The bill directs the parks and wildlife commission (commission) to create the grand slam wildlife raffle, which will annually issue one hunting license for each of the following species: Shiras moose; Rocky mountain elk; Mule deer; White-tailed deer; Rocky mountain bighorn sheep; Desert bighorn sheep; Rocky mountain goat; Pronghorn antelope; Black bear; and Mountain lion. Raffle tickets cost $50 each. An individual may purchase up to 25 tickets. One ticket enters the purchaser into the raffle drawing for each of these species, so 10 raffle winners will each be able to hunt one of the big game species in Colorado. The hunting season runs from August 15 through December 31for each of the species except for black bear and mountain lion. The hunting season for black bear is September 2 through December 31 and for mountain lion is August 15 through April 15 of the following year. The proceeds from the sale of tickets are used to administer the raffle, increase the big game population, and create a grant program. The grants will be made to nongovernmental organizations that engage in: Wildlife habitat conservation or restoration; The recruitment of new hunters; or Fostering and protecting the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The grants are made by the grand slam grant committee, which consists of the director of the division of parks and wildlife and 4 members who are big game hunters and each of whom represent one quarter of the state. Procedures and duties are established for the grant committee. Before the end of each year, the grant committee will make a report to the agriculture, livestock, and natural resources committee of the house of representatives and the agriculture, natural resources, and energy committee of the senate. The grant committee may authorize a nonprofit organization to conduct the raffle. The organization may retain up to 5% of the ticket sales to conduct the raffle and to fund projects of its own choosing that benefit wildlife in Colorado. The commission may promulgate rules governing raffle licenses, the conduct of the raffles, record-keeping requirements, the expenditure of proceeds, and any other rules necessary to implement the raffle. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
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When responding to a solicitation issued by the department of transportation (department), contractors are required to secure a bid in the form of a bond. If the contractor can furnish such bond in the required amount, the bill prohibits the department from eliminating the contractor from consideration of an award based on a financial statement that the contractor submitted to the department for the department's contractor prequalification determination process. The bill specifies that the prohibition applies even if the contractor's financial statement submitted for prequalification purposes indicates that the contractor may not be able to perform the applicable contract to the level and amount reflected in the bond. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill gives the executive committee of the legislative council the ability to consider, recommend, and establish policies regarding electronic participation by senators or representatives in committee meetings during the legislative interim. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Section 1 of the bill provides a nonstatutory legislative declaration about the changes in law set forth in section 2 of the bill. Section 2 directs the public utilities commission to adopt rules by which it will evaluate applications filed by Colorado's investor-owned natural gas utilities to acquire interests in natural gas reserves, which at a minimum must establish criteria for asset evaluation and application review and administration; except that an investor-owned utility's costs associated with any approved application may not be recovered through base rates. Section 3 adds a legislative declaration about the Colorado oil and gas commission's notice to operators to require operators in the state to identify and inspect flowlines within one thousand feet of a building unit to ensure and document integrity of flowlines statewide and to verify that any existing flowline that is not in active use be properly abandoned. This section also requires the commission to regularly report progress to the general assembly. Section 4 requires, as part of the electric resource planning process, each qualifying retail utility in Colorado to submit to the public utilities commission a proposal for a distribution resource plan. The section also requires the commission to review the proposal and either approve, modify and approve, or reject the plan for the qualifying retail utility. Section 5 repeals the wind for schools grant program. Section 6 repeals the renewable energy and energy efficiency for schools loan program. Section 7 removes the Colorado energy office's (office) involvement with the forest service and the air quality control commission to support the increased use of woody biomass in bio-heating. Section 8 removes the office's involvement in grants with the Colorado energy research institute for the development of a central resource for building trade professionals. Section 9 : Specifies nuclear and hydroelectric power as a cleaner energy source that the office should promote; Amends the office's requirement to develop and encourage increased utilization of energy curricula, and expands the collaborative groups to include the energy industry and executive departments; Repeals certain programs for which the office is responsible; and Requires the director of the office and the executive director of the department of natural resources, or their designees, to convene stakeholders for one or more meetings before November 1, 2017, to identify voluntary methods to address funding shortfalls associated with the long-term management of abandoned oil and gas facilities. Section 10 renames the clean and renewable energy fund as the energy fund and continues the general fund transfer to the energy fund for 4 years and adds the authority to spend the money in the fund for educating the general public on energy issues and opportunities. Section 11 adds 4 years of funding for the innovative energy fund from the general fund and removes the requirement that the funds used in the innovative energy fund for grants or loans shall be limited to innovative energy efficiency projects and policy development. Section 12 clarifies that the electric vehicle grant fund may be used to offset costs associated with charging stations for electric vehicles. Section 13 repeals the office's authority to submit a proposal for credentialing photovoltaic installers. Section 14 repeals the green building incentive pilot program. Section 15 repeals the 'Colorado Clean Energy Finance Program Act'. Section 16 removes the office's responsibility to maintain a list of solar installers, the requirement for a builder to offer that list to customers, and the requirement for the office to offer training on solar installations. Section 17 removes a requirement for a 2018 study by the office on alternative fuel truck emissions. Section 18 removes an obsolete section of law pertaining to a computer system for tracking the movement of gasoline or special fuel in the state. Section 19 removes the office as the administrator of the Colorado carbon fund special license plate. Section 20 increases the registration fee on electric motor vehicles and the portion of the fee that is earmarked for the highway users tax fund to offset the reduced gas tax collected as a result of the vehicle's increased efficiency. Current law authorizes a homeowner to finance certain energy efficiency improvements to the home through a loan pursuant to the property assessed clean energy program (PACE). PACE requires an applicant to file a title commitment on the home and a hearing must be held in order to seek a voluntary subordination of existing liens to PACE's junior lien. Sections 21 through 24 exempt a homeowner from the title commitment and hearing requirements if the owner is not seeking to subordinate the priority of existing liens and clarifies that housing authorities can use PACE as a completely voluntary assessment. Sections 25 and 26 make conforming amendments.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill specifies that on and after July 1, 2018, the use of any north interstate highway 25 express lane that is operated or managed by the high-performance transportation enterprise or by a partner of the transportation enterprise under the terms of a public-private partnership is free for any motor vehicle that is occupied by 2 or more individuals, including the driver.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Current law requires engineering plans involving excavation to include only general information about the location of underground facilities, and the excavator is the party with the duty to seek specific information about these facilities' locations. The bill requires: Engineering plans involving excavation to include specific information about the location of underground facilities; Engineers to use their official stamps on the plans; and The stamped plans to be given to the person who will conduct the excavation.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Currently, the members of the Colorado wine industry development board are limited to serving one 4-year term. The bill allows a member to serve 2 full 4-year terms. Members may also continue to serve after the expiration of their terms until the appointment of a successor. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Under current law, the decisions or actions of the ground water commission (commission) or the state engineer regarding groundwater are appealed to a district court, and the evidence that the district court may consider is not limited to the evidence that was presented to the commission or state engineer. Therefore, unlike appeals from other state agencies' decisions or actions under the 'State Administrative Procedure Act', a party appealing a decision or action of the commission or state engineer may present new evidence on appeal that was never considered by the commission or state engineer. The bill limits the evidence that a district court may consider, when reviewing a decision or action of the commission or state engineer on appeal, to the evidence presented to the commission or state engineer. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill gives a federal mineral lease district (district) the option, but not the obligation, to invest a portion of the funding it receives from the local government mineral impact fund in a fund. Current law requires the district to distribute the funding to impacted areas in the district, but also allows the district to reserve all or a portion of the funding for use in subsequent years. The bill specifies that the district may appropriate and disburse any part of the invested funding and all sums in excess thereof, including interest, dividends, or similar appreciated values, but specifies that the district shall do so only upon the enactment of a resolution identifying the reason for the appropriation and disbursement. The bill specifies that the district may invest the funding subject to the district's investment policy and in any investment in which the board of trustees of the public employees' retirement association may invest the funds of the association, which are the same investments in which the state treasurer is authorized to invest the local government permanent fund, which is comprised of 50% of the federal mineral lease bonus payments. The bill allows the board of directors to engage the services of investment advisors, but specifies that the selection of investment advisors must be made following an open and competitive process. The bill also requires the district to adopt an investment policy resolution that must be reviewed annually and must include: An acknowledgment of the board of director's fiduciary responsibility with respect to oversight of the district's investment policy; Performance benchmarks for all investments and for all investment advisors who may be hired by the board of directors; A requirement for the preparation and publication of annual financial statements that must include, at a minimum, information regarding starting balances, contributions, investment income, and losses, if any, and any investment fees incurred; Careful consideration of investment fees or other brokerage costs which might reduce investment returns; and A requirement that the board of directors annually review the investments and annually set appropriations to be included in the trust fund.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)