Current law authorizes the general assembly to appropriate money to the state historical society from the museum and preservation operations account of the state historical fund to pay for history Colorado certificates of participation. The act allows money to also be appropriated from the general fund or any other available fund. On October 1, 2019, the state treasurer transferred $1 million from the preservation grant program account in the state historical fund to the capital construction fund to repaint the interior of the dome of the state capitol building. The act transfers the unencumbered portion of that amount on July 1, 2020, from the capital construction fund to the museum and preservation operations account in the state historical fund. The state historical society is authorized to direct the state treasurer to transfer up to $1 million from the preservation grant program account in the state historical fund to the museum and preservation operations account for each of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 state fiscal years. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Sponsored bills
The act repeals the prohibition on the general assembly appropriating the bulk of the money from the marijuana tax cash fund until the year following the year that the revenue is received by the state. The fund reserve is clarified in light of this change. The state treasurer is required to transfer $136,989,750 from the fund to the general fund on October 1, 2020. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act repeals the requirement that $500,000 of the core departmental programs appropriation to the division of reclamation, mining, and safety in the department of natural resources be annually transferred to the abandoned mine reclamation fund, which itself is repealed on July 1, 2023. The act also repeals the requirement that $127,000 be transferred to a special account in the general fund that is used by the mined land reclamation board. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act: Exempts the legislative department cash fund and the redistricting account in the legislative department cash fund from the definition of "cash fund" for purposes of the requirements under the automatic cash fund funding mechanism for payment of future costs attributable to certain of the state's capital assets; Suspends the automatic cash fund funding mechanism for payment of future costs attributable to certain of the state's capital assets for the 2020-21 state fiscal year; Clarifies that any amount of money that may currently be identified in a capital reserve of the legislative department cash fund or in a capital reserve of the redistricting account is also excluded and may be used for the purposes set forth in the statute that created the cash fund; and Makes an appropriation.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The employer and member contribution rates for the public employees' retirement association (PERA) are specified in statute. For the 2020-21 and 2021-22 state fiscal years only, the act decreases the employer contribution rate for employers in the judicial division of PERA by 5% and increases the member contribution rate for employees in the judicial division of PERA by 5%. The contribution rates will be changed as follows: For the 2020-21 state fiscal year, the employer contribution rate is decreased from 13.91% to 8.91% of salary and the member contribution rate is increased from 9.5% to 14.5% of salary. For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the employer contribution rate is decreased from 13.91% to 8.91% of salary and the member contribution rate is increased from 10% to 15% of salary. The act specifies that the change in contributions does not apply to the employer or member contributions for judges employed by the Denver county court. The act does not impact the employer or member contribution rates for any of the other divisions of PERA. The appropriations made to the judicial department in the annual general appropriation act for the 2020-21 state fiscal year are reduced in accordance with the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, commencing with the 2020-21 state fiscal year and for 3 total state fiscal years, assuming certain conditions are satisfied, the state is required to transfer $30 million from the unclaimed property trust fund to the housing development grant fund to support the provision of affordable housing statewide. The act delays the starting date for the first transfer by 2 state fiscal years. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law specifies that on July 1, 2018, and on July 1 each year thereafter until there are no unfunded actuarial accrued liabilities of any division of the public employees' retirement association (PERA) that receives the direct distribution, the state treasurer is required to issue a warrant to PERA in an amount equal to $225 million from the general fund or any other fund. The act specifies that the state treasurer shall not issue the warrant to PERA for the 2020-21 state fiscal year. The act reduces the figures included in the annual general appropriation act for the 2020-21 state fiscal year for informational purposes to the department of the treasury for the direct distribution. The act also reduces appropriations made to various state agencies in the annual general appropriation act for the 2020-21 state fiscal year for the direct distribution. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The state work force development council (state council), in collaboration with the department of higher education, the department of labor and employment, and the department of human services (state agencies), is required to implement and maintain a free online platform (platform) to provide Coloradans with personalized information to assist them in making career and education planning decisions; except that this requirement is subject to available appropriations or money from other sources. The state council and the state agencies may conduct outreach and training for the individuals who provide career counseling and for the public to promote awareness of the platform. For the purposes of implementing and maintaining the platform, the state council may receive money from other state agencies, the general assembly may appropriate money to the state council, and the state council may solicit, accept, and expend gifts, grants, and donations. The state council may transfer any money appropriated by the general assembly for the purposes of the platform to the department of higher education to implement and maintain the platform, to disseminate information regarding the platform, and to provide training about the platform. The governor's office of information technology (office) is required to ensure that the platform complies with state and federal information technology security and privacy requirements and standards. To ensure such compliance, the office is required to ensure that the contract for the platform includes a requirement that the vendor conduct an external security assessment that complies with the office's requirements and standards and that the assessment and remediation plan be shared with the office. In addition, the state auditor may, in his or her discretion, conduct an audit or assessment of the online platform and of the administration and maintenance of the platform. The authority to implement and maintain the platform is repealed, effective June 30, 2025. Before the repeal, the joint technology committee is required to assess the impact, effectiveness, and compliance with state and federal information technology requirements and standards of the platform and to make a recommendation to the general assembly regarding whether to continue the platform. The act specifies that the department of higher education shall provide certain notice that it is already required by law to provide to certain students and parents of students in Colorado, through the platform. In addition, the act repeals requirements that each board of education and the state charter school institute ensure that students in the sixth grade are registered with a previously used online platform, known as College in Colorado. The act repeals the talent pipeline cash fund and authorizes the general assembly to appropriate money from the general fund to the state council for the purposes of the state council. The act also specifies that state council requirements related to career pathways are subject to available appropriation or money from other sources. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act precludes the department of labor and employment from accepting applications for, awarding, or issuing grants under the "Skilled Worker Outreach, Recruitment, and Key Training Act", also known as the "WORK Act", on or after the effective date of the act. The grant review committee is directed to submit a final report on the WORK Act grant program to the governor and specified legislative committees by August 31, 2021. The state treasurer is directed to transfer any balance in the WORK fund as of September 1, 2020, and September 1, 2021, to the general fund. The program is repealed on September 30, 2021. The act adjusts the 2020 long bill by eliminating the $3.3 million general fund appropriation for the WORK Act grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act repeals the pilot programs in the division of youth services that were created to aid in the establishment of a division-wide therapeutic and rehabilitative culture, including the use of trauma-responsive principles and practices. The act makes the following appropriations: The general fund appropriations made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2020-21 state fiscal year to the department of human services for use by the division of youth services are adjusted as follows: The appropriation for personal services related to institutional programs is decreased by $406,545, and the related FTE is decreased by 4.0 FTE; and The appropriation for operating expenses related to institutional programs is decreased by $204,309.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)