Wage garnishment - disposable earnings - hardship exemption - notice - applicability. Under current law, the amount of an individual's disposable earnings subject to garnishment is either 25% of the individual's disposable weekly earnings or the amount by which an individual's disposable earnings for a week exceed 30 times the state or federal minimum wage, whichever is less. The act changes the amount subject to garnishment to 20% of the individual's disposable weekly earnings 40 times the amount by which an individual's disposable earnings for a week exceed the state or federal minimum wage. Currently, the cost of court-ordered health insurance for a child provided by an individual is deducted from the individual's disposable earnings subject to garnishment. The act also deducts from an individual's disposable earnings subject to garnishment the cost of any health insurance that is provided by the individual's employer and voluntarily withheld from the individual's earnings. The act creates an exemption that would permit individuals to prove that the amount of their pay subject to garnishment should be further reduced or eliminated altogether if the individual can establish that such reductions are necessary to support the individual or the individual's family. The act also requires clearer and more timely notice to an individual whose wages are being garnished and gives the individual more time after receiving the notice before garnishment starts. The act applies to all writs of garnishment issued on or after October 1, 2020, regardless of the date of the judgment that is basis of the writ of garnishment. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
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Lottery winnings offsets - court fines, fees, costs, or surcharges. The act allows lottery winnings to be intercepted for the payment of outstanding court fines, fees, costs, or surcharges.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Peace officers - peace officers mental health support grant program - eligible applicants - use of grant money - reports required. Under current law, only county sheriffs' offices and municipal police departments may apply for a grant from the peace officers mental health support grant program (program). The act opens the program to additional "eligible applicants", which include other types of law enforcement agencies, a statewide association of police officers and former police officers, and organizations that provide services and programs that promote the mental health wellness of peace officers. The act also specifies new permissible uses of grant money and requires grant recipients to report to the department of local affairs concerning their use of grant money.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Foster care - bill of rights for sibling youth in foster care. The act establishes certain rights for sibling youth in foster care, unless the rights are not in the best interests of either sibling, regardless of whether the parental rights of one or more of the foster youth's parents have been terminated.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Wraparound services - child and youth behavioral health delivery system pilot program - standardized screening tools - single statewide referral and entry point - children and youth at risk of out-of-home placement or in an out-of-home placement - appropriation. No later than July 1, 2020, the department of health care policy and financing shall seek federal authorization to provide wraparound services for eligible children and youth who are at risk of out-of-home placement or in an out-of-home placement. Upon federal authorization, the department of health care policy and financing shall require managed care entities to implement wraparound services, which may be contracted out to a third party. The act requires the department of health care policy and financing, in conjunction with the department of human services, to develop and implement wraparound services for children and youth at risk of out-of-home placement or in an out-of-home placement. The act requires wraparound services to be covered under medicaid. Upon implementation of the wraparound services, the department of health care policy and financing and the department of human services shall monitor and report the annual cost savings associated with eligible children and youth receiving wraparound services to the public through the annual "SMART Act" hearing. No later than July 1, 2020, the department of health care policy and financing is required to design and recommend a child and youth behavioral health delivery system pilot program that addresses the challenges of fragmentation and duplication of behavioral health services. The act requires the executive director of the department of human services to appoint two full-time staff persons to support and facilitate interagency coordination for the development and implementation of wraparound services. No later than July 1, 2020, the department of human services is required to select a single standardized assessment tool to facilitate identification of behavioral health issues and develop a plan to implement the tool for programmatic utilization. The act also requires the department of human services to select developmentally appropriate and culturally competent statewide behavioral health standardized screening tools for primary care providers, which may be made available electronically for health care professionals. The department of public health and environment shall ensure adequate statewide training on the standardized screening tools for primary care providers and other interested health care professionals who care for children. No later than July 1, 2020, the department of human services, in conjunction with the department of health care policy and financing and the department of public health and environment, is required to develop a plan for establishing a single statewide referral and entry point for children and youth who have a positive behavioral health screening or whose needs are identified through a standardized assessment. The act makes multiple appropriations to the department of health care policy and financing and the department of human services. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Maternal mortality review committee - creation - appointments - duties - sunset review - appropriation. The act creates the Colorado maternal mortality review committee (committee), which is required to review maternal deaths, identify the causes of maternal mortality, and develop recommendations to address preventable maternal deaths, including legislation, policies, rules, and best practices that will support the health and safety of the pregnant and postpartum population in Colorado and prevent maternal deaths. The executive director of the department of public health and environment (department) is directed to appoint at least 11 members to serve on the committee. The act requires certain health care providers and law enforcement officials to provide medical records to the department concerning each maternal death for access by the members of the committee. The records, notes, information, and activities of the committee are confidential. The committee is repealed, effective September 1, 2029, and is subject to sunset review by the department of regulatory agencies prior to its repeal. $145,167 is appropriated to the department for implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Employees - sharing gratuities - notice requirements. The act repeals a provision that requires employers with employees who share gratuities to post a specific sign in a conspicuous place and substitutes a requirement to notify each patron in writing, such as on the menu, table, or receipt.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
The bill allows a state-funded, community-based preschool program, school district, or charter school (enrolling entity) to impose an out-of-school suspension or expel a student enrolled in preschool, kindergarten, or first or second grade only under specified circumstances. If the enrolling entity imposes an out-of-school suspension, the length of the suspension is limited to 3 school days unless the executive officer or chief administrative officer of the enrolling entity determines that a longer period is necessary to resolve the safety threat or recommends that the student be expelled. The state board of education (state board) cannot waive the provisions concerning suspension and expulsion of young students for school districts or charter schools. Each school district and charter school must ensure that its school discipline code reflects the requirements specified in the bill. The state board must annually review the data concerning suspensions and expulsions of students in preschool, kindergarten, and first and second grade. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
Behavioral health care professional matching grant program - use of grant money - behavioral health care services - contracts with community providers - appropriation. The act allows money from the behavioral health care professional matching grant program to be used for behavioral health care services at recipient schools and specifies that grants may also fund behavioral health services contracts with community providers. Grant applicants must specify the extent to which the school has seen an increase in activities or experiences that affect students' mental well-being. The act requires the department of education to prioritize grant applications based on the school's need for additional health professionals and the extent to which the school will prioritize the use of grant money for staff training related to behavioral health supports. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $3,000,000 from the marijuana tax cash fund to the department of education for the behavioral health care professional matching grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
School lunch - free and reduced price school lunch - appropriation. The act clarifies that all students in sixth through eighth grade participating in the federal reduced price school lunch program are eligible for the existing child nutrition school lunch protection program (program), and extends the grades of eligibility for the program to students through the twelfth grade. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, $463,729 is appropriated to the department of education from the general fund for the implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More