Sen. Paul Lundeen

Sex offenses - sexual contact definitions. The act adds the following conduct to the definition of sexual contact for the purposes of defining sex crimes: The knowing emission or ejaculation of seminal fluid onto any body part of the victim or the clothing covering any body part of the victim; and Knowingly causing semen, blood, urine, feces, or a bodily substance to contact any body part of the victim or the clothing covering any body part of the victim if that contact is for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Educator licensing - nonpublic school educator licensing programs. Under the act, nonpublic schools are permitted to operate induction programs for teachers, special services providers, principals, and administrators and alternative licensure programs for teachers and principals who do not hold professional licenses.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

School district board of education - specific powers - sale and conveyance of district property - use restrictions. A board of education of a school district may include a use restriction on the sale, conveyance, lease, or rental of any district property that restricts the property from being used as a public or nonpublic school for any grade from preschool through the 12th grade only after providing public notice of its intent to include such restriction and after discussing the issue in public at a regularly scheduled meeting of the board of education of the school district.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

School district capital construction assistance program - grants to support career and technical education. The act amends the "Building Excellent Schools Today Act" to allow the public school capital construction assistance board (board) to provide grants to support career and technical education capital construction, which is defined as: New construction or retrofitting of public school facilities for certain career and technical education programs; and Equipment necessary for individual student learning and classroom instruction, including equipment that provides access to instructional materials or that is necessary for professional use by a classroom teacher. The act requires the board to report annually to the capital development committee and to the education and finance committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or to any successor committees, concerning the issuance and denial of career and technical education capital construction grants during the preceding year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

The bill prohibits the department of transportation (CDOT) or any enterprise of CDOT from constructing or designating a managed lane on a state highway unless: CDOT or the enterprise, taking safety, productivity, and public cost considerations into account, considering multiple highway configuration options and both managed lane options that include tolling and managed lane options that do not include tolling, and balancing any safety impacts against the productivity and other benefits of capacity expansion and congestion relief, has thoroughly evaluated specified alternative means of increasing the capacity of and reducing traffic congestion on the state highway; CDOT or the enterprise has published detailed written, data-based findings that clearly establish that when compared to the addition of one or more managed lanes all of the alternatives evaluated are unfeasible or too unsafe to be implemented or would not provide adequate capacity expansion and congestion relief; and CDOT has complied with new requirements of the bill that it prepare and make readily available to the public on its website a written report of the results of its public outreach efforts relating to the managed lane and annually summarize the report for the transportation and local government committee of the house of representatives and the transportation and energy committee of the senate. "Managed lane" is defined to include a toll lane, a high occupancy toll lane, or a high occupancy vehicle lane. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More

The bill creates the literacy enrichment scholarship program (program) for students in kindergarten or grades one through 3 who are identified as having a significant reading deficiency. The scholarship amount is limited to $500 per student per year and may be used by the student's parent to purchase literacy enrichment products and services for the student. The department of education (department) must implement the program by contracting with a nonprofit entity to administer distribution of the scholarship money. The administering entity will accept applications and confirm that the applying student and his or her parents meet the eligibility requirements. The administering entity will then notify the department, and the department will forward the scholarship amount for the eligible student to the administering entity, which will deposit the money in the eligible student's account. The administering entity must establish a money transfer service by which the parent of an eligible student may withdraw money from the account. A parent may use the scholarship money only for literacy enrichment purposes and may not accept payments from literacy enrichment providers. The bill specifies procedures for enforcing these requirements. By January 31, 2023, the department must evaluate whether the program is successful in assisting students to improve literacy skills. The department must submit the evaluation to the state board of education and the education committees of the general assembly. The general assembly will appropriate money annually for the program to the literacy enrichment scholarship fund, which is created in the bill. The program is repealed, effective July 1, 2025. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More

The bill creates the highly effective teacher bonus program to provide money to school districts, boards of cooperative services that operate public schools, and charter schools (local education providers) to pay bonuses to teachers who are rated as highly effective and to provide monetary incentives to recruit highly effective teachers. The department of education (department) will distribute the money to each local education provider based on a formula that takes into account the number of teachers employed by the local education provider. Each local education provider must submit a report concerning its use of the money to the department, and the department must provide a summary of the reports to the state board of education and the education committees of the general assembly.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More

Section 1 of the bill amends the definitions of key terms such as "gambling", "prize", and "simulated gambling device" as used in the criminal statutes governing simulated gambling devices. "Prize" is subject to a de minimis exemption for a ticket or coupon redeemable for specified goods of nominal value, and "simulated gambling device" is defined to include devices that combine the elements of chance and skill, in accordance with the state constitution. Section 2 specifies that unlawful offering of a simulated gambling device occurs if a person receives payment indirectly or in a nonmonetary form for use of a simulated gambling device, and that the time of payment (i.e., before or after use of the device) is irrelevant.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

The bill changes the name of the crime computer crime to cybercrime. The bill makes soliciting, arranging, or offering to arrange a situation in which a minor may engage in prostitution, by means of using a computer, computer network, computer system, or any part thereof, a cybercrime. The bill makes stealing the information from a credit card magnetic strip or placing different information on a credit card magnetic strip without permission and with the intent to defraud a cybercrime. The bill makes changes to the penalty structure for cybercrime. The bill makes conforming amendments. The bill appropriates from the general fund to the department of corrections: For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, twenty-two thousand seventy-two dollars; For the 2020-21 state fiscal year, thirty-four thousand six hundred seventy-seven dollars; For the 2021-22 state fiscal year, thirty-nine thousand three hundred thirty-four dollars; and For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, thirty-nine thousand three hundred thirty-four dollars.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

The bill requires school districts, district charter schools, institute charter schools, and boards of cooperative services (local education providers) to notify parents of students enrolled in a local education provider of charges brought against an employee or former employee, if the employee was employed at any time within 12 months before an offense is charged, who has or had contact with students, if the charges are for one of the felony offenses that requires the denial, suspension, or revocation of a teacher license if the employee were a teacher. The bill specifies the students whose parents must receive notification and the information that a local education provider shall include in the parent notification. The local education provider shall notify parents by mail or electronic means within 2 school days after the employee has had or has waived a preliminary hearing, if available, on the charge unless the appropriate law enforcement agency requests a delay in notification. If notice is sent to parents, the local education provider shall also send notice within 2 school days to the same parents in the same manner regarding the disposition of the charges. Each local education provider shall monitor employee arrest information received from the Colorado bureau of investigation to determine whether charges are filed and the status of the preliminary hearing. The bill prohibits the state board of education from waiving the requirements of the bill relating to parent notification for school districts or for charter schools authorized by a school district or by the state charter school institute. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More