Section 1 of the act amends the statute that governs the use of automated vehicle identification systems (AVIS) on roadways other than toll highways operated by a public highway authority or the high-performance transportation enterprise in the department of transportation (CDOT) to: Clarify that CDOT and the Colorado state patrol (CSP) have authority to use AVIS to detect traffic violations on any portion of a highway that is owned or maintained by the state (state highway); Clarify the notification and coordination process between local governments, CDOT, and the CSP with respect to the use of AVIS on a state highway; Authorize CDOT to promulgate rules relating to the use of AVIS where it is not designated for use or implemented on state highways by the later of January 1, 2025, or the date the rules are promulgated; Clarify that if the registered owner of a motor vehicle involved in a traffic violation detected by AVIS is engaged in the business of leasing or renting motor vehicles, the registered owner remains liable for payment of a civil penalty assessed for the violation even if the registered owner was not driving the motor vehicle but may obtain payment from the lessor or renter of the motor vehicle and forward the payment to the jurisdiction imposing the civil penalty; and Require civil penalties collected by the state for traffic violations detected by AVIS, net of court and operations costs, to be credited to the state highway fund and used only to fund road safety projects, with priority given to those road safety projects that have the highest potential to reduce vulnerable road user injuries and fatalities while taking into account the planning capacity of each region, that protect vulnerable road users. Section 2 requires CDOT to establish and include in its statutorily required performance plan declining annual targets for vulnerable road user fatalities and, as part of the targets, also establish engineering methodology and internal education requirements for practices to prioritize safety over speed on high-injury networks. For state fiscal year 2025-26 and each succeeding state fiscal year, section 3 requires CDOT, after accounting for eligible critical safety-related asset management surface transportation infrastructure projects and as determined by the transportation commission, to expend a specified minimum amount of the money allocated to the state highway fund from the road safety surcharge and certain other fees, fines, and surcharges that are imposed on motor vehicle registrations and dedicated for certain types of road safety projects that protect vulnerable road users. To guide CDOT in implementing sections 2 and 3, section 4 amends an existing definition of "road safety project" to include certain types of projects that protect vulnerable road users and defines the term "vulnerable road user". APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates a voluntary recovery-friendly workplace program (program) in the center for health, work, and environment at the Colorado school of public health. The program recognizes and assists employers that implement recovery-friendly policies to help employees in recovery from substance use disorders. The program repeals September 1, 2028. The act creates a grant program in the department of education for schools that: Educate and support students in recovery from substance use or co-occurring disorders, including self-harm and disordered eating; Intend that all students enrolled are working in an active and abstinence-focused program of recovery as determined by the student and the school; and Provide support for families learning how to live with, and provide support for, their teens who are entering into the recovery lifestyle. For purposes of public school financing, the act allows a school district to include in its annual pupil count a student who has transferred to a recovery high school before the pupil count date. The act allows a recovery community organization that receives a grant through the recovery support services grant program to use the money to provide guidance to individuals on the many pathways for recovery. Current law establishes the requirements a facility must meet before operating as a recovery residence. The act requires the behavioral health administration in the department of human services to send a cease-and-desist letter to a recovery residence operating unlawfully. The act declares recovery residences, sober living facilities, and sober homes as residential use of land for zoning purposes. The act requires the liquor enforcement division in the department of revenue to adopt rules related to the location of alcohol beverages displays. Before adopting rules, the division must convene a stakeholder group consisting of recovery providers, individuals representing recovery residences, and individuals representing specified retailers licensed to sell alcohol beverages. To implement the act: $144,321 is appropriated for the 2024-25 state fiscal year from the general fund to the department of education; $303,752 is appropriated for the 2024-25 state fiscal year from the general fund to the department of higher education; $37,980 is appropriated for the 2024-25 state fiscal year from the liquor enforcement division and state licensing authority cash fund to the department of revenue. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law authorizes an individual with a terminal illness to request, and the individual's attending physician to prescribe to the individual, medication to hasten the individual's death (medical aid-in-dying). The act modifies the medical aid-in-dying laws by: Providing an advanced practice registered nurse with the same authority to evaluate an individual and prescribe medication as a physician; Adding language specifying that if any end-of-life options conflict with requirements to receive federal money, the conflicting part is inoperative and the remainder of the law will continue to operate; and Reducing the waiting period between oral requests from 15 days to 7 days and allowing attending providers to waive the mandatory waiting period if the patient is unlikely to survive more than 48 hours and meets all other qualifications. The act also prohibits certain insurers from: Denying or altering health-care or life insurance benefits otherwise available to a covered individual with a terminal illness based on the availability of medical aid-in-dying; or Attempting to coerce an individual with a terminal illness to make a request for medical aid-in-dying medication. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Effective January 1, 2025, the act repeals the existing statutory requirement to test a person who is pregnant for syphilis at the person's first professional visit with a health-care provider or during the first trimester of pregnancy. The act requires each health-care provider to take a blood sample from each pregnant person under their care and submit the sample to a laboratory for HIV testing and, if a pregnant person declines to be tested, to document in the person's medical record the refusal to be tested. The act requires the state board of health (board), on or before January 1, 2025, to promulgate rules concerning prenatal testing standards for syphilis, including the frequency of testing. At least once every 3 years, the department of public health and environment (department) is required to review the board's rules for alignment with national prenatal testing recommendations for sexually transmitted infections and the department's infection control duties. For statistical purposes, the department is required to make de-identified case rate data for syphilis available to county and district public health agencies, which data must remain confidential. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires health benefit plans to provide coverage for doula services in the same scope and duration of coverage for doula services that will be included in the department of health care policy and financing's request for federal authorization of doula services (request) under the "Colorado Medical Assistance Act" (medical assistance program). Doulas providing services must meet the same qualifications for and submit to the same regulation as individuals providing doula services as recommended under the medical assistance program. Coverage for doula services will be implemented for large employer health benefit plans issued or renewed in this state on and after July 1, 2025, or 12 months after submission of the request, whichever is later. For small group and individual plans, doula services will be implemented if the division of insurance and the federal department of health and human services determine that the benefit does not require state defrayal of the cost of the benefit or the division of insurance determines defrayal is not required and the federal department fails to respond to the division's request for confirmation of the determination within 365 days after the request is made. The act authorizes the department of public health and environment (department) to partner with the designated state perinatal care quality collaborative (perinatal quality collaborative) to track the statewide implementation of the recommendations of the Colorado maternal mortality review committee, implement perinatal health quality improvement programs with hospitals that provide labor and delivery or neonatal care services (hospital) to improve infant and maternal health outcomes, and address disparate care outcomes among certain populations and of those living in frontier areas of the state. No later than July 1, 2025, and no later than July 1 each year thereafter, the act requires hospitals to submit specified data to the perinatal quality collaborative concerning disparities in perinatal health care and health-care outcomes and beginning December 15, 2025, to annually participate in at least one maternal or infant health quality improvement initiative (initiative), as determined by the hospitals. The act authorizes financial support for hospitals in rural and frontier areas of the state, hospitals that serve a higher number of medical assistance patients or uninsured patients, and hospitals with lower-acuity maternal or neonatal levels of care. The act requires the department to contract with the perinatal quality collaborative to issue an annual report, no later than July 1, 2026, and no later than July 1 each year thereafter, on clinical quality improvements in maternal and infant health outcomes and related data, as well as other information that can be shared with hospitals and health facilities, policymakers, and others and posted on the internet. The act includes protections for the confidentiality of certain data collected or shared under the act. No later than July 1, 2025, the act requires the medical services board to promulgate rules to include coverage under the medical assistance program of over-the-counter choline dietary supplements for pregnant people and to seek federal approval for the coverage if necessary. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $1,328,652 is appropriated from the general fund to the department, for use by the prevention services division, with the assumption that the division will require 0.9 FTE, to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The "Colorado Road and Community Safety Act" authorizes the issuance of a driver's license or identification card to an individual who is not lawfully present in the United States if the individual meets certain requirements. The act changes these requirements by: Repealing the requirement that the applicant have filed a Colorado resident income tax return; Repealing the requirement that the applicant demonstrate residency in the state for the immediately preceding 2 years; Repealing the requirement that the applicant provide a documented social security number or individual taxpayer identification number; and Allowing an applicant to present a passport, consular identification card, or military identification document from the applicant's country of origin that is unexpired or expired less than 10 years before the date of the applicant's application for a driver's license or identification document. The act authorizes the use of exceptions processing, which is a hearing to determine whether an applicant possesses evidence sufficient to prove the applicant qualifies for an identification document, for identification document applicants who are not lawfully present in the United States. The department will promulgate rules concerning exceptions processing and the use of documents issued by an agent or agency of the United States government to prove a person qualifies for a Colorado identification document. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $122,855 to the department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund, $14,355 of which is reappropriated to the governor's office for use by the office of information technology. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 31, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of education (department) to develop, review, and update state assessment administration and security policies (policies) for home-based, virtual administration of computer-based state assessments (assessments) for students enrolled full time in online schools or online programs. The policies must include, but are not limited to: Testing personnel qualifications; Maximum ratio of students to virtual administrator; Tester verification; Remote setting requirements, including restriction to other devices or people with or without internet capabilities; Monitoring of the test-taker and testing environment; Device and network requirements; Parental consent agreements; and Eligibility for schools to conduct assessments. The department's policies must support the collection of evidence and evaluation of assessment results in order to administer assessments in the 2024-25 school year, with the expectation of full implementation of assessments no later than the 2025-26 school year that result in valid scores. To establish the validity of assessments in the 2024-25 school year, the department shall conduct validation activities, gather data, and evaluate the comparability of home-based, virtual state assessments and school-based, in-person administered state assessments. To encourage student and educator participation in validation activities, the department may provide incentives. The act appropriates $440,000 to the department from the state education fund to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act imposes the following duties on each large hub airport (airport), as defined by federal law, in Colorado for accessibility-related functions at the airports: To establish an advisory committee for the cross-disabled community; To consult with the disabled community and confer with the advisory committee during the construction of walkways and other facilities at the airport; To incorporate wayfinding technology to assist individuals who are blind or visually impaired to navigate the airport; To create, maintain, and update an electronic dashboard to report and track basic access shortcomings and violations throughout the travel process; To develop and provide ongoing, comprehensive training programs for airport staff on disability cultural competency, including the presence of, use of, and best practices related to mobility devices, medical equipment, adaptive sports equipment, wayfinding, and access to the airport's accessibility features and amenities; To install and maintain restrooms for individuals with disabilities that include companion care changing tables, including at least one accessible public restroom in every terminal; and To use elevators to transport power wheelchairs from the tarmac to the jetway and give priority usage of an elevator to power wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Each airport shall monitor the completion and ongoing upkeep of compliance with the duties and functions according to the timelines established in the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the behavioral health first aid training program (training program) in the office of suicide prevention (office) in the department of public health and environment (department). The purpose of the training program is to: Improve overall community climate and promote adult, teen, and youth behavioral health, mental health, and mental well-being; Train educators and school staff; employees of community-based, youth-based, or nonprofit organizations; employees of organizations that serve underserved populations; faith-based community members; law enforcement officers; first responders; and active duty or retired military personnel (candidates) to recognize the warning signs and symptoms of mental illness and substance use among adults, teens, and youth; Train candidates on how to respond to an adult, teen, or youth who is experiencing mental health or substance use challenges; Train candidates on crisis intervention strategies and best practices; Prepare candidates to teach adults and teens how to recognize warning signs and symptoms of mental health or substance use challenges; Prepare candidates to teach teens how to find a responsible and trusted adult for assistance when a peer is struggling with mental health or substance use challenges or crisis; and Prepare candidates to teach adults how to respond to a teen or youth struggling with a mental health or substance use challenge or crisis. The office is required to contract with a Colorado-based nonprofit organization (third-party entity) to offer and administer the training program to organizations that apply to participate and are accepted in the training program that include, but are not limited to, school districts, district charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative services, the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind, local public health agencies, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, organizations that serve underserved communities, law enforcement agencies, first responder organizations, military forces, and faith-based organizations (organizations). The act requires the office to promulgate rules to establish criteria for an application process. The third-party entity shall create an application process based on the rules promulgated by the office. In selecting organizations to participate in the training program, the third-party entity shall prioritize the organization's geographic diversity, existing resources and infrastructure, and plan to implement the training program and associated curriculum. Subject to available appropriations, the training program is available at no cost to the organizations selected to participate. The office shall use pre- and post-course surveys developed by a national mental and behavioral health organization to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program. The third-party entity shall administer the pre- and post-course surveys to collect evaluation data from the organizations that participate in the training program. The third-party entity shall submit a report to the office summarizing the evaluation data collected. The office is required to include a summary of the evaluation data collected and recommendations, if necessary, concerning the training program in the office's annual report submitted to the general assembly each November 1. The training program is scheduled for a sunset review and repeal, effective September 1, 2033. The act appropriates $250,000 to the department for purposes of the training program. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For the 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 state fiscal years, the act transfers $500,000 from the breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment fund to the breast cancer screening fund. The act also removes a requirement that the state treasurer transfer interest and income earned on money in the breast and cervical cancer prevention and treatment fund to the disability support fund. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law prohibits the use of restraints on a pregnant individual in custody with certain exceptions. The act requires the staff of a jail, the department of corrections, or a private contract prison to comply with current law regarding the use of restraints on individuals who are in custody and experiencing labor, delivery, or postpartum recovery. The act also requires a correctional facility or private contract prison to develop administrative policies, including a system for human milk storage, to ensure a newborn can receive the milk that the newborn's postpartum parent has pumped for the newborn's nourishment. The act requires each health-care facility that provides labor and delivery services to establish a policy creating a process for the facility to receive individuals who are pregnant, undergoing physiologic birth, or in the physiologic postpartum process from locations other than licensed facilities. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act continues the regulation of physical therapists and physical therapy assistants until September 1, 2035. The act also authorizes physical therapists to recommend and prescribe durable medical equipment to patients without a prescription from a physician. The act updates the definition of the practice of "physical therapy" to include wound debridement and also adds to the definition the ongoing review, integration, and understanding of a patient's or client's prescription and nonprescription medication regimen. The act also updates the titles and abbreviations that only a person licensed as a physical therapist or a physical therapy student may use. Currently, a physical therapist is authorized to perform wound debridement under the order of a physician or a physician's assistant. The act authorizes physical therapists to perform wound debridement under the order of an advanced practice nurse. The act clarifies that a physical therapist assistant may not perform sharp wound debridement, but may perform general wound care and nonsharp debridement. The act changes the term "foreign-trained" in reference to internationally educated applicants for licensure to instead describe an applicant who is educated by a program that is not accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education or a comparable organization. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
