Computer science education grant program - appropriation. The act creates in the department of education the computer science education grant program (grant program) to provide money to public schools or school districts in order to increase enrollment or participation of traditionally underrepresented students in computer science education activities. The act requires the state board of education (board) to promulgate rules necessary for the implementation of the grant program. The act requires the board to give priority to grant applications that: Demonstrate how the applicant will use the grant to serve a high-poverty student population, a high percentage of minority students, students in rural areas, or a high percentage of female students; Expose students to diverse professionals within the computer science industry; or Demonstrate a low number of computer science education courses or clubs offered in the public school or school district, if any. The act appropriates $250,000 each year for the 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 fiscal years, from the general fund to the department of education. The department shall distribute the money to the education providers that receive a grant. The act requires each grant recipient to submit a report to the board. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
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Colorado new energy improvement district - inclusion of housing authority property. The Colorado new energy improvement district (NEID) administers a commercial property assessed clean energy program through which an owner of eligible real property, which includes residential properties having at least 5 dwelling units (eligible property), may finance energy improvements to the eligible property by joining the NEID and agreeing to pay a NEID special assessment against the eligible property. A city, county, or multijurisdictional housing authority (housing authority) and its property, whether owned or leased, are generally exempt from the payment of special assessments to the state or any political subdivision of the state. The act clarifies that this exemption does not preclude a housing authority, an entity in which a housing authority has an ownership interest, or a lessor who leases real property to or from a housing authority from voluntarily applying to include eligible real property that it owns into the boundaries of the NEID and accepting the levying of a NEID special assessment against the eligible property.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Just transition support for coal-related jobs - office created - advisory committee - just transition plan - workforce transition plan - report - sunset review - appropriation. The act creates the just transition office in the division of employment and training in the department of labor and employment. A just transition advisory committee will develop a draft just transition plan, and the director of the office will submit a final just transition plan to the governor and general assembly, regarding proposed: Benefits to be given to coal transition workers to enable them to support themselves and their families and to access and complete education and training, resulting in being hired for high-quality jobs; Grants to be awarded to eligible entities in coal transition communities that seek to create a more diversified, equitable, and vibrant economic future for those communities; and Sources of funding. The just transition advisory committee is scheduled for repeal in 2025, subject to sunset review. An electric utility that proposes the accelerated retirement of a coal-fueled electric generating facility shall submit to the office and the affected community a workforce transition plan at least 6 months before the retirement of the facility. The director shall submit a report to the general assembly by January 1, 2024, containing recommended legislative changes to the act. $155,758 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of labor and employment and $920 from the general fund to the general assembly for the implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Census outreach grant program - department of local affairs - division of local government - appropriation. The 2020 census outreach grant program (grant program) is created in the division of local government (division) in the department of local affairs (department) to provide grants to local governments, intergovernmental agencies, councils of government, housing authorities, school districts, nonprofit organizations, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (eligible recipients) to support the accurate counting of the population of the state for the 2020 census. The department, in coordination with the grant program committee (committee), which is also created in the division, is required to implement and administer the grant program and to develop policies and procedures necessary for such implementation and administration. The committee consists of 5 members, one of whom is appointed by the secretary of state and 4 of whom are appointed, one each, by the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the minority leaders of the house of representatives and the senate, although such appointees may not be members of the general assembly. Eligible recipients may use grant money to conduct 2020 census outreach, promotion, and education to focus on hard-to-count communities in the state and to increase the self-response rate and accuracy of the 2020 census. Eligible recipients may also use grant money to further award grants to other local governments, intergovernmental agencies, councils of government, housing authorities, school districts, or nonprofit organizations. To receive a grant, an eligible recipient must submit an application to the department in accordance with the policies and procedures developed by the department. The committee is required to review the applications received and to make recommendations to the department regarding which grant applications to approve. In developing its recommendations, the committee is required to consider whether the eligible recipient will be conducting outreach in hard-to-count communities and the size and geographic and demographic diversity of the hard-to-count communities in which outreach, education, and promotion of the 2020 census will occur as provided by all eligible recipients that receive grant money. The department is required to award grants for the purposes of the grant program on or before November 1, 2019, and to distribute the grant money to eligible recipients that were awarded grants within 30 days after the grants are awarded. In addition to money appropriated by the general assembly, the department may solicit, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of the grant program. Each eligible recipient that received a grant through the grant program is required to submit 2 reports to the department including information to be determined by the department. The department is required to submit 2 reports to the local government committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or any successor committees, and to the governor regarding the census outreach conducted through the grant program. On or before May 1, 2026, and on or before May 1 every 10 years thereafter, the department and the office of the governor are required to develop a strategic action plan, including a discussion of necessary funding for the plan, for outreach and promotion for a successful count of the population in Colorado during the upcoming decennial census. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, $6 million from the general fund is appropriated to the department for use by the division for the direct and indirect costs of administering the grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Fire suppression - registration of contractors - inspection and maintenance of fire suppression systems - continuation under sunset law. The act continues the fire suppression programs of the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety for 7 years, until 2026.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Substance abuse prevention - pharmacy enhanced dispensing fee - health care providers with prescriptive authority - required training - receipt of benefits for prescriptions prohibited - access to prescription drug monitoring program - appropriation to address opioid and other substance use disorder priorities - office of behavioral health grant programs created - center for research into substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support strategies program created - perinatal substance use date linkage project created - report - appropriations. The act: Allows a pharmacy that dispenses an opioid to receive an enhanced dispensing fee if the pharmacy provides counseling concerning the risk of opioids to the patient; Prohibits a physician, physician assistant, or an advanced practice nurse from accepting any direct or indirect benefits for prescribing a specific medication; Requires the state board of pharmacy to promulgate rules that require a prescription for an opioid for outpatient use to bear a warning label; Allows medical examiners and coroners access to the prescription drug monitoring program under specified circumstances; Authorizes the department of human services to conduct research that relates to the definition of "abuse" concerning the incidence of prenatal substance exposure and related newborn and family health and human services outcomes as the result of a mother's lawful and unlawful intake of controlled substances; Requires specified state departments to report to the health committees of the general assembly by December 31, 2019, the amount of federal funds that each is receiving or is eligible to receive for use in testing for hepatitis and HIV and the number of individuals currently and anticipated to be tested. The departments are also required to share eligibility standards for treatment with primary care providers. Creates the Charlie Hughes and Nathan Gauna opioid prevention grant program to improve young lives in the office of behavioral health in the department of human services (office) for the purpose preventing opioid use among the state's youth population. Requires the center for research into substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support strategies (center) to develop and implement a program to increase public awareness about the safe use, storage, and disposal of opioids, and about the availability of antagonist drugs. The general assembly is required to annually appropriate until the 2023-24 fiscal year $750,000 to the center from the marijuana tax cash fund to implement the program. Allows the center, in partnership with an institution of higher education and the state substance abuse trend and response task force to conduct a statewide perinatal substance use data linkage project; Requires the center to hire additional staff to assist local communities in applying for grants; Creates the maternal and child health pilot program in the office to provide grants to obstetric and gynecological health care clinics and to treatment facilities that provide substance use disorder or medication-assisted treatment; and Requires podiatrists, dentists, advanced practice nurses, optometrists, and veterinarians to complete substance use disorder training as part of continuing education required to renew the provider's license if the health care provider has prescriptive authority. $1,192, 367 is appropriated to the department of human services, $1,100,000 is appropriated to the department of higher education, and $2 million is appropriated department of public health and environment, all from the marijuana tax cash fund, to implement the act. Specified provisions of the act are contingent upon House Bill 19-1172 becoming law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Office of legislative workplace relations - creation - duties - confidentiality - workplace harassment - executive sessions - exceptions to CORA - appropriation. The act creates the office of legislative workplace relations (office) within the office of legislative legal services and makes the records of that office exempt from public inspection. The office is charged with handling employee relations, including the handling of complaints under the workplace expectations and workplace harassment policies. Records of the office related to complaints, investigations, and other inquiries are exempted from the definition of public records and are not subject to public inspection; except that the office is required to release an annual statistical report of the numbers of complaints received and their resolution. In addition, if a workplace harassment committee finds that it is more likely than not that a legislator violated the policy, the committee must release the report unless it decides by a two-thirds vote not to do so. The act allows a state public body to meet in executive session to consider a matter related to the workplace harassment or workplace expectations policies of the general assembly. The act clarifies that all Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) custodians are required to deny a request to inspect records that are created or provided by the office and that relate to complaints, investigations, inquiries, or requests related to workplace harassment or conduct under the general assembly's policies. A disclosure of an intimate relationship filed in accordance with a policy of the general assembly is part of an individual's personnel file, and therefore not subject to public inspection under CORA. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $221,925 from the general fund to the legislative department for the new office. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Traffic infractions - passing authorized snow plows in echelon formation - appropriation. The act states that a person commits a class A traffic offense if the person passes a snowplow that is operated by a state, county, or local government, displaying its lights, and performing its service function in echelon formation with one or more other such snowplows. "Echelon formation" means a formation in which snowplows are arranged diagonally, with each unit stationed behind and to the right, or behind and to the left, of the unit ahead. $3,375 is appropriated to the department of revenue to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
List of nondeveloped real property - submission to capital development committee - report to general assembly - property tax - modification to administration of existing property tax exemption - certain affordable housing developments. Not later than October 15, 2019, the act requires each state agency and state institution of higher education to submit to the capital development committee (committee) a list of all nondeveloped real property owned by or under the control of the agency or institution. The act defines "nondeveloped real property" to mean unimproved real property that is not otherwise protected for or dedicated to another use such as an access or a conservation easement. Not later than October 15 of each year thereafter, the act requires each agency or institution to submit to the committee any additions or deletions to the list identifying any nondeveloped real property the agency has acquired or disposed of during the preceding state fiscal year. The committee is required to include this information in an annual report published on the website of the general assembly. The division of housing within the department of local affairs (division) is required to provide a link to the report on the division's website. The act exempts the division of parks and wildlife in the department of natural resources from these requirements. On a page on the website maintained by the department of local affairs that is dedicated to the division, the act requires the division to provide a link to the annual report that includes information on nondeveloped real property owned by or under the control of each state agency or institution of higher education. Not later than once annually by December 31 of each year, the division is required to update this link. Under current law, certain property is exempt from the levy and collection of the real property tax if the property is owned by: A nonprofit corporation, the earnings of which do not inure to a private shareholder, and the property is irrevocably dedicated to charitable, religious, or hospital purposes; or A nonprofit corporation that is a general partner of a partnership formed for the purpose of creating or maintaining affordable housing. The statutory provisions that allow for the property tax exemption for a partnership satisfying the requirements of the exemption do not apply if, during a specified compliance period, the partnership which owns the residential structure distributes income or has income available for distribution to its partners or if the residential structure is sold or otherwise disposed of during the compliance period. If the property tax administrator (administrator) determines that income has been distributed or has been available for distribution or the residential property has been sold or otherwise disposed of, the administrator is required to revoke the property tax exemption for the residential property and to levy and collect property tax against the residential property, which would have otherwise been levied and collected from the date on which the exemption was initially granted plus all delinquent interest as provided for by law. For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2019, if the administrator determines that income has been distributed or has been available for distribution or the residential property has been sold or otherwise disposed of, the administrator is required to either revoke the property tax exemption for the residential property as of the date income becomes available for distribution or terminate the exemption as of the date the property is transferred. Under the act, the administrator is no longer required in such circumstances to levy and collect property taxes that otherwise would have been levied and collected. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Colorado medical assistance act - breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment program - repeal date extended - appropriation. The act extends the repeal date of the breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment program 10 years to July 1, 2029. $857,783 is appropriated to the department of health care policy and financing from the breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More