Before adding a person suspected of child abuse or neglect (person) to the automated child welfare system (system), the bill requires the department of human services (state department) to provide a written notice to the person of the opportunity for a hearing. The person must request a hearing no later than 90 days after the date of the written notice. The bill prohibits the state department from releasing a finding of a person responsible for child abuse or neglect or the state department or a law enforcement entity from releasing information about the person or the allegations against the person to a third party until all administrative appeals are either exhausted or waived. When a hearing is requested, the bill requires an administrative law judge (ALJ) to contact the parties to schedule the hearing no later than 120 days after the date the person requests a hearing. If the ALJ finds that there is sufficient evidence to support the state department's allegations, the bill requires: The state department to enter the substantiated findings against the person into the system for a period of time proportionate to the severity of the findings; and Any law enforcement entity that created a record of the alleged incident of child abuse or neglect to retain the record pursuant to certain restrictions. If the ALJ finds there is insufficient evidence to support the state department's allegations, the bill requires: The ALJ to order the state department to amend the state department's findings accordingly and order that allegation not be entered into the system; and Any law enforcement entity that created a record of the alleged incident of child abuse or neglect to mark the record as unsubstantiated and retain and release the record pursuant to certain restrictions. The bill prohibits a finding from being entered against a person who is less than 13 years of age. The bill authorizes the state department, county departments of human and social services (county departments), and law enforcement entities to retain information concerning unsubstantiated reports of child abuse and neglect in casework files to assist in future risk and safety assessments; except that the state department, county departments, and law enforcement entities shall not release any information contained in any records that are accessible to the public or are used for purposes of employment or background checks in cases determined to be unsubstantiated or false. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill authorizes a public school or a charter school that is permitted by its charter authorizer to offer an individualized learning program or become an individualized learning school. Individualized learning includes a course of instruction or grade-level course work that is: Provided, in whole or in part, independently from a regular classroom setting or schedule; Supervised, monitored, assessed, evaluated, and documented by a teacher employed by an individualized learning school or a public school that offers an individualized learning program; and Documented in the student's written learning plan. The bill requires each charter school application to identify whether the proposed charter school will offer an individualized learning program or become an individualized learning school. The bill authorizes an existing charter school to request to amend the charter contract to allow the charter school to offer an individualized learning program or propose to become an individualized learning school either in connection with the charter-renewal process or pursuant to an agreement with the charter authorizer that the charter school will submit a written plan for becoming an individualized learning school. The bill requires an individualized learning school to operate as part of, or within reasonable proximity to, a public school that serves students enrolled in the individualized learning program. The bill requires an individualized learning school or an individualized learning program to be open for enrollment to any student whose residence is within reasonable distance of the school or program that will permit the student to attend the school in person on a daily basis, if needed. The bill requires each student enrolled in an individualized learning school or individualized learning program to have a written learning plan that is designed to meet the student's individual educational needs. The bill requires direct personal contact between a teacher and each student to take place at least once per school week. The bill requires a teacher to evaluate the educational progress of each student enrolled in an individualized learning school or individualized learning program at least once a month during the student's enrollment. If the teacher determines the student failed to make satisfactory progress or failed to follow the student's written learning plan, the bill requires the teacher to develop an intervention plan for the student. If the student continues to make less-than-satisfactory progress after 3 consecutive months despite an intervention plan, the bill requires the teacher to develop and implement an amended written learning plan that includes a course of study designed to meet the student's needs more appropriately. The bill requires individualized learning to be overseen by a chief academic officer who is appointed by the individualized learning school or public school that offers an individualized learning program. For the 2023-24 and 2024-25 state fiscal years, the bill requires an individualized learning entity to receive public school funding if a student is enrolled in an individualized learning entity that was operating on or before the effective date of this act; was enrolled in a public school the preceding academic school year; was not enrolled in a private school or participating in a nonpublic home-based education program the preceding school year; or is enrolling for the first time as a kindergarten or first-grade student or has recently moved to Colorado and is enrolling for the first time as a Colorado resident in any grade level. Beginning with the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the bill requires an individualized learning school to receive public school funding in the manner and to the degree that applies to any student enrolled in a public school. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the Colorado water conservation board (CWCB) to perform a comprehensive literature review of existing research on the challenges and opportunities of desalination facilities in California or Mexico. The literature review must include a summary of the current status of research on desalination, including quantification of certain costs of and benefits that could be realized from the construction and perpetual operation of one or more water desalination facilities in California or Mexico, or both. On or before July 1, 2025, the CWCB must complete the study and submit a report of the CWCB's findings and recommendations to: The Colorado legislative committees of reference that consider water matters; The governor; and The bureau of reclamation in the federal department of the interior. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the bill appropriates $50,000 from the Colorado water conservation board construction fund to the department of natural resources for use by the CWCB to pay operating expenses. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Pension Review Commission. The bill creates an income tax credit that is available for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2023, but prior to January 1, 2025, for a qualifying public service retiree, which means a full-time Colorado resident individual who is: 55 years of age or older at the end of the 2023 or 2024 income tax year; and A retiree of a Colorado public pension plan administered pursuant to the Colorado Revised Statutes or a retiree of a public pension plan administered by a local government of the state of Colorado.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Section 1 of the bill creates a new refundable income tax credit for income tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2024, but before January 1, 2033, for the purchase or lease of electric-powered aviation ground support equipment that is purchased or leased to replace similar models of gas-powered or diesel-powered aviation ground support equipment in the amount of 18% of the actual cost to purchase the equipment that may be claimed by a qualifying taxpayer; except that the total amount of credits available to be claimed is $250,000 in each tax year and is available on a first come, first served basis. A qualifying taxpayer is an aviation business, an airport, or a fixed base operator. Only one tax credit may be claimed per individual piece of equipment. Section 2 creates a new refundable income tax credit for income tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2024, but before January 1, 2033, for an investment made by a qualified investor in a qualified business that researches, develops, or produces alternative aviation fuels or alternative aircraft powerplants in the amount of 30% of the investment; except that the total amount of credits available to be claimed is capped for each tax year for which the credit is allowed and is available on a first come, first served basis. The investment must be used by the qualified business in furtherance of research, development, or production of alternative aviation fuels or alternative aircraft powerplants. The executive director of the department of revenue is authorized to promulgate rules to implement the tax credit, including precertification of a business as a qualified business eligible to receive a qualified investment.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning Tax Policy. For income tax years beginning January 1, 2024, the bill both: Increases the amount of federal taxable income taxpayers may have and still qualify for the state income tax credit for purchasing long-term care insurance and annually adjusts that amount of federal taxable income for inflation; and Doubles the amount of the credit that a taxpayer may claim and annually adjusts the credit for inflation.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill establishes a domestic relations judicial training advisory committee (advisory committee) to develop a domestic relations training program (training program) for judges, magistrates, and court personnel to improve decision-making in domestic relations cases. In carrying out its duties, the advisory committee shall seek input from judges and magistrates from each judicial district, the state court administrator's office, and other stakeholders. The advisory committee is repealed September 1, 2027, and is subject to a sunset review prior to its repeal. The training program must satisfy training standards established by the chief justice of the Colorado supreme court (chief justice). The state court administrator must begin providing the training program no later than July 1, 2024, and may contract with a third party to provide the training. The training program must include both initial training and continuing training. The bill requires the general assembly to fund development of the training program and requires the judicial department to include in its annual budget request an amount necessary to ensure that judicial officers who hear domestic relations cases and domestic relations court personnel may attend the training program at no cost. The bill requires the advisory committee to collaborate with the chief justice and state court administrator on the development of the training standards. If the chief justice does not establish training standards by November 30, 2023, the advisory committee establishes the standards. The state court administrator shall coordinate with the advisory committee to a establish an ongoing review process to measure outcomes of the training program. The bill requires the state court administrator to study strategies for increasing opportunities for judicial officers to attend domestic relations judicial training. The general assembly encourages the chief justice and the chief judges of each judicial district to establish dedicated domestic relations dockets in each district and to assign to those dockets judges, magistrates, and court personnel who have completed the training program. The general assembly further encourages each judicial district nominating commission and the governor, when nominating and appointing replacements for domestic relations judges, to consider candidates who have substantial experience in domestic relations litigation, have attended the domestic relations program as a private attorney, and who demonstrate willingness to serve on a domestic relations docket. Under existing law, a child or youth who has special needs that create a barrier to the child or youth's adoption is eligible for adoption benefits. To be eligible for adoption benefits, the child or youth must be legally available for adoption. The bill expands this requirement to make a child or youth eligible for adoption benefits if the child or youth has been legally available for adoption within 90 days before the application for the benefits. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Colorado Commission on Uniform State Laws. The bill enacts the "Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act" as drafted by the Uniform Law Commission, which authorizes the use of arbitration in domestic relations cases. The bill: Establishes qualifications, duties, and authority of arbitrators; and Specifies on what grounds and how a party may ask a court to confirm, modify, or vacate an award by an arbitrator.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems. The bill changes the standard for an emergency 72-hour mental health commitment for treatment and evaluation to include when a person appears to have a mental health disorder or be gravely disabled and, as a result of such mental health disorder or being gravely disabled, appears to present an imminent or substantial risk of harm to self or others. "Substantial risk" is defined.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Beginning January 1, 2023, the bill grants a survivor of torture who is receiving care and rehabilitation services from a rehabilitative service provider eligibility for medical assistance without federal financial participation. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The workforce diploma pilot program was established in 2019 as a pilot program scheduled to repeal on July 1, 2022. The bill continues the pilot program indefinitely as the workforce diploma program (program). The bill requires the department of education to annually adjust the amounts paid to qualified providers under the program in accordance with the corresponding percentage change in the consumer price index. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the Colorado water conservation board (board) to establish one or more remote wildfire camera technology pilot programs. The board must acquire or contract for a system of remote pan-tilt-zoom cameras and associated tools to provide a live feed of information that can detect, locate, and confirm ignition in the wildland-urban interface. The board must report to the wildfire matters review committee on the system's effectiveness and potential for more widespread use in the state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
