The act creates the school-based mental health support program (program) in the behavioral health administration (BHA) to provide high-quality training, resources, and implementation and sustainment support for the existing public school educator workforce to provide evidence-based mental health services to students through a contract with an external provider. The program emphasizes supporting schools in rural areas and schools with students who do not have equitable access to mental health care. No later than January 1, 2025, the act requires the BHA to contract with an external provider to implement the program no later than the start of the 2025-26 school year. The act requires the BHA to collaborate with the external provider to determine the cost of implementing the program in at least 400 public schools by the start of the 2027-28 school year. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $2,500,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of human services for use by the BHA to administer the program. The BHA may use up to $100,000 of the funds to select the external provider. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 18, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under existing law, the department of corrections (department) shall submit a request related to changes in caseload to the joint budget committee by January 15. The act changes the deadline so that the department shall submit the request on or before January 10. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For the 2023-24 budget year, the act appropriates $24 million from the state education fund to the department of education (department) to distribute one-time funding to school districts and institute charter schools that enrolled new arrival students after the 2023-24 pupil enrollment count day. The act provides to each school district and each institute charter school that requests funding pursuant to the act: An amount determined by a tiered schedule that is based on the total number of new arrival students who enrolled in the school district or institute charter schools after the 2023-24 pupil enrollment count day; and $4,500 for each student who is in the school district's or institute charter school's total net student population or total new arrival student population, whichever is lesser; except that, if the amount appropriated is insufficient to meet the demand, the department is required to proportionately reduce the $4,500 amount. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 18, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, the accelerating students through concurrent enrollment (ASCENT) program is available to all qualified students who are designated to participate by their local education provider. The act: Starting in the 2025-26 state fiscal year, caps the number of qualified students who participate in the ASCENT program at the number of qualified students who participated in the ASCENT program in the 2024-25 state fiscal year; and Creates additional eligibility requirements to participate in the ASCENT program. The act requires the department of education to submit a report to the education committees of the house and the senate and the joint budget committee regarding the ASCENT program. Under current law, the district's total program formula includes funding for a district's extended high school pupil enrollment, determined by the district's number of pupils who are concurrently enrolled in a postsecondary course multiplied by a dollar amount that annually increases. Starting in the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act amends the district's extended high school funding formula to cap the dollar amount that is multiplied by the district's ASCENT program students within the district's extended high school funding formula. For purposes of the act, the cash funds appropriation made in the annual general appropriation act for the 2024-25 state fiscal year is reduced by $1,081,762, and for the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the general assembly appropriates $45,600 to the department of education. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE April 18, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE July 1, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act increases the percentage of the master settlement money (money) received by the state that is credited to the tobacco litigation settlement cash fund and is subsequently transferred to the nurse home visitor program fund (fund) from 26.7% to 28.7%. The 2% increase is attributable to the percentage of money from the tobacco litigation settlement cash fund that was previously transferred to the Colorado autism treatment fund, which was repealed in 2023 when several services that had been provided under the home- and community-based services waiver program were moved to a new community first choice option under the state medicaid program that is funded through the general fund. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $1,734,924 from the fund to the department of early childhood to be used by the division of community and family support for home visiting. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 18, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act repeals the "Colorado Indigent Care Program" on July 1, 2025. For purposes of comprehensive primary care services, current law defines an "uninsured or medically indigent patient" as a patient whose yearly family income is below 200% of the federal poverty line (FPL). The act requires the patient's annual household income to be at or below 200% of the FPL. Beginning February 1, 2026, and each February 1 thereafter, the act requires the executive director of the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to prepare and submit an annual report to the general assembly, the joint budget committee, the governor, and the medical services board concerning the status of the primary care fund. The act creates the hospital discounted care advisory committee in the state department to advise the state department on the operations and policies of health-care billing for indigent patients. The act repeals the advisory committee on September 1, 2029. No later than July 1, 2025, the act requires the medical services board, in consultation with the Colorado healthcare affordability and sustainability enterprise, to promulgate rules concerning the policy for qualification for disproportionate share hospital payments. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law suspends certain provisions related to medicaid eligibility until June 1, 2024. The act extends the suspension of those provisions until January 1, 2025. The act authorizes the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to seek federal authorization to not require additional verification during a medicaid member's (member) eligibility reenrollment process if information about the member's income or assets is not verified through a federally approved electronic data source. For a member's income verification, the act authorizes the state department to use the information on file or the information that was originally collected during the application process to determine whether the member is eligible for reenrollment. The state department shall require additional income verification if information about a member's income is not verified through a federally approved electronic data source for 2 or more consecutive years or as specified through federal authorization. For a member's asset verification, the state department may complete the member's eligibility reenrollment process without any additional asset verification if there has been no change in the member's assets since the initial verification during the application process or as specified through federal authorization. The act authorizes the state department to seek federal authorization to delay a member's procedural termination during the reenrollment process to allow the member to continue receiving necessary services during the reenrollment process. The act authorizes the state department to apply this delay in procedural termination to a specific population or as specified through federal authorization. The act authorizes the state department to seek federal authorization to allow an applicant's or member's eligibility for reenrollment to be based on financial findings from the supplemental nutrition assistance program, the temporary assistance for needy families program, and other means-tested benefit programs administered through the Colorado benefits management system. The state department may apply financial eligibility for medicaid to individuals whose gross income program and assets for applicable means-tested benefit programs are below applicable medicaid limits, regardless of differences in household composition and income-counting rules between programs or as specified through federal authorization. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 18, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act extends the period for which annual general fund transfers of $220,000 are made to the procurement technical assistance cash fund by 10 years so that the last transfer is made on July 1, 2034, rather than July 1, 2024. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 18, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act directs the state treasurer to transfer the money in the hazardous substance site response fund to the hazardous substance response fund through 2 transfers. The act requires the state treasurer to: Transfer $4 million to the hazardous substance response fund from the hazardous substance site response fund on May 1, 2024; and Transfer to the hazardous substance response fund the unexpended and unencumbered money in the hazardous substance site response fund on May 1, 2025. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 18, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the office of information technology (office) in the office of the governor to evaluate, or contract with a third party to evaluate, the information technology functions and services of the department of higher education (department) for the purpose of assessing possibilities for consolidating existing information technology functions and services with those information technology functions and services managed by the office, and if the evaluation shows that consolidation would be beneficial, create a proposed plan and accompanying budget for consolidating the department's information technology functions and services with those information technology functions and services managed by the office. The act appropriates $280,000 for the 2024-25 state fiscal year from the general fund to the governor's office for allocation to the office of the governor to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 18, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act clarifies that the adjutant general, subject to appropriation by the general assembly, may disburse state money in order to: Promulgate regulations as may be ordered for the operation, care, and preservation of existing facilities and installations on all state military campgrounds and reservations; Keep in repair all state buildings and other improvements on campgrounds and military reservations of the state; or Rent, hire, purchase, take the conveyance of, and hold in trust for the use of the state such buildings, lands, tenements, and appurtenances thereof as may be from time to time deemed necessary for use by the National Guard. The act also clarifies that the purchase of buildings or other real property or any capital construction performed on real property purchased or held by the state for the use of the National Guard is subject to current law concerning legislative oversight of capital development. APPROVED by Governor April 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, aggravated cruelty to animals is a class 4 felony. The act specifies that a person commits the offense of aggravated cruelty to animals if the person knowingly kills or causes serious bodily injury resulting in death to a law enforcement animal whether the of a law enforcement animal is on duty or not. The act creates an affirmative defense stating that a person is justified in using physical force upon a law enforcement animal to defend their own person or a third person when the person reasonably believes that a law enforcement animal is an application of unreasonable or excessive force. The act requires an on-duty peace officer to intervene to prevent or stop another peace officer who is the handler of a law enforcement animal from allowing the law enforcement animal from using the degree of excessive physical force permitted by law while carrying out the peace officer's duties. A peace officer who witnesses the use of excessive force by a law enforcement animal, as permitted by the animal's handler, must report the excessive force to the officer's or handler's supervisor. The act specifies situations in which a licensed veterinarian or a person who owns or is charged with the care of a law enforcement animal has immunity from liability when it is necessary to euthanize or provide immediate veterinary care to a law enforcement animal. APPROVED by Governor April 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE April 17, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
