The bill amends the "Colorado READ Act" to require each local education provider to post on its website: The core and supplemental reading curriculum, or a detailed description of the reading curriculum, by grade, used in each of its schools; The core and supplemental reading instructional programs and intervention reading instruction, services, and other supports provided in each of its schools; The number of students enrolled in kindergarten and first through third grades who have READ plans, as well as the number of students who have achieved reading competency; and The local education provider's budget and narrative explanation for the use of the "Colorado READ Act" intervention money.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates a regulatory and service system to provide secure transportation services, with different requirements than traditional ambulance services, for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Mobile crisis services, units linked to the walk-in crisis services, and crisis respite services may arrange for secure transportation in response to a behavioral health crisis. The department of human services shall allow for the development of secure transportation alternatives. The board of county commissioners of the county in which the secure transportation service is based (commissioners) shall issue a license to an entity (licensee), valid for one year, that provides secure transportation services if the minimum requirements set by rule by the state board of health are met or exceeded. The commissioners shall also issue operating permits, valid for 12 months following issuance, to each vehicle operated by the licensee. A fee may be charged for each license to reflect the direct and indirect costs to the applicable county in implementing secure transportation services licensure. The state board of health is given authority to promulgate rules concerning secure transportation licensure. The department of health care policy and financing is directed to create and implement a secure transportation benefit on or before January 1, 2022. Language is added to exempt secure transportation services from regulation under the public utilities commission. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under existing law, the office of transportation safety within the office of the executive director of the department of transportation (department) receives funding from the law enforcement assistance fund (LEAF fund) to provide funding to local governments that have established a qualified drunk driving prevention and law enforcement program. The department receives funding from the first time drunk driving offender account in the highway users tax fund for high-visibility drunk driving enforcement. The bill requires the general assembly to annually appropriate $2 million to the department for allocation to local government programs that implement high-visibility drunk driving enforcement. The bill repeals department funding for high-visibility drunk driving enforcement from the first time drunk driving offender account and repeals office of transportation safety funding from the LEAF fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Currently, under the federal educator expense deduction, an eligible educator can claim a deduction, not to exceed $250, for the purchase of school supplies and certain professional development courses. The bill creates a state income tax credit for an eligible educator for the purchase of school supplies that qualify for the deduction that exceeds $250 but are less than $750. The amount of the credit that exceeds the educator's income taxes is refunded to the educator.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
During the first regular session of the seventy-second general assembly, the Senate passed House Bill 19-1005 on third reading on May 3, 2019, and the governor signed the bill on May 13, 2019. Because of an amendment to the effective date clause, the bill never took effect. The bill was introduced with a standard act-subject-to-petition clause (ASP clause), meaning the bill would have taken effect on August 2, 2019, unless a referendum petition was filed against the bill. However, on April 26, 2019, the House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment (L.010) that added an exception to the ASP clause. The amendment specified that "If the voters at the November 2019 statewide election do not approve a measure . . ., then this act takes effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor." When L.010 was adopted, House Bill 19-1333 was being considered. House Bill 19-1333 created a ballot issue that, if approved by voters, would have allowed the state to increase the cigarette tax and increase the tobacco products tax, would have allowed the state to create a new tax on nicotine products, and would have used a significant portion of the tax revenue for preschool programs and expanded learning opportunities. The concept behind L.010 was that if the ballot issue obtained voter approval, then the tax credit for early childhood educators would not be necessary. However, on May 2, 2019, the Senate postponed House Bill 19-1333 indefinitely during second reading. Since House Bill 19-1333 never passed, voters were never given an opportunity to approve the ballot issue, and the governor never had an opportunity to declare a vote on it. Consequently, because of the way L.010 was written, House Bill 19-1005 never took effect. In order to give effect to the intent of the general assembly and the governor in approving House Bill 19-1005, the exception to the effective date needs to be repealed. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the center of excellence for advanced technology aerial firefighting (center of excellence) in the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety to establish a remote camera technology pilot program. The center of excellence 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 center of excellence 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.)
Investor-owned Utility Review Interim Study Committee. The bill declares that the concept of "community choice energy" (CCE), under which a community may choose to purchase electricity at wholesale through a supplier other than the local investor-owned electric utility, has the potential to enable communities to meet their renewable energy goals and save money without disrupting the local utility's current status as sole supplier of transmission, distribution, and customer service functions. To lay the groundwork for potential adoption of CCE in Colorado, the bill proposes 2 studies: A feasibility study, conducted by an independent energy expert under the guidance of the public utilities commission (PUC), to examine the financial and technical requirements that would need to be met for CCE to be viable and beneficial; and An investigatory proceeding at the PUC, inviting testimony and documentation from persons with firsthand knowledge of utility operations, CCE, or both, including regulators from other states in which CCE has been implemented. The goal of the investigation is to identify best practices and recommend legislative changes that would allow CCE to function well in Colorado if adopted. The bill directs that reports of the results of the feasibility study and the investigatory docket be given to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over energy matters in late 2020. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons With Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems. The bill establishes and expands programs within the division of housing in the department of local affairs (division) to build the capacity of communities across the state to provide supportive housing services to individuals with behavioral, mental health, or substance use disorders who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and who have contact with the criminal or juvenile justice system, including: Expanding statewide training and technical assistance to help communities develop and implement supportive housing programs for individuals who have behavioral, mental health, or substance use disorders who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and who have contact with the criminal or juvenile justice system. The program must be targeted to communities that currently face barriers to accessing existing state and federal funding for supportive housing programs. Establishing a predevelopment grant program that provides funding to entities working to develop supportive housing interventions for individuals who have behavioral, mental health, or substance use disorders who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and who have contact with the criminal or juvenile justice system. The grant money can be used to add new or additional staff capacity to allow the development and implementation of such programs. The division is required to prioritize applicants that will serve rural or frontier communities and to provide hands-on technical assistance to grant recipients. Establishing a supportive housing services and homelessness prevention grant program. Grant money can be used to cover the costs of providing supportive housing services that are currently not eligible for reimbursement through the state's medical assistance program. It can also be used to fund homelessness prevention projects for individuals who have behavioral, mental health, or substance use disorders who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and who have contact with the criminal or juvenile justice system. The division is required to prioritize applicants that will serve rural or frontier communities and provide hands-on technical assistance to grant recipients. Developing a plan to increase participation in regional homeless data systems, support accurate data reporting, and assess housing-related needs. The program must work with regional continuums of care to evaluate how to increase participation in data systems in communities across the state, identify technical needs and associated costs for doing so, and work with communities and stakeholders to integrate or develop an integrated user interface for various data systems related to housing and supportive services. It must also enhance information about best practices and training materials available to communities across the state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Wildfire Matters Review Committee. The bill establishes the wildfire mitigation resources and best practices grant program (grant program) within the division of local government in the department of local affairs. Grant recipients use grant money to conduct outreach among landowners to inform them of resources available for wildfire mitigation and best practices for wildfire mitigation. The grant program only awards grants to applicants conducting outreach to landowners in high wildfire hazard areas and prioritizes applications based on the potential impact of the applicant's proposed outreach. The bill also extends the increased wildfire mitigation income tax deduction that allows a landowner to claim 100%, rather than 50%, of the costs they incur in performing wildfire mitigation measures. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the department of health care policy and financing (department) to create and implement an expedited provider enrollment approval process and an expedited review of qualifications for transportation service providers for medicaid waiver recipients (providers) no later than July 1, 2021. The bill requires the department to engage in a stakeholder process to develop a report that identifies barriers and potential solutions to medicaid waiver recipients accessing transportation services within the long-term support and services system and to submit the report to specified committees of the general assembly no later than January 15, 2021.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the department of health care policy and financing to reimburse federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) for telemedicine services and clinical pharmacy services provided to medicaid recipients.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Not later than December 31, 2020, the bill requires each state agency, state institution of higher education, and political subdivision of the state to submit to the office of the state architect (office) a list of all usable real property owned by or under the control of the agency, institution, or political subdivision of the state. This list must include, if applicable: The address where the real property is located; The size of the real property; How the real property is zoned; Contact information for the state agency, institution, or political subdivision of the state that owns or controls the real property; The plan, if one is available, for the use, development, or sale of the real property; and A description that includes the condition of the real property and a measurement of total area of the real property that is vacant, unused, or underdeveloped. Not later than December 31 of each subsequent year, each state agency, state institution, and political subdivision of the state must submit to the office any updates to the information the agency, institution, or political subdivision of the state originally submitted to the office about the usable real property the agency, institution, or political subdivision of the state owns or controls. Beginning July 1, 2021, whenever any state agency, state institution of higher education, or political subdivision of the state plans to offer any usable real property for sale, or otherwise plans to solicit any offer to purchase real property, the agency, institution, or political subdivision of the state shall notify the office. Not later than July 1, 2021, the office must establish and maintain a current database that includes the information listed above. This database must be available free of charge to the public on the office's website. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
