The Special Olympics Colorado fund voluntary contribution is currently scheduled to appear on the state income tax return form for income tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2015, but prior to January 1, 2020. The bill extends the period during which the fund will appear on the form. The fund continues to appear on the form unless the fund fails to receive the minimum contribution required by statute in a certain tax year. The bill also creates a Special Olympics Colorado license plate. To be issued the plate, an applicant must pay a one-time $25 fee and make a donation to a nonprofit organization that: Is headquartered in Colorado; Has been in existence for at least 40 years; Provides year-round sports training and athletic competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities; Collaborates with schools throughout Colorado to bring students together, with and without disabilities, through shared activities that include sports, leadership opportunities, and health education and fitness; and Ensures that the donation is spent in Colorado to support athletes with intellectual disabilities.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill establishes the position of family-school partnership coordinator (coordinator) in the department of education. The coordinator supports local education providers with researching, designing, and implementing research-based family-school partnerships and supports educator preparation programs that provide training to educators related to implementing family-school partnerships. The coordinator is required to prepare a report every year that describes innovations that advance family engagement practices and provides information about research and resources available to local education providers and educator preparation programs that may assist in implementing family-school partnerships.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates in the department of public health and environment (department) the menstrual hygiene products accessibility grant program (grant program) to provide awards to public schools or school districts in order to provide menstrual hygiene products at no expense to students. The state board of health is required to promulgate rules necessary for the implementation of the grant program. The department shall award grants subject to available appropriations, and may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Early Childhood and School Readiness Legislative Commission. The bill directs the department of human services (department) to design, implement, and operate a statewide program of early childhood mental health consultation (program). The purpose of the program is to support mental health care across the state in a variety of early childhood settings and practices. Specifically, the program must be designed to: Increase the number of qualified and appropriately trained early childhood mental health consultants (mental health consultants) for on-site consultations; and Utilize the mental health consultants, through on-site visits, to support a variety of early childhood settings and practices from the prenatal period through 8 years of age. The program must also include a: Model of consultation for mental health consultants (model) that includes job qualifications and expectations, expected outcomes, and guidance on ratios of mental health consultants and the settings they support. The model must include standards and guidelines for mental health consultants developed from evidence-based programs. Professional development plan for mental health consultants; Certification process for mental health consultants; and A published list of certified mental health consultants. The bill requires the department to actively collect data related to the program and make regular reports on the program to the joint budget committee of the general assembly and as part of its annual "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" hearing. The department, in collaboration with the department of health care policy and financing, is directed to explore additional funding options for the program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates the future educator pathways grant program (grant program) in the department of education (department) to provide grants to local education providers, as defined in the bill, to create future educator pathways programs. The department shall administer the grant program, and the state board of education (state board) shall promulgate necessary rules for the grant program. Future educator pathways programs prepare future educators, including future educators in early childhood education, by providing students with opportunities for concurrent enrollment and apprenticeships that lead to college credit toward degrees and credentials as educators. The state board, after consultation with the department of labor and employment and the department of higher education, shall promulgate rules establishing requirements for apprenticeship programs. The bill specifies the dates by which an eligible local education provider must apply to the department for grant money and the information required in the grant program application. The state board shall award grants to one or more qualified local education providers by dates specified in the bill. A local education provider that receives a grant is required to use the grant money for specified purposes in connection with apprenticeship programs and concurrent enrollment. To receive a grant, a local education provider shall commit to match state grant money with local money equal to 25% of the grant award. The bill specifies that the state board is required to ensure that grants are awarded to geographically diverse local education providers and to a mix of rural, urban, and suburban local education providers. In addition, the state board shall award at least 20% of the total amount awarded in grants to eligible rural local education providers, as defined in the bill, and at least 70% of the total amount awarded in grants to future educator pathways programs that provide apprenticeships. The bill creates the future educator pathways fund (fund) in the state treasury and requires the state treasurer to transfer an amount of money specified in the bill from the general fund to the fund in the 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 state fiscal years. The state board may award grant program grants in a fourth year of the program if money remains in the fund after the third grant cycle. The department is required to submit an annual report on the grant program to the governor and the house and senate education committees that includes specified information, including a final report. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Early Childhood and School Readiness Legislative Commission. The bill creates the "Helping Others Manage Early (HOME) Childhood Act" (HOME Act). The HOME Act consists of 3 components: A public awareness campaign (campaign), implemented by a third-party entity contracted by the department of human services (department). The campaign will target those persons connected with early childhood in some fashion, from families to providers, and inform them on what is expected from early childhood providers, what is expected from children by the time they enter kindergarten, and what resources are available throughout the state. A series of multicounty workshops directed at early childhood providers to provide information on best practices for effective early childhood education. The multicounty workshops will also provide information on the requirements and procedures for licensure. A series of regional workshops designed to educate interested providers on how to start an early child care center or preschool, as well as any requirements and procedures for licensure. The bill directs that the department provide adequate child care for the multicounty and regional workshops to allow for maximum attendance. The bill includes a repeal date of 2023 with a provision for a mandatory prior review of the effectiveness of the 3 components. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Current law creates the petroleum cleanup and redevelopment fund to fund corrective action plans for petroleum releases not covered by other programs. If it would enhance environmental protection or improve air quality, the bill authorizes the division of oil and public safety to use up to $2 million in the redevelopment fund to develop, in partnership with a private entity, fuel-cell electric-vehicle projects.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill states that a domestic stock insurer (dividing insurer) may divide into 2 or more resulting insurers pursuant to a plan of division. A plan of division must include: The name of the dividing insurer; The name of each resulting insurer created by the proposed division and, for each resulting insurer, a copy of proposed articles of incorporation and proposed bylaws; The manner of allocating assets and liabilities, including policy liabilities, between or among all resulting insurers; The manner of distributing shares in the resulting insurers to the dividing insurer or the dividing insurer's shareholders; A reasonable description of all liabilities and all assets that the dividing insurer proposes to allocate to each resulting insurer, including the manner by which the dividing insurer proposes to allocate all reinsurance contracts; All terms and conditions required by the laws of this state and the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the dividing insurer; and All other terms and conditions required by the division. A plan of division must include additional provisions, the nature of which depends on whether the dividing insurer will survive the division. A dividing insurer may not file a plan of division with the commissioner of insurance (commissioner) until the plan of division has been approved in accordance with all provisions of the dividing insurer's articles of incorporation and bylaws. After a dividing insurer approves a plan of division, the dividing insurer shall file the plan of division with the commissioner. The commissioner shall approve the plan of division if, after considering certain criteria, the commissioner finds that certain requirements are met. If the commissioner approves a dividing insurer's plan of division, an officer or duly authorized representative of the dividing insurer shall sign a certificate of division that sets forth certain information concerning the division. The bill establishes procedures for amending and abandoning plans of division. The bill provides for the protection of confidential information, documents, and materials that are submitted to, obtained by, or disclosed to the commissioner in connection with a plan of division or in contemplation of a plan of division. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill makes changes to a program (program) within the department of human services (department) for children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities or co-occurring disorders (children and youth). The scope of rules to be promulgated by the department for the program is expanded to include planning for services for children and youth who become 18 years of age while in the program; access to behavioral health services; wait list management; process for a child or youth who is at risk for out-of-home placement; and program evaluation. Current law only allows for a county department of human or social services to submit an application to the program for a child or youth. The bill extends this option to the parent or legal guardian of the child or youth, and extends all notification requirements related to the program to the parent or legal guardian as well. The bill updates reimbursement provisions so that if a child or youth is not in the custody of a county department of human or social services or the department, the department shall directly reimburse the licensed provider where the child or youth is placed. Beginning on or before September 1, 2020, the department is required to compile and make public an annual report on the program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Early Childhood and School Readiness Legislative Commission. The bill requires the department of human services (state department) to provide technical assistance and financial incentives to programs that are rated at a level one or 2 in the Colorado shines system (system) to support the programs in advancing to a higher quality level, and to programs that are rated at a level 3, 4, or 5 to support the programs in maintaining a high-quality level or advancing to a higher quality level. Each early childhood council (council) shall support the state department with this assistance by providing local community outreach and engagement strategies. The bill requires each council seeking to apply for school-readiness quality improvement funding (funding) to describe how the council will target and recruit programs that are rated in the system at a level one or higher in the council's 3-year school readiness plan. Councils that received funding prior to the 2020-21 fiscal year must amend the council's 3-year school readiness plan. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
There is currently a state income tax credit for a monetary contribution made prior to January 1, 2025, to promote child care in the state (credit). The credit is equal to 50% of a qualifying contribution. For income tax years that commence on or after January 1, 2020, the bill: Increases the age of a child from 12 to 18 in the definition of "child care", which expands the types of facilities to which a donation would qualify for the credit; and Specifies that a monetary contribution to a child advocacy center is a monetary contribution to promote child care in the state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The starting point for determining state income tax liability is federal taxable income. This number is adjusted for additions and subtractions that are used to determine Colorado taxable income, which amount is multiplied by the state's income tax rate. Section 3 of the bill requires an individual to add to his or her federal taxable income an amount equal to the federal income tax deduction that he or she took for his or her combined qualified business income amount. The federal deduction may be claimed for income tax years commencing prior to January 1, 2026. The earned income tax credit is equal to a percentage of the federal earned income tax credit. Section 4 increases the percentage from 10% to 20% beginning in 2021. The state child tax credit, which is also a percentage of the federal child tax credit based on the taxpayer's income, is only allowed after the United States Congress enacts a version of the "Marketplace Fairness Act". Section 5 repeals this condition and instead allows the credit to be claimed beginning in 2021.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
