The act establishes the behavioral health-care continuum gap grant program in the behavioral health administration (BHA). The BHA administers the grant program. As part of the behavioral health-care continuum gap grant program, the BHA may award community investment grants to support services along the continuum of behavioral health-care and children, youth, and family services grants to expand youth-oriented and family-oriented behavioral health-care services. A community-based organization, local government, federally recognized Indian tribe, or nonprofit organization is eligible for a community investment grant. A community-based organization, local government, federally recognized Indian tribe, local collaborative management program, judicial district juvenile services planning committee, or nonprofit organization is eligible for a children, youth, and family services grant. The BHA must develop a behavioral health-care services assessment tool that behavioral health-care continuum gap grant program applicants can use to identify regional gaps in behavioral health and substance use disorder services, underserved populations, and unmet behavioral health needs. In awarding grants, the BHA shall give preference to applicants providing a service that addresses a gap in services identified with the BHA's assessment tool or a county, regional, or community assessment tool. In order to receive a community behavioral health-care continuum gap grant, an applicant must offer a monetary contribution or in-kind contributions that directly support the behavioral health-care services provided with the grant award. The BHA may waive the monetary or in-kind contribution requirement for applicants requesting a grant of less than $50,000. Each grant recipient must report to the BHA about its use of the grant award. The state department of human services must include information about the grant program in its annual "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" hearing. The act establishes the substance use workforce stability grant program in the BHA. A substance use disorder treatment provider, a recovery provider, and local governments are eligible for a grant. In order to receive a grant, a provider must prioritize providing services to voluntary and civil clients. The BHA shall prioritize awarding grants to providers that offer same-day or next-day appointments, serve low-income and marginalized populations, or intend to expand the number of individuals they serve. A grant recipient shall use a grant award to support direct care staff who spend 50% or more of their time working with clients. The act appropriates $75 million from the behavioral and mental health cash fund to the state department for the behavioral health-care continuum gap grant program and $15 million from the behavioral and mental health cash fund to the state department for the substance use workforce stability grant program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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On July 1, 2022, the state treasurer is required to transfer $198,470,883 from the general fund to the PERA payment cash fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For the 2023 property tax year: Section 1 of the act reduces the valuation for assessment of nonresidential property, excluding agricultural and renewable energy production nonresidential property, from 29% of the actual value of the property to 27.9% of the actual value of the property; Section 2 reduces the valuation for assessment of residential property, including multi-family residential property, to 6.765% of the actual value of the property; and Sections 1 and 3 reduce the actual value used for purposes of the valuation for assessment of commercial real property by $30,000 and of residential real property by $15,000, but in either case to no less than $1,000. For the 2024 property tax year: Section 1 continues the valuation for assessment of real and personal property that is classified as agricultural property or renewable energy production property at 26.4% of the actual value of the property; Section 2 establishes the valuation for assessment for all residential real property other than multi-family residential real property as the percentage of the actual value of such property determined by a calculation made by the property tax administrator as required by section 4; and Section 2 also establishes the valuation for assessment for multi-family residential real property as 6.8% of the actual value of the property. Section 4 requires the adjustment of the ratio of valuation for assessment for all residential real property other than multi-family residential real property for the 2024 property tax year so that the aggregate decrease in local government property tax revenue during the 2023 and 2024 property tax years, as a result of the act, equals $700 million. Section 5 requires the state treasurer to reimburse counties for the reduction in property tax revenue resulting from the act during the 2023 property tax year and requires the property tax administrator, using information provided by each county treasurer, to report this amount to the general assembly. The state treasurer is required to fully reimburse any county that: Had an increase of less than 10% in assessed value of real property between the 2022 and 2023 property tax years; and Has a population of 300,000 or fewer. The state treasurer is also required to reimburse a county 90% of the amount of the reduction if the county: Had an increase of 10% or more in assessed value of real property between the 2022 and 2023 property tax years; and Has a population of 300,000 or fewer. Lastly, the state treasurer is also required to reimburse any county that does not qualify for full or 90% reimbursement 65% of the amount of the reduction excluding the aggregate decrease in local government property tax revenue during the 2023 and 2024 property tax years, as a result of the act for municipalities, fire districts, health services districts, water districts, sanitation districts, school districts, and library districts in those counties. If municipalities, fire districts, health services districts, water districts, sanitation districts, and library districts in those counties had an increase of less than 10 % in assessed value of real property between the 2022 and 2023 property tax years, the state treasurer is required to reimburse the entire amount of the aggregate decrease in local government property tax revenue for those local governmental entities during the 2023 property tax years, as a result of the act. If municipalities, fire districts, health services districts, water districts sanitation districts, and library districts in those counties had an increase of 10% or more in assessed value of real property between the 2022 and 2023 property tax years, the state treasurer is required to reimburse 90% of the aggregate decrease in local government property tax revenue for those local governmental entities during the 2023 property tax years, as a result of the act. County treasurers must then distribute these reimbursements to the local governmental entities, excluding school districts, within the treasurer's county as if the revenue had been regularly paid as property tax. The lesser of $240 million of reimbursement or the amount of reimbursement that can be paid from such excess state revenues must be paid as a refund of state fiscal year 2022-23 excess state revenues that are not being refunded through specified existing refund mechanisms, and the rest of the reimbursement must be paid from the general fund. For school districts, section 6 requires the state treasurer to transfer $200 million from the general fund to the state public school fund to offset school district property tax revenue reductions. Section 5 also requires the property tax administrator to prepare a report that identifies the aggregate reduction in local government property tax revenue during the 2023 property tax year resulting from the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The property tax administrator is required by law, after consultation with the advisory committee to the property tax administrator and subject to the approval of the state board of equalization, to prepare and publish manuals, appraisal procedures, instructions, and guidelines (property tax materials) concerning the administration of property tax. Beginning January 1, 2023, section 1 of the act requires the administrator to conduct a public hearing on a proposed change to the property tax materials before submitting the proposed change to the advisory committee to the property tax administrator. The administrator must publish notice of the hearing and mail notice to those people who so request. At the hearing, interested persons may submit information and the administrator is required to consider any submissions. Any interested person may also file a written petition to the administrator for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of any property tax materials. Currently, a taxpayer who wishes to protest the valuation of their taxable real property must file a notice of their objection and protest with the assessor by June 1. Sections 3 and 4 extend this deadline to June 8. Section 4 also requires an assessor who discovers any error that impacts the valuation of a class or subclass of property to recommend to the county board of equalization an adjustment to the class or subclass of property to correct the error. Section 5 requires the state board of assessment appeals to advance an appeal concerning the valuation of rent-producing commercial real property on the board of assessment appeals' calendar when the taxpayer provides certain relevant information and requests an advancement on or before July 15 of the same calendar year. The board of assessment appeals may charge a fee to a taxpayer, if the board of assessment appeals advances the taxpayer's appeal. Section 6 places a 5% cap on the amount by which a valuation of property set by a county board of equalization can be increased on appeal. $2000 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of local affairs for use by the board of assessment appeals for implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Section 1 of the bill creates the timber industry workforce development program (internship program) in the Colorado state forest service (forest service) to provide incentives to timber businesses to hire interns through partial reimbursement of the costs to such businesses of hiring interns. Not later than January 1, 2023, the forest service is required to promulgate policies, procedures, and guidelines for administering the internship program. The bill specifies minimum components of the policies, procedures, and guidelines. Subject to available appropriations, the forest service may reimburse a qualified timber business an amount not to exceed 50% of the actual cost to the business to employ the intern. The actual cost includes the wages paid to the intern, a reasonable allocation of fixed overhead expenses, and all incidental costs directly related to the internship. Based on the annual appropriation for the internship program, the forest service shall determine how many internships may be approved, the amount of reimbursement per internship, and whether a timber business may be reimbursed for more than one intern in the same fiscal year. However, no timber business may be reimbursed for more than 3 internships in the same fiscal year. Under current law, for fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2008, but prior to the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2020, and for fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2021, but prior to the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2026, all sales, storage, and use of wood from salvaged trees in Colorado that were killed or infested by mountain pine beetles or spruce beetles, including but not limited to products such as lumber, furniture built from the salvaged trees, and wood chips or wood pellets generated from the salvaged trees, are exempt from the state sales and use tax. For fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2022, but prior to the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2026, section 2 extends this exemption to include all sales, storage, and use of wood harvested in Colorado that is sold on a retail basis, including but not limited to products such as lumber, furniture built from such wood, wood chips or wood pellets generated from such wood, and wood from salvaged trees in Colorado that were killed or infested by mountain pine beetles or spruce beetles. For income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2021, but prior to January 1, 2027, section 3 allows a timber business doing business in Colorado to claim a credit against the state income tax for 20% of the costs incurred by the taxpayer in purchasing mechanized equipment, certain vehicles, and equipment infrastructure used in the production of wood products, not to exceed $10,000 for the aggregate of all such qualifying items purchased in any one income tax year. The bill specifies additional requirements concerning the administration of the tax credit.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act requires, in state fiscal year 2022-23 only, and within available appropriations, that the department of education (department) distribute supplemental payments to facility schools approved by the department as of October 1, 2022. The supplemental payments must be above and beyond the current daily per pupil revenue rate as established for the 2022-23 state fiscal year. The act appropriates $5,134,000 to the department from the state education fund for supplemental payments to facility schools. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Senate Bill 21-291 transferred $40 million of "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" (ARPA) money from the economic recovery and relief cash fund to the Colorado economic development fund and directed the office of economic development and international trade (OEDIT) to use $10 million of the money transferred to incentivize small businesses to locate in rural Colorado and for the location neutral employment incentive program. To ensure that the use of the $10 million complies with ARPA requirements, the act instead directs OEDIT to use the money to incentivize or support businesses in rural Colorado or to undertake any other economic development activity in rural Colorado that is authorized by specified current law in response to the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The state treasurer is required to transfer $24,131,390 from the revenue loss restoration cash fund to the judicial department information technology cash fund on July 1, 2022. The money transferred to the judicial department information technology cash fund is subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly to the judicial department for information technology infrastructure upgrades from the 2022-23 fiscal year through the 2024-25 fiscal year. The judicial department is required to expend or encumber the money transferred to the judicial department information technology cash fund prior to December 31, 2024. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, the state personnel director (director) of the department of personnel is required to annually conduct surveys and produce a report concerning compensation to determine any necessary adjustments to state employee salaries, state contributions for group benefit plans, and merit pay. The act instead requires the director to conduct surveys and produce the report every 4 years. The act also changes certain reporting deadlines of the director relating to the compensation report and removes certain substantive components of the report. The act decreases the general fund appropriation made to the department of personnel for use by the division of human resources for total compensation and employee engagement surveys related to state agency services in the annual general appropriation act for the 2022-23 state fiscal year by $300,000 and appropriates $147,429 from the general fund to the department of personnel for implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act directs the department of health care policy and financing (department) to do the following, with respect to nursing facility providers (nursing facilities): Issue additional supplemental payments as directed for the 2021-22 state fiscal year; Establish reporting and result tracking requirements necessary to administer additional supplemental funding; Pursue federal matching funds to reduce the state share of costs to the maximum amount possible; and Engage with stakeholders to produce a report including ways to improve methodology, practices regarding care and services to compassionate release individuals from the department of corrections, and funding for nursing facilities. The department shall submit the report to the joint budget committee and committees of the general assembly on or before November 1, 2022. The act grants the department authority to promulgate rules as necessary for implementation of the payments and their supporting requirements. The supplemental payments and their supporting requirements are repealed, effective July 1, 2023. For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, $17,000,500 is appropriated to the department of health care policy and financing for use by medical services premiums based on the assumption that the department will receive federal funds to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)