Part C of child find in the federal "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act", requires states to find, identify, locate, evaluate, and serve children with disabilities from birth through 2 years of age.The act transfers the responsibility of performing part C child find from the department of education to the department of human services on July 1, 2022; except that, on and after May 1, 2022, the department of human services shall administer the referral intake process for part C child find evaluations.The act requires the department of education and the department of human services to enter into an interagency operating agreement concerning the coordination of transitions of children from part C child find to part B child find.The act appropriates $8,266,779 from the general fund and allocates 0.9 FTE to the department of human services and appropriates $6,888,983 to the department of education.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act makes general fund transfers of $8,000,000 to the just transition cash fund (fund) and $7,000,000 to a newly created coal transition worker assistance program account (account) in the fund. The just transition office (office) is required to expend at least 70% of the money transferred to the fund by the close of state fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 and any remaining money in state FY 2022-23 to implement the final just transition plan for Colorado and to provide supplemental funding for existing state programs that the office identifies as the most effective vehicles for targeted investment in coal transition communities. In expending the money, the office is required to develop specific criteria for prioritizing the expenditures, emphasize investment in tier one transition communities, as defined by the act, and support specified types of programs in accordance with specified requirements and limitations.Subject to specified requirements and limitations, the department of labor and employment (CDLE) is required to expend at least 70% of the money transferred to the account by the close of state FY 2021-22 and any remaining money in state FY 2022-23 first for assistance programs that directly assist coal transition workers and then, if money remains, to support family and other household members of coal transition workers and create and implement a pilot program to test innovative coal transition work support programs.The act also:Amends and supplements existing definitions of "coal transition community" and "coal transition worker" to improve the implementation of just transition. For state FY 2020-21, appropriates $8,000,000 from the fund to CDLE for use by the office to implement the final just transition plan for Colorado and to provide supplemental funding for existing state programs that the office identifies as the most effective vehicles for targeted investment in coal transition communities as specified in the act. Any portion of the appropriation not spent by the close of state FY 2020-21 remains available for expenditure by the office for the same purposes until the close of state FY 2022-23. For state FY 2020-21, appropriates $7,000,000 from the account to CDLE for use by CDLE first for assistance programs that directly assist coal transition workers and then, if money remains, to support family and other household members of coal transition workers and create and implement a pilot program to test innovative coal transition work support programs as specified in the act. Any portion of the appropriation not spent by the close of state FY 2020-21 remains available for expenditure by CDLE for the same purposes until the close of state FY 2022-23.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act directs the department of health care policy and financing (department) to develop a spending plan (spending plan) for using enhanced, one-time federal matching money received pursuant to the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" (federal act) to enhance, expand, and strengthen medicaid-eligible home- and community-based services for older adults and people with disabilities.The department shall develop a proposed spending plan considering feedback from providers, medical assistance recipients, and advocates consistent with federal guidance on allowable uses of the federal act funding. Money from the federal act may be used for home- and community-based services, as defined in the federal act, including home health-care services, personal care services, PACE services, waiver services, case management services, and rehabilitative services. The act specifies possible components of the spending plan. The department shall submit the proposed spending plan to the joint budget committee of the general assembly for approval. The joint budget committee may reject or approve the spending plan and may make recommendations for modifications to the spending plan. If the spending plan is rejected, the department shall submit a new spending plan as soon as possible. The department shall not implement the spending plan unless the spending plan is approved by the joint budget committee.The act authorizes the department to make expenditures identified in the spending plan approved by the joint budget committee; except that the spending authority expires if a supplemental appropriation bill is enacted. During the next legislative session, the joint budget committee shall introduce a supplemental appropriation bill for the amount of the expenditures authorized. For fiscal years commencing on and after July 1, 2021, the general assembly may also appropriate money for purposes authorized under the federal act. The act repeals the statutory provisions effective July 1, 2025. Commencing November 1, 2021, and quarterly thereafter, the act requires the department to submit expenditure reports with additional information specified in the act concerning the use of the money received pursuant to the federal act.The act transfers $260,730,099 from the general fund to the home- and community-based services improvement fund, created in the act, and $19,830,918 from the ARPA home- and community-based services account, created in the act, in the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund to implement the spending plan.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the legislative interim committee on school finance (interim committee). The interim committee will meet during the 2021 and 2022 legislative interims and during the 2022 and 2023 legislative sessions to approve legislation. The committee consists of 4 senators and 4 representatives with equal representation from each party. The act specifies the issues the interim committee must consider. The interim committee may introduce up to a total of 5 bills, joint resolutions, and concurrent resolutions in each of the 2022 and 2023 legislative sessions. The interim committee will contract with a qualified third-party vendor to study approaches to better measure student economic disadvantage in Colorado in addition to or in lieu of using eligibility for the federal school lunch program as a proxy for at-risk students.The act appropriates $100,153 from the general fund to the legislative department to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act defines "backcountry search and rescue" as the utilization, training, and support of responders, with their specialized equipment, to locate, provide assistance to, and remove to safety individuals who are lost, injured, stranded, or entrapped, generally in remote areas of the state. The division of parks and wildlife (division) within the department of natural resources must conduct a study and develop recommendations on the issues related to backcountry search and rescue, including how to develop a sustainable structure for coordination among the local, state, federal, and nonprofit organizations involved in backcountry search and rescue, the adequacy of resources and benefits available to volunteers who provide backcountry search and rescue services, the funding needs for equipment and reimbursement, and the needs for volunteer training and public education. The division must also conduct outreach and training related to the physical and psychological support needs of backcountry search and rescue volunteers, which may include working with consultants, providing programs, or creating a grant program for local governments or nonprofit organizations providing backcountry search and rescue. The act makes conforming amendments related to the definition of "backcountry search and rescue".(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
To fund the program implementation and administration the reintroduction and management of gray wolves, the act requires the general assembly to appropriate money to the division of parks and wildlife (division) or otherwise authorize the division's expenditure of money from one or more of the following funds:The general fund; The species conservation trust fund; The Colorado nongame conservation and wildlife restoration cash fund; or The wildlife cash fund; except that any money within the wildlife cash fund that is generated from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses or from associated federal grants is not available for appropriation. The division is also authorized to solicit, accept, and expend any grants, gifts, sponsorships, contributions, donations, and bequests, including federal funds, for the program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the foster youth in transition program (transition program) in the state department of human services (state department) to be implemented in county departments of human or social services (county departments) throughout the state. The purpose of the transition program is to allow foster youth who meet eligibility criteria to voluntarily continue to receive certain child welfare services (services) up until the last day of the month of the youth's twenty-first birthday, or such greater age of foster care eligibility as required by federal law. Services provided through the transition program must be client-directed and developmentally appropriate as set forth in and agreed to through a voluntary services agreement (agreement) developed and entered into between the youth and county department.The act sets forth the eligibility criteria a youth must meet in order to voluntarily participate in the transition program. A youth who is no longer under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and thinks he or she is eligible for the transition program may make a written request to the juvenile court (court) or county department where the youth resides. The county department shall make a determination of eligibility. If the youth is eligible, the county department shall explain the requirements and benefits of the transition program to the youth and, with the youth, develop an agreement that must be provided to the juvenile court together with a petition to renew jurisdiction with the juvenile court.The act describes the services and supports that will be made available to a youth through the transition program, including assistance with enrolling in medicaid; assistance with securing appropriate housing; and providing case management services, such as developing a roadmap to success, obtaining employment, obtaining critical documents and records, and accessing information about relatives and siblings, if available and appropriate.The act sets forth the form and content required for a petition to bring the youth under the juvenile court's jurisdiction. Upon receipt of informed, written consent of the youth, a person may be named as a special respondent in a case brought pursuant to the transition program.A youth participating in the transition program must be appointed counsel from a list of attorneys approved by the office of the child's representative. If the youth is 18 years of age or older and, due to diminished capacity, needs a guardian ad litem, one may also be appointed.Procedures for emancipation discharge and transition hearings (hearing) are described in the act, including a requirement to have a personalized emancipation transition plan finalized for the youth no more than 90 days prior to a hearing. The county department shall file a report with the court at least 7 days prior to a transition hearing that includes relevant details concerning a youth's status and plans to either emancipate or enter the youth in transition program. With the youth's consent and in certain circumstances, the court may continue a transition hearing for up to 119 days.The court shall hold periodic reviews of the youth's case at least every 6 months to ensure that the transition program is providing the youth with the necessary services to help the youth move toward permanency and a successful transition to adulthood. The act sets forth procedures for the periodic reviews. The act grants continuing jurisdiction in a youth's case to the juvenile court under certain situations.The act creates the foster youth successful transition to adulthood grant program (grant program) and associated advisory board (advisory board). The purpose of the grant program is to support eligible youth to successful transition into adulthood. Youth are eligible for services from recipients of grants from the grant program if they are between the ages of 18 and 23, were in foster care or adjudicated dependent and neglected, and are participating voluntarily. The advisory board shall meet at least 2 times per year, and the act outlines membership.The state department is directed to promulgate rules for the implementation of the transition program.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $510,623 to the department of human services for use by the division of child welfare. This appropriation consists of $408,498 from the general fund and $102,125 from cash funds from local funds. To implement this act, the division may use this appropriation for child welfare services.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $52,392 to the judicial department for use by the office of the child's representative. This appropriation is from the general fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the revenue loss restoration cash fund (fund). The state treasurer is required to transfer $1 billion from the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" cash fund to the fund. This amount is a portion of the money that the state receives from the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery fund that represents the state's revenue loss as calculated under United States department of treasury guidelines.The general assembly may appropriate or transfer money from the fund to a department for the provision of government services, including kindergarten through twelfth grade public education, housing, state employees, asset maintenance, seniors, criminal justice, state parks, agriculture, and transportation infrastructure. On and after January 1, 2022, the general assembly may only appropriate money from the fund through the annual general appropriation act or a supplemental appropriation act. The money in the fund is allocated to be used over the next 3 fiscal years.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the Special Olympics Colorado license plate for motor vehicles. A person qualifies for issuance of the plate if the person makes a donation to a designated nonprofit organization. The designated nonprofit organization must:Be headquartered in Colorado; Have existed for at least 40 years; Provide year-round sports training and athletic competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities; Collaborate with schools throughout Colorado to bring students together through shared activities that include sports, leadership opportunities, and health education and fitness; and Ensure that the donation is spent in Colorado to support athletes with intellectual disabilities. In addition to the normal fees for a license plate, a person must pay 2 additional one-time fees for the issuance of the plate. One of these fees is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other fee is credited to the licensing services cash fund.For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $13,460 for use by the division of motor vehicles to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act repeals a moratorium on changing a ratio for valuation for assessment (assessment rate), which is the percentage applied to a property's actual value to determine the taxable amount upon which a mill levy is imposed and classifies agricultural property, lodging property, and renewable energy production property as new subclasses of nonresidential property for purposes of the valuation for assessment. The assessment rate for agricultural property and renewable energy production property is temporarily reduced from 29% to 26.4% for the next 2 property tax years. The law is restructured so that, if an initiated measure to reduce the assessment rate for nonresidential property is approved by voters, then it would only apply to lodging property.Multi-family residential real property is classified as a new subclass of residential real property. The law is restructured so that, if an initiated measure to reduce the residential assessment rate is approved by voters, then it would only apply to multi-family residential real property. If the initiated measure fails or is not on the ballot, then, the assessment rate for multi-family residential real property is temporarily reduced from 7.15% to 6.8% for the next 2 property tax years. The assessment rate for all residential real property other than multi-family residential real property is temporarily reduced from 7.15% to 6.95% for the next 2 property tax years.The property tax deferral program is expanded to allow any person to defer the payment of the portion of real property taxes that exceed the tax-growth cap, which is an amount equal to the average of the person's real property taxes paid for the preceding 2 property tax years for the same homestead, increased by 4%. The minimum amount a taxpayer may defer at one time under this authorization is $100, and the total taxes that a taxpayer may defer is $10,000. The taxpayer is treated like a person called into military service for purposes of surviving-spouse eligibility and the equity the person must have in the homestead to qualify for a deferral.The governor's office, in consultation with the treasurer, is required to commission a study on the property tax deferral program and make recommendations for possible changes to the general assembly by January 1, 2022.Assessors are required to include information about the assessment rates that apply to the various classes of property, which is prepared by the property tax administrator, along with the notices of valuation that are sent in 2022 or make this information available on the assessor's website.Finally, the act makes conforming amendments related to the new classifications or assessment rates.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)