No later than July 1, 2026, the department of health care policy and financing (HCPF) shall convene a steering committee (steering committee) to support the transition of services provided in qualified residential treatment programs (QRTP) and psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF) to the managed care system for members in the care and custody of a county department of human or social services (county department). No later than April 1, 2027, HCPF, in collaboration with the steering committee, shall develop policies and recommendations to support the transition of QRTP and PRTF to the managed care system for members in the care and custody of a county department. No later than July 1, 2027, HCPF shall implement or initiate the transition of services provided in QRTP and PRTF to the managed care system for members in the care and custody of a county department according to the policies and recommendations developed by HCPF in collaboration with the steering committee. HCPF shall submit quarterly reports to the joint budget committee with information about the steering committee's monthly meetings.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Sponsored bills
Existing law authorizes the general assembly to set compensation levels for employees of the state. Accordingly, the act clarifies that, for the purposes of laws concerning local minimum wages, the term 'employer' means a corporation, a proprietorship, a partnership, a joint venture, a limited liability company, a trust, an association, a political subdivision of the state, an individual, or any other entity that employs an employee. However, 'employer' does not include the state of Colorado to the extent that a state employer has a collective bargaining agreement as to employee wages. Current law states that the governing bodies of municipalities have the power to license, regulate, and tax any lawful occupation, business place, amusement, or place of amusements (occupation or business place) and to fix the amount, terms, and manner of issuing and revoking licenses issued to an occupation or business place. The act clarifies that the state of Colorado is not an occupation or business place subject to such tax. The act requires the office of state planning and budgeting to submit to the joint budget committee, on or before January 4, 2027, a supplemental budget request concerning compensation of state employees during the 2026-27 state fiscal year.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act relocates in statute the disability support fund (fund), which finances the work of the Colorado disability opportunity office (office). The fund receives revenue from fees paid for license plates in a retired style and from the sale of unique vehicle registration numbers. The act makes the office responsible for administering the sale of these unique vehicle registration numbers, which was previously a duty of the Colorado disability funding committee (committee) housed within the office. The act repeals the committee on July 1, 2027. The fund is subject to annual appropriation to support the office and, for state fiscal year 2026-27 only, the fund is also subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly to the department of labor and employment (department) for vocational rehabilitation. Beginning on October 1, 2026, the $25 annual fee paid for license plates in a retired style is replaced by a one-time and annual fee of $2.50 credited to the fund and a one-time and annual donation of $22.50 remitted to the Colorado disability funding authority (authority), which is a newly created special purpose authority. The authority is governed by a board of 13 members appointed by the governor, the majority of whom are individuals with disabilities, individuals with immediate family members with disabilities, or individuals who are caregivers to a family member with a disability. In making the appointments, the governor must ensure that the authority board has members with experience in or knowledge of:Business and business management;Nonprofit entities and managing nonprofit entities;Advocacy for individuals with disabilities;The practice of medicine, with experience working with individuals with disabilities; andThe practice of law, with experience working with individuals with disabilities. The authority is required to invite nonprofit entities, independent living centers, county departments of human services, county departments of social services, and other state and county agencies to submit proposals for programs to aid individuals with disabilities in accessing disability benefits. Beginning on July 1, 2027, the authority is required to award a contract or grant to one or more of the entities that submitted program proposals. When adequate funding is available, the authority may also:Accept and review proposals to fund projects or programs that study or pilot new and innovative ideas that will lead to an improved quality of life or increased independence for individuals with disabilities; andMake grants or develop, implement, or deliver education programs concerning reserved parking that is available to an individual with a disability affecting mobility. On or before December 1, 2027, and on or before each December 1 thereafter, the authority is required to prepare and submit a financial and performance report to the joint budget committee. In addition to this annual report, the state auditor may also be required to conduct or cause to be conducted postaudits of the authority. By October 1, 2026, the state treasurer is required to issue a warrant in the amount of $523,343 from the fund to the authority. On June 30, 2026, the state treasurer is required to transfer $21 million from the fund to the general fund. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the act decreases by $100,000 the appropriation from the disabled parking education and enforcement fund to the department for use by the office for operating expenses. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $1 million is appropriated from the fund to the department for use by the division of vocational rehabilitation and independent living services. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $27,000 is appropriated from the fund to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles for DRIVES maintenance and support.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires the general assembly to appropriate $650,000 from the general fund to the department of local affairs (department) on July 1, 2026, and $1 million from the general fund to the department on July 1, 2027, to reduce participating employer contributions to a multiple employer health trust for volunteer firefighters and part-time firefighters. The act repeals the appropriation otherwise required on July 1, 2026. Current law requires the general assembly to appropriate money from the general fund to the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety for the purpose of reimbursing a multiple employer health trust for the direct costs of providing cardiac and other health screenings for peace officers as follows:$350,000 for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026; $500,000 for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2027; $1 million for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2028; andOn each July 1 thereafter, sufficient funds.The act repeals the appropriation otherwise required on July 1, 2026. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the general fund appropriation and the reappropriated funds appropriation from the firefighter benefits cash fund to the department of local affairs for firefighter heart and circulatory malfunction benefits are each decreased by $150,000. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the general fund appropriation to the department of public safety for use by the division of criminal justice for first responder employer health benefit trusts is decreased by $100,000.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Beginning in state fiscal year 2027-28, the act requires the department of public safety (department) to submit a budget request for community corrections and to include in its budget request information regarding projected community corrections program needs, including certain data points and analysis related to residential and nonresidential bed capacity, the per diem reimbursement rate for each bed type, and other guideposts related to community corrections appropriations. The department must include information on the budget request in its yearly 'SMART Act' hearing.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
To improve the clarity and certainty of the statutes, the bill amends, repeals, and reconstructs various statutory provisions of law that are obsolete, imperfect, or inoperative. The specific reasons for each amendment or repeal are set forth in the appendix to the bill. The amendments made by the bill are not intended to change the meaning or intent of the statutes.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires counties to offer Colorado works program (works program) applicants and participants that demonstrate good cause an extension beyond the 60-month lifetime maximum. Good cause includes an applicant or participant who is a child-only case, who is the head of a single parent household unit and has a child less than one year old, or who is experiencing hardship. The act makes the extension permissible rather than a requirement and removes an applicant or participant who is a child-only case or experiencing hardship from the good cause determination. The act suspends the works program basic cash assistance grant cost of living adjustment during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 state fiscal years. Current law establishes minimum reserve balances for the total statewide county temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) reserve and the Colorado long-term works reserve (reserves). The act removes those reserve minimums. The act eliminates a requirement for each reserve to replenish money in the other under certain conditions and for the general assembly to effectively backfill the balances of both reserves if their balances fall below specified minimums.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the 'Colorado Artist Company Act', which authorizes a person in the state to create a limited liability company with a stated artistic mission (artist company), which artist company is subject to state law applicable to limited liability companies except where specified in the act. An artist company must state its artistic mission in its articles of organization or operating agreement and be formed and owned by one or more individuals that create works of authorship or artistic expression comprising written, oral, visual, graphic, literary, musical, audiovisual, digital, or performing art in any medium (artists). Artists must own not less than 51% of all voting securities of the artist company at all times (required ownership percentage). A limited liability company that meets the required ownership percentage may elect to become an artist company by amending its articles of organization or its operating agreement to state its artistic mission and by complying with certain other requirements. A person may form an artist company by filing with the Colorado secretary of state articles of organization. The articles of organization may specify certain ownership, governance, artistic work distribution, tax treatment, and dissolution structures. An artist company may accept capital in any form and its members and managers have certain duties specified in the artist company's articles of organization or operating agreement along with the duties imposed by state law applicable to limited liability companies. Members of an artist company may assign or exclusively license intellectual property to an artist company as an in-kind capital contribution. An artist company's articles of organization or operating agreement may require artist-members to assign or exclusively license to the artist company artistic work created during membership that relates to the artistic mission of the artist company. An artist company's articles of organization or operating agreement may provide for certain procedures and terms regarding the admission and departure of members. An artist company may elect at formation, or at the time of election to become an artist company, to be a public benefit artist company (public benefit artist company) by stating in its articles of organization or operating agreement, if any, that it is a public benefit artist company and setting forth in its articles of organization or operating agreement, if any, one or more specific public benefits to be promoted by the artist company. The members and managers of a public benefit artist company are subject to certain additional duties. A public benefit artist company must provide its members and donors with an annual statement specifying certain information as to the public benefits and artistic mission of the public benefit artist company. Upon the dissolution of an artist company or public benefit artist company, artistic work assigned or licensed by artist-members to the artist company or created by artist-members of the artist company reverts to the artist-member, except as specified in the articles of organization or operating agreement and subject to certain security interests, licenses, and obligations. After giving effect to artistic work reversionary rights, the assets of the artist company must be distributed in accordance with the articles of organization or operating agreement or, if not specified in the articles of organization or operating agreement, pro rata to members based on ownership percentages. $93,878 is appropriated from the department of state cash fund to the department of state. To implement this act, the department of state may use the appropriation as follows:$5,478 for use by the business and licensing division for personal services; and$88,400 for use by the information technology division for personal services.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act modifies legislative interim committee activities during the 2026 legislative interim (interim). Specifically, the act:Prohibits the legislative council of the general assembly from prioritizing any requests for interim committees, including task forces, for the 2026 interim;For an interim committee that meets during the 2026 interim, limits the number of acts the interim committee can request to be drafted to 5 and can recommend for introduction to 3;Prohibits members serving on statutorily created interim committees and state entities from receiving per diem and travel expenses for attending interim committee meetings during the 2026 interim;Prohibits meetings, field trips, and legislative recommendations and reports by, and suspends for one year certain reports required to be submitted to, existing interim committees, including the capital development committee; legislative oversight committee for Colorado jail standards; American Indian affairs interim committee; legislation inside advisory council review committee; Colorado health insurance exchange oversight committee; legislative oversight committee concerning the treatment of persons with behavioral health disorders in the criminal and juvenile justice systems; pension review commission and pension review subcommittee; legislative oversight committee concerning tax policy; and sales and use tax simplification task force;Prohibits meetings and other activities of the transportation legislation review committee and the water resources and agricultural review committee during the 2026-27 state fiscal year; andRepeals the legislative emergency preparedness, response, and recovery committee and the statewide health care review committee. The act decreases the appropriations in House Bill 26-1333, concerning the payment of the expenses of the legislative department, for the 2026-27 state fiscal year for the legislative department as follows:The general fund appropriation for the general assembly is decreased by $183,699;The general fund appropriation for the legislative council is decreased by $161,162, and the related FTE is decreased by 1.9 FTE; andThe general fund appropriation for the committee on legal services is decreased by $108,336, and the related FTE is decreased by 1.4 FTE.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act defines 'first responder' to include:A peace officer;A firefighter;A volunteer firefighter;An emergency medical service provider; orA mental health professional who responds in a professional capacity to a justifiable medical emergency. Existing law requires the emergency medical and trauma services advisory council (council) to review and approve new rules and modifications to rules prior to the adoption of such rules or modifications by the state board of health. The act requires the council to make recommendations for, instead of approve, rules and modifications to rules concerning emergency medical and trauma services prior to the adoption of such rules or modifications by the state board of health. Beginning January 1, 2027, the act requires the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to reimburse the following entities under the 'Colorado Medical Assistance Act':An ambulance service for ground transportation by an ambulance or other vehicle to a hospital or other destination as deemed appropriate by the ambulance service's medical director;An ambulance service for treatment on the scene of a medical emergency, which treatment does not result in ground transportation; andA qualified provider, an ambulance service, or an agency for evaluation by telemedicine of a person being treated by an ambulance service or an agency for the purpose of preventing the need to transport the person to a hospital.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)