The Colorado youth advisory council (council) is comprised of 4 legislative members and 40 nonlegislative members who are between 14 and 19 years of age. The council meets 4 times each year to examine, evaluate, and discuss the issues, interests, and needs affecting Colorado youth. On or before April 30 each year, the council reports to legislative committees a summary of the council's work and recommendations. The bill creates the Colorado youth advisory council review committee (review committee). The review committee is comprised of the legislative members of the council, 5 nonlegislative council members who are appointed by the council, and one member of the legislative council. The 5 legislative members of the review committee serve as voting members. All other members are nonvoting members. The review committee may meet up to 3 times each interim and recommend up to 3 bills to the legislative council. The bill makes an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill creates the career and technical education capital grant program (program) in the department of labor and employment. The state work force development council (state council) will award grants through the program to area technical colleges, school districts, and community colleges to use for equipment, or construction and maintenance of buildings, related to career and technical education. In awarding grants, the state council will prioritize applicants from rural areas of the state and consider each applicant's demonstrated need. For each year in which it awards grants, the state council must publish a report that identifies the grant recipients and how the grant money was used.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill establishes an expanded retailer's license, under which a person licensed under the 'Colorado Beer Code' could sell both fermented malt beverages, also referred to as '3.2% beer', and malt liquors, also referred to as 'full-strength beer', at retail for consumption off the licensed premises. Persons licensed before January 1, 2019, under the 'Colorado Beer Code' to sell 3.2% beer at retail for consumption off premises are permitted to convert the license to an expanded retailer's license if the licensee: Notifies the state and local licensing authorities between July 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018, of the intent to convert the license; and Has not and will not expand its floor space or refrigerated cooler space dedicated to the sale of beer and has not and will not increase the number of stock keeping units, or SKUs, attributable to beer products it offers for sale. If a current off-premises licensee fails to meet the requirements to convert its retailer's license to an expanded retailer's license, the licensee must apply for a new expanded retailer's license in order to sell both types of beer products. A new expanded retailer's license is subject to review by the local licensing authority to determine whether issuance of the license will result in an undue concentration of the same class of license and will require the use of additional law enforcement resources. Additionally, a new expanded retailer's license may not be issued for a premises that is located within 1,500 feet of another retail liquor business or, in a city with a population of 10,000 or fewer, within 3,000 feet of anther retail liquor business. A person holding an expanded retailer's license is prohibited from selling single-serve containers of malt liquors, can sell beer only between 8 a.m. and 12 midnight, cannot permit employees under 21 years of age to sell or otherwise handle beer offered for sale on the premises, and must check the identification of its customers to ensure they are at least 21 years of age. Additionally, the bill eliminates licenses that authorize the sale of 3.2% beer for consumption either on or off the licensed premises and requires current licensees to apply to convert the license to one of the other retailer licenses authorized under the 'Colorado Beer Code'. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Under existing law, the 'Public School Finance Act of 1994' funds kindergarten students as half-day pupils plus the supplemental kindergarten enrollment, which is an additional .08 of a full-day pupil. The bill increases the supplemental kindergarten enrollment for the 2018-19 budget year and each budget year thereafter to .16 of a full-day pupil. The bill specifies the intent of the general assembly to continue increasing the supplemental kindergarten enrollment each budget year until students enrolled in kindergarten are funded as full-day pupils in the 2023-24 budget year.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Under current law, trial and grand jurors are entitled to compensation up to $50 per day. The bill increases the amount of compensation to up to a daily maximum of the state minimum wage plus $1, times 8 hours. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill prohibits the regional transportation district from offering new discount fare or incentive programs adopted after the effective date of the bill without prior legislative approval. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill increases the penalty level for a second degree on a peace officer or firefighter by one class. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill exempts the transmission of virtual currency from regulation under the Colorado 'Money Transmitters Act'. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
The bill prohibits an owner from displaying a sign stating that the owner or driver is not liable for any damage or injury caused by an item falling out of or escaping from the vehicle. The violation is a class B traffic offense subject to a fine of $100 and a surcharge of $30. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill permits each member of the general assembly to employ one full-time legislative aide to assist the member with his or her legislative duties and functions. With the exception of a constituent or legislative stakeholder meeting with a legislator, a legislative aide is required to perform all of his or her work at the capitol complex facilities. The executive committee of the legislative council is required to establish the annual salaries for legislative aides that are not less than $28,000, adjusted for inflation. The general assembly shall annually appropriate money that is sufficient for each member of the general assembly to employ a full-time legislative aide. The appropriation must be in a separate line item to the legislative department.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill requires hospitals with surgical services and ambulatory surgical centers to adopt a policy to prevent human exposure to surgical smoke. Surgical smoke is a gaseous byproduct produced by energy-generating surgical medical devices. On or before March 1, 2019, the Colorado department of public health and environment shall promulgate rules regarding requirements for surgical smoke evacuation policies. A policy adopted in accordance with the bill applies to surgical procedures performed on or after July 1, 2019.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Section 2 of the bill requires all individual and group health benefit plans issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2020, to provide coverage for specified reproductive health care services, drugs, devices, products, and procedures. Carriers are prohibited from imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or other cost-sharing requirement for the coverage required under the bill and from imposing restrictions or delays on the coverage. Under specified circumstances, section 2 permits a carrier to offer a religious employer a plan that does not include coverage for abortion procedures that are contrary to the religious employer's religious tenets. Section 2 also prohibits a carrier from excluding an individual from participation in, denying an individual benefits under, or otherwise discriminating against an individual in the administration of a plan on the basis of the individual's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, or disability. Section 4 directs the department of health care policy and financing to administer a program to reimburse the cost of specified reproductive health care services, drugs, devices, products, and procedures provided to eligible individuals, which is defined to include individuals with reproductive health care needs who are enrolled in the medicaid program or the children's basic health plan or who are otherwise disqualified for participation in the medicaid program based on their immigration status. The program must also provide medicaid or children's basic health plan benefits, as applicable, to pregnant individuals for 180 days, rather than the mandated 60 days, post-pregnancy, regardless of whether the individual's medicaid or children's basic health plan eligibility would otherwise terminate during that period based on an increase in income. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
