The act, the "CARE for Living Organ Donors Act", includes the following benefits and recognition for living organ donors: A list of provisions in current law, as well as in the act, that may benefit a living organ donor; and A requirement that, at least twice before performing an organ donation recovery operation on a living organ donor donating an organ without an intended recipient, a transplant center shall advise the potential donor that the transplant center or another transplant center in Colorado has or may have an organ voucher program or that a national-level organ voucher program exists or may exist for the organ being donated. Further, the act requires a transplant center to provide information to all organ donors and organ recipients about benefits that may be available at each transplant center in Colorado. The list must be updated at least annually. The act prohibits an employer from intimidating, threatening, coercing, discriminating, or retaliating against or taking an adverse action against an employee, as described in the act, for the period extending 30 days before and 90 days after the employee is or becomes a living organ donor. The act designates April 11 each year as "Living Organ Donor Recognition Day". APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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Current law requires a health-care facility to screen each uninsured patient for eligibility for public health insurance programs, discounted care through the Colorado indigent care program (CICP), and discounted care otherwise not reimbursed through the CICP. A patient qualifies for discounted care if the individual's household income is not more than 250% of the federal poverty level and the individual received a health-care service at a health-care facility (facility). The act limits the health-care services to those received in an inpatient or outpatient hospital setting and adds the requirement that a patient attest to residing in Colorado. The licensed health-care professional who provides services to a patient is responsible for billing the patient for those services, unless the services are billed on a comprehensive bill issued by a health-care facility. Current law prohibits a health-care facility and licensed health-care professional (professional) from collecting amounts charged that are more than 4% of the patient's monthly household income on a bill from a facility and that are more than 2% of the patient's monthly household income on a bill from each professional. The act adds the requirement that a facility or professional cannot collect amounts charged that are more than 6% of the patient's household income on a comprehensive bill containing both facility and professional charges. The act authorizes a health-care facility to deny discounted care to a patient if, during the initial screening, the patient is determined to be presumptively eligible for medicaid. The act excludes primary care provided in a clinic that is located in a designated rural or frontier county and offers a sliding-fee scale from receiving discounted care. Current law requires each facility to report to the department of health care policy and financing (department) data that the department determines is necessary to evaluate compliance across race, ethnicity, age, and primary-language-spoken patient groups with the facility's screening, discounted care, payment plan, and collections practices. The act requires professionals, in addition to facilities, to submit the data. The act authorizes a licensed or certified hospital to determine presumptive eligibility for medicaid. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $154,598 from the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund to the department of health care policy and financing to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor May 31, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 31, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies (department), as contained in the department's 2023 sunset review and report concerning the rule-making authority of the executive director of the department of early childhood (executive director). The act continues the executive director's rule-making authority for 7 years, until September 1, 2031. APPROVED by Governor May 24, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act expands the behavioral health-care continuum gap grant program to include awarding a community investment grant for a new capital construction project. The act transfers $4 million from the general fund to the behavioral and mental health cash fund for purposes of the act. The act appropriates $4 million from the behavioral and mental health cash fund to the department of human services for the behavioral health-care continuum gap grant program related to integrated behavioral health services. APPROVED by Governor May 24, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 24, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates a statutory scheme to regulate the use of deepfakes produced using generative artificial intelligence in communications about candidates for elective office. Distribution of a communication that includes an undisclosed or improperly disclosed deepfake with knowledge or reckless disregard as to the deceptiveness or falsity of the communication related to a candidate for elective office is prohibited. Proper disclosure requires the statement: "This (image/audio/video/multimedia) has been edited and depicts speech or conduct that falsely appears to be authentic or truthful". The disclosure statement must satisfy the requirements in the act, and any rule adopted by the secretary of state in accordance with the act, for a clear, conspicuous, and understandable disclosure statement regarding a deepfake. The disclosure statement must be included in the communication's metadata and, to the extent technically feasible, must be permanent or unable to be easily removed by subsequent users. Any person who believes there has been a violation of the statutory or regulatory requirements for disclosure of the use of a deepfake may file a complaint with the office of the secretary of state. The secretary shall hear such complaints in accordance with existing complaint and administrative hearing procedures under the "Fair Campaign Practices Act", and a hearing officer may impose a civil penalty of at least $100 for each violation involving unpaid advertising or at least 10% of the amount paid or spent to advertise the communication that includes an undisclosed or improperly disclosed deepfake. A candidate who is the subject of a communication that includes an undisclosed or improperly disclosed deepfake may bring a civil action for injunctive or other equitable relief or for compensatory and punitive damages, or both. The plaintiff-candidate may also seek reasonable attorney fees, filing fees, and costs of action, and any other just and appropriate relief necessary to enforce the prohibition on undisclosed deepfakes and to remedy the harm caused by violation of the prohibition. The plaintiff-candidate must prove the defendant's knowledge or reckless disregard as to the falsity or deceptiveness of the communication that includes the deepfake by clear and convincing evidence. Liability for a violation of the act does not extend to an interactive computer service, a radio or television broadcasting station, including a cable or satellite television operator, programmer, producer, or streaming service, an internet website, a regularly published newspaper, magazine, or other periodical of general circulation, or a provider of technology used in the creation of a deepfake as specified in the act and in accordance with immunities provided by federal law. APPROVED by Governor May 24, 2024 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act: Increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2024-25 budget year by $419.97 to account for inflation and sets the new statewide base per pupil funding amount of $8,496.38 for the 2024-25 budget year; and Sets the total program funding for the 2024-25 budget year for all school districts and institute charter schools to not less than $9,735,767,429. The act repeals the total program reserve fund (fund) on July 1, 2025. The act clarifies that for the 2025-26 budget year, and each budget year thereafter, revenue collected from mills that had previously been deposited in the fund by a school district are available to the school district to fund the costs of providing public education. The money is budgeted and expended in the school district's discretion. The act adds rural funding to the district's total program formula to provide additional funding to small rural districts or large rural districts, as defined in the act. The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $15,715,539 from the state education fund to the mill levy override match fund. Current law requires a new at-risk measure in the public school funding formula to be implemented in the 2024-25 budget year. The act extends the implementation of this requirement to the 2025-26 budget year. For the 2024-25 budget year, a school district's at-risk funding is the greater of the school district's at-risk funding amount for the 2023-24 budget year or the 2024-25 budget year. Current law requires a qualified third-party evaluator (evaluator) who facilitates a facility school work group (work group) to submit a report to the work group and the office of facility schools by September 1, 2025. The department of education (department) is required to submit the evaluator's report to the joint budget committee by October 1, 2025. The act extends the report deadlines to September 1, 2026, and October 1, 2026, respectively. To be considered for a special education high-cost grant, current law requires the consideration of an administrative unit's annual audited operating expenses for the preceding budget year. The act allows an administrative unit's annual audited operating expenses for one year prior to the preceding budget year to be considered if the annual audited operating expenses for the most recent preceding budget year are not available. Current law requires a school district to receive the daily rate for education services provided by approved facility schools for a juvenile who is held in a jail or facility and receives at least 4 hours of educational services per week from the school district. The act changes the daily rate to the rate for educational services provided by the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind or the education program operated by the Colorado mental health institute at Pueblo or Fort Logan. The act increases the cap on how much can be spent on administration for the ninth-grade success grant program from 5% to 8%. The act clarifies that a student with disabilities (student) who receives transition services and has postsecondary goals outlined in the student's individualized education program is eligible for concurrent enrollment courses. The act allows the educator licensure cash fund to be exempt from the limitations on the amount of uncommited reserves that may be maintained in a cash fund. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $32,878,255 is appropriated to the department from the state education fund to implement the act. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $15,715,539 is appropriated to the department from the mill levy override match fund for mill levy override matching. APPROVED by Governor May 23, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 23, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of education to develop and offer a free, optional professional development program (program) to enhance pedagogy around research-based Colorado academic standards in science. The program must include opportunities for in-person and virtual instruction on interventions for students who are below grade level or struggling in science, children with disabilities, gifted students, and students who are English language learners. The program must create incentives for teacher participation by offering ongoing professional development credit toward licensure renewal. The program prioritizes professional development for eligible science teachers employed at local education providers in rural school districts and small rural school districts. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $3 million to the department of education from the state education fund for science teacher professional development. APPROVED by Governor May 23, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act adds the following rights to the rights of higher education students: Cost transparency regarding a postsecondary education program; A seamless transfer of course credit for courses in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix and a timely response on whether transfer credit will be accepted by a public institution of higher education (institution); The right to appeal an institution's decision not to accept a student's request to transfer credits; and The right to know what work-related experiences or prior learning opportunities are awarded postsecondary credit at the institution at which the student is enrolled. The act makes changes to the statewide common course numbering system, now referred to as the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix (matrix), to guarantee certain course transfer credits between community colleges, local district colleges, and area technical colleges. The department of higher education (department), beginning in January 2026, shall include as part of its "SMART Act" presentation a compilation of information regarding courses in the matrix. The act provides the department with exclusive authority to bring an enforcement action against an institution that violates the provisions related to the matrix. The act requires the department to establish an appeal process if an institution wrongfully denies a student's transfer credit. The act requires an institution to issue a decision to a student regarding the acceptance or denial of transfer credits within 30 days after the student is admitted to the institution. APPROVED by Governor May 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 18, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and for each state fiscal year thereafter through the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2033, the bill allows a data center business or a data center operator (taxpayer) to claim a rebate for all state sales and use tax that the taxpayer paid for construction materials or data center equipment that is for the construction or operation of an eligible data center. To be eligible to claim a sales and use tax rebate, a taxpayer is required to obtain certification from the Colorado office of economic development (office) stating that the data center is an eligible data center and that the taxpayer may claim a rebate of state sales and use tax (certification). An "eligible data center" is defined as a data center that creates a specified number of jobs, generates a specified amount of revenue, and requires a specified amount of power. The sales and use tax rebate is allowed only for the sale, storage, or use of construction materials or data center equipment that occurs on or after the date that the taxpayer obtains certification from the office. When a taxpayer believes that the data center that will be identified in a sales and use tax rebate application satisfies the criteria to be an eligible data center, the taxpayer may apply to the office for the certification. The taxpayer must demonstrate in the certification application that the data center is an eligible data center, and the taxpayer is required to submit any documentation or proof that the office deems necessary to determine whether a data center satisfies the criteria to be an eligible data center. Before issuing a certification, the office shall provide the application to the Colorado economic development commission (commission) to determine whether the data center satisfies the criteria to be an eligible data center, and the commission shall approve or deny the certification. When approving an application for certification as an eligible data center, the commission may limit a certification by specifying that an eligible data center may claim a rebate only up to a specified dollar amount based on specified economic development priorities. The commission may issue certification for up to 3 data centers to claim a sales and use tax rebate in any fiscal year. If the commission determines that a data center satisfies the criteria to be an eligible data center, the office is required to notify the department of revenue (department) and issue a certification to the taxpayer. To claim a sales and use tax rebate, a taxpayer must submit a rebate application and a copy of the certification from the office to the department. A taxpayer is required to submit certain documentation with the application. The bill allows a taxpayer to assign a certification to specified types of parties after it is awarded. The bill requires the office and the department to prepare an annual report including information regarding eligible data centers and state sales and use tax rebates allowed. The office is required to submit the report to the finance committees of the house of representatives and senate. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act prohibits training for law enforcement personnel, emergency medical service providers, or other first responders from including the term "excited delirium"; except that in an emergency medical service provider training the term may be used in teaching the history of the term. A peace officer is prohibited from using the term "excited delirium" to describe a person in an incident report. A coroner or other person authorized to determine a cause of death shall not register "excited delirium" as the cause of death on a death certificate. APPROVED by Governor April 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)