Section 1 of the act establishes a category of local government: A transit-oriented community. As defined in the act, a transit-oriented community is either a local government that: Is either entirely or partially within a metropolitan planning organization; Has a population of 4,000 or more; and Contains at least 75 acres of certain transit-related areas; or If the local government is a county, contains either a part of: A transit station area that is both in an unincorporated part of the county and within one-half mile of a station that serves a commuter rail service or light rail service; or A transit corridor area that both is in an unincorporated part of the county and is fully encompassed by one or more municipalities. The act requires a transit-oriented community to meet its housing opportunity goal. A housing opportunity goal is a zoning capacity goal determined based on an average zoned housing density of 40 dwelling units per acre multiplied by the number of acres of transit-related areas within a transit-oriented community. On or before September 30, 2024, the department of local affairs (department) shall develop a map that identifies the transit-related areas necessary for the calculation of a housing opportunity goal and the various reports required by the act. To accomplish its housing opportunity goal, a transit-oriented community shall ensure that the zoning capacity within certain areas of the transit-oriented community meets or exceeds the transit-oriented community's housing opportunity goal. The main category of area that the act requires a transit-oriented community to increase the zoning capacity of to meet the transit-oriented community's housing opportunity goal is a transit center. In order to qualify as a transit center, an area must: Be composed of zoning districts that uniformly allow a net housing density of at least 15 units per acre; Identify the effective net housing density for the area by accounting for dimensional or other restrictions used to regulate density in the area, accounting for minimum parking requirements, and assuming an average housing unit size; Not include any area where local law exclusively restricts housing occupancy based on age or other factors; Have an administrative approval process for multifamily residential property development on parcels that are 5 acres or less in size; and Be located wholly or partially within a transit area or optional transit area and not extend more than one-quarter mile from the edge of a transit area or optional transit area. In addition to designating an area as a transit center for purposes of meeting a housing opportunity goal, the act allows local governments to designate areas as neighborhood centers for that purpose. The act requires transit-oriented communities to submit a series of reports to the department regarding the calculation, satisfaction, and implementation of a transit-oriented community's housing opportunity goal. The act requires a transit-oriented community to submit the following to the department: On or before June 30, 2025, a preliminary transit-oriented community assessment report to the department that includes the transit-oriented community's housing opportunity goal, the data and method used to calculate that housing opportunity goal, and the areas within the transit-oriented community that may need to be zoned to accomplish that housing opportunity goal; On or before December 31, 2026, an identification of the affordability strategies from the standard and long-term affordability strategies menus in the act that the transit-oriented community will implement; On or before December 31, 2026, an identification of the displacement mitigation strategies from the long-term displacement mitigation strategies menus in the act that the transit-oriented community will implement; and On or before December 31, 2026, a housing opportunity goal report for the department's review and approval that demonstrates that the transit-oriented community has met its housing opportunity goal and complied with the affordability and displacement mitigation requirements of the act. Additionally, on or before December 31, 2026, a transit-oriented community may notify the department that the transit-oriented community has an insufficient water supply to accomplish its housing opportunity goal, and the transit-oriented community may make a corresponding request for the department to modify the transit-oriented community's housing opportunity goal. If the department approves a transit-oriented community's housing opportunity goal report on or before December 31, 2027, the department shall designate the transit-oriented community as a certified transit-oriented community. A certified transit-oriented community is the only eligible entity for the transit-oriented communities infrastructure fund grant program (grant program) created within the department. The purpose of the grant program is to assist transit-oriented communities in upgrading infrastructure within transit centers and neighborhood centers. In administering the grant program, the department shall prioritize grant applicants based on the information in the reports described in the act. Grants from the grant program are awarded from money in the transit-oriented communities infrastructure fund (fund). The fund consists of gifts, grants, and donations along with money that the general assembly may appropriate or transfer to the fund and money in the account described in the act. The fund is continuously appropriated. On July 1, 2024, the state treasurer shall transfer $35 million from the general fund to the fund. Section 2 prohibits a planned unit development resolution or ordinance that is adopted on or after the effective date of the act and that applies within a transit center or neighborhood center from restricting the development of housing more than the local law that applies to that transit center or neighborhood center. Section 3 requires a local government, when requiring a real property owner to dedicate real property to the public, to provide a private property owner the option of paying a fee, rather than dedicating the private real property to the public, if the real property does not meet local government standards for dedication. Section 4 makes any restriction by a unit owners' association within a transit center or neighborhood center on the development of housing that is adopted on or after the effective date of the act and is beyond the local law that applies to that transit center or neighborhood center void as a matter of public policy. Section 5 requires the department of transportation to conduct a study that identifies both: Policy barriers and opportunities within the department of transportation including an examination of policies within the state access code, roadway design standards, and the treatment of pedestrian and bicycle crossings. The study must examine the impact of these policies on neighborhood centers and transit centers; and The portions of state highway that pass through locally-identified transit centers and neighborhood centers that are appropriate for context-sensitive design, complete streets. In addition to the $35 million appropriated to the fund, section 7 makes 2 appropriations. First, section 7 appropriates $183,138 to the governor for use by the Colorado energy office to implement the act. Second, section 7 appropriates $70,000 to the governor for use by the office of information technology to provide information services for the department. APPROVED by Governor May 13, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 13, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The General Assembly enacted House Bill 24-1421, a state fiscal year 2024-25 budget package bill that modified funding for certain grant programs administered by the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety, with a safety clause but without a specified effective date, making the bill take effect before the end of state fiscal year 2023-24. However, to avoid a temporary lapse in spending authority from multiple cash funds during state fiscal year 2023-24 while preserving its own timely implementation, House Bill 24-1421 needed to instead take effect on July 1, 2024, the first day of state fiscal year 2024-25. The act amends the Session Laws of Colorado to add a July 1, 2024, effective date clause to House Bill 24-1421 and thereby mitigate this problem. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 10, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025, but before January 1, 2035, section 1 of the act creates a refundable state income tax credit (tax credit) that an employer may claim if the employer employs an apprentice for at least 6 months during an income tax year and either has a registered apprenticeship program or is an employer-partner of a registered apprenticeship program. The amount of the tax credit is up to $6,300 for 6 months of employment plus up to $1,050 for each additional month of employment, for a maximum of up to $12,600 per apprentice per income tax year. An employer may not claim a credit for: More than 10 apprentices per income tax year; The same apprentice for more than 24 consecutive months; and An apprentice for months when the apprentice did not receive wages from the employer. To claim a tax credit, an employer must submit an application for the reservation of the tax credit and an application to receive an income tax credit certificate to the state apprenticeship agency (SAA) in the department of labor and employment (department). The SAA shall review the applications for specified criteria to determine whether the employer qualifies for the tax credit and tax credit certificate. An employer issued a tax credit certificate must file the certificate with the employer's state income tax return. The SAA is required to submit certain information and reports, as applicable, regarding the tax credit to the state auditor and the department of revenue. The SAA must also conduct outreach and provide technical assistance to small businesses concerning awareness of and application for the tax credit. Section 2 ends the state income tax credit for qualified investments made in a qualified school-to-career program for income tax years after December 31, 2024. Section 4 creates the scale-up grant program in the department to start new registered apprenticeship programs or expand existing programs in Colorado. The scale-up grant program awards grants from the money in the scale-up grant fund, which is created in the act. Eligible grant recipients include employers or entities that operate an apprenticeship program and that: Plan to develop and register a new registered apprenticeship program; or Currently offer a registered apprenticeship program and plan to expand it. The act requires the department to collect specified data regarding the scale-up grant program and submit a report to specified committees of the general assembly. Section 4 also creates the qualified apprenticeship intermediary grant program in the department to support entities that demonstrate expertise in connecting employers or apprenticeship program participants to registered apprenticeship programs or in convening stakeholders to develop registered apprenticeship programs. The SAA must post a list of the types of entities eligible to apply to the grant program on the SAA's website. The qualified apprenticeship intermediary grant program awards grants from the money in the qualified apprenticeship intermediary grant fund, which is created in the act. An eligible grant recipient must be a qualified apprenticeship intermediary. The act requires the department to collect specified data regarding the qualified apprenticeship intermediary grant program and submit a report to specified committees of the general assembly. On July 1, 2024, the state treasurer shall transfer from the general fund $2 million to the scale-up grant fund and $2 million to the qualified apprenticeship intermediary grant fund. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the following amounts are appropriated to the department for use by the office of future of work to implement the act: $103,515 from the general fund; $666,666 from the scale-up grant fund; and $666,667 from the qualified apprenticeship intermediary grant fund. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 10, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act removes an automatic repeal to permit businesses licensed to sell alcohol beverages at retail by the drink to deliver these beverages or to allow the customer to take these beverages from the licensed premises after July 1, 2025. A hotel and restaurant licensee or tavern licensee is prohibited from allowing takeout and delivery of alcohol beverages in a sealed manufacturer's container without the assistance of the license holder's employee, unless the license holder is a lodging establishment. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The length of the bill summary for this bill requires it to be published on a separate page here: https://leg.colorado.gov/hb24-1030-bill-summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires the department of higher education (department) and higher education institutions to develop a framework for evaluating the quality of nondegree credentials. The act formally recognizes the resulting quality and in-demand nondegree credentials framework (framework) as the primary tool for assessing the quality of nondegree credentials offered in the state. The act requires the department to collaborate with various agencies to ensure the effective integration of the framework within the state's education and workforce systems. Beginning January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the act requires the department to evaluate nondegree credentials offered through state-recognized programs to ensure the credentials meet the framework's quality standards. Beginning January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the department shall supply a list of nondegree credential programs that meet the framework's quality standards for inclusion in the Colorado talent report and in a credential registry endorsed by the state. The department shall engage state agencies, educational institutions, international organizations, industry associations, and other stakeholders to study and make recommendations about the adoption of the international standard classification of education (ISCED) as the state's standard framework for classifying nondegree credentials and ISCED's wider application in the state's education and workforce systems. The recommendations must include a process for assigning ISCED equivalency levels to nondegree credentials included in stackable credential pathways and apprenticeship programs. The act requires the department to report its findings and recommendations on or before July 31, 2025. Current law requires the department to create stackable credential pathways in growing industries. The act requires the department to assign appropriate ISCED equivalency levels to the stackable credential pathways on or before July 31, 2025. Beginning January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the act requires the office of future of work to coordinate with various agencies to determine ISCED equivalency levels for each apprenticeship program registered on and after July 31, 2025. The office of future of work shall then determine ISCED equivalency levels for each apprenticeship program registered before July 31, 2025. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $124,287 from the general fund to the department of higher education for use by the Colorado commission on higher education and higher education special purpose programs. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $30,000 from the general fund to the department of labor and employment for use by the office of future of work. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act prohibits a municipality that is within a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) or a county that has unincorporated areas within an MPO (local government), on or after June 30, 2025, from enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements that apply to a land use approval for a multi-family residential development, adaptive re-use for residential purposes, or adaptive re-use mixed-use purposes which include at least 50% of use for residential purposes that is within, as applicable, the unincorporated area of the county or the municipality, within a metropolitan planning organization, and at least partially within an applicable transit service area. An applicable transit service area is an area identified by a map published by the department of local affairs as an area that is one-quarter mile of certain transit stops. The prohibition on enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements does not lower the protections provided for persons with disabilities or prohibit a local government from: Enacting or enforcing a maximum parking requirement; Enforcing any agreement made before the effective date of the act in connection with a land use approval to provide regulated affordable housing in exchange for reducing minimum parking requirements; Being awarded funding for affordable housing that requires a ratio of a certain number of parking spaces; Enacting or enforcing a minimum parking requirement for bicycles; or Imposing the following requirements on a parking space that is voluntarily provided in connection with a development project: That the owners of such a parking space charge for the use of the space; That the owner of such a parking space contribute to a parking enterprise, permitting system, or shared parking plan; and That such a parking space allow for electric vehicle charging stations in accordance with existing law. Furthermore, notwithstanding the prohibition on enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements, a local government may impose or enforce a minimum parking requirement in connection with a housing development project that is intended to contain twenty unity or more or contain regulated affordable housing. To impose or enforce such a minimum parking requirement, a county or municipality must publish certain written findings and annually report to the department of local affairs. Lastly, the act requires the department of local affairs: In consultation with the department of transportation, and the Colorado energy office, to develop and publish best practices and technical assistance materials concerning optimizing parking supply and managing parking; and In consultation with the department of transportation, the Colorado energy office, metropolitan planning organizations, and transit agencies that operate within metropolitan planning organizations, to publish a map that designates applicable transit service areas to be used by local governments in complying with the act. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Based on the findings and recommendations of the committee on legal services, the act extends all state agency rules that were adopted or amended on or after November 1, 2022, and before November 1, 2023, with the exception of certain rules of the following agencies, as specifically listed in the act: The rule of the state board of education concerning rules for the development, expansion, implementation, and management of the regional service areas; The rule of the medical services board concerning inpatient payment rates for opioid antagonist; The rules of the executive director of the department of revenue concerning the wildfire mitigation measures income tax subtraction; and The rules of the executive director of the department of revenue concerning the wildfire mitigation measures income tax credit. Those specified rules will expire as scheduled in the "State Administrative Procedure Act" on May 15, 2024, on the grounds that the rules conflict with statute. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 10, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, a county treasurer is required to issue a treasurer's deed for a property upon the presentation of a certificate of purchase of a tax lien for that property, if certain conditions are met. The act ends this requirement, effective July 1, 2024, and instead requires a county treasurer to follow a public auction process prior to the issuance of a deed, which process brings Colorado law into compliance with the United States supreme court's recent decision affirming property owners' constitutional right to the value of their property in excess of their tax debt. The lawful holder of a certificate of purchase of a tax lien (lawful holder) may apply for a public auction for the sale of a certificate of option for treasurer's deed (option certificate). If the public auction results in an "overbid", meaning the purchaser of the option certificate pays an amount in excess of the minimum bid price set for the auction, then the overbid must be paid in order of recording priority to junior lienors who have filed a notice of intent to redeem. After payment to all lienors, any remaining overbid must be paid to the owner of the property subject to the tax lien. The act specifies the required application form and deposit amount for a lawful holder to request a public auction and the notice requirements that a county treasurer must comply with, including a review of the property's title work to include known interested parties in the notice process. The act also specifies the general manner and timing requirements for the public auction and provides county treasurers with procedural guidance in case of certain events, including continuance of the public auction, the effect of a bankruptcy filing related to the property, the withdrawal of a notice of public auction, and the redemption of the tax lien prior to the public auction. At the public auction, a county treasurer must only accept bids that are greater than the combined value of the amount owed to the lawful holder and the fees and costs incurred by the treasurer in complying with the act. If no such bid is made and paid to the treasurer, then the lawful holder is deemed the purchaser of the option certificate. If the lawful holder is not the purchaser of the option certificate, the lawful holder is still entitled to redeem the property subject to the tax lien if certain procedural requirements are met, including payment to the purchaser of all sums necessary to redeem. Junior lienholders may also file for redemption, but only as to a portion of the overbid, and only if certain procedural requirements are met. If the property remains unredeemed, the lawful holder of the option certificate may present the certificate, along with other required documentation, to the treasurer and obtain a treasurer's deed, giving full rights to the property. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law uses the terminology "department of human services" and "department of social services" interchangeably when referring to the department of human services. The act updates the terminology to refer only to the "department of human services". Current law uses the terminology "county department of human services or social services", "county department of human services", and "county department of human or social services" interchangeably. The act updates the terminology to refer only to the "county department of human or social services". Current law uses the terminology "state board of social services" and "state board of human services" interchangeably when referring to the state board of human services. The act updates the terminology to refer only to the "state board of human services". APPROVED by Governor May 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act modifies existing warranty of habitability laws by clarifying actions that constitute a breach of the warranty of habitability (breach) and procedures for both landlords and tenants when a warranty of habitability claim (claim) is alleged by the tenant. Updates to existing warranty of habitability laws include: Establishing time frames for when a landlord must communicate with the tenant and commence remedial action after having notice of a condition related to the habitability of a residential premises; Requiring a landlord to perform conduct to address an uninhabitable condition until such condition is completely remedied or repaired; Establishing a rebuttable presumption that a landlord has failed the landlord's duty to remedy or repair a condition if the condition continues to exist either 7 or 14 days after the landlord has notice of the condition, depending on the condition at issue in the tenant's claim; Determining when a landlord is presumed to have notice of a condition; Requiring a landlord to provide a tenant with a comparable dwelling unit or hotel room for up to 60 days while the landlord addresses any uninhabitable conditions that materially interfere with the tenant's life, health, or safety; Requiring a landlord to maintain all records, including correspondence and other documentation, relevant to a tenant's claim and any remedial actions taken by the landlord; Requiring rental agreements entered into after January 1, 2025, to feature a statement in English and Spanish regarding where a tenant can report or deliver written notice of an unsafe or uninhabitable condition; Establishing procedures for when a landlord may enter the dwelling unit of a tenant to address an uninhabitable condition and identifying circumstances when a tenant may deny a landlord entry to the dwelling unit; Clarifying certain conditions or characteristics of residential premises that are considered uninhabitable; Establishing that there is a rebuttable presumption that certain conditions and characteristics of a residential premises materially interfere with a tenant's life, health, or safety; and Modifying and clarifying a tenant's option for remedies when bringing a claim against a landlord and modifying procedures for accessing those remedies. The act establishes legal standards and court procedures related to claims, including authorizing a tenant to raise a breach as an affirmative defense against a landlord's action for possession or action of collection against the tenant. The act also establishes legal standards and procedures for a landlord's defense to a claim and limitations on a tenant's claim. The act instructs the court in its calculation of actual and punitive damages for breach cases. The act prohibits retaliation and specifies what tenant actions are protected by the prohibition on retaliation and what actions constitute retaliation by the landlord. The act clarifies the jurisdiction of the attorney general and county and district courts over matters related to violations of the warranty of habitability. The act also modifies the statement included in a summons issued to a defendant in a court proceeding regarding an action for possession brought by a landlord. APPROVED by Governor May 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act extends immunity from civil liability for damage or injury, other than that which arises from gross negligence or willful misconduct, to an individual, nonprofit organization, for-profit corporation, private organization, or other person (person) that voluntarily operates or arranges for the use of a helicopter, or assists as a helicopter crew member, during backcountry search and rescue operations (search and rescue operations), if the person: Arranges for the use of or operates, or assists as a crew member of, the helicopter on behalf of the governmental entity that is leading the search and rescue operation; Has an agreement with the governmental entity; Is, employs, or otherwise contracts with a pilot that is properly licensed to operate the helicopter; Is not compensated by the governmental entity for assisting in the search and rescue operation, other than reimbursement for actual expenses incurred; and Meets certain safety and training certifications and requirements. The act also establishes criteria that volunteer helicopter pilots and the helicopters used in search and rescue operations must satisfy in order for the volunteer helicopter owner or operator to qualify for immunity under the act. The act establishes the airspace deconfliction working group within the department of public safety. The working group consists of representatives from the department of public safety, the department of military and veterans affairs, and county sheriffs' offices. The working group must develop guidelines for airspace deconfliction when there could be multiple aircraft involved in a search and rescue operation. APPROVED by Governor May 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
