Counties and municipalities are currently required to adopt and enforce certain energy efficient building codes concurrently with the updating of their existing building codes or, before July 1, 2023 only, concurrently with either the adoption or updating of their building codes. Counties and municipalities must adopt and enforce these specified model energy codes within particular time frames. A rural county, which is defined as a county with a population of less than 30,000 people, is permitted to adopt a less current model code if it has applied for and not been awarded a grant that significantly assists with energy code adoption and enforcement training. Section 1 of the bill extends the compliance periods for adoption and enforcement of the model energy codes by a rural county as follows: An energy code that achieves equivalent or better energy performance than the 2021 international energy conservation code and the model electric ready and solar ready code language developed by the energy board is not required prior to July 1, 2030, instead of being required concurrently with any county code building code update occurring on or after July 1, 2023, and before July 1, 2026; An energy code that achieves equivalent or better energy and carbon emissions performance than the model low energy and carbon code developed by the energy board is not required prior to July 1, 2032, instead of being required concurrently with any county code building code update occurring on or after July 1, 2026; and An energy code that achieves equivalent or better energy performance than one of the 3 most recent editions of the international energy conservation code is not required prior to July 1, 2025, instead of being required concurrently with any county code building code adoption or update occurring before July 1, 2023. Section 2 defines a rural municipality as a municipality with a population of less than 10,000 people and extends the compliance periods for adoption and enforcement of the model energy codes in an identical manner to that outlined above for rural counties. The bill adds language allowing a rural municipality to adopt a less current model code if it has applied for and not been awarded a grant that significantly assists with energy code adoption and enforcement training.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee. The bill creates a task force to study the feasibility of implementing water storage in the form of snow in high-altitude areas of the state (task force). The task force must submit a report to the water resources and agriculture review committee on or before June 1, 2024, which report: Describes the feasibility of implementing high-altitude water storage in Colorado; Describes findings and recommendations regarding issues considered by the task force; and Describes any legislative proposals associated with the implementation of high-altitude water storage in Colorado, including identification of any state agencies that will be responsible for implementing legislative directives and identification of funding sources. The task force is repealed, effective December 1, 2024. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The act creates a peer health assistance program (program) for dental hygienists to assist dental hygienists with physical, emotional, or psychological problems that may be detrimental to the dental hygienist's ability to practice dental hygiene. The program is funded by an annual $15 fee each dental hygienist is required to pay upon initial licensure and upon reinstatement or renewal of the dental hygienist's license. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the behavioral health administration (BHA) in the department of human services (department) to create and implement a behavioral health-care provider workforce plan on or before September 1, 2022. The plan must: Include recruitment methods to increase and diversify the behavioral health-care provider workforce; Require the BHA to partner with the department of higher education to better prepare the future behavioral health-care provider workforce for public sector service, to develop paid job shadowing and internship opportunities, and to develop partnerships with learning facilities and training centers; Include strategies for the BHA to work with community colleges and other institutions of higher education to recruit residents of health professional shortage areas, with the goal of educating these individuals in behavioral health-care fields so that they will return to practice in areas of need; In collaboration with institutions of higher education, the community college system, the department of higher education, and the work force development council, create a new program to help behavioral health-care providers advance in their respective fields; Require the BHA to expand the peer support professional workforce; Include proposals to work with law enforcement organizations to cross-train first responders in behavioral health, increase cultural competencies, and reduce the stigma of receiving mental health services; and Through an interagency agreement with other state agencies, raise awareness among health-care providers concerning opportunities to invest in and strengthen their behavioral health-care staff. The act requires the division of professions and occupations in the department of regulatory agencies (DORA) to make recommendations to expand the portability of existing credentialing requirements and behavioral health-care practice through telehealth. The act requires the BHA to: In collaboration with DORA, establish workforce standards that strengthen the behavioral health-care provider workforce and increase opportunities for unlicensed behavioral health-care providers; Work with other state agencies to reduce the administrative burden across agencies to ensure behavioral health-care providers have additional time to focus on patient care; Collaborate with other state agencies on behavioral health-care issues; Use the learning management system to develop and implement a comprehensive, collaborative, and cross-system training certification and training curriculum of evidence-based treatment and evidence-based criminal justice approaches for behavioral health-care providers working in programs to obtain a criminal justice treatment provider endorsement; and Develop methods to strengthen Colorado's current behavioral health-care provider workforce. In 2023 and 2024, the department is required to provide an overview of the BHA's progress toward addressing the behavioral health-care provider workforce shortage during the hearings held prior to the regular session of the general assembly under the "SMART Act". On or before January 1, 2023, and January 1, 2024, the community college system is required to submit a report to the BHA that includes a summary of the behavioral health career pathway and it implementation. Pursuant to the relief authorized by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, for the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act, appropriates the following amounts from the behavioral and mental health cash fund for the purposes of the act: $36,806,984 to the department for use by the BHA; $20,000,000 to the department of public health and environment for use by the primary care office to provide loan repayment and scholarships for behavioral health-care providers and candidates for licensure who are participating in the Colorado health service corps; and $15,193,018 to the department of higher education.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the Colorado rare disease advisory council (council) in the department of public health and environment (department) to inform state agencies, the public, and the legislature about rare diseases and make recommendations concerning the needs of Coloradans living with rare diseases and their medical providers and caregivers. The council consists of 12 voting members and one nonvoting member representing the office of health equity in the department. The council's 12 voting members include, in part, a researcher, a geneticist, a physician, a professional nurse, a pharmacist, persons living with a rare disease, the parent of a child diagnosed with a rare disease, and representatives of the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry and of a health insurer. Members of the council are appointed by the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives and the president and minority leader of the senate. The appointing authorities shall make initial appointments to the council by October 1, 2022. The act specifies the powers of the council and the activities that the council must perform. The activities include, in part: Convening public meetings and soliciting public comment to assist with a state survey of the needs of individuals in the state living with rare diseases; Consulting with experts and developing policy recommendations to improve access to rare disease specialists, clinical trials, timely treatment, and affordable and comprehensive health care; Educating and making recommendations to state agencies and health insurers concerning issues relating to utilization management procedures for treatment of patients with rare diseases; Researching and identifying best practices regarding continuity of care for patients who transition from pediatric to adult care; and Establishing a publicly accessible web page or website to include research, diagnosis, treatment, and other educational materials for providers and patients relating to rare diseases. Unless the council determines that a facilitator is not needed, the council shall contract with a facilitator to provide assistance to the council in carrying out the council's activities. The facilitator's activities may include, in part, conducting meetings, organizing the work of the council, conducting research on issues addressed by the council, conducting public outreach and soliciting expert and public feedback, and publicizing council recommendations. The council and the facilitator may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, and donations for the council's activities. The general assembly may appropriate money for the council. The act includes provisions for council meetings, including the number of meetings, notice to the public, and requirements regarding open meetings and public access to council records. The council shall submit an initial report 12 months after the council is established and then report annually to the governor and the health committees of the general assembly concerning the council's activities, funding, and recommendations addressing the needs of people living with rare diseases. The council repeals September 1, 2032, unless extended through the sunset process. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $80,567 from the general fund to the department for administration and support to the council. The appropriation is based on the assumption that the department will require and additional 0.4 FTE. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the Colorado water conservation board (board) to develop a statewide program to provide financial incentives for the voluntary replacement of irrigated turf with water-wise landscaping (turf replacement program). The act defines water-wise landscaping as a water- and plant-management practice that emphasizes using plants with lower water needs. Local governments, certain districts, Native American tribes, and nonprofit organizations with their own turf replacement programs may apply to the board for money to help finance their turf replacement programs. The board will contract with one or more third parties to administer one or more turf replacement programs in areas where local turf replacement programs do not exist. The state treasurer is required to transfer $2 million from the general fund to the turf replacement fund, which fund is created to finance the turf replacement program. The money is appropriated to the department of natural resources for use by the board to implement the turf replacement program, with $11,400 of the money reappropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology to provide information technology services to the department of natural resources. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
On September 1, 2022, the state treasurer is required transfer to the capitol complex renovation fund (fund) any amounts credited to state agency capital reserve accounts on June 30, 2022, for annual depreciation-lease equivalent payments that are funded in connection with every appropriation in the capital construction section of the annual general appropriation act. For the 2022-23 fiscal year through the 2028-29 fiscal year, the state controller is required to credit the annual depreciation-lease equivalent payments to the fund rather than to the state agency capital reserve accounts. Each state agency that terminates a lease for private space is required to calculate the annual reduction in its costs for leased space. Beginning in the 2023-24 fiscal year, the general assembly is required to annually transfer an amount equal to each state agency's annual reduction in lease costs to the capital construction fund. Such transfers continue until the state treasurer determines that the amount transferred to the capital construction fund from lease savings equals the amount transferred to the fund from the annual depreciation-lease equivalent payments. The capitol complex renovation fund is created, and the money in the fund is appropriated to the department of personnel for certain capital construction needs for existing state-owned buildings in the capitol complex. Up to $23 million of the money in the fund is set aside for use by the legislative department for improvements to legislative spaces in the capitol complex. The department of personnel is required to submit a quarterly report to the capital development committee regarding the status of the capitol complex renovations funded with money in the fund. Any unexpended and unencumbered money appropriated to a department in a specific line item for utilities in a fiscal year remains available for expenditure in the next fiscal year without further appropriation for the department to purchase utilities conservation equipment or services. $18,600,000 is transferred from the capitol complex master plan implementation fund to the fund. Two floors of the capitol building annex at 1375 Sherman street are included in the spaces over which the general assembly has control and for which the general assembly is responsible for the supervision of maintenance. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, $26,721,314 is appropriated to the department of personnel from the fund. The department may use the appropriation for capital construction related to capitol complex renovation projects pursuant to the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (department), as specified in the department's sunset review of the state board of optometry (board), with modifications, by: Continuing the board and the regulation of optometry for 11 years, until September 1, 2033; Adding certain treatments and procedures to the scope of the practice of optometry; Removing the exemption for optometrists from the requirement to notify the board in the event that the optometrist is unable to treat patients with reasonable skill and safety; Removing references to the "National Board of Examiners in Optometry" and clarifying that the board may designate any national standardized examination that tests the applicant's ability to practice optometry as a requirement for licensure; and Requiring an optometrist licensed by the board to complete certain education, examination, and reporting requirements to perform laser procedures or treat ocular adnexa.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act specifies that if property encumbered by a conservation easement in gross is condemned through an eminent domain proceeding, and, as a result of the condemnation, the condemning authority is acquiring such property free and clear of the conservation easement interest or subordinating the deed of conservation easement to such acquired property interest, just compensation must be determined based on the value of the property as if unencumbered by the conservation easement in gross. The compensation must be allocated between the fee owner and the holder of the conservation easement based upon the value of their respective interests in the property. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act establishes the wildfire mitigation resources and best practices grant program (grant program) within the Colorado state forest service (forest service). To be eligible to receive a grant, a recipient must be an agency of local government, a county, a municipality, a special district, a tribal agency or program, or a nonprofit organization. The forest service is tasked with reviewing grant applications. Grants must be awarded only to applicants proposing to conduct outreach among landowners in high wildfire hazard areas, and the forest service must consider the potential impact of an applicant's proposed outreach when awarding grants. The forest service must report to the wildfire matters review committee on the grant program. Commencing no later than the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act requires the general assembly to annually appropriate money from the general fund to the healthy forests and vibrant communities fund to implement the grant program. The act extends the existing income tax deduction created to offset the landowner's costs incurred in performing wildfire mitigation measures, currently set to expire with the 2024 income tax year, through the 2025 income tax year. The act also creates a state income tax credit to reimburse a landowner for the costs incurred in performing wildfire mitigation measures on the landowner's property. Specifically, a landowner with a federal taxable income at or below $120,000, annually adjusted for inflation and rounded to the nearest hundred dollars, for any income tax year commencing on or after January 1, 2023, but prior to January 1, 2026, is allowed a state income tax credit in an amount equal to 25% of up to $2,500 in costs for wildfire mitigation measures. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)