The act makes any annexation of lands within the exterior boundaries of a reservation of a federally recognized Indian tribe located within the state into the boundaries of a municipality invalid unless there is a resolution or ordinance approving the annexation by the tribal council or other governing body of the federally recognized Indian tribe within whose reservation the annexation will occur. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act expands the America 250 - Colorado 150 commission (commission) from 15 to 21 voting members by adding the following members to be appointed by the governor: 2 members representing Indigenous communities who are members of a federally recognized tribe with historic ties to Colorado that is not the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe or the Southern Ute Indian Tribe; One member who is an expert in disability history or is working for a disability rights organization; One member representing military and veterans affairs; and 2 at-large members. The act also directs the commission and history Colorado to hold any gifts, grants, or donations in the America 250 - Colorado 150 cash fund (cash fund), transfers $250,000 from the general fund to the cash fund, and modifies the cash fund so that all money therein may be used to support the following duties of the commission: Giving grants to communities across the state to provide local opportunities related to commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood; and Developing and promoting plans for statewide recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood between July 1, 2025, and December 31, 2026, including: Historical activities; The creation and publication of historical documents; Cooperation with agencies responsible for the preservation or restoration of historic sites, buildings, art, and artifacts; Educational opportunities for Colorado youth to understand their historic roots in the United States and Colorado; The promotion of scholarship and research that illuminates the history of the American west and Colorado within the larger story of the United States; The arrangement of appropriate public ceremonies; and Commemorative events, supported by a comprehensive marketing and tourism campaign. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act modifies the "Uniform Election Code of 1992", (code) the law regarding initiatives and referendums, the "Fair Campaign Practices Act", the public official disclosure requirements of the "Colorado Sunshine Act of 1972", and other laws regarding elections. The act modifies the code as follows: Regarding elections generally, specifies that the county clerk and recorder, as the chief election official for the county, sets the operational hours of the clerk and recorder's office and specifies that the governing board of a county or city and county is not authorized to supervise the conduct of regular and special elections or to consult with election officials in regard to conducting elections and rendering decisions and interpretations under the code; Regarding the qualification and registration of electors, beginning January 1, 2025, changes the age at which an individual may preregister to vote from 16 to 15 years old; Regarding political party organization, specifies that when a state senatorial district or state representative district is comprised of one or more whole counties or of a part of one county and all or a part of one or more other counties, a state senatorial central committee or a state representative central committee consists of the elected precinct committee persons, as well as the chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and secretary of the several party county central committees, who reside within the state senatorial district or the state representative district; Regarding access to the ballot by candidates, specifies that the law prohibiting a candidate who was defeated in a primary election from participating in a general election does not apply to a candidate for president of the United States; allows the governor to designate a location other than the office of the governor for the presidential electors to convene if the governor determines that it is not feasible to meet in the office of the governor; makes the deadlines for a candidate to file a petition in a congressional vacancy election consistent with other deadlines; makes the general timeline for circulating petitions to get on the ballot applicable to presidential electors for unaffiliated presidential candidates; beginning January 1, 2025, aligns the minor political party candidate petition calendar with the major political party candidate petition calendar; clarifies that an unaffiliated candidate for president of the United States is exempt from the requirement that a candidate be registered as unaffiliated with a political party in the statewide voter registration system prior to the general election; beginning January 1, 2025, requires a candidate or candidate committee, recall committee, or representative of a minority party petition to submit a paid circulator report, if applicable, to the secretary of state (secretary); and modifies the timing for a candidate to cure a nominating petition signature deficiency; Regarding notice and preparation of elections, requires the secretary to administer a pilot program that allows the county clerk and recorder or designated election official (clerk) of a county with at least 10,000 but fewer than 37,500 active electors and with at least 3 cities or towns where the second and third largest cities or towns that are located entirely within the county both have less than 3% of the active electors in the county, to request a waiver of the requirement to designate 3 voter service and polling centers (VSPC) on election day and instead designate at least 2 VSPCs on election day; repeals an obsolete provision specifying data to be used to determine the number of students enrolled at an institution of higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic; specifies that for a general election, a county shall establish a drop box on each campus of an institution of higher education located within the county that has 1,000, rather than 2,000, or more enrolled students; clarifies that each clerk is required to ensure that primary election ballots are printed in accordance with existing law; repeals obsolete language regarding voting equipment; updates several provisions regarding the use of voting systems to align with current practice; requires the secretary to approve or deny an application from a political subdivision to purchase a new electromechanical voting system within 30 days of receiving the application; modifies the standards for accessible voting systems to align with federal standards; and repeals obsolete language regarding direct recording electronic voting systems; Regarding election judges, changes the deadline by which the county chairperson of each major political party in a county is required to certify to the clerk the names and addresses of registered electors recommended to serve as election judges in the county and implements an appeal process for an election judge who is preemptively removed as an election judge by the county chairperson or authorized official; Regarding the conduct of elections, allows a registered elector who will not have been a Colorado resident for at least 22 days immediately before a presidential general election to cast a provisional ballot, which includes only a vote for president and vice president, in that election; extends the deadline for the secretary to adopt rules concerning the tabulation, reporting, and canvassing of results for a coordinated election using instant runoff voting conducted by multiple counties from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026; updates provisions regarding voting machines and the inspection of voting machines by election judges; repeals obsolete provisions regarding sample ballots, the seal on voting machines, the manner of voting by eligible electors, the counting of write-in ballots, and how voting system software is installed; clarifies that the secretary will conduct a random audit of voting devices only if a risk-limiting audit is not possible after an election; and extends the deadlines for the secretary to promulgate rules necessary to conduct risk limiting audits in an election using instant runoff voting and for a county to audit an election using instant runoff voting conducted as part of a coordinated election from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026; Regarding mail ballot elections, allows a clerk to request a waiver from the secretary of state exempting the county from the remote location drop box ballot collection requirements and specifies alternative collection requirements if a waiver is granted; specifies the conditions under which an elector may request a replacement ballot from the clerk; modifies the time by which an elector must request a replacement ballot from the clerk; and repeals obsolete provisions that direct clerks how to count ballots that are cast on electronic or electromechanical vote tabulating equipment; Regarding recounts, repeals obsolete provisions regarding recounts in nonpartisan local elections and clarifies who has standing to request a recount challenge; Regarding certificates of election and election contests, repeals obsolete language regarding the election of precinct officers and duplicative language regarding the resolution of tie votes and specifies that a contest concerning a presidential elector must be filed with the supreme court no later than 24 days after the general election and specifies the deadline for the supreme court to rule on such a contest; and Regarding recall elections, modifies the deadline for filing a nomination petition for a candidate to succeed an officer who is sought to be recalled. The act further modifies the code to specify that regarding the use of an all-candidate primary election or a ranked voting method in a primary or general election, it is the general assembly's intent that a general statutory provision with a later effective date prevails over a specific statutory provision with an earlier effective date. In addition, the act specifies that before a designated election official may conduct an all-candidate primary election using an all-candidate primary ballot and before a primary or general election can use a ranked voting method for federal or state offices, the secretary must certify that: Multiple municipalities in counties of specified sizes with active electors that satisfy certain demographic criteria have conducted an election with a ranked voting method; Each municipality that has conduced an election with a ranked voting method has completed a risk-limiting audit that demonstrates that the certified outcomes in each race were accurate; and The secretary has submitted a report to the general assembly regarding the impact of ranked choice voting methods as compared to elections conducted through other voting methods. The provisions of the act regarding an all-candidate primary election and the use of ranked voting methods take effect March 1, 2026. The act modifies the law regarding initiatives and referendums by repealing an obsolete provision regarding filing a paid circulator report with the secretary and by repealing obsolete language regarding the effective date of the bills enacted during the 2020 legislative session that included an act subject to petition clause. The act modifies the "Fair Campaign Practices Act" as follows: Prohibits a natural person who is not a citizen of the United States, a foreign government, or a foreign corporation from making a direct ballot issue or ballot question expenditure in connection with an election on a ballot issue or ballot question in the state; Specifies that a candidate seeking reelection does not have to file an additional disclosure statement filed pursuant to current law if the incumbent has filed the annual report required by law within the last 30 days from which the incumbent becomes a candidate for reelection; Clarifies that any person may file a complaint with the secretary of state about a candidate not complying with the disclosure statement requirements; and Requires a candidate for specified offices to amend the disclosure statement when there is a substantial change of interests as to which the disclosure is required. The act modifies the public official disclosure requirements specified in the "Colorado Sunshine Act of 1972" as follows: Requires that specified public officials file an annual disclosure statement with the secretary and amend the disclosure statement when there is a substantial change of interests as to which the disclosure is required; Requires specified public officials who are serving in office in the 2024 calendar year, but who have not filed an annual disclosure statement in the 2024 calendar year, to file a disclosure statement within a specified amount of time and requires the disclosure statements to be available on the secretary's website; Repeals a provision that allows a public official to file an income tax return with the secretary in lieu of filing certain information required in the disclosure statement; Allows any person who believes that a member of the general assembly is not complying with the public official's disclosure requirements to file a complaint with specified individuals, requires the secretary to notify the appropriate individuals if a member of the general assembly does not timely file the required annual disclosure statement, and requires an individual who receives a complaint to investigate the complaint using existing procedures. The act amends the "Colorado Open Records Act" to specify that if a clerk receives a request for election-related records that are in active use, in storage, or otherwise not readily available, and the request is made during an election for which the clerk is the designated election official, the clerk may take additional time to fulfill the request under certain circumstances; except that the allowance for additional time does not apply if the requester of the public records is a mass medium organization or a newsperson. The act adds clerk and recorders to the law specifying the office hours and required availability of county officials. The act amends Senate Bill 24-230, concerning support for statewide remediation services that positively impact the environment, to repeal the definition of "fee" applicable to section 20 of article X of the state constitution. These provisions of the act are contingent upon Senate Bill 24-230 being enacted and becoming law. The act modifies the county commissioner redistricting process to specify that staff working with the redistricting commission or the advisory committee assigned to assist the redistricting commission regarding the mapping of county commissioner districts may make a completed proposed redistricting plan that staff has prepared as a result of a request made in a public hearing available to the public on the commission's website. In addition, the act specifies that such staff may communicate with a member of the commission or advisory committee to clarify directions that were given to staff during a public meeting regarding the creation of a proposed plan, so long as staff makes a record of the communication available on the commission's website. The act makes the following appropriations for the 2024-25 state fiscal year: $10,444 to the department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund to implement the act; $1,888 to the office of the governor from reappropriated funds for use by the office of information technology to provide services to the department of revenue to implement the act; and $3,654 to the department of state from the department of state cash fund for use by the elections division to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE March 1, 2026(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law commonly known as the "lemon law" requires a manufacturer, a manufacturer's agent, or a manufacturer's authorized dealer (dealer) to replace or buy back a motor vehicle if the consumer notified the dealer within the earlier of the warranty period or one year after original delivery of the motor vehicle (notification time) of the motor vehicle's nonconformity with the motor vehicle's warranty (nonconformity) and the motor vehicle underwent a reasonable number of attempts to repair. The number of repairs are considered reasonable if: The motor vehicle was out of service for repairs for a cumulative total of 30 or more business days; or The dealer tried unsuccessfully to repair the motor vehicle 4 or more times. The act: Expands the lemon law to cover motor vehicles affected by safety-based nonconformities; Expands the notification time to include the earlier of the motor vehicle's first 24,000 miles or 2 years after original delivery of the motor vehicle; Lowers the number of out-of-service business days from 30 to 24; and Lowers the number of required attempts to repair from 4 to 3 generally and to 2 for a safety-based nonconformity. Current law requires a manufacturer to be notified of a defect and be given an opportunity to cure the defect in order to be subject to the reasonable repairs presumption. The act adds a 10-business-day limit on the opportunity to cure the defect. Current law allows a dealer, when buying back a motor vehicle, to deduct a reasonable allowance for use. The act sets a formula for determining the reasonable allowance for use. Current law exempts from the lemon law motor vehicles that have a problem that does not affect the market value of the motor vehicle. The act provides that the problem must not affect the safety of the motor vehicle to qualify for the exemption. The act changes the statute of limitations from the earlier of 6 months after the expiration of a warranty or within one year after the original delivery of the motor vehicle to 30 months after the original delivery. The act requires a dealer to allow an agent of a purchaser to inspect a motor vehicle or provide a 7-day free-look period, during which the purchaser may return the motor vehicle and receive a refund of all money paid to purchase the motor vehicle. The dealer must notify purchasers of this inspection right. To make the inspection, an agent may have reasonable access to conduct the inspection, but the agent must be qualified to use or operate any equipment used to inspect the vehicle and must not interfere with normal business operations of the dealer. A dealer is required to give certain notices that a motor vehicle was returned, including notifying the department of revenue (department). The department must put a brand on the title to notify subsequent purchasers. Failing to comply with the act is grounds for discipline for a manufacturer or distributor of motor vehicles. To implement the act, $19,605 is appropriated for the 2024-25 state fiscal year to the department from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of health care policy and financing (HCPF), in collaboration with the behavioral health administration (BHA) and the department of human services (CDHS), to develop a system of care (system of care) for children and youth who are less than 21 years of age and who have complex behavioral health needs. At a minimum, the system of care must include: Implementation of a standardized assessment tool; Intensive-care coordination; Expanded supportive services; and Expanded access to treatment foster care. The act requires HCPF to convene a leadership team that is responsible for the decision-making and oversight of the system of care and to convene an implementation team to create a plan to implement the system of care. The act requires CDHS and HCPF to report progress on the development and implementation of the system of care to the general assembly. The act creates the residential child care provider training academy in CDHS to create a pipeline of high-quality staff for residential child care providers and ensure that individuals hired to work at residential child care facilities receive the necessary training to perform the individual's job functions responsibly and effectively. The act requires CDHS to expand the number of treatment beds available for children and youth whose behavioral or mental health needs require services and treatment in a residential child care facility. The act requires CDHS to develop a system to establish and monitor quality standards for residential child care providers and ensure the quality standards are implemented into all levels of care that serve children and youth in out-of-home placement. The act requires CDHS to develop a system to incentivize residential child care providers to implement quality standards above CDHS' established minimum standards. The act requires CDHS to make publicly available on the department's website a directory of each residential child care provider's quality assurance. The CDHS program that provides emergency resources to certain licensed providers to help remove barriers the providers face in serving children and youth whose behavioral or mental health needs require services and treatment in a residential child care facility currently repeals on July 1, 2028. The act extends the program indefinitely and requires CDHS to contract with additional licensed providers for the delivery of services to children and youth who are eligible for and placed in the program. The act requires CDHS and the BHA to increase the minimum reimbursement rates paid to qualified residential treatment programs for the purpose of aligning room and board payments across payer sources. The act requires HCPF to contract with a third-party vendor to complete an actuarial analysis in order to determine the appropriate medicaid reimbursement rate for psychiatric residential treatment facilities. The act requires CDHS to contract with one or more third-party vendors to implement a pilot program to assess the needs of, and provide short-term residential services for, juvenile justice-involved youth who do not meet the criteria for detention. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates money to the department of human services and the department of health care policy and financing to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Section 2 of the act reinstates a refundable income tax credit (credit) that was available for the income tax year commencing on January 1, 2022, so that the credit is available for the income tax year commencing on January 1, 2024, and is available in a different amount to joint-filers. The credit is for a qualifying senior, which means a resident individual who: Is 65 years of age or older at the end of 2024; Has federal adjusted gross income (AGI) that is less than or equal to $75,000 if filing a single return, or less than or equal to $125,000 if filing a joint return; and Has not claimed the senior property tax exemption for the 2024 property tax year. The amount of the credit is: $800 for a qualifying senior filing a single return with federal AGI that is $25,000 or less. For every $500 of federal AGI above $25,000, the amount of the credit is reduced by $8. $800 for 2 taxpayers filing a joint return with federal AGI that is $25,000 or less. For every $500 of federal AGI above $25,000, the amount of the credit is reduced by $4. $400 for each taxpayer, in the case of 2 taxpayers who share the same primary residence and who may legally file a joint return but actually file separate returns, if both taxpayers claim the credit. For every $500 of federal AGI above $25,000, the amount of the credit is reduced by $4. Notwithstanding the income-based reductions in the allowable credit amount, a taxpayer who also qualifies for a property tax and rent assistance grant or heat assistance grant during calendar year 2024 is eligible to receive the full credit amount. Section 1 of the act requires the property tax administrator to provide reports from counties related to taxpayers who are eligible for and actually claim the senior property tax exemption. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act amends consumer protection laws regarding ticket sales and resales for events. The act requires operators and resellers to guarantee refunds to purchasers of tickets under certain circumstances; prohibits an operator from denying an individual access or revoking an individual's valid ticket to an event because the individual's ticket was bought through a reseller; and clarifies that an operator may revoke or restrict tickets for reasons relating to a violation of venue policies that are available in writing, for safety of patrons, or to address fraud or misconduct. The act establishes that it is a deceptive trade practice when, in the course of a person's business, vocation, or occupation, the person: Uses an internet domain name or subdomain name in an operator or reseller's URL if the domain name or subdomain name used contains the name of the place of entertainment, name of the event, name of individual or entity scheduled to perform at the event, or a name that is substantially similar to those names without prior written authorization; Uses, without prior written authorization, an internet website to display a text, image, graphic, design, or internet address that is substantially similar to an operator's internet website that could mislead a potential purchaser; Sells a ticket to an event without disclosing the total cost of the ticket, including the cost of any service charge or other fees that must be paid, or displays service charges and fees less prominently than the total price of the ticket; Makes a false or misleading disclosure of subtotals, fees, charges, or any other component of the total ticket price; or Increases the price of a ticket after the first time the price is displayed to the purchaser, with certain exceptions. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires that the board of a special district, within 30 days of receiving a written request from any county, city and county, or municipality within the boundaries of which the special district operates or partly operates, provide the rate schedule for the special district's tap fees, system development fees, or other fees and charges that contemplate future water or sanitation system usage, and, upon request of the local government, provide any professional analyses and a detailed written justification of the costs and methodologies used to calculate those fees. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires a transportation network company (TNC) operating in the state to provide various disclosures to the TNC's drivers regarding payments that a consumer makes to the TNC and the amount that the TNC then pays to a driver. On or before May 1, 2025, a TNC is required to develop a driver deactivation and suspension policy describing the TNC's procedures for deactivating or suspending a driver from the TNC's digital platform and describing procedures for reconsideration of a TNC's decision to deactivate a driver. The TNC is required to disclose to drivers its driver deactivation and suspension policy, and, on and after June 1, 2025, the TNC is required to comply with certain deactivation and suspension requirements regarding its policy, including a prohibition against deactivating or suspending a driver unless the deactivation or suspension is consistent with the TNC's policy. The TNC is prohibited from including specified requirements in a contract between the TNC and a driver, including that a dispute related to deactivation reconsideration be adjudicated out of state or that the driver pay the TNC's costs or attorney fees related to the dispute. The act also requires a TNC to provide specified disclosures to its drivers and to consumers regarding payments that the consumer makes to the DNC and the amount that the DNC then pays to the driver. Beginning October 1, 2025, and every 3 years thereafter, the division of labor standards and statistics (division) in the department of labor and employment is required to certify a driver support organization (organization) to represent and support drivers through deactivation and suspension procedures. The division reviews the certified organization's budget, which budget must not exceed 7 cents per transportation task based on the previous year's total transportation tasks for all TNCs operating in the state. After the first certification period, the division may authorize an increased budget, not to exceed an increase above the rate of inflation for the previous 3-year certification period, to cover the certified organization's costs. Upon approval of the certified organization's budget, the division is required to direct each TNC to remit a quarterly share of the budget to the certified organization. Drivers may make voluntary, per-trip deductions on their earnings to help finance the certified organization. On a semiannual basis commencing August 1, 2026, a TNC is required to disclose to the division information regarding transportation tasks completed and any deactivations of drivers during the previous reporting period. The division may impose fines against a TNC for violations of the act occurring on and after June 1, 2025. A person aggrieved by a TNC's violation of the act may file a civil suit against the TNC seeking damages or injunctive relief. The director of the division may adopt rules to implement the act. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $164,741 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of labor and employment for use by the division to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
To prevent and combat the sharing and spreading of factually inaccurate data, the attorney general is required to: Establish an initiative to encourage respectful engagement and discourse; Develop and share resources to facilitate productive and honest conversations regarding statewide and national issues to help people find common ground; and Collaborate with organizations across the state to develop and update the materials that are used in connection with the resources and coordinate with the department of education to make the resources available to schools and school districts in the state. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the division of insurance (division) to conduct or cause to be conducted a study regarding the remediation of residential premises that have been damaged from smoke, soot, ash, and other contaminants as a result of a fire. The study focuses on existing practices for the remediation of homes that have been damaged by smoke, soot, ash, and other contaminants as a result of a fire and requires the division to make recommendations for establishing uniform standards related to such remediation. The division may contract with a third party to conduct all or part of the study. The division must submit a report of the study's findings and recommendations to certain committees of the general assembly by January 1, 2026. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $219,909 is appropriated to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the division. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires health insurance carriers (carriers) to comply with federal price transparency laws and to make available an internet-based self-service tool that provides real-time responses to a covered person's questions concerning carrier prices that are based on cost-sharing information. The act also requires carriers to submit information required by federal pharmacy benefit and drug cost reporting laws to the commissioner of insurance and to make certain information regarding price transparency publicly available. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
