Under current law, only nursing facilities that are within a locality that has increased its local minimum wage are eligible to receive annual supplemental payments to increase the minimum wage for nursing facility employees up to the minimum wage set by the locality. The act changes the definition of "eligible nursing facility provider" and makes other conforming changes to allow any Colorado nursing facility that meets the defined criteria to be eligible to receive wage enhancement supplemental payments, as defined in the act, to increase the minimum wage for nursing facility employees to at least $15 per hour. The act appropriates $2,389,627 from federal funds in the general fund to the department of health care policy and financing for medical and long-term care services for medicaid eligible individuals. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The licensing services cash fund (fund) consists mainly of fees charged for the issuance of drivers' licenses, driving permits, and state identification cards. The department of revenue (department) uses the fund primarily to fund the issuance of those documents. The Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account (DRIVES account) of the highway users tax fund consists mainly of vehicle title and registration fees and specific ownership tax transaction fees. The department uses the DRIVES account for the development and operation of the department's driver and motor vehicles services software platform commonly known as Colorado DRIVES. Effective July 1, 2022, the act merges the fund into the DRIVES account, which involves: Repealing the fund and requiring all money in the fund to be credited to the DRIVES account; Requiring all fees that had been credited to the fund to instead be credited to the DRIVES account; and Requiring all functions that had been funded from the fund to instead be funded from the DRIVES account. The act also requires DRIVES account investment earnings to be credited to the account. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
When the marijuana tax cash fund (fund) was initially created, money in the fund was only available to be appropriated for fiscal years following the fiscal year in which it was received by the state. In 2020, the general assembly repealed this restriction, but in 2021, the restriction was inadvertently reinstated by legislation that made an unrelated conforming amendment. The act corrects this error, which permits the general assembly to appropriate money from the fund for the same fiscal year in which it is received. The reserve requirement for the fund is established as 15% of the amount appropriated for a fiscal year, instead of 93% of the beginning balance in the fund. This reserve excludes any money from the fund that is designated to constitute part of the state emergency reserve. The act also delays a portion of a statutory transfer from the fund to the public school capital construction assistance fund (BEST fund). A transfer of $100 million on June 1, 2022, is reduced to $50 million, and the state treasurer is required to transfer $30 million and $20 million from the fund to the BEST fund in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 state fiscal years. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state treasurer to credit any interest and income derived from the deposit and investment of federal funds that the state received from the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery fund to the state emergency reserve cash fund, which is available for declared emergencies only as required by the taxpayer's bill of rights. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
In 2005, the voters approved referendum C, which authorized the state to retain state revenues up to the excess state revenues cap to be spent on specified uses (excess state revenues). The general fund exempt account (account) was created within the general fund and it includes an amount equal to the excess state revenues. There is a statutorily required allocation of the money in the account for uses that are consistent with the uses approved by the voters in referendum C. The actual amount of the excess state revenues, however, is not known until after the last day of the fiscal year. The act addresses the discrepancy between the amounts appropriated or transferred from the account and the actual amount of the excess state revenues. If the appropriations and transfers from the account are less than the actual excess state revenues, then some of the revenue in the general fund is also designated as excess state revenues. Appropriations from the general fund for medical and long-term care services for medicaid eligible individuals and the state share of districts' total program funding, or their successor line items, are designated as how the state uses this revenue. If the appropriations and transfers from the account are more than the actual excess state revenues, then a portion of the account, and a corresponding percentage of all appropriations and transfers from it, are designated as not being excess state revenues. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For county court organizational and administrative purposes, the act changes the classifications of Garfield and Montezuma counties from Class C to Class B. For Garfield county, the act amends the requirement that the associate county court judge in Rifle must maintain an official residence in Rifle and instead requires an official residence anywhere in Garfield county. For Rio Blanco county, the act amends the requirement that the associate county court judge in Rangley must maintain an official residence in Rangley and instead requires an official residence anywhere in Rio Blanco county. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, when the general assembly passes a bill that causes a net increase in the period of imprisonment, the general assembly is required to appropriate money to cover the costs of that imprisonment for the next 5 years. The act suspends that requirement until July 1, 2025, and repeals all of the current statutory 5-year appropriations. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act updates the "Older Coloradans' Act" (act). The purpose of the act is to support older Coloradans through community planning, social services, health and well-being services, and strategies to prepare the state's infrastructure for an increasing older population of Coloradans. The act updates include: Reorganizing the commission on aging (commission) and increasing membership from 17 to 19 in order to coordinate and implement the strategic action plan on aging (plan) and to make recommendations; Appointing a state department of human services (state department) liaison to act as the primary contact for the commission in order to coordinate commission-related duties with the state department and other state agencies; Convening a technical advisory committee (committee) comprised of key state agency representatives to direct the implementation of the plan and the commission's recommendations; and Creating the lifelong Colorado initiative within the state department's state office on aging to coordinate strategies and implementation of the plan and the commission's recommendations with the commission, committee, and key state agencies.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under existing law, an early childhood development service district (service district) must include all of the territory of any special district, municipality, county, or other existing taxing entity that is included in the service district. The act allows a service district to also include a portion of a special district, municipality, county, or other existing taxing entity. The act also authorizes a service district to accept gifts, grants, and donations. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, a neighborhood youth organization (NYO) serves youth as young as 6 years of age and as old as 18 years of age. The act lowers the minimum age of a youth member to 5 years of age if the youth is in kindergarten. The act permits an NYO to create an electronic or written process to record the daily arrival and departure times of youth members in order to track attendance, assess the impact of programs and services on youth members, and ensure an NYO operates in the best interest and safety of youth members. The act requires each NYO to maintain a complete set of records for youth members and personnel. Each neighborhood youth organization is required to maintain the confidentiality of certain records that are not subject to review by the public. Records concerning the licensing of an NYO's facilities and agencies are open to the public and a person who wishes to review a record must submit a written request to the department of human services. The act requires that an NYO's programs and services must occur primarily in a facility the NYO leases or owns or has been granted use of or access to. The act requires an NYO to offer programs and services that are evidence- or research-based, age-appropriate, and foster supportive relationships with peers and adults while offering character and leadership development, academic supports, job skills training, behavioral health supports, health and nutrition services, and other critical resources and services that a community identifies as necessary. An NYO serves all children, youth, and families, but with a focus on programs and services that ensure affordable access for low-income populations. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)