The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (department) contained in the department's 2023 sunset review of the state board of licensure for architects, professional engineers, and professional land surveyors (board). The act: Continues the regulation of architects, professional engineers, and professional land surveyors for 9 years, until September 1, 2033; Includes in the grounds for discipline of licensees a failure to respond to the allegations of a complaint within the length of time specified by the board; Updates statutory references to the names of examinations for professional engineers and professional land surveyors; Repeals the requirement that board members be citizens of the United States and residents of Colorado; Repeals the requirement that applicants supply a business address on a license application; Grants the board rule-making authority to establish continuing education requirements; Removes the ability of an individual to obtain a license as an architect, professional engineer, or professional land surveyor or a qualification as a land surveyor-intern through the occupational credential portability program; Requires an applicant for licensure by endorsement as an architect to hold a license in good standing from another jurisdiction with qualification requirements that are substantially equivalent to the qualification requirements in this state; and Makes a technical amendment to replace gendered pronouns with gender-neutral terms. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (DORA) in its 2023 sunset review of the state plumbing board (board). The act: Continues the board for 8 years to September 1, 2032; Authorizes the board to discipline plumbers who aid or abet a person in violating the plumbing practice act or other statutes that apply to plumbers; Removes the political affiliation requirement for the board, which requires that a major political party not have more than one member more than the other major political party; Clarifies that the licensed categories of plumbers, plumbing apprentices, and registered plumbing contractors can work on water conditioning systems without being required to register with the board as a water conditioning contractor, principal, or installer; Modernizes the term "journeyman" by changing it to "journeyworker" throughout the plumbing practice act, effective July 1, 2025; Modifies the license period for licenses issued or renewed on or after March 1, 2027, to be 3 years or as otherwise determined by the director of the division of professions and occupations in DORA (director); Modifies the grounds for discipline of a licensee regarding habitual or excessive use or abuse of controlled substances or alcohol and removes "substance use disorder" as a ground for discipline; Requires a plumbing contractor to display the plumbing contractor's and attached master plumber's registration information on the plumbing contractor's vehicle or in other locations and makes a plumbing contractor's failure to display the required information grounds for discipline; Repeals the requirement that the board send a letter of admonition by certified mail; Requires persons who are engaged in the business of installing, removing, inspecting, testing, and repairing backflow prevention devices to be licensed, except when installing or testing a stand-alone fire suppression sprinkler system; and Makes technical changes, including to replace the word "administrator" with the word "director" where appropriate and to replace references to "he or she" with gender-neutral terms. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE July 1, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE July 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state court administrator to annually report on probation supervision fees assessed in the previous year and the department of corrections to annually report on parole supervision fees assessed in the previous year during their respective "SMART Act" hearings. Unless inconsistent with another probation or parole condition, the act requires the court to allow an adult or juvenile on probation or parole to meet with the probation or parole officer through a telephone call or audio-visual communication technology. When scheduling probation or parole meetings, the probation or parole officer is required to schedule, in good faith, a mutually agreeable time for the meeting that does not conflict with the adult's or juvenile's essential obligations. The act eliminates non-payment of probation or parole fees as a grounds for the revocation of probation or parole. The act prohibits a court from requiring a defendant to pay probation supervision fees in more than one case when the defendant is granted probation in multiple cases. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE September 1, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For civil actions filed on or after January 1, 2025, the act increases the cap on damages for noneconomic loss or injury from $250,000 to $1.5 million, and, starting January 1, 2028, and every 2 years thereafter, adjusts the damages cap based on inflation. Current law specifies who may sue for wrongful death. The act adds a sibling of the deceased as a party who may bring a wrongful death action in certain circumstances. The act imposes a wrongful death damages cap of $2.125 million, and, starting January 1, 2028, and every 2 years thereafter, adjusts the damages cap based on inflation. Beginning January 1, 2025, the act incrementally increases the medical malpractice wrongful death damages limitation to $1.575 million over the course of 5 years. Thereafter, the cap is adjusted biennially for inflation. Existing law limits the amount recoverable for noneconomic damages in medical malpractice actions to $300,000. Beginning January 1, 2025, the act incrementally increases the noneconomic damages limitation to $875,000 over the course of 5 years. Thereafter, the cap is adjusted biennially for inflation. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Section 20 of article X of the state constitution (TABOR) defines "fiscal year spending" as not including "collections for another government". Although TABOR does not define "collections for another government", the TABOR implementing statutes do. The definition of "collections for another government" in the implementing statutes specifically limits such collections to revenue collected by the state for the benefit of another government that is collected pursuant to the authority of the other government. The act clarifies the definition of "collections for another government" set forth in the TABOR implementing statutes for purposes of the TABOR limitation on state fiscal year spending. For state fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2023, "collections for another government" means any revenue that is collected by the state for the benefit and use of a government other than the state, passed through to that government for the benefit of and use by that government, and collected pursuant to: The authority of the government for whose benefit the state collects the revenue; The authority of the state and apportioned to another government in connection with that government forgoing the imposition of certain taxes and collecting the corresponding tax revenue; or A constitutional requirement that the state collect the revenue for the benefit of another government. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires that certain services provided to children or their families comply with the provisions of Title VI of the federal "Civil Rights Act of 1964" if they are provided by a county department of human or social services (county department), city and county, or a private-entity contractor. Furthermore, the act requires that the county department, city and county, or private-entity contractor take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful language access to services in the person's primary language for a person with limited English proficiency, in a timely manner and without unreasonable delay. The act requires a court to provide language access, including translation and interpretation services, to a child, parent, guardian, custodian, or other party in a dependency and neglect case if the person requests language access or has limited English proficiency. The act requires that during a dispositional hearing concerning the best interests of a child, the court consider services and programs that provide the parent and child with language access and effective communication. The act appropriates $74,953 from the judicial stabilization cash fund to the judicial department to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates an income tax subtraction (deduction) for income tax years 2026 to 2033 for the amount of any Segal AmeriCorps Education Award received by a taxpayer for service in the AmeriCorps national service program, which is used by the taxpayer during the income tax year. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the Colorado agriculture license plate. In addition to the normal fees for a license plate, a person must pay an additional one-time fee in the amount of $25, which money is credited to the highway users tax fund. To implement the act, $15,775 is appropriated to the department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund and $17,431 is appropriated from the license plate cash fund to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
For individual health benefit plans, if a covered person has paid any out-of-pocket expenses and the individual's health insurance carrier (carrier) exits the health insurance market and can no longer provide health insurance benefits to the individual, the act requires the individual's new carrier to credit all of the out-of-pocket expenses paid by the individual in accordance with the original health benefit plan in the given plan year to the new health benefit plan if the individual enrolls in the new health benefit plan in the established special enrollment period. The new carrier may file a claim for the amount of any claims liability that results from the new costs to the carrier; except that a claim may not be filed with the estate of the new carrier if the new carrier has otherwise recouped its costs for out-of-pocket expenses credited to covered persons. The act grants an exception for carriers from crediting the out-of-pocket expenses if doing so would make the carrier insolvent. The act grants rule-making authority to the commissioner of insurance. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
To the extent the coverage is not in addition to the benefits provided pursuant to the health insurance benchmark plan, the act requires all individual and group health benefit plans to provide health insurance coverage for pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and includes pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS). The coverage provided for PANS and PANDAS must adhere to treatment recommended and be developed by a consortium of medical professionals convened to identify and publish clinical practice guidelines and evidence-based standards for the diagnosis and treatment of PANS and PANDAS. The coverage includes, among other treatments and therapies, antibiotics, medication and psychological and behavioral therapies to manage neuropsychiatric symptoms, immunomodulating medicines, plasma exchange, and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy if certain conditions are met. The mandatory coverage provision applies to large group policies and contracts issued or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2025. For individual and small group policies and contracts, the division of insurance in the department of regulatory agencies (department) shall implement the coverage for individual and small group plans on or after January 1, 2026, if the federal department of health and human services (federal department) affirms the department's determination, or otherwise affirms, that the coverage does not require state defrayal of any increased costs for coverage of PANS and PANDAS or the department determines that the federal department's unreasonable delay precludes requiring defrayal. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires any pet animal facility (facility) licensed under the "Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act" to make every reasonable attempt to provide notification of an infectious disease outbreak at the facility to all individuals who own a pet animal that is in the possession of the facility or who used the facility during the reported outbreak and incubation period. A facility is required to provide such notification to pet animal owners within 24 hours after the facility receives notification from a licensed veterinarian or a pet animal owner, if the pet animal owner provides documentation from a licensed veterinarian or other proof of treatment, of an outbreak of an infectious disease at the facility. The act also requires any facility to disclose information regarding any outbreak of an infectious disease that occurred at the facility within the past year to any pet animal owner who requests such information. The act defines "pet animal facility" as a facility licensed under the "Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act" that is used in whole or in part for the purpose of pet animal day care or boarding, grooming, or training pet animals. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act directs the department of health care policy and financing (state department) to conduct a feasibility study (study) to explore seeking federal authorization to provide nutrition, housing, and tenant supportive services that address medicaid members' health-related social needs (HRSN). The state department shall report the study's findings to the joint budget committee on or before November 10, 2024. The study and report must address integrating HRSN services with existing nutrition-related, housing-related, and tenant supportive services. The act requires the state department to seek federal authorization to provide HRSN services no later than July 1, 2025, if seeking federal authorization would be budget neutral to the general fund. The act appropriates $222,920 from the general fund to the state department for use by the executive director's office (office). From this appropriation, the office may use $67,070 for personal services, $3,975 for operating expenses, and $151,875 for general professional services and special projects. The act anticipates that the state department will receive $222,919 in federal funds for the act's implementation. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
