The bill requires future contracts for the seed-to-sale tracking system to be awarded pursuant to a transparent, online, and dynamically competitive process. The bill requires the state licensing authority to produce an annual report regarding its enforcement activities. The report must include: The number of underage compliance checks performed in the previous calendar year; The number of underage sale violations in the previous calendar year, including the name of the license violator, how many violations were the result of underage compliance checks or tips, and the sanction or sanctions imposed for each violation; and A description of the black or gray market enforcement activities that the state licensing authority engaged in, including the dates of the activities, any violations found, and the result of those violations if known. The bill requires the state licensing authority to produce an annual report regarding licensing violations. The report must be organized by month, include the name of the violator and the violation location, and identify the violation and the sanction or sanctions imposed and if the sanction is a license revocation or voluntary surrender of a license and the reason for the revocation or voluntary surrender. The state licensing authority shall maintain a free searchable database on its website related to compliance check records and minor in possession of marijuana records and an online method for submitting an anonymous tip related to licensing violations. The bill requires the state licensing authority to conduct at least 2 compliance checks a year at each medical and retail marijuana center. The bill requires regulatory penalties related to underage sales to be based on the number of violations and any injury or death that occurred as a result of the violation. The bill requires the state licensing authority to promulgate rules regarding: Product recalls, including a requirement for the issuance of a health and safety advisory when a product is recalled that includes the name of the product, the timing of when the consumer would receive the advisory, the places where the product was sold, the time period when the product was for sale, the requested actions that the state licensing authority may direct to a seller, cultivator, or manufacturer, and any other additional information that would assist the public; and Timelines and deadlines for notifying a licensee of an alleged violation; a licensee's response to an alleged violation; and a licensee's compliance with any sanction imposed, which must require, in the case of an uncontested violation, that the licensee has 90 days to comply with the sanction. The bill directs that when the state licensing authority convenes a work group, task force, or other group to assist in developing rules or policies that involve public health and consumer safety, the state licensing authority shall make every reasonable attempt to have broad representation from non-marijuana industry parties on the work group, task force, or other group. The bill requires the state licensing authority to provide any written materials received from a member of the group or task force to all members of the group or task force within 7 days after receipt of the material; except that any proprietary information must be redacted from the material. The bill requires that when the state licensing authority reports a voluntary surrender of a license that is the result of a settlement or agreement with the licensing authority, the report shall designate the action as "voluntary surrender - licensing violation settlement". (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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On April 1, 2022, the act transfers: $4,113,216 from the general fund to the capital construction fund; and $950,690 from the general fund to the information technology capital account of the capital construction fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act extends deadlines related to COVID-19 relief programs within the Colorado office of economic development and international trade that are dedicated to accelerating the recovery of negatively impacted industries and businesses. Specifically, the act extends the: COVID-19 relief programs for small businesses spending authority for technical assistance from June 30, 2022, to December 31, 2023, and the reporting deadline from November 1, 2022, to November 1, 2023, and adds another report due on November 1, 2024; Closing of the applications deadline for the small business accelerated growth program from December 31, 2022, to October 31, 2023; and Deadline for eligible events to occur under the Colorado meetings and events incentive program from December 31, 2022, to June 30, 2024, and the reporting requirement due dates through July 1, 2025.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes an appropriation and requires the department of health care policy and financing to distribute the money appropriated for supplemental, state-only payments to urban Indian organizations to address health-care disparities among the urban Indian community. For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $70,825 from the general fund to the department of health care policy and financing for use for other medical services for state-only payments to urban Indian organizations. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $48,025 from the general fund to the department of health care policy and financing for use for other medical services for state-only payments to urban Indian organizations. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act directs the state treasurer to transfer $2 million from the coal transition workforce assistance program account (account) to the just transition cash fund (fund) on March 7, 2022, and directs the general assembly to appropriate $150,000 from the fund to the department of higher education for allocation to the Colorado school of mines to expand the Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals Initiative for U.S. Basins (CORE-CM initiative) in the Greater Green river and Wind river basins. Additionally, the act modifies the account as follows: Removes the requirement that the department of labor and employment (department) expend specified percentages of money in the account by specified fiscal years; and Removes the prioritization of account expenditures first for programs that directly support coal transition workers, thereby allowing the department to also expend money in the account for programs that support coal transition workers' family members and other household members. The act also: Repeals the $7,000,000 appropriation from the account to the department, made pursuant to House Bill 21-1290, concerning funding to provide just transition for coal transition workers and coal transition communities, for the 2020-21 state fiscal year; Appropriates from the account to the department, for the coal transition workforce assistance program, $500,000 for the 2021-22 state fiscal year and $2 million for the 2022-23 state fiscal year; Appropriates from the fund to the department, for authorized investments in just transition programs for communities, $1,295,000 for the 2021-22 state fiscal year and $555,000 for the 2022-23 state fiscal year; and Appropriates $150,000 to the department of higher education for allocation to the Colorado school of mines to expand the CORE-CM initiative.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The general assembly recognizes that the actual funded pupil count and the at-risk pupil count for the 2021-22 budget year are lower than expected when the appropriation amount for the state share of total program funding was established during the 2021 legislative session, resulting in a decrease in total program funding for the 2021-22 budget year. In addition, local property tax revenue and specific ownership tax revenue are higher than anticipated, resulting in an increase in the local share of total program funding. The act declares the general assembly's intent to maintain total program funding after application of the budget stabilization factor at the amount of the original appropriation for the 2021-22 budget year. The act decreases the appropriation for the state share of total program funding by $139,565,749 in cash funds from the state education fund and adjusts the 2021-22 state fiscal year long bill accordingly. The act appropriates $91,433,760 in cash funds from the state education fund to the department of education to distribute to school districts and institute charter schools that received lower than anticipated funding for at-risk pupils for the 2021-22 budget year. The appropriation is additional funding and does not affect a district's or institute charter school's total program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The state treasurer is required to transfer $5 million from the general fund to the local firefighter safety and disease prevention fund (fund). The money is continuously appropriated to the department of public safety (department). The division of fire prevention and control (division) in the department is required to use the money transferred to directly pay for equipment and training for local and volunteer fire departments or to reimburse local and volunteer fire departments for the costs of equipment and training without requiring a grant application and review process. If the division determines it cannot use the full amount to directly pay for equipment and training, it may use the money for any purpose authorized prior to January 1, 2022, for money in the fund. The division is required to prioritize fire departments that it identifies as having the greatest need for assistance to ensure firefighter safety. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For income tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, but before January 1, 2030, the bill creates an income tax credit (tax credit) for any employer that: Creates a clean commuting plan to implement strategies to increase the use of alternative transportation options and reduce the number of measurable vehicle miles driven by its employees in single-occupancy vehicles when commuting to and from their work site (clean commuting plan) for the purpose of reducing automobile-related air pollution, traffic congestion, and transportation costs, particularly for essential workers and workers earning under $40,000 per year; Conducts an employer commuter survey to determine how its employees commute to and from their work site; and Offers 2 or more alternative transportation options to some or all of its employees in furtherance of the employer's clean commuting plan. The amount of the tax credit is 50% of the amount spent by the employer to provide alternative transportation options to some or all of its employees. In addition, the bill requires the executive director of the department of transportation (director), in coordination with the Colorado energy office and metropolitan planning organizations, to create an annual commuter survey for employers to use to determine how their employees commute to and from their work site. The director and the Colorado energy office are required to determine the content of the commuter survey and the form and manner in which the commuter survey will be completed and returned to the department of transportation. Beginning in specified calendar years, in an effort to reduce the number of employees who commute to and from their work site in a single-occupancy vehicle, employers with over 100 employees are required to: Annually conduct a commuter survey of its employees and submit the completed commuter surveys to the department of transportation by April 30 of the year in which the survey was conducted; Offer its employees qualified transportation fringe benefits allowed pursuant to federal law; Offer its employees commuter choice information in electronic or hard copy format and update the information every 6 months; and Offer a cash allowance in lieu of a parking space under certain circumstances. The bill requires that any private sector employer that wishes to claim the tax credit participate in the employer commuter survey and submit the results of the survey to the department by April 30 of the year in which the survey is conducted, even if the employer's participation in the commuter survey is not otherwise required. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, and for each state fiscal year thereafter through the 2029-30 state fiscal year, of the money allocated to the transportation commission for state multimodal projects from the multimodal transportation and mitigation options fund, the transportation commission is required to allocate $250,000 to each of the transportation management associations and transportation management organizations operating in a nonattainment area for the purposes of assisting employers in creating a clean commuting plan and complying with the requirements of the bill. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Section 1 of the act authorizes the department of human services (department) to make fuel assistance payments to supplemental nutrition assistance program recipients to maximize their federal heating and cooling standard utility allowance. Money for the fuel assistance payments comes from a portion of the money collected from the energy assistance system benefit charge (charge), which is a monthly charge that investor-owned electric and gas utilities are required to collect from their customers. Money for the fuel assistance payments is credited to the supplemental utility assistance fund, which fund is continuously appropriated to the department.Section 2 removes the low-income energy assistance program administered by Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC) from the grant program reserve funded by tier 2 severance tax operational fund money.Section 3 clarifies that the definition of a "low-income utility customer", with regard to the public utilities commission's (PUC) consideration of a preference or advantage that a gas or electric utility grants a low-income utility customer, means a utility customer who meets the department's income eligibility criteria.Sections 4 and 5 make modifications to the legislative commission on low-income energy assistance, wherein section 4 expands the commission's scope to include water utility assistance and section 5 reduces the composition of the commission from 11 members to 7 members. Section 5 moves the commission from the department to the Colorado energy office (office) on May 1, 2022. Section 5 also requires the commission to:Advise the office on grants awarded from the federal department of energy regarding the office's weatherization assistance program; Advise water utilities that provide their customers with utility assistance and efficiency programs; and Review EOC's annual budget that it submits to the PUC regarding the use of funding for utility bill payment assistance. Section 6 updates the legislative declaration regarding low-income energy assistance with regard to the benefit of allowing all water utilities to participate voluntarily in a program to provide financial assistance to customers in low-income households.Sections 7, 8, and 10 to 12 concern the creation of the charge. From October 2021 through September 2022, the initial amount of the charge per customer is 50 cents for electric service provided and 50 cents for natural gas service provided, and, after September 2022, each is raised to 75 cents. Commencing October 1, 2023, the charge is adjusted for inflation. Investor-owned utilities are required to remit the charges collected to EOC to help finance low-income energy assistance programs. Additionally, each investor-owned utility is required to notify customers of:The possibility of exemption from paying the charge for a period of 12 months based on having received direct utility bill payment assistance from EOC in the previous 12 months; and Contact information for opting out of paying the monthly charge. EOC is required to allocate a portion of the money collected from the charge to the department for its fuel assistance payments and use another portion for EOC's community outreach about the charge, with the remainder of the money collected split between EOC and the office for helping to finance their energy assistance programs.Sections 9 and 13 concern voluntary, opt-in charges that a water utility may offer its customers to help finance the water utility bill payment assistance program that EOC administers. Alternatively, a water utility may implement its own water utility bill payment assistance program.Section 14 requires EOC and the office, when installing energy retrofits for low-income households, to prioritize customer savings, emission reductions, and improving indoor air quality.Section 15 governs reporting requirements for EOC and the office regarding use of the money collected from the charge and, for EOC, additional reporting requirements on voluntary, opt-in monthly water utility bill payment assistance collections.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)