Advance behavioral health orders for scope of treatment form. Under current law, an adult may establish advance medical orders for scope of treatment, allowing an adult to establish directives for the administration of medical treatment in the event the adult later lacks decisional capacity to provide informed consent to, withdraw from, or refuse medical treatment. The act creates a similar order for behavioral health orders for scope of treatment so that an adult may communicate his or her behavioral health history, decisions, and preferences. The act: Lists the requirements for a behavioral health orders for scope of treatment form; Details the duties and immunities of emergency medical services personnel, health care providers, and health care facilities with respect to treating an adult with behavioral health orders for scope of treatment; Details how a behavioral health orders for scope of treatment form is executed, amended, or revoked; and Prohibits an effect on a health insurance contract, life insurance contract, or annuity, by executing or failing to execute a behavioral health orders for scope of treatment.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
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Currently, chartered, chauffeured transportation is regulated in the state as luxury limousine service. Pursuant to rules of the public utilities commission (PUC), a luxury limousine is a stretched limousine, an executive car that is one of a list of authorized makes and models of vehicle, or an executive van. Under the PUC's rules, a luxury limousine must be 10 or fewer model years old. Section 1 of the bill authorizes chartered, chauffeured transportation through a livery transportation authority (authority). An authority may provide service in the state if: The authority provides service within and between points in the counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Garfield, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Pitkin, and Weld, and between those points and all points within the state; The authority has a fleet of at least 3 vehicles, each with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $35,000 or more, or, if the authority is physically located in Gilpin or Pitkin county, a fleet of 2 or more such vehicles; and The authority applies for and obtains a permit from the PUC, pays the permit fee, and maintains sufficient insurance. Drivers for an authority must obtain a criminal history record check, provide proof of medical fitness, and comply with hours-of-service requirements. Vehicles used by an authority must be inspected at least annually. The PUC may promulgate safety rules regarding authority service; however, the PUC shall not promulgate rules regarding the age or make and model of vehicles within an authority's fleet. Section 2 makes a conforming amendment.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
Educators in rural areas - financial incentives. Before passage of the act, the department of higher education (department) annually awarded up to 40 stipends of not more than $2,800 to students enrolled in teacher preparation programs who agreed to teach in a rural school or rural school district. The act removes the limit on the number of stipends and increases the stipend amount to $4,000. Before the act, the department also annually awarded up to 60 stipends to educators in rural schools and rural school districts who were seeking certain certifications. The act removes the limit on the number of stipends. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Under current law, a state-supported institution of higher education (institution) may offer a student a fixed-rate tuition contract. The bill requires each state-supported 4-year institution to offer a fixed-rate tuition contract for bachelor degree programs. Community colleges may offer a student a fixed-rate tuition contract. The fixed-rate tuition must be valid until the earlier of the student's completion of the degree program, the completion of 140 credit hours, or 5 years. All students admitted to the same class and enrolled in the same degree program must receive the same fixed rate. The bill includes provisions relating to the transferability of the fixed-rate contract among campuses of the same institution, as well as the student's transfer to a different institution. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
State auditor - access to records or other information for audits of specified entities that are not state agencies - criminal liability and penalties for willful and knowing premature disclosure of contents of such audits. Under current law, the state auditor (auditor) generally has access at all times to all of the books, accounts, reports, vouchers, or other records or information in any state department, institution, or agency that is the subject of a performance or financial audit the auditor conducts. The act extends the same authority to performance or financial audits the auditor conducts of: The Colorado new energy improvement district and the new energy improvement program; The use of money in the state historical fund that is used for the preservation and restoration of the cities of Central, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek; The health benefit exchange; and Community-centered boards. The authority of the auditor or his or her designated representative to access books, accounts, reports, vouchers, or other records or information provided in connection with the audit of the use of money in the state historical fund terminates on the date the final audit report is released by the legislative audit committee. Under current law, any state employee or other individual acting in an oversight role as a member of a state committee, board, or commission who willfully and knowingly discloses the contents of any report prepared by or at the direction of the auditor prior to the release of such report by a majority vote of the legislative audit committee is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine. The act extends the same criminal liability and penalty to any employee or other individual acting in an oversight role with respect to any audit of an entity, program, or use of money specified in the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
School district capital construction assistance program - grants to support career and technical education. The act amends the "Building Excellent Schools Today Act" to allow the public school capital construction assistance board (board) to provide grants to support career and technical education capital construction, which is defined as: New construction or retrofitting of public school facilities for certain career and technical education programs; and Equipment necessary for individual student learning and classroom instruction, including equipment that provides access to instructional materials or that is necessary for professional use by a classroom teacher. The act requires the board to report annually to the capital development committee and to the education and finance committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or to any successor committees, concerning the issuance and denial of career and technical education capital construction grants during the preceding year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Nationally certified school professionals - annual stipends. The act adds nationally certified school psychologists as school professionals eligible for annual stipends awarded by the department of education (department) if the school psychologist meets the requirements set forth in the act. The act clarifies that school counselors, who hold a certification from the national board for certified counselors or from the national board for professional teaching standards, are school professionals who have been eligible for annual stipends awarded by the department since the initial award was distributed during the 2009-10 school year. The act corrects the name of the national board for professional teaching standards by removing the word "principal" from the title. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Common interest communities created before the July 1, 1992, enactment of the 'Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act' (Act) are exempt from many of the Act's provisions, including a provision allowing a majority of the unit owners in a common interest community to veto a budget proposed by the common interest community's executive board. The bill requires a common interest community that predates the Act to allow its unit owners to veto, by majority vote, a budget proposed by the common interest community's executive board; except that the bill does not apply to a common interest community that predates the Act if the common interest community's declaration sets a maximum assessment amount or provides a limit on the amount that the common interest community's annual budget may be increased. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
For purposes of state sales and use tax, a 'charitable organization' includes veterans' organizations as defined in federal law, but such organizations are limited to those that sponsor special events, meetings, or other functions in the state that are not part of the organization's regular activities in the state. In other words, a veterans' organization may not claim the charitable organization sales and use tax exemption for its regular activities in the state. This limitation is not found in the federal tax law granting veterans' organizations federal tax exempt status. The bill makes state law consistent with federal law and will treat veterans' organizations registered under section 501 (c)(19) of the federal internal revenue code the same way as veterans' organizations registered under section 501 (c)(3) of the federal internal revenue code. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill amends the existing career development success pilot program (program), which provides a distribution of up to $1,000 to school districts and charter schools for each high school student who successfully completes an identified industry-certificate, internship, or pre-apprenticeship program or computer science advanced placement (AP) course. The bill limits the distribution for industry certificates for a single school district or charter school to 10% of the total number of completed industry certificates reported. The bill requires each school district and charter school that participates in the program to explain the program to all high school students with the goal of increasing participation in the industry certificate programs across all student subgroups. Under existing law, the department of education is required to report on the implementation of the program. The bill expands the report to include specified information. The bill extends the repeal date for the program for 5 years and removes the designation of 'pilot'. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More