Currently, critical access hospitals must be licensed as general hospitals under state law. The act: Authorizes the department of public health and environment (department) to license critical access hospitals separately from general hospitals; On and after July 1, 2026, prohibits a person from operating a critical access hospital without a critical access hospital license; and Requires the state board of health to promulgate rules concerning the licensure of critical access hospitals. The act appropriates $45,722 from the general fund to the department for administration and operations management. From that appropriation, $12,285 is reappropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology to provide services to the department. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE July 1, 2026(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Local government floodplain management regulations for development in floodplain areas must equal or exceed the federal emergency management agency's national flood insurance program's (national flood insurance program) minimum design and construction criteria and must comply with the Colorado water conservation board's (CWCB) rules and regulations for regulatory floodplains in Colorado. Not all local governments participate in the national flood insurance program. The act requires the office of the state architect, in coordination with the CWCB, to develop a state floodplain management program (program) by June 30, 2025, which will ensure compliance with the minimum floodplain management criteria of the national flood insurance program and with the CWCB's rules and regulations for regulatory floodplains in Colorado. The program applies to development on state-owned land in counties and municipalities that do not participate in the national flood insurance program. At the discretion of the office of the state architect, the program may also apply to state-leased properties in counties and municipalities that do not participate in the national flood insurance program. The act appropriates $49,383 from the general fund to the department of personnel for use by the office of the state architect. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act extends the deposit of the annual amount of depreciation of a capital asset acquired, repaired, replaced, improved, renovated, or constructed with money appropriated to a cash fund into the capitol complex renovation fund (fund) through July 1, 2029. Through July 1, 2031, the act allows money from the fund to be allocated to projects to make improvements to buildings in the capitol complex that address accessibility under the federal "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" and state disability discrimination statutes and other improvements, including to the first floor, basement, and cafeteria of the capitol building. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the stable housing for survivors of domestic or sexual violence program (program) in the department of human services (state department). The act requires the state department to contract with community-based advocacy organizations to provide short-term assistance payments to survivors of domestic or sexual violence for stable housing. For each state fiscal year 2024-25, the act requires the general assembly to appropriate $2,000,000 from the state long-term works reserve to the program to the state department for use by the office of economic security for the program. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates multiple ways to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in Colorado's child welfare system. The state department of human services (department) is directed to work with county departments of human or social services to: Update the existing annual departmental EDI report using state data sources and national child welfare data clearinghouses; Identify necessary demographic or other data that is not currently collected in Colorado's child welfare case management system (management system) and determine recommendations for improving data collection statewide; Identify additional necessary demographic or other data about children, families, and people working in the child welfare that is not currently collected in the management system, the child welfare worker training system, or other components and data systems of the child welfare system, and, in collaboration with counties, determine internal or external processes and make recommendations for improving data collection and reporting statewide; Provide a report on the state's progress in addressing data collection and data entry challenges in the management system; Provide a report on the state's progress in training child welfare staff on demographic data collection; Report on the state's progress in training the child welfare workforce in reducing bias and in promoting EDI, and on progress in the training's alignment with current research and best practices in promoting EDI. The department shall strengthen EDI training for child welfare staff and management. The act requires the department to provide recommendations for training requirements for other child welfare agencies and to offer specific EDI training for mandatory reporters to address disparities in reporting in Colorado's child welfare system. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes the department of public health and environment to require each operator of an assisted living residence (operator) to require each direct care worker who provides direct care services to residents of an assisted living residence (direct care worker) to: Take a tuberculosis test; and Undergo fit testing for a respiratory mask. The act requires each operator to require each direct care worker to complete direct care training to provide specific services to residents. The individual or entity that provides training is required to provide each trained direct care worker with a certificate of completion of training that may be presented to another assisted living residence to consider for the purposes of satisfying the residence's training requirements. For a direct care worker who has been issued a certificate of completion, an operator may require an employee to complete new training or may require the completion of a competency test prior to the employee providing direct care services. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of early childhood (department) to provide education and information in plain language and in prevalent languages to help individuals complete the paperwork required to meet child care licensing compliance requirements. Prevalent languages is defined as the 2 most prevalent languages spoken in Colorado. The department is required to provide services in prevalent languages to individuals seeking to open or otherwise participate in the operation of an early childhood program or facility licensed by the department. The act creates the bilingual licensing unit in the department to help the department satisfy its duties to provide education, information, and services in prevalent languages and requires the general assembly to appropriate $235,000 from the general fund to the department for the 2024-25 state fiscal year and for each state fiscal year thereafter to pay the costs of the bilingual licensing unit's activities. The act also requires the general assembly to appropriate $45,000 from the general fund to the department for the 2024-25 state fiscal year to pay costs associated with updating the department's mobile licensing application. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act includes outdoor nature-based preschool programs (outdoor programs) as a type of licensed child care center (center) in the department of early childhood (department) for licensing-related matters. No later than December 31, 2025, the executive director of the department shall promulgate rules for centers operating as outdoor programs. The rules must include, but are not limited to: Land-use agreement requirements for outdoor programs operating on public or private land; Policies for site-specific alternative shelter plans; Policies for site-specific risk mitigation plans; Policies for site-specific emergency and disaster preparedness plans; Policies for site-specific evacuation plans; and Policies and procedures for outdoor programs to opt out of certain department requirements through the site-specific risk mitigation plan. The act requires the department to provide training to licensing staff who oversee outdoor program site inspections and, beginning December 1, 2026, to outdoor program operators and staff. The department shall collaborate with local fire departments on fire prevention and protection requirements for outdoor programs and with the department of public health and environment on sanitary standards for outdoor programs. The act requires the general assembly to appropriate $30,000 from the child care licensing cash fund to the department for the 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 fiscal years to implement the outdoor programs. The act appropriates $179,569 to the department for purposes of licensing outdoor programs. The appropriation consists of $149,569 from the general fund and $30,000 from the cash fund. The act appropriates $35,341 to the department of public health and environmentfor environmental health programs related to outdoor program licensure. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act: Exempts veterinarians from complying with specific aspects of the prescription drug use monitoring program (program) that are specific to prescriptions for human patients; Allows the medical director of a medical practice or hospital, including a nurse medical director, to appoint designees to query the program on behalf of a practitioner in the medical practice or hospital setting; Allows the department of health care policy and financing (department) to access the program, consistent with federal data privacy requirements, for purposes of care coordination, utilization review, and federally required reporting relating to recipients of certain benefits; and Updates current language in the laws relating to the program by using more modern terminology. A county or district public health agency may establish a multidisciplinary and multiagency overdose fatality review team (local team). The act prescribes membership requirements, purposes, and duties for local teams, including a duty to report annually to the county or district public health agency served by the local team. The act requires certain entities, upon receiving a written request of the chair of a local team, to provide the local team with information and records regarding a person whose death or near death is being reviewed by the local team. Unless the chair of the local team grants an extension of time, the entity must provide the local team the requested information and records within 10 business days after receipt of the request. A person or entity that receives a records request from a local team may charge the local team a reasonable fee for the service of duplicating any records requested. A person or entity, including a local or state agency, that provides information or records to a local team is not subject to civil or criminal liability or any professional disciplinary action pursuant to state law as a result of providing the information or record. Upon request of a local team, a person who is not a member of a local team may attend and participate in a meeting at which a local team reviews confidential information and considers a plan, an intervention, or other course of conduct based on that review. The act requires each person at a local team meeting to sign a confidentiality form before reviewing information and records received by the local team. Local team meetings in which confidential information is discussed are exempt from the open meetings provisions of the "Colorado Sunshine Act of 1972". A local team shall maintain the confidentiality of information provided to the local team as required by state and federal law, and information and records acquired or created by a local team are not subject to inspection pursuant to the "Colorado Open Records Act". Local team members and a person who presents or provides information to a local team may not be questioned in any civil or criminal proceeding or disciplinary action regarding the information presented or provided. Law enforcement may not use information from any overdose fatality review for any law enforcement purpose. The department is required to publish guidance for providers concerning reimbursement for all variations of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment interventions. The act requires the existing substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment grant program in the department to require implementation of: A statewide adolescent substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral practice that includes training and technical assistance for appropriate professionals in Colorado schools, with the purpose of identifying students who would benefit from screening, brief intervention, and potential referral to resources, including treatment; and A statewide substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral practice that includes training and technical assistance for pediatricians and professionals in pediatric settings, with the purpose of identifying adolescent patients who would benefit from screening, brief intervention, and potential referral to resources, including treatment. Current law authorizes the center for research into substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support strategies (center) to conduct a statewide perinatal substance use data linkage project (data linkage project) that uses ongoing collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health actions to improve outcomes for families impacted by substance use during pregnancy. The act: Requires the center to conduct the data linkage project; Requires the data linkage project to utilize data from additional state and federal programs; and Expands the data linkage project to examine the education of pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates: $75,000 from the general fund to the executive director of the department for general professional services and special projects; this appropriation is based on the assumption that the department will receive $75,000 in federal funds for these services; and $250,000 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. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act alters the name, membership, and issues of study of the task force for the consideration of facial recognition services to establish the artificial intelligence impact task force (task force). The membership of the task force includes 26 members who, on or before August 1, 2024, will be appointed by the governor, the president of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority leader of the house of representatives. Members include individuals that represent various organizations, communities, governmental entities, academia, and businesses related to the artificial intelligence and biometric technology industry. There are 4 legislative members of the task force. The issues of study for the task force are updated to include a broad approach to artificial intelligence technology, automated decision systems, and biometric technology. The task force shall consider issues related to: The definition of key terms, such as "artificial intelligence system" and "automated decision system" and types of artificial intelligence systems or automated decision systems that any state legislation or policy should cover; Establishing notice and disclosure requirements for companies that use artificial intelligence systems and automated decision systems; Creating a code of conduct or best practices for evaluating the ethical and equitable impact of using artificial intelligence systems and automated decision systems; Developing recommendations for how to protect disproportionately impacted communities and workers from algorithmic discrimination, including clear quantitative metrics by which to measure, assess, monitor, and prevent algorithmic discrimination; Developing recommendations for how the state can effectively govern artificial intelligence systems and automated decision systems; and Developing recommendations related to the use of facial recognition services and biometric technology. On or before February 1, 2025, the task force must submit a report to the joint technology committee and the governor's office that summarizes the findings and policy recommendations related to the task force's issues of study. The task force must meet at least 5 times between September 1, 2024, and February 1, 2025, and may meet as necessary after the task force submits the report. The task force is repealed September 1, 2027, and the task force is scheduled for sunset review prior to repeal. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act excludes injuries involving the possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia from a physician's mandatory reporting requirements. The act also adds an exemption to the prohibition on possessing drug paraphernalia for possession of drug paraphernalia that a person received from an approved syringe exchange program or a program carried out by a harm reduction organization while the person was participating in the program. With respect to opioid antagonists, the act: Clarifies that the civil and criminal immunity that protects a person who acts in good faith to furnish or administer an opioid antagonist also protects a person who distributes the opioid antagonist; Specifies that the mere presence of an opioid antagonist is insufficient to establish probable cause to perform a warrantless search or seizure; and Updates the term "opiate antagonist" to "opioid antagonist" in current law. The act specifies that money appropriated to the department of public health and environment to purchase non-laboratory synthetic opioid detection tests may also be used to purchase other drug testing equipment. The act authorizes an organization operating a clean syringe exchange program to: Purchase and distribute other supplies and tools intended to reduce health risks associated with the use of drugs, including smoking materials; and Provide drug testing services through the program. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
No later than January 1, 2026, the act requires the behavioral health administration (BHA) to require all eating disorder treatment and recovery facilities (treatment facility) to hold an appropriate designation based on the level of care the treatment facility provides. Licensed clinicians who are not facility-based and offer behavioral health therapy on an outpatient basis are not required to hold a designation. The act directs the state board of human services to promulgate rules for treatment facilities and requires the BHA to promulgate rules concerning involuntary feeding tubes for individuals with an eating disorder. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
