The act expands the peace officers mental health support grant program (grant program) to include law enforcement agencies, behavioral health entities, county or district public health agencies, community-based social service and behavioral health providers, peace officer organizations, and public safety agencies as eligible entities. The act renames the grant program the peace officers behavioral health support and community partnerships grant program to reflect these changes.The act also expands the purposes for which grant money can be used to include co-responder community responses and community-based alternative responses. Public safety agencies, law enforcement agencies, and peace officer organizations that apply for a grant are encouraged to do so in collaboration with mental health centers and other community-based social service or behavioral health providers in their region. The act specifies which funding opportunities each entity may apply for.The act appropriates $1,000,000 to the department of local affairs for the grant program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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Effective July 1, 2022, the act creates the department of early childhood (new department) to:Provide early childhood opportunities; Coordinate the availability of early childhood programs and services throughout Colorado; Establish state and community partnerships for a mixed delivery of child care and early childhood programs through school- and community-based providers; Prioritize the interests and input of children, parents, providers, and the community in designing and delivering early childhood services and programs; Prioritize the equitable delivery of resources and supports for early childhood; and Unify the administration of early childhood programs and services. The act moves the early childhood leadership commission (commission) to the new department, effective July 1, 2022.The act creates a transition working group (working group), consisting of the co-chairs of the commission and representatives of certain state agencies and the governor's office, and directs the co-chairs of the commission to convene a transition advisory group (advisory group).The act directs the working group, working with a consultant and with the advice of the advisory group, to develop a transition plan (plan) for the coordination and administration of early childhood services and programs by the new department and the departments of education, human services, and public health and environment, including, to the extent necessary, the transition of existing programs and services to the new department. The act includes specific requirements for the plan.The governor's office must submit the plan to the joint budget committee as part of the governor's 2022 budget request, and the working group must submit the plan to the commission for approval. As soon as practicable after the plan is approved, the governor's office must submit the approved plan to the joint budget committee with any necessary budget request amendments. The working group must submit the approved plan to other committees of the general assembly by November 15, 2021, and must meet with the early childhood and school readiness legislative commission by December 1, 2021, to present the plan.The act also directs the working group, working with the consultant and with the advice of the advisory group, to develop recommendations for a new voluntary, universal preschool program (recommendations) to be funded partially by the recently increased sales tax on tobacco and operated by the new department beginning in the 2023-24 school year. The act specifies requirements that the new preschool program must meet. The working group must also convene and work with a subgroup that focuses on issues relating to serving children with disabilities through the new preschool program. The working group must submit the recommendations to the commission for approval and must then submit the recommendations to the joint budget committee and other committees of the general assembly by January 15, 2022.The act requires the governor's office to contract with one or more private entities to consult with the working group in developing and implementing the plan and in developing the recommendations and to analyze the current use of existing early childhood programs in the state.For the 2021-22 fiscal year, to implement the act, there is appropriated from the general fund:$587,500, with the assumption of an additional 3.6 FTE, to the office of the governor; $267,161, with the assumption of an additional 1.2 FTE, to the office of early childhood in the department of human services; and $96,867, with the assumption of an additional 0.9 FTE, to the department of education.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act amends the "Colorado READ Act" to require each local education provider to submit the following information to the department of education (department) and to require the department to post the information on its website:The core and supplemental reading curriculum, or a detailed description of the reading curriculum, by grade, used in each of the local education provider's schools; The core and supplemental reading instructional programs and intervention reading instruction, services, and other supports provided in each of the local education provider's schools; The number of students enrolled in kindergarten and first through third grades who have READ plans, as well as the number of students who have achieved reading competency; and The local education provider's budget and narrative explanation for the use of the "Colorado READ Act" intervention money. Each local education provider must provide a link on its website and on its schools' websites to the page on the department's website where the information is posted.For the 2021-22 budget year, $91,944 is appropriated from the early literacy fund to the department for the costs of implementing the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act establishes a temporary youth mental health services program (program) in the office of behavioral health within the department of human services (department) to facilitate access to mental health services, including substance use disorder services, for youth to respond to identified mental health needs, including those needs that may have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. The program reimburses providers for up to 3 mental health sessions with a youth and may provide additional reimbursement subject to available money.As soon as practicable, but no later than August 1, 2021, the department is required to enter into an agreement with a vendor to create, or use an existing, website or web-based application as a portal available to youth and providers to facilitate the program.The program is repealed, effective June 30, 2022.The act appropriates $9,000,000 to the department of human services from the general fund to implement the act.(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:Transfers $5 million from the general fund to the Colorado office of film, television, and media operational account cash fund and appropriates that amount to the governor's office for use in the 2021-22 state fiscal year by the Colorado office of film, television, and media in awarding performance-based incentives for film production in Colorado and for the loan guarantee program to finance production activities; For the 2020-21 state fiscal year, appropriates $3.5 million, in addition to the amount appropriated pursuant to Senate Bill 20B-001, from the general fund to the creative industries cash fund for the arts relief program and removes the prohibition against an applicant that received a relief payment from the small business relief program from also receiving a relief payment under the arts relief program; For the 2020-21 state fiscal year, appropriates $1.5 million from the general fund to the creative industries cash fund for allocation by the creative industries division to a nonprofit organization that administers grants to certain cultural facilities that focus on programming for and have board representation from defined historically marginalized and under-resourced communities; and Transfers the following amounts of money appropriated for the small business relief program that is not encumbered or expended by June 30, 2021: Up to $12 million to the creative industries cash fund for the arts relief program; and Up to $1 million to the Colorado office of film, television, and media operational account cash fund for performance-based incentives for film production in Colorado and for the loan guarantee program to finance production activities.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act enacts the "Audiology and Speech-language Pathology Interstate Compact", which allows audiologists and speech-language pathologists licensed in any compact state to provide:Audiology or speech-language pathology services in each member state under a privilege to practice; and Telehealth services in each member state under a privilege to practice. To obtain a privilege to practice, an audiologist or speech-language pathologist must obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history record check, which is then considered in determining the applicant's qualifications to practice under the compact. The act authorizes the director of the division of professions and occupations in the department of regulatory agencies to promulgate rules and to facilitate Colorado's participation in the compact, including notification to the compact commission of any adverse action taken by the director against a Colorado audiologist or speech-language pathologist.The act makes the following appropriations:$151,440 and 0.3 FTE to the department of regulatory agencies from the division of professions and occupations cash fund, which includes $15,425 for personal services, $19,000 for operating expenses, $17,014 to purchase legal services from the department of law, and $100,000 to purchase information technology services from the governor's office; $17,014 and 0.1 FTE to the department of law from reappropriated funds from the department of regulatory agencies; $100,000 and 0.1 FTE to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology from reappropriated funds from the department of regulatory agencies; and $140,676 and 0.8 FTE to the department of public safety for use by the Colorado bureau of investigation from the Colorado bureau of investigation identification unit cash fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, the admission standards for first-time admitted freshmen students must use high school academic performance indicators and national assessment test scores. The act removes the requirement for a national assessment test score. The act states that the governing board of a state institution of higher education (institution) may, but is not required to, require a national assessment test score as an eligibility criterion for admission.An applicant may submit a national assessment test score to an institution that does not require a national assessment test score as an eligibility criterion and request that the institution consider the national assessment test score.Starting June 30, 2023, the department of higher education (department) shall publish and submit to the education committees an annual report of various data intended to determine whether requiring or not requiring a national assessment test score as an eligibility criterion for the admissions process provides greater diversity among institutions without causing negative student outcomes that are directly attributable to the change in the admissions process.On or before June 30, 2027, and on or before June 30, 2032, the commission on higher education shall publish and submit to the education committees a report analyzing the annual reports submitted by the department.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, a juvenile convicted as an adult following the direct filing of charges in district court is not subject to the mandatory minimum sentencing provisions for crimes of violence. However, a juvenile convicted as an adult following the transfer of charges from juvenile court to district court is subject to the mandatory minimum sentencing for crimes of violence. The act adds language to the juvenile transfer statute to mirror the language currently found in the juvenile direct file statutes, so a juvenile transferred to adult court is subject to the same sentencing provisions as a juvenile who is in adult court based on a direct file.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act continues the council of higher education representatives (council) and extends the repeal of the council for 10 years, to September 1, 2031. Prior to the repeal, the act requires the department of regulatory agencies to conduct a sunset review of the council.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)