Joint Budget Committee. The bill requires fingerprint-based criminal history record checks (record checks) for every applicant, contractor, employee, or other individual who has or may have access to federal tax information received from the federal government by a state agency in accordance with federal internal revenue service publication 1075. The state agency is authorized to collect the fingerprints of the individuals or to use the fingerprinting services of another agency or entity authorized by law to collect them and is required to pay the costs of the record checks to the Colorado bureau of investigation. A state agency that receives federal tax information from the federal government and shares that information with a county department or another state agency may authorize and require the county department or other state agency to conduct record checks for all of its applicants, employees, contractors, or other individuals who may have access to the shared information. The county or other state agency is required to pay the costs of the record checks to the Colorado bureau of investigation. The bill prohibits a state agency that receives federal tax information from the federal government from sharing that information with another agency that refuses or fails to comply with the requirement to conduct record checks. The bill appropriates funds to affected state agencies to implement its requirements. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Sponsored bills
Joint Budget Committee. The bill creates the Colorado open educational resources council (council) in the department of higher education (department). The council includes persons appointed by the executive director of the department from public institutions of higher education, including a student; the executive director of the department; the commissioner of education; and the state librarian. The council is directed to: Recommend to the Colorado commission on higher education (commission) statewide policies for promoting the adaptation, creation, and use of open educational resources at public institutions of higher education across the state; Facilitate professional development and the sharing of knowledge regarding open educational resources for public institutions of higher education, faculty, staff, and students; Implement the open educational resources grant program (grant program) created in the bill; and Submit to the commission, the joint budget committee, and the education committees of the general assembly an annual report concerning the use of open educational resources in public institutions of higher education across the state. The bill creates the grant program to provide grants to public institutions of higher education to develop the use of open educational resources at the institutions and grants to faculty and staff, individually or in groups, to create and adapt open educational resources. Each grant recipient must submit information to the council concerning its use of the grant and the effectiveness of the open educational resources initiative funded by the grant. The council must include a summary of the information received in the annual report. The council and the grant program are repealed, effective November 1, 2021. The bill directs the commission to adopt guidelines requiring public institutions of higher education, beginning in the fall of 2021, to inform students concerning those courses that use open educational resources. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. The bill requires the state treasurer to transfer specified amounts from the general fund and the marijuana tax cash fund to a newly created office of state planning and budgeting youth pay for success initiatives account within the pay for success contracts fund for state fiscal years 2018-19 through 2021-22. Subject to annual appropriation, the office of state planning and budgeting may expend the money transferred to the account for its use only to fund 3 specified pay for success contracts for pilot programs designed to reduce juvenile involvement in the justice system, reduce out-of-home placements of juveniles, and improve on-time high school graduation rates, but the department of human services may expend any money appropriated to it from the account for expenses related to the administration of any pay for success contract. For the 2018-19 state fiscal year, $718,412 is appropriated from the account to the office of the governor for use by the office of state planning and budgeting, with $52,511 of that amount being reappropriated to the department of human services for use by the division of youth services for personal services and operating expenses related to the administration of any pay for success contract.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. Current law specifies that money in the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund is continuously appropriated to the Colorado healthcare affordability and sustainability enterprise for specified healthcare related purposes. Beginning with state fiscal year 2018-19, the bill makes the expenditure of money from the fund by the enterprise subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. The bill provides that on and after November 1, 2018, the division of veterans affairs in the department of military and veterans affairs may operate a veterans one-stop center in Grand Junction for the purpose of providing a central and accessible location where veterans, service members, and their family members in the western portion of the state may have access to assistance and resources. The veterans one-stop center in Grand Junction is repealed, effective September 1, 2023. Before its repeal, the department of regulatory agencies shall review the veterans one-stop center. The bill makes an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Under current law, health insurers are permitted to consider the geographic location of the policyholder when establishing health insurance rates for individual and group insurance plans. For an individual health plan issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2019, the bill prohibits a health insurer from considering the geographic location of the policyholder when establishing rates for the plan, thereby creating a single geographic rating area consisting of the entire state for purposes of all individual health benefit plans.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. If the state receives any federal mineral lease revenue from oil and gas production on naval oil shale reserve land that was set aside prior to January 1, 2009, and withheld by the federal government, then instead of depositing the money in the mineral leasing fund the state treasurer is required to distribute the money to the following counties or a related federal mineral lease district, if applicable: 40% to Garfield county; 40% to Rio Blanco county; 10% to Mesa county; and 10% to Moffat county. The 'Federal Mineral Lease District Act' is amended to permit these distributions to be made to a federal mineral lease district, if one exists, on behalf of a county. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. For the 2017-18 fiscal year, the bill transfers $2,888,529 from the general fund to the information technology capital account of the capital construction fund.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill makes changes to the teacher loan forgiveness program, renaming it the educator loan forgiveness program (program), and revising the eligibility criteria for the program. The program: Repays up to $5,000 of qualified educational loans for up to 5 years for teachers and other educators employed in qualified positions under the program; and Targets teachers and other educators employed in hard-to-fill positions due to geography or content area. The department of education is required to annually identify the shortage areas that qualify for the program. Subject to available appropriations, the Colorado commission on higher education (commission) shall approve up to 100 new participants in the program each year, and the bill specifies the criteria the commission shall use to prioritize applicants, if necessary. The program includes the educator loan forgiveness fund, and the commission shall adopt policies that ensure that loan repayment is made only on qualified loans for educators in qualified positions. The commission shall prepare an annual report for the general assembly that includes information concerning the shortage areas identified by the department of education and information concerning the program participants. The bill extends the repeal date of the program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Joint Budget Committee. The bill authorizes the broadband deployment board to apply for federal funding of broadband deployment and allocate any federal money received to broadband deployment projects approved by the board. The bill also directs the board to petition the federal communications commission (FCC) for a waiver from the FCC's rules prohibiting a state entity from applying for federal money earmarked for broadband deployment through the FCC's connect America fund phase II auction to allow the board to apply for the federal auction money.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More