The act refers a ballot issue to the voters at the November 2024 general election for approval of a 6.5% excise tax on the net taxable sales of firearm dealers, firearms manufacturers, and ammunition vendors (vendors) from the retail sale of any firearm, firearm precursor part, or ammunition in Colorado. The ballot issue allows the state to keep and spend all new excise tax revenue, as a voter-approved revenue change, and specifies that the revenue, estimated at $39 million in the first fiscal year, will be used to fund mental health services, including for military veterans and at-risk youth, school safety and gun violence prevention, and support services for victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes. If voters approve the ballot issue, then the state will have the authority to impose the excise tax and the rest of the act will become effective, except that the extension of the school security disbursement program cash fund, like the provision requiring submission of the ballot issue, is effective upon passage of the act. Beginning on April 1, 2025, the act requires every vendor to file a return and remit the excise tax due on the vendor's net taxable sales of firearms, firearm precursor parts, or ammunition in the state on a monthly basis, except that a vendor making $20,000 or less in such retail sales in a previous calendar year is not required to pay the tax unless and until the vendor's retails sales exceed $20,000 in a calendar year. Sales to peace officers, law enforcement agencies, and active duty military personnel are exempt from the tax and, thus, not counted as part of a vendor's net taxable sales subject to the tax. Th act also imposes a registration requirement, making it unlawful for any person to engage in the business of a firearms dealer, firearms manufacturer, or an ammunition vendor in the state without first having registered as a vendor with the executive director of the department of revenue (executive director) on a form prescribed by the executive director. Making sales of firearms, firearm precursor parts, or ammunition without first registering with the executive director is a petty criminal offense and may also be punished by civil penalties. A vendor must file a separate registration for each of the vendor's places of business in the state, and all registrations must be renewed every 2 years. The executive director may revoke a vendor's registration, after reasonable notice and a hearing, upon a finding that the vendor has violated a provision of the excise tax statutory scheme, including by failing to file a return, remit the proper amount of tax, or preserve or allow inspection of specified books and records. A vendor's false or fraudulent return or statement or willful evasion of the excise tax is punishable by criminal penalties. All money received and collected in payment of the excise tax will be deposited, first, in the firearms and ammunition excise tax cash fund (fund) created in the act and then transferred as follows: The first $30 million in the first fiscal year and that amount as adjusted for inflation or deflation in each fiscal year thereafter to the Colorado crime victim services fund in the division of criminal justice of the department of public safety for grants to enhance or provide services for crime victims or to support crime prevention; The next $8 million in each fiscal year to the behavioral and mental health cash fund, of which $5 million must be used by the behavioral health administration (BHA), in coordination with the division of veterans affairs, to continue and expand the veterans mental health services program, while the other $3 million must be used by the BHA to continue and expand access to behavioral health crisis response system services for children and youth; and The next $1 million in each fiscal year to the school security disbursement program cash fund to fund the school security disbursement program. Subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly, the department of revenue may expend money from the fund for direct and indirect costs associated with implementing and administering the excise tax. Additionally, on June 30, 2025, and June 30, 2026, the state treasurer shall transfer from the fund to the general fund an amount of money equal to the amount of money used, if any, in the state fiscal years 2024-25 and 2025-26 from the general fund to pay the costs of implementing and administering the excise tax. The act also makes technical changes to the behavioral and mental health cash fund and related program statutes and to the administration provisions of title 39 regarding the executive director's authority to implement and administer the excise tax. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $383,027 is appropriated to the department of revenue, of which $172,827 is reappropriated to the department of law for the purchase of legal services, for the implementation of the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE on the date of the official declaration by the governor NOTE: This act takes effect only if, at the November 2024 statewide election, a majority of voters approve the ballot issue referred in accordance with section 39-37-201, Colorado Revised Statutes, created in section 1 of this act. If the voters approve the ballot issue, thenthis act takes effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor; except that section 39-37-201, Colorado Revised Statutes, created in section 1 of this act, and section 24-33.5-1811, Colorado Revised Statutes, amended in section 3 of this act, take effect upon passage. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the educator safety task force (task force) in the office of school safety (office) in the department of public safety (department). The task force consists of the following voting members: the director of the office, teachers, education support professionals, a school support professional, school administrators, a charter school teacher and a charter school administrator, a representative of an organization representing students and families from disproportionately impacted schools, a representative of a statewide organization that represents students with disabilities, an individual who works for a nonprofit that focuses on school safety, and a restorative justice professional. The task force members must be appointed by July 31, 2024. The task force also includes the following nonvoting members: the commissioner of education, a representative of the behavioral health administration, and a student who represents a community disproportionately impacted by school discipline. The task force shall convene no later than September 1, 2024, and shall meet at least 4 times in 2024 and at least 3 times in 2025 and may hold meetings with remote participation. On or before June 30, 2025, the act requires the task force to review, investigate, and make recommendations to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, the governor, the state board, the commissioner of education, and the department concerning: Any issue relating to the safety and well-being of public school staff, including laws or regulations that affect the safety and well-being of public school staff; The effects of the declining number of education professionals on student behaviors, as well as the impact of widespread staff shortages and the effects of class size and caseloads on disruptive learning environments; Incidents of aggressive student behaviors toward educators; The work and recommendations of existing education task forces; The impact of insufficient funding, lack of coordination of services between school and community, and the lack of wraparound services on learning environments; and The role that resource inequality may play in staff safety issues. The act appropriates $146,250 for the 2024-25 state fiscal year for administrative services related to the office from the general fund to the department 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 allows a preschool, public school, or public college or university student to wear objects of cultural or religious significance as an adornment at a graduation ceremony. The act prohibits a preschool, public school, or public college or university from restricting what a student may wear under the student's required graduation attire as long as the adornment complies with the preschool's, public school's, or public college's or university's dress code policy. The act allows a preschool, public school, or public college or university to prohibit a student from wearing or displaying an adornment that is likely to cause substantial disruption of, or material interference with, a graduation ceremony, but the prohibition must be the least restrictive means necessary to accomplish a specifically identified important government interest. Prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year, the act requires a preschool, public school, and public college or university to develop and adopt a policy that aligns with the requirements of the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act designates women veterans appreciation day as an observed, but not a legal, state holiday on June 12 of each year, and provides that appropriate observance may be held in tribute to the service and sacrifice of women veterans. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Beginning January 1, 2025, the act classifies a county coroner and deputy coroner elected, reelected, or appointed on or after January 1, 2021, by a local government division employer as a state trooper for the purpose of determining the county coroner's or deputy coroner's public employees' retirement association service retirement eligibility and benefits. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For purposes of the school-based health center grant program (grant program), the act expands the definition of a school-based health center and the purposes of the grant program to authorize grants for evidence-informed, school-linked health-care services. Services may include primary health-care, behavioral health-care, oral health-care, and preventive health-care services for students and youth (school-linked health-care services). School-linked health-care services may be delivered through telehealth, mobile services, and referrals for health-care services at a clinic near school grounds. Subject to available appropriations, the act authorizes grant money to be directed to evidence-informed, school-linked health-care services models to expand access to school-based health care, unless the prevention services division in the department of public health and environment determines that adequate proposals have not been submitted for the grant cycle. The act also requires the department of health care policy and financing to create a service-location identifier for claims for services provided at school-based health centers or through school-linked health-care services. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the statewide welcome, reception, and integration grant program (grant program) in the department of labor and employment (department) to provide grants to community-based organizations that provide culturally and linguistically appropriate navigation of services and programs to migrants who are within one year of arrival in the United States. A grant may be used for: Conducting an intake and assessment of needs; Providing cultural orientation; case management; employment services or referrals to employment services; housing, housing-related services, or referrals to housing; English as a second language classes or referrals to classes; financial orientation; referrals to mental and physical health services and disability services; interpretation and translation services; transportation services; and immigration legal assistance or referrals to immigration legal services; Distributing emergency and transitional supplies; Assisting migrant parents to enroll their children in public school or summer programs, including early childhood programs; and Other eligible expenses. The act requires the department to issue a request for proposal for a nonprofit organization to administer the grant program. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $2.5 million from the general fund to the department for the grant program. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state personnel director to establish a "step pay" structure that provides consistent salary increases for employees instead of permitting merit pay. The act provides an exception for employees of the office of the state auditor. The act also repeals the requirement that employees of the division of worker's compensation and the division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment be paid on a monthly basis. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The underfunded courthouse facility cash fund commission (commission) is set to repeal on September 1, 2024. The act continues the commission until September 1, 2035. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, when a person is arrested in a case of mistaken identity, the arresting agency is required to petition the court for an expungement order. The act allows the defendant in a mistaken identity case to petition for an expungement order if the arresting agency does not file a petition within the prescribed timeframe. The defendant is not subject to any fees or costs associated with expunging the record. A court can grant an attorney access to a sealed record if the defendant in the sealed case provides permission and the attorney is accessing the record for the sole purpose of providing legal advice to or representing the defendant. The act clarifies that a deferred judgment is eligible for record sealing if the underlying offense would be eligible for record sealing. The act allows a hearing related to sealing matters to be conducted remotely, clarifies procedures for automatic sealing, and creates a record-sealing procedure for convictions records for when a statutory change legalizes previously prohibited conduct. On or before July 1, 2025, the state court administrator shall compile a list of certain types of non-conviction criminal justice records (non-conviction records) with dispositions prior to August 2022. The state court administrator shall sort the non-conviction records by judicial district and send the final list to the chief judge of each judicial district. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act reforms and clarifies the criminal competency to proceed process. The act provides necessary parties with access to information related to the defendant's claim of incompetency to proceed. The act adds to the information that is included in a competency report. The act delineates a court's options when it finds that a defendant is incompetent to proceed. The act directs when competency services may be provided on an outpatient basis. The act sets forth the circumstances when a court has to dismiss the defendant's case based on the highest level of charge against the defendant and how long the defendant has been waiting for restoration services. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE June 4, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE July 1, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act modifies the fees collected by county clerk and recorders to be a flat $40 fee instead of a fee per page, unless otherwise specified. No fee is allowed for the filing or recording of a certificate of death, a verification of death document, or a certified copy thereof, which are public records if recorded into the real estate records of a county clerk and recorder. The act also extends filing surcharge fees collected by county clerk and recorders by 3 years to 2029. The act modifies existing practice regarding the redaction of the first 5 digits of an individual's social security number on a public document recorded with a county clerk and recorder. Previously, redaction occurred upon request of the individual or the individual's representative. The act changes this practice so that redaction is automatic unless the individual or individual's representative requests that the social security number remain unredacted. The act also delays the repeal and sunset review of the electronic recording technology board (board) by 3 years to 2029, so that the board's sunset review will take place 13 years after the board's creation in 2016. The deadlines for the board's annual and final reports are modified accordingly. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $10,444 is appropriated to the department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund, of which $1,188 is reappropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
