The act creates the southern Colorado institute of transportation technology (institute) at Colorado state university - Pueblo, which is designated as the host institution for the institute, and specifies that the role and mission of the institute is to conduct research related to the safety, security, and innovation of railroad, ground, and intermodal transportation and general issues related to surface transportation problems in the state. The institute must also support government and academic surface transportation related research and serve as a competitive funding resource for small Colorado businesses developing and testing surface transportation technologies. The act also: Establishes a governing board for the institute, requires the institute to have a director, and specifies the powers and duties of the governing board and the director; Requires the institute to annually report to the joint budget committee and education committee of the general assembly; and Specifies a process by which Colorado state university - Pueblo may opt out of being the host institution for the institute.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act requires an institution of higher education that has a program or policy that permits a person to audit courses for no credit to permit a veteran to audit courses, subject to any other requirements of the program or policy. An institution may set and collect a fee of no more than $10 per course audited by a veteran for up to three courses per academic semester. The institution may permit a veteran to audit additional courses for a different fee. The general assembly encourages each institution that does not have an existing audit program or policy to permit veterans to audit courses for no credit. A veteran auditing a course is not an eligible student for the purposes of receiving a college opportunity fund stipend. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $4 million from the general fund to the Colorado state fair authority cash fund within 3 days after the date the act takes effect to partly fund the implementation of the 2021 Colorado state fair master plan. $4,000,000 is appropriated from the Colorado state fair authority cash fund to the department of agriculture for use by the Colorado state fair. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the ozone season transit grant program (program) in the Colorado energy office (office). The program provides grants to the regional transportation district (RTD) and transit associations in order to provide free transit services for at least 30 days during ozone season. A transit association receiving a grant may use the money to make grants to eligible transit agencies. The eligible transit agencies may use the money to provide at least 30 days of new or expanded free transit services during ozone season. The RTD may use grant money to cover up to 80% of the costs of providing free transit for at least 30 days on all services offered by the RTD during ozone season. Eligible transit agencies and the RTD can use the money to cover lost fare box revenues and to pay for other expenses necessary to implement the program, including expenses associated with an increase in ridership as a result of the program. The RTD and a transportation association receiving a grant are required to report to the office on the services offered and estimates of the change in ridership as a result of the program. The act transfers $28 million from the general fund to a newly-created ozone season transit grant program fund, and the money is continuously appropriated to the office for the program. The office is required to establish policies governing the program and to report to the house and senate transportation committees by December 31 of each year of the program. The program is repealed, effective July 1, 2024. The transit and rail division (division) in the department of transportation is required to create a 3-year pilot project to extend state-run transit services throughout the state with the goals of reducing ground level ozone, increasing ridership, and reducing vehicle miles traveled in the state. The act transfers $30 million from the general fund to the state highway fund for the project. The division is required to annually report to the transportation legislation review committee on the pilot project. The pilot project is repealed, effective July 1, 2026. The act transfers $10 million dollars from the general fund to the state highway fund for use by the transportation development division for the revitalizing main streets program. In spending the money, the division is required to give priority to programs that improve air quality through increased use of transit. The act amends statutes governing testing for commercial driver's licenses to allow a test to be conducted by a driving tester who is under contract with a testing unit or a statewide association working with transit agencies in addition to a driving tester who is employed by a testing unit. As soon as practicable after the effective date of the act, the rules promulgated by the department of revenue must include provisions allowing a testing unit that does not employ a driving tester to be licensed and conduct tests using a driving tester who is under contract with the testing unit or a statewide association working with transit agencies. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
If the state exceeds its constitutional spending limit, then it is required by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) to refund the excess state revenues (TABOR refunds). There are currently 3 TABOR refund mechanisms: Reimbursement to counties for the senior homestead exemption, a temporary income tax rate reduction, and a sales tax refund. The act establishes a temporary fourth TABOR refund mechanism for excess state revenues from all sources for state fiscal year 2021-22. Under this mechanism, if the amount of excess state revenues exceeds the projected total amount of TABOR refunds issued as reimbursement to counties for the senior homestead exemption and, if applicable, through the temporary income tax rate reduction, then on or before September 30, 2022, the department of revenue is required to issue refund checks to every qualified individual in an identical amount; except that, for qualified individuals who were granted an extension to file a state income tax return and timely file the state income tax return, the refund checks must be issued on or before January 31, 2023. The refund amount is $400 for every qualified individual who files a single income tax return or who applies for a property tax, rent, or heat credit rebate and $800 for each pair of qualified individuals who file a joint income tax return or who apply for a property tax, rent, or heat credit rebate; except that: If the anticipated aggregate amount of the refund plus the estimated amounts to be refunded through reimbursement to counties for the senior homestead exemption and the temporary income tax rate reduction is estimated to refund less than 85% of the total amount of excess state revenues, then the executive director of the department of revenue must increase the refund amount so that the aggregate amount refunded is approximately equal to 85% of the total excess state revenues inclusive of amounts to be refunded through reimbursement to counties for the senior homestead exemption and the temporary income tax rate reduction; and If the anticipated aggregate amount of the refund, plus the estimated amounts to be refunded through reimbursement to counties for the senior homestead exemption and the temporary income tax rate reduction, is estimated to refund more than 87% of the total excess state revenues, then the executive director of the department of revenue may decrease the refund, to avoid an over-refund, to an amount less than $400 for every qualified individual who files a single income tax return or who receives a property tax, rent, or heat credit rebate and $800 for each pair of qualified individuals who file a joint income tax return or who receive a property tax, rent, or heat credit rebate. Any increase or decrease to the refund amount must be rounded to the nearest fifty dollar increment and must maintain an equal temporary refund for every qualified individual that is doubled for each pair of qualified individuals filing a joint return or applying jointly for a property tax, rent, or heat credit rebate. "Qualified individual" is defined for purposes of the act as a natural person who is at least 18 years of age on or before December 31, 2021, is a Colorado resident for the entire 2021income tax year, and files a state income tax return for the 2021 income tax year or applies for a property tax, rent, or heat credit rebate. $2,578,995 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of revenue to implement the temporary TABOR refund mechanism and $1,715,635 of that appropriation is reappropriated to the department of personnel to provide related document management services for the department of revenue. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act continues the spending authority granted to the department of agriculture as follows: The $3 million appropriation in Senate Bill 21-235, concerning additional funding for programs of the department of agriculture to support increased efficiency in agricultural operations, from the agriculture value-added cash fund to make grants to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, conduct energy audits, and provide technical assistance is continued through the end of the 2022-23 state fiscal year; The $2.5 million appropriation in Senate Bill 21-203, concerning an appropriation to the department of agriculture for the Colorado proud program, from the general fund for use by the agricultural markets division for the Colorado proud program is continued through the end of the 2023-24 state fiscal year; and The $5 million appropriation in House Bill 21-1262, concerning monetary support for agricultural events in Colorado, from the Colorado state fair authority cash fund for use by the Colorado state fair is continued through the end of the 2022-23 state fiscal year.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill establishes the delinquency prevention and young offender intervention pilot grant program (program) in the division of criminal justice (division) within the department of public safety (department). The program awards 2-year grants to local governments, American Indian tribes, school districts and charter schools, and nonprofit organizations to fund projects to reduce crime among youth. Preference is given to applicants whose projects demonstrate a community-based response in which multiple agencies community-based partners coordinate to reduce crime among youth and those in areas with high rates of crime among youth involvement in the juvenile justice system . The division administers the program. The juvenile justice and delinquency prevention council serves as an advisory board for the program. The program is a 2-year pilot program. The bill requires the general assembly to appropriate $2.1 million for the program in each of the next 2 fiscal years. The division provides annual reports to the general assembly about the program. In its hearing pursuant to the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" for the 2024 legislative session, the department shall report on the program and make a recommendation of whether to continue the program. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The act creates the crime prevention through safer streets grant program (grant program) in the department of public safety (DPS). Local governmental agencies or local government in partnership with a community-based nonprofit organization can apply to DPS for grants for improvements designed to decrease crime and create safer streets. The act directs DPS to establish policies and procedures for the grant program. It also creates an advisory committee to review grant requests and make recommendations to the executive director of DPS. The executive director reviews responses to the requests for proposals and grants and determines which local governmental agencies will receive money and the amount of each grant. The act appropriates from the general fund $10.3 million to DPS for the grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the school security disbursement program cash fund (cash fund). The department of public safety (department) may disburse money from the cash fund to school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative services to improve security within public schools. The act appropriates $6 million from the general fund to the cash fund. The act continues the temporary youth mental health services program and the bi-annual reporting requirements until June 30, 2024, and appropriates $6 million from the behavioral and mental health cash fund to the department of human services for the program. The act appropriates $2 million from the behavioral and mental health cash fund to the department of education for the behavioral health care professional matching grant program. Provisions of the act creating the school security disbursement program cash fund are contingent upon House Bill 22-1120, which recreates the school security disbursement program, becoming law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act directs the state treasurer to transfer $11,720,278 from the general fund to the division of professions and occupations cash fund for use beginning in the 2022-23 state fiscal year and until fully expended to fund the expenses of the state board of nursing in order to facilitate fee relief for nurses, nurse aides, and psychiatric technicians. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)