Sen. Vicki Marble

The bill clarifies that a certification or exemption letter required for exemption from a school immunization requirement may be from a licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse or a parent, guardian, emancipated student, or student 18 years of age or older. A person submitting a letter is not required to use a specified form. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill ensures that women are fully and accurately informed about their personal medical conditions regarding their pregnancies and health care options. Current medical procedures already use ultrasound technology to provide information regarding the gestational age of a child in utero. The bill ensures that a woman has the opportunity to see or forego seeing her ultrasound. The bill gives the woman a choice between an abdominal or vaginal ultrasound. The bill allows a woman the opportunity to find a provider of ultrasound technology that will provide the service free of charge. The bill requires that a woman be given full and accurate information regarding her abortion. The bill describes the information that the physician performing the abortion provides to the woman, and gives the woman an opportunity to sign or refuse to sign a receipt of information. The bill requires the abortion provider to provide certain information to the woman at least 24 hours prior to performing an abortion. The bill creates a civil right of action for noncompliance with the requirements, making a physician's noncompliance with the requirements unprofessional conduct and making a violation of the requirements a crime. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill provides immunity from civil and criminal liability for a person who forcibly enters a locked vehicle for the purpose of rendering assistance to an at-risk person or animal. To receive immunity, the person must:   Ensure the vehicle is not a law enforcement vehicle; Have a reasonable belief that the person or animal is in imminent danger of death or suffering serious bodily injury; Verify the vehicle is locked; Make a reasonable effort to locate the owner or operator of the vehicle; Contact a law enforcement or other first responder agency prior to forcibly entering the vehicle and not interfere with the actions of any such responding law enforcement agency; Use no more force than reasonably necessary to enter the locked vehicle; Remain with the at-risk person or animal in a safe location close to the vehicle until law enforcement or other first responder arrives at the scene; except that, if the person rendering assistance has to leave the scene before the owner or operator of the vehicle returns, prior to leaving the scene, the person rendering assistance shall leave a notice on the vehicle with his or her name and contact information and the name and location, if any, of the facility to which he or she took the at-risk person or animal. Also prior to leaving the scene, the person rendering assistance shall contact law enforcement, animal control, or other first responder to provide them with the same information.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The bill addresses the use of foreign laws, legal codes, or systems (foreign laws) by Colorado courts, arbitrations, tribunals, or administrative agencies (courts) in making decisions or rulings. Any court decision or ruling based on such foreign laws violates the public policy of Colorado and is void and unenforceable if the application of the foreign law does not grant the affected parties the same fundamental liberties, rights, and privileges granted under the constitutions of Colorado and the United States.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill prohibits a court from imposing as a bond condition a ban on marijuana use if the person possesses a valid medical marijuana registry identification card. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Under existing law, no land area that is 40 acres or more used primarily and zoned for agricultural uses may be included in any park and recreation district without the written consent of the land owners. Sections 1 and 2 of the bill make any metropolitan district providing parks or recreational facilities and programs subject to this limitation. Sections 3 and 4 clarify that only those signatures obtained after the approval by a county or municipality of the service plan of a proposed special district may be considered by the district court in determining whether the required number of taxpaying electors of such district have signed the petition for organization.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The bill repeals statutory provisions: Prohibiting the possession of certain ammunition magazines; and Requiring certain ammunition magazines that are manufactured in Colorado on or after July 1, 2013, to include a permanent stamp or marking indicating that the magazine was manufactured or assembled after July 1, 2013.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Under current law, a licensed chiropractor, whether or not he or she is registered with the state board of chiropractic examiners to perform animal chiropractic, must obtain a veterinary medical clearance from a licensed veterinarian before performing an act that falls within the chiropractor's scope of practice on an animal patient. The bill removes the veterinary medical clearance requirement for chiropractors who are registered with the state board as animal chiropractors. A licensed chiropractor who is registered as an animal chiropractor and performs animal chiropractic on an animal patient is encouraged, in a timely manner, to consult with a veterinarian treating the animal patient. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

The bill requires the Colorado commission on higher education (commission) to conduct a review of and report on an analysis of program costs and student outcomes for undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered by the university of Colorado and Colorado state university. The bill sets forth the components of the degree program review and analysis, including information concerning the cost of the degree program to the student and to the institution of higher education (institution), the average time to complete the degree program, and employment and earnings outcomes for graduates. As part of its review, the commission shall identify the highest-cost degree programs to students and to the institution and the lowest performing degree programs with respect to graduate employment and earnings, and shall analyze the return on investment for those degree programs to graduates and to the institution. Two years after the date of the first report, the commission shall complete the review and analysis required in the bill for all state institutions that were not included in the first report. Every 2 years thereafter, the commission shall update the review and analysis of undergraduate and graduate degree programs for all state institutions. The commission's report shall be submitted to certain committees of the general assembly. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The bill extends the amount of time that elections officials may review candidate petitions by making a concomitant reduction in the amount of time that candidates may circulate such petitions. The bill also increases the number of signers needed to qualify petitions for candidates for certain partisan public offices. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)