioral health administration, and relevant stakeholders, to develop policies to transition qualified residential treatment programs and psychiatric residential treatment facilities to the statewide managed care system for medicaid members who are in the care and custody of a county department of human or social services (policies). The act requires HCPF to implement the policies no later than July 1, 2026. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Section 1 of the act requires the state treasurer to transfer $5 million from the general fund to the stationary sources control fund on July 1, 2025, and requires the division of administration of the department of public health and environment to report on the division's implementation of efficiency improvement projects related to the stationary sources control fund. Section 2 extends the date by which the governor is required to submit the emergency stationary engine exception to the administrator of the federal environmental protection agency for inclusion in Colorado's state implementation plan from September 1, 2022, to September 1, 2025. Section 2 also extends the date by which the administrator may approve the inclusion of the emergency stationary engine exception in Colorado's state implementation plan from September 1, 2025, to September 1, 2027. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
In 2021, the state received money from the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery fund pursuant to the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" (ARPA money). ARPA money was deposited into the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" cash fund, transferred to various other cash funds (recipient funds), and appropriated from recipient funds for various programs. House Bill 24-1466, concerning exchanging money received from the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery fund with state money, enacted in 2024, refinanced appropriated ARPA money with state money (state refinance money). The act transfers ARPA money to recipient funds to cover the costs of projects funded with ARPA money and transfers unspent state refinance money from recipient funds to the general fund. The act adjusts existing appropriations to reflect spent ARPA money and unspent state refinance money and amends program statutes to align with the appropriations adjustments. ARPA money must be obligated by December 31, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2026. Under federal law, as explained in guidance from the United States department of the treasury, the state may reclassify obligated but unspent ARPA money after December 31, 2024, upon the occurrence of certain events (qualifying events). The act reverts money upon a qualifying event from the recipient fund to the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" cash fund and appropriates that money to the governor for an alternate eligible use for which a general fund appropriation was made. Under existing law, the general fund appropriation is reduced by the amount of ARPA money spent for the line item of appropriation. The act repeals the requirement for the department of public health and environment to engage in recruitment and re-engagement of workers in the health-care profession because the act ends the appropriation of money for that purpose. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (DORA) in its sunset review and report concerning the regulation of outfitters and guides by the division of professions and occupations (division) within DORA. Specifically, the act: Continues the regulation of outfitters and guides for 9 years, until 2034; Allows the director of the division to take disciplinary action against an owner of an outfitter entity regardless of the owner's ownership share percentage; Credits one-half of the money that is collected as fines to the general fund rather than to the division; Exempts motor carriers and third-party booking agencies from regulation under the outfitters act; Adds provisions prohibiting an individual from working as a guide or receiving or renewing a registration as an outfitter if the individual has a license or registration suspended or revoked by the division of parks and wildlife or by an agency of any member state of the "Wildlife Violator Compact" for a violation of a law concerning wildlife; and Repeals certain language concerning the punishment for a person that engages or offers or attempts to engage in activities as an outfitter without an active registration.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the strategic outdoor recreation management and infrastructure cash fund (infrastructure cash fund), requires a specified percentage of lottery fund money to be distributed to the infrastructure cash fund in state fiscal years when available lottery fund money exceeds $20 million, and continuously appropriates the money in the cash fund to the division of parks and wildlife for specified outdoor recreation and management purposes. The act also creates the outdoor recreation economic development cash fund (development cash fund); requires a specified amount and, in state fiscal years when available lottery fund money exceeds $20 million, an additional specified percentage, of lottery fund money to be distributed to the development cash fund; subject to annual appropriation, allows the outdoor recreation industry office to spend money from the development fund; and requires the following transfers to be made to the development cash fund on June 30, 2025: $176,830 from the damage prevention fund; $83,839 from the dispute resolution fund; $6,784 from the youthful offender system surcharge fund; $118,741 from the professional development center cash fund; $21,278 from the immunization fund; $83,354 from the family support services fund; $5,348 from the department of military and veterans affairs fund; $9,648 from the publications fund; $85,901 from the tax lien certification fund; $4,413 from the wholesale and distributing subcontractor license fund; $5,963 from the moving outreach fund; and $121,389 from the disabled parking education and enforcement fund. Law in effect before the passage of the act distributed, to the extent available, the first $3 million of the lottery fund to the outdoor equity fund, the next $3 million to the public school capital construction assistance fund, and any remaining money as follows: 25% to the wildlife cash fund; 25% to the parks and outdoor recreation cash fund; and 50% to the public school capital construction assistance fund. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year and each state fiscal year thereafter, the act redistributes, to the extent available, the first $4 million of the lottery fund to the outdoor equity fund, the next $3 million to the public school capital construction assistance fund, the next $750,000 to the development cash fund, and any remaining money as follows: If the total amount of lottery fund money available is $20 million or less: 50% to the public school capital construction assistance fund; 20% to the parks and outdoor recreation cash fund; 20% to the wildlife cash fund; and 10% to the outdoor equity fund; or If the total amount of lottery fund money available is more than $20 million: 50% to the public school capital construction assistance fund; 15% to the parks and outdoor recreation cash fund; 15% to the wildlife cash fund; 10% to the outdoor equity fund; 5% to the development cash fund; and 5% to the infrastructure cash fund. For state fiscal year 2025-26, the act appropriates $723,488 from the development cash fund to the office of economic development for use by the outdoor recreation industry office. If not fully expended in state fiscal year 2025-26, the appropriation remains available for expenditure for state fiscal years 2026-27 and 2027-28. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, there are 2 programs available to low-income individuals to buy in to the state medical assistance program: One for adults with disabilities and one for children with disabilities (medicaid buy-in programs). Individuals who participate in either program pay a premium based on their family income. The premiums are credited to the medicaid buy-in cash fund. The premiums credited to the medicaid buy-in cash fund are used to offset the costs of providing the medicaid buy-in programs. The costs of providing the medicaid buy-in programs are also offset by the money in the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund in the Colorado healthcare affordability and sustainability enterprise (CHASE) within the department of health care policy and financing (HCPF). The act repeals the existing medicaid buy-in cash fund and creates the healthcare affordability and sustainability medicaid buy-in cash fund (buy-in cash fund) within CHASE and directs that individuals who participate in the existing medicaid buy-in programs pay their premiums into the buy-in cash fund. The act creates a medicaid buy-in enterprise support board within CHASE to support the existing enterprise with the implementation of the medicaid buy-in program, including consulting with HCPF and the state medical services board on the amount of the premiums for and other components of the medicaid buy-in programs. Because CHASE is an enterprise for purposes of the Taxpayer's Act of Rights, its revenue does not count against the state fiscal year spending limit. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $6,660,761 is appropriated from the buy-in cash fund to HCPF for medical and long-term care services for medicaid-eligible individuals. The act also decreases in a corresponding amount an appropriation to HCPF from the existing Medicaid buy-in cash fund and adjusts similar appropriations to HCPF for the 2024-25 state fiscal year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of health care policy and financing (state department), in collaboration with the behavioral health administration, to establish the workforce capacity center to train providers in evidence-based or supported models as part of the system of care for children and youth. The act requires the state department to include updates on and milestones achieved by the workforce capacity center and information about trainings and certifications by the workforce capacity center in its quarterly report to the joint budget committee. The act repeals the workforce capacity center, effective July 1, 2027. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)