The act changes the amount of civil penalties that may be levied on commercial motor carriers for failure to comply with rules for the safe operation of commercial vehicles by tying the amount of civil penalties to the amount of federal civil penalties for interstate commercial motor carriers. If a motor carrier fails to pay civil penalties within 30 days or to cooperate with the completion of a safety compliance review within 30 days, the act authorizes the department of revenue to both enter the noncompliant motor carrier and its vehicles as out-of-service in the federal motor carrier safety administration system of record and cancel or deny registration to the noncompliant motor carrier. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $61,110 to the department of revenue from the DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund to implement this act, of which $8,910 is reappropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology to provide services to the department of revenue. APPROVED by Governor May 12, 2023 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE April 30, 2024 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die; except that, section 42-4-235 (2)(d)(I)(B) and section 42-3-120 (3)(a)(II) take effect April 30, 2024. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies in its sunset review and report on the state noxious weed advisory committee. The act continues the noxious weed advisory committee until September 1, 2034. APPROVED by Governor May 1, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
On July 1, 2023, the state treasurer is required to transfer $10 million from the severance tax operational fund to the capital construction fund. The money is to be used by state-supported institutions of higher education in energy impacted counties for energy-related programs or projects. For fiscal year 2023-24, the act appropriates $6 million from the capital construction fund and $3,108,609 in cash funds from Colorado Mesa university institutional reserves and donations to expand the university's campus-wide geothermal exchange system. For fiscal year 2023-24, the act appropriates $4 million to Western Colorado university to provide additional teaching and laboratory space for the university's petroleum geology program and to generally allow for the expansion of the natural and environmental sciences department. APPROVED by Governor April 28, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 28, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act extends the duration of internships under the agricultural workforce development program from up to 6 months to up to one year. The act also extends the repeal date of the program by 5 years, to July 1, 2029. APPROVED by Governor April 25, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 25, 2023(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates an additional exception to the general prohibition on advance payment in the state's fiscal rule by directing the controller to promulgate rules providing for advance payment for the purchase of state agricultural products by a charitable food organization using state grant money. APPROVED by Governor March 31, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires public and private higher education institutions to print Colorado and national crisis and suicide prevention contact information on student identification cards. If an institution does not use student identification cards, the act requires the school to distribute Colorado and national crisis and suicide prevention contact information to the student body each semester or trimester. APPROVED by Governor March 17, 2023 EFFECTIVE March 17, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The school access for emergency response (SAFER) grant program is scheduled to repeal on July 1, 2024. The bill extends the SAFER grant program for 5 years, until July 1, 2029, and clarifies when the state treasurer is required to transfer unexpended money from the SAFER grant program's cash fund when the grant program is repealed. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act changes current state law to align with the federal "No Surprises Act" (federal act) by: Allowing a covered person who requests an independent external review of a health-care coverage decision to request a review to determine if the services that were provided or may be provided by an out-of-network provider or facility are subject to an in-network benefit level of coverage; Requiring that payments made for health-care services provided at an in-network facility or by an out-of-network provider be applied to the covered person's in-network deductible and any out-of-pocket maximum amounts as if the services were provided by an in-network provider; Requiring that emergency health-care services, regardless of the facility at which they are provided, be covered at the in-network benefit level; Requiring each health insurance carrier (carrier) to cover post-stabilization services to stabilize a patient after a medical emergency at the in-network benefit level; Requiring carriers to develop disclosures to provide to covered persons that comply with the act; Requiring the commissioner of insurance (commissioner) and certain regulators of health-care occupations to adopt rules concerning disclosure requirements, including a list of ancillary services for which a provider or facility cannot charge a balance bill; Requiring the commissioner to convene a work group to facilitate and streamline the implementation of the payment of claims for services provided by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility and for services surrounding a medical emergency; Prohibiting a carrier from recalculating a covered person's cost-sharing amount based on an additional payment made as a result of arbitration; Requiring the parties to an arbitration over health-care coverage to split the costs of the arbitrator if the parties reach an agreement before the final decision of the arbitrator; Authorizing the commissioner to promulgate rules to implement the requirements of the act, including rules necessary to implement the requirements of the federal act; Changing the amount of time that a managed care plan must allow a person to continue to receive care from a provider from 60 after the date an in-network provider is terminated from a plan without cause to up to 90 days after a carrier provides notice that the contract is terminated; Implementing specific requirements for health-care coverage and services for covered persons who are continuing care patients of a provider or facility whose contract with the patient's health insurer is terminated; Authorizing the regulator of health-care providers, in consultation with the commissioner, to adopt rules concerning consumer disclosures; Allowing an out-of-network provider and an out-of-network facility to charge a covered person a balance bill for health-care services other than ancillary services if the out-of-network provider complies with specific notice requirements and obtains the covered person's signed consent; and Requiring a carrier offering an individual health benefit plan or short-term limited duration health insurance policy to make consumer disclosures. The act changes from January 1 to March 1 the date by which a carrier is required to submit information to the commissioner concerning the use of out-of-network providers and out-of-network facilities and the impact on health insurance premiums for consumers. $233,018 is appropriated from the division of insurance cash fund to the department of regulatory agencies for use in the 2022-23 state fiscal year for personal services, operating expenses, and to purchase legal services, and of that amount, $88,713 is reappropriated to the department of law to provide legal services for the department of regulatory agencies. $7,506 is appropriated from the health facilities general licensure cash fund to the department of public health and environment for use in the 2022-23 state fiscal year by health facilities and emergency medical services division to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)