The bill creates the home visiting expansion grant program (grant program) in the department of human services (department). The purpose of the grant program is to expand the number of children and families served by nationally recognized, evidence-based home visiting models (models) throughout the state and thus improve school readiness of Colorado children. The grant program has 2 cycles of 3 years each and shall award up to a total of $2 million in grants for each cycle, payable in equal annual amounts. The state board of human services is authorized to promulgate rules that specify the criteria for the grant program, including eligibility of applicants and models, timeline, and review and selection criteria. The department is required to prepare an evaluation report at the conclusion of each grant cycle and present that report as part of its next "SMART Act" report to its committee of reference. The grant program is repealed, effective September 1, 2028. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill prohibits terminating the life of an unborn child and makes a violation a class 1 felony. The following are exceptions to the prohibition: A licensed physician performs a medical procedure designed or intended to prevent the death of a pregnant mother, if the physician makes reasonable medical efforts under the circumstances to preserve both the life of the mother and the life of her unborn child in a manner consistent with conventional medical practice; and A licensed physician provides medical treatment, including chemotherapy or removal of an ectopic pregnancy, to the mother that results in the accidental or unintentional injury to or death of the unborn child. The pregnant mother upon whom termination of the life of an unborn child is performed or attempted is not subject to a criminal penalty. The sale and use of contraception is not prohibited by the bill. A conviction related to the prohibition of the termination of the life of an unborn child constitutes unprofessional conduct for purposes of physician licensing. The bill states that any act, law, treaty, order, or regulation of the United States government that denies or prohibits protection of a human person's inalienable right to life is null, void, and unenforceable in this state and that the courts of the United States have no jurisdiction to interfere with Colorado's interest in protecting human life at conception when human life begins. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill prohibits an employer from terminating an employee for the employee's lawful off-duty activities that are lawful under state law even if those activities are not lawful under federal law.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Currently, "United States Mountain Standard Time" (MST) is the standard time within Colorado, except during the period of daylight saving time (i.e., the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November) when time is advanced one hour. The bill makes daylight saving time the year-round standard time within the state, but takes effect only if federal law is amended to allow states to remain on daylight saving time year round.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill allows a school district to provide transportation, or reimburse a parent or guardian for providing transportation, to the schools of its district to a student from any other Colorado school district who is enrolled in its schools, if the student is, or has been in the preceding school year, eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch under the national school lunch program or who is a student with a disability and who is, or was in the preceding school year, receiving special education services.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill extends the right to use deadly physical force against an intruder under certain conditions to include owners, managers, and employees of a business. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates the "Child Safety Account Act", which allows for a student who is directly affected by or involved in a safety incident occurring at a public school, but is not the perpetrator, to qualify for a child safety account. A child safety account is an account that must be used to pay for eligible expenses necessary for the education of the qualified student. The bill requires the department of education (department) to contract with an entity that will administer the child safety account program (administering entity). Upon the creation of a child safety account, the department shall transfer to the administering entity an amount equal to the state share of per pupil revenues of the enrolling school district or institute charter school for the budget year in which the account is created and deduct the amount transferred from that amount that the department distributes to the school district's or institute charter school's budget for the budget year. The general assembly shall annually appropriate to the department the amount required to be transferred from the department to the administering entity for the child safety accounts. In a budget year in which the general assembly does not appropriate a sufficient amount to fully fund the child safety accounts, the department shall reduce the amount transferred to the administering entity for distribution to each child safety account by the same percentage that the deficit bears to the amount required to fully fund the child safety accounts. If a child safety account has been closed, any amount remaining in the account must be transferred to the department, and the department shall transfer the money to the treasurer for deposit into the general fund. In order to qualify for a child safety account, the parent of a student must apply to the administering entity. A child safety account continues to be active, without need for renewal, until the qualified student completes twelfth grade or ceases to be enrolled in a participating school or nonpublic home-based educational program. Any unexpended amount left in the child safety account at the end of a school year remains in the account and may be expended on eligible expenses in subsequent school years and used for eligible expenses while the student remains enrolled in an institution of higher education. The administering entity is required to monitor the expenses made from money in child safety accounts. If it appears the money in a child safety account was used for an expense that was not an eligible expense, the administering entity is required to convene a review committee to determine whether the expense was an eligible expense, and if not an eligible expense, whether it was a good-faith mistake. The review committee is required to take appropriate action depending upon the outcome of the review. The administering entity is required to oversee scholarship-granting organizations. A scholarship-granting organization shall accept scholarship applications from qualified students with child safety accounts, who shall use the awarded amounts to pay for eligible expenses above the amount credited to the child safety account. The scholarship-granting organization shall also accept donations from individuals or corporations for scholarship applicants. The bill creates an income tax credit for parents of qualified students with child safety accounts for payments of eligible expenses above the amount provided through a child safety account. The bill creates a tax credit to encourage donations for individuals or corporations that donate to scholarship-granting organizations for scholarships for qualified students with child safety accounts. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under current law, a cooperative electric association with an electric utility easement on real property is authorized to install or to allow a commercial broadband supplier to install broadband facilities on the real property, subject to notice and procedural requirements. The bill expands the authorization to also apply to an electric generation and transmission cooperative association with an electric utility easement on real property. The bill also authorizes the installation of new underground broadband facilities within these easements, subject to the same notice and procedural requirements. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under current law, when a municipality or a county vacates all or a portion of a roadway, title to the vacated land within the roadway automatically vests, without the payment of compensation to the county or municipality for the fair market value of the vacated land and with limited exceptions, in the owners of abutting land. The bill authorizes a county or municipality to condition vacation of all or a portion of a roadway upon payment to the county or municipality of fair market value for the land included within the roadway or portion of a roadway by any person in whom title to the land being vacated will vest upon vacation.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
In a construction contract of at least $150,000, the bill requires: A property owner to make partial payments to the contractor of any amount due under the contract at the end of each calendar month or as soon as practicable after the end of the month; A property owner to pay the contractor at least 95% of the value of satisfactorily completed work; A property owner to pay the withheld percentage within 60 days after the contract is completed satisfactorily; A contractor to pay a subcontractor for work performed under a subcontract within 30 calendar days after receiving payment for the work, not including a withheld percentage not to exceed 5%; A subcontractor to pay any supplier, subcontractor, or laborer who provided goods, materials, labor, or equipment to the subcontractor within 30 calendar days after receiving payment under the subcontract; and A subcontractor to submit to the contractor a list of the suppliers, sub-subcontractors, and laborers who provided goods, materials, labor, or equipment to the subcontractor for the work. The bill does not apply to contracts with public entities or to a contract concerning one multi-family dwelling of no more than 4 units or one single-family dwelling. A person who fails to make a required payment must pay 1.5% interest per month until the debt is fully paid. In a lawsuit to enforce the bill, the prevailing party is awarded attorney fees and costs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill protects minors from mutilation and sterilization. The bill creates a crime of unlawful sex reassignment treatment of a minor. A health care professional commits unlawful sex reassignment treatment of a minor if the person knowingly administers, dispenses, or prescribes a drug or hormone or orders or performs a surgical procedure for the purpose of facilitating sex reassignment of a minor. Unlawful sex reassignment treatment of a minor is a class 3 felony. A health care professional who is convicted of unlawful sex reassignment treatment of a minor is subject to professional disciplinary action. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Colorado Commission on Uniform State Laws. The bill imposes duties on governmental law enforcement agencies and courts that collect, store, and use criminal history records to ensure the accuracy of the criminal history record information. The bill provides that Colorado create a central repository and mandates that any criminal history record information be submitted to the central repository no later than 5 days after the information is collected. The bill requires the collection of biometric information, such as fingerprints, for purposes of identification when permitted or required by other law. The use of biometric information may help ensure more complete and accurate records. The bill limits the dissemination of criminal history record information only as permitted by the bill or by other law. A dissemination log must be maintained to record all disclosures. The bill gives individuals the right to see their criminal history record information. Individuals have the right to correct errors in their criminal history record information. The bill requires the creation and maintenance of a mistaken identity prevention registry. The mistaken identity prevention registry can give an individual whose name is similar to and confused with a person who is the subject of criminal history record information a certification to minimize the possibility of a mistaken arrest. The bill establishes procedures for conducting periodic audits of criminal history record information. The bill includes remedies for enforcement for noncompliance. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
