Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer

The act increases the required annual appropriation to the department of education from the state education fund or the general fund by an additional $40,203,671 for children who have one or more disabilities and who receive special education services from a school district, board of cooperative services, a charter school network, a charter school collaborative, or the state charter school institute that is providing educational services to exceptional children. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 15, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

During the 2021 legislative session, the general assembly transferred $10 million from the general fund to the public school capital construction assistance fund (fund) and appropriated this money for air quality improvement grants for schools. Of the money transferred and appropriated for air quality improvement grants, $4,705,220 remains in the fund and has not been distributed. The appropriation for fiscal year 2021-22 has expired. The act specifies that the unspent money transferred and appropriated for air quality improvement grants must not be used for air quality improvement grants and instead must be used for financial assistance as provided in the "Building Excellent Schools Today Act". During the 2022 legislative session, the general assembly scheduled a transfer of $30 million from the marijuana tax cash fund to the fund for June 1, 2023. The act repeals this scheduled transfer before it occurs. For state fiscal year 2023-24, the act requires the public school capital construction assistance board (board) to allocate $49,705,220 from public school capital construction assistance board cash grants to be used for supplemental grants at schools experiencing capital construction project cost overruns as a result of COVID-19 inflationary pressure. The act changes the financial capacity factors for evaluating the match requirement for public school capital construction projects for school districts and boards of cooperative services. The new factors apply to grants awarded on or after September 1, 2023, and funded on or after July 1, 2024. The act transfers $15 million from the state education fund to the fund on June 1, 2023. $10 million in royalties and other payments for depletion or extraction of natural resources on state lands is credited to the fund for the 2022-23 state fiscal year. The act provides for a reduction of $294,780 in cash funds appropriated from the fund to the department of education for board cash grants in the 2023 long bill. APPROVED by Governor May 12, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 12, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law requires reports of known or suspected child abuse or neglect to include the source of the report and the name, address, and occupation of the person making the report whenever possible. The bill requires a report of this information in all circumstances. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

For purposes of complying with requirements of the "Federal Unemployment Tax Act", the act reduces employer premium rates by 10% across all rates in the standard premium rate schedule. Additionally, the act creates a schedule for the support surcharge rate (schedule), which is used to establish contributions to the employment support fund, the employment and training technology fund, and the benefit recovery fund. The new schedule uses the same methodology as is used in calculating an employer's percent of excess, which is the percentage resulting from the calculation of an employer's excess of premiums paid over benefits charged, divided by the average chargeable payroll. The act changes the cap on the amount of money in the employment support fund at the end of any state fiscal year from an amount calculated based on a portion of the employer premium plus $17 million to a total of $32.5 million for the next state fiscal year, which amount is adjusted annually based on changes in average weekly earnings. The act expands the authorized use of money in the Title XII repayment fund to allow the division of unemployment insurance (division) in the department of labor and employment to use the money for costs associated with bonds or notes issued by the division, including interest on the bonds or notes, to the extent permitted by federal law. The act eliminates the requirement for employers to submit premium reports to the division and instead requires employers to submit wage reports. APPROVED by Governor May 1, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 1, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act authorizes a prescription drug outlet (outlet) to operate an automated pharmacy dispensing system (system) for the purpose of dispensing prescription medications, other than controlled substances, to patients. The act requires an outlet dispensing prescription drugs through a system to: Register the system with the state board of pharmacy (board); Require a pharmacist to perform all clinical services as part of the dispensing process; Ensure that the system clearly displays the system's registration number and contact information; Locate each system at the same location as the outlet unless other criteria is met; Ensure confidentiality of health information; and Ensure that the system is accessible to persons with disabilities. An outlet may operate a system in the same or different location than the outlet if it is: Under the supervision and control of the outlet; Installed in a place and manner where it cannot be removed or accessed without authorization; and Located in a secure location. The act also requires each outlet operating a system: To develop, implement, and maintain written policies and procedures to ensure the proper, safe, and secure functioning of the system; Inside the premises of a retail business to only operate during the hours that the outlet is closed; and To make all transaction information readily available for review and inspection by the board. APPROVED by Governor May 1, 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.)

On July 1, 2023, the state treasurer is required to transfer $10 million from the severance tax operational fund to the capital construction fund. The money is to be used by state-supported institutions of higher education in energy impacted counties for energy-related programs or projects. For fiscal year 2023-24, the act appropriates $6 million from the capital construction fund and $3,108,609 in cash funds from Colorado Mesa university institutional reserves and donations to expand the university's campus-wide geothermal exchange system. For fiscal year 2023-24, the act appropriates $4 million to Western Colorado university to provide additional teaching and laboratory space for the university's petroleum geology program and to generally allow for the expansion of the natural and environmental sciences department. APPROVED by Governor April 28, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 28, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The bill permits a person who is subject to a court order issued in a dependency and neglect proceeding to challenge the constitutionality of the court order in a contempt proceeding alleging the person violated the court order on the grounds that the court order violates the person's rights under the first amendment to the United States constitution. The bill states that a judgment of contempt for violating a court order issued in a dependency and neglect proceeding that regulates a person's speech is an appealable judgment and that the court rules governing appeals in dependency and neglect proceedings apply to the appeal of the contempt judgment. The bill permits the office of the respondent parents' counsel to provide representation to indigent parents in a contempt proceeding for violating a court order issued in a dependency and neglect proceeding that regulates a person's speech. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The act permits the peace officers standards and training (P.O.S.T.) board to promulgate rules concerning persons who have deferred action status from the federal immigration and naturalization service or who have applied for asylum status (eligible immigrants) to be a certified peace officer or reserve peace officer. The act permits every law enforcement agency to amend its written firearms policy to allow an eligible immigrant to possess a firearm, so long as the firearms policy complies with federal requirements. The act authorizes an eligible immigrant to enroll in a training academy if the immigrant is employed by a law enforcement agency that has a firearms policy that allows an eligible immigrant to possess a firearm. APPROVED by Governor April 27, 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.)

Beginning on or before August 1, 2024, the act requires the department of law to annually convene a training for school resource officers and school officials to discuss best practices in responding to safe2tell reports, including defining roles, communication about a report, outcome reporting, and training resources to improve school resource officers' support of students and school staff. Safe2tell may conduct a survey to collect data and discussions regarding its operations. APPROVED by Governor April 27, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 27, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

As a condition of receiving federal money under the federal "Families First Coronavirus Response Act", the state was required to maintain the enrollment of nearly all individuals receiving medicaid until April 1, 2023, at which point the state was given 14 months to return to normal eligibility and enrollment operations. Additionally, due to the declared public health emergency in Colorado in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and to effectuate the federal continuous enrollment requirement, the governor suspended certain statutory requirements related to enrollment and cost sharing in medical assistance programs. The act suspends these requirements statutorily for the 14 months after April 1, 2023. The act suspends certain other statutory enrollment and cost-sharing requirements until May 31, 2023,or June 1, 2024, and other statutory enrollment requirements until 12 months past the declaration of the end of the federal public health emergency. APPROVED by Governor April 27, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 27, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)