Sen. Kyle Mullica

The act requires the division of homeland security and emergency management in the department of public safety (division), on or before January 1, 2022, to implement a pilot grant program (program) to help finance the use of nurse intake of 911 calls, which involves nurses assisting with 911 dispatch for the purpose of diverting nonurgent 911 calls to medical care that does not require ambulance service or treatment in an emergency room, or the use of a substantially comparable 911 triage system. The division, after reviewing applications, shall designate 4 public safety answering points to participate in the program, one of which is located in a county with 60,000 or more residents and 3 of which are located in a county or counties with fewer than 60,000 residents. To participate in the program, the designated public safety answering points must enter into a contract with an entity that can provide nurses who are trained and equipped to provide nurse intake of 911 calls or operate its own program for nurse intake of 911 calls or a substantially comparable 911 triage system.On or before September 1, 2023, the division shall report to the judiciary committees in the senate and the house of representatives or their successor committees on the program, including reporting on patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes and on annual cost savings tied to the program.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, $865,583 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of public safety for use by the division, based on the assumption that an additional 0.5 FTE will be required. The division may use the appropriation for program administration related to the office of preparedness. The money is further appropriated to the department for the 2022-23 state fiscal year for the same purpose if not fully expended before July 1, 2022.The program is repealed, effective July 1, 2024.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act establishes a special license plate to recognize Colorado nurses. Beginning the earlier of January 15, 2022, or when the department of revenue (department) is able to issue the plates, the department shall issue Colorado nurses license plates to qualified applicants. The nurses foundation that satisfies all applicable requirements may design the Colorado nurses license plate, but the license plate must conform with standards established by the department. A person may apply for a Colorado nurses license plate if the person pays the required taxes and fees and provides to the department a certificate issued by the nurses foundation confirming that the applicant has made a donation to the nurses foundation in an amount that the nurses foundation may determine but that may not exceed $100.For the purpose of addressing the existing statutory requirement that a minimum of 3,000 persons commit to purchasing the Colorado nurses license plate, the department is required to include signatures collected by the Stephen T. Marchello Scholarship Foundation.For each donation that the nurses foundation receives in association with the sale of a Colorado nurses license plate, the nurses foundation shall use a portion of the donation to provide scholarships to nurses from minority populations.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $17,490 to the department for use by the division of motor vehicles. Of this amount, $5,400 is appropriated from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund for DRIVES maintenance and support, and $12,090 is appropriated from the license plate cash fund for license plate ordering.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires members of a county board of health or a district board of health and members of the state board of health, on and after January 1, 2022, to attend both annual public health training provided by the department of public health and environment and developed by the department of public health and environment along with the Colorado school of public health and annual public health training developed and provided by the department of public health and environment and the director of the office of emergency management concerning the role of a board of health in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from an emergency disaster.The act also requires the department of public health and environment, on and after January 1, 2022, to develop guidance on recruiting persons to serve on county and district boards of health and to provide this guidance to any board of county commissioners, county board of health, or district board of health that requests it.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act continues for June 2021, July 2021, and August 2021 a temporary deduction from state net taxable sales for qualifying retailers in the alcoholic beverages drinking places industry, the restaurant and other eating places industry, and the mobile food services industry in the state in order to allow such qualified retailers to retain the resulting sales tax collected as assistance for lost revenue as a result of the economic disruptions due to the presence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Colorado.The act also expands the definition of qualifying retailers to include those in the catering industry, the food service contractors industry, and the hotel-operated restaurant, bar, or catering service.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires a pharmacist who dispenses an opioid to an individual to inform the individual of the potential dangers of a high dose of an opioid and offer to prescribe the individual an opiate antagonist if:The individual is, at the same time, prescribed a benzodiazepine, a sedative hypnotic drug, carisoprodol, tramadol, or gabapentin; or The opioid prescription being dispensed is at or in excess of 90 morphine milligram equivalent. If an individual accepts the offer for an opiate antagonist, the pharmacist is required to counsel the individual on how to use the opiate antagonist and notify the individual of available generic and brand-name opiate antagonists.The act does not apply to a pharmacist dispensing a prescription medication to a patient in hospice or palliative care or a resident in a veterans community living center.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, common carriers and contract carriers may use independent contractors for transportation services. The contract must provide for coverage under either workers' compensation or an occupational accident insurance policy that provides "similar coverage" to that available under workers' compensation. "Similar coverage" must meet or exceed standards set by the division of insurance and is defined to require benefits that are at least comparable to the benefits offered under the workers' compensation system. The bill amends the definition of "similar coverage" by repealing this "comparable benefits" requirement.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

The act authorizes the following alcohol beverage licensees to obtain a festival permit, which would allow the licensees to hold festivals where they may conduct joint tastings and engage in any retail operations authorized by their licenses or permits:A beer and wine licensee; A hotel and restaurant licensee; A tavern licensee; A brew pub licensee; A vintner's restaurant licensee; A distillery pub licensee; A winery or limited winery licensee; A spirits manufacturer; and A beer manufacturer. Local licensing authorities may create a permitting process for these festivals. Licensees may obtain a permit to hold up to 9 festivals in 12 months, with each festival lasting no longer than 72 hours. Other licensees may participate in the festival.The act appropriates $511,210 to the department of revenue from the liquor enforcement division and state licensing authority cash fund to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires kindergarten through twelfth grade public schools (school), and strongly encourages nonpublic schools, to provide annual seizure-related training to school personnel who have direct contact with or supervise students who have a seizure disorder.The parent or legal guardian (parent) of a student who has been diagnosed with a seizure disorder, including epilepsy, (student) is encouraged to submit a signed, individualized seizure action plan (plan) to the school if the student may need assistance with seizure-related care in a school setting. The plan must be developed in coordination with recognized sources on epilepsy and seizure disorders and in consultation with a state organization that represents school nurses. The seizure action plan must be in accordance with the guidelines developed by the department of education. The parent is encouraged to provide updated information to the plan when necessary.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, there is a crime of retaliation against a judge if an individual makes a credible threat or commits an act of harassment or an act of harm or injury upon a person or property as retaliation or retribution against a judge. The act creates a similar crime of retaliation against an elected official if an individual knowingly makes a credible threat as retaliation or retribution against an elected official or the official's family or arising out of the status of the person as an elected official. Retaliation against an elected official is a class 6 felony.The act makes following appropriations from the general fund to the department of corrections to comply with the 5-year corrections appropriation requirement:For fiscal year 2022-23, $16,279; For fiscal year 2023-24, $18,415; For fiscal year 2024-25, $18,415; and For fiscal year 2025-26, $18,415. For fiscal year 2021-22, the act appropriates $109,462 from the capital construction fund to the corrections expansion reserve fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law does not prevent a higher education institution (institution) from considering legacy preferences and familial relationships to alumni of the institution as eligible criteria for admissions standards. The act prohibits a governing board of a state-supported higher education institution (governing board) from considering legacy preferences and familial relationships to alumni of the institution in the admissions process. The act allows a governing board to ask questions regarding familial relationships to alumni of the institution in order to collect data.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)