The bill allows the institute of cannabis research at Colorado state university - Pueblo (institute) to develop marijuana certification technology (technology). The technology must include an agent that is applied to a marijuana plant or marijuana product and then scanned by a device. The scan, at a minimum, would indicate whether the marijuana was legally cultivated, manufactured, or sold by a licensed marijuana business. The institute may select a vendor to develop the technology. After the technology is developed, the state licensing authority must be satisfied that the technology provides an effective means of certifying marijuana. After the state licensing authority determines the technology is effective, it may promulgate rules that require the technology to be used by licensed marijuana businesses. The technology that scans the marijuana must be made available to law enforcement and the department of revenue. The bill clarifies that the gray and black market marijuana enforcement grant program could award grants to law enforcement agencies to purchase the marijuana scanning technology. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill prohibits a health insurance carrier from excluding or limiting a drug under a health benefit plan and from moving the drug to a disadvantaged tier in the plan formulary if the drug was covered at the time the covered person enrolled in the plan. A carrier may not increase the amount that a covered person pays for a copayment, coinsurance, or deductible or set limits while the covered person is covered by the health benefit plan for drugs that were covered when the person became covered under the plan. If a carrier uses a tiered plan, the carrier may not move a drug to a disadvantaged tier under specified circumstances. A carrier may limit coverage for a drug or biosimilar product if a provider prescribes a generic drug or biosimilar product to treat the covered person's medical condition instead of the originally-prescribed drug and the covered person agrees. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Section 1 of the bill establishes a child care savings account, which is an account with a financial institution from which an individual uses money to pay a child care facility for the care of a dependent who is less than 6 years old (account). To be eligible to create an account, an individual must have federal taxable income of less than $90,000, or, in the case of individuals filing a joint return, $180,000. A taxpayer may claim a credit that is equal to 10% of the amount that the taxpayer contributes to an account. The maximum credit allowed for an income tax year for a contribution to a single account is $250. A taxpayer may contribute to multiple accounts but cannot claim more than $25,000 of credits in an income tax year. A credit for a contribution to one's own account is refundable. All other credits are not refundable, but unused credits may be carried forward up to 5 years. Money in the account may only be used for payments to the child care facility or bank fees. If an individual uses money for an unauthorized purpose, then any credit given for such amount is subject to recapture in the year it is withdrawn and there is a penalty equal to 10% of the credit recaptured. The department of revenue is required to establish forms that an individual must annually file related to an account. Section 2 allows an account holder to subtract an amount equal to the interest or income earned during the income tax year from the money in an account from his or her federal taxable income.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill: Prohibits a pharmaceutical manufacturer or wholesaler from price gouging on sales of essential off-patent or generic drugs; Makes the practice of price gouging a deceptive trade practice under the "Colorado Consumer Protection Act"; and Requires the state board of pharmacy and the executive director of the department of health care policy and financing to report suspected price gouging to the attorney general. The attorney general is authorized to seek subpoenas and file lawsuits with the appropriate district courts.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Statutory Revision Committee. The bill repeals part 5 of article 7 of title 18, Colorado Revised Statutes, concerning sexually explicit materials harmful to children to reflect a 1985 decision made by the Colorado supreme court that held that the entire part was unconstitutional. Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the bill make conforming amendments.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
The bill establishes the 'Colorado Children First Act' in the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill authorizes the regional transportation district (RTD) to create a program to offer reduced fares to low-income riders and directs the rail and transit division of the department of transportation to provide assistance and oversight. The bill makes an appropriation of $80,000 to be used to establish and implement the program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill prohibits public school teachers and teacher organizations from directly or indirectly inducing, instigating, encouraging, authorizing, ratifying, or participating in a strike against any public school employer. Public school employers are prohibited from consenting to or condoning a strike and from paying a public school teacher for any day during which the public school teacher participates in a strike. In the event of a strike or the imminent threat of a strike in violation of the bill, the public school employer is authorized to seek an injunction from the district court. Failure by a public school teacher or teacher organization to comply with the injunction constitutes contempt of court and may be punished with fines or up to 6 months in county jail, or both. If a public school teacher is found in contempt of court for failure to comply with an injunction, the bill directs the public school employer to immediately terminate his or her employment, without a hearing. If a teacher organization is found in contempt, any collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the organization is rendered null and void. The organization cannot represent public school teachers or collect dues from them for one year, and a public school employer is prohibited from negotiating with the organization during that time. These penalties may be suspended or modified by the court if the public school employer so requests and the court finds it is in the public interest to do so. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill adds a condition for which a physician could prescribe an opiate for pain to the list of disabling medical conditions that authorize a person to use medical marijuana for his or her condition. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
The bill requires extended-release opioid antagonists for use in medication-assisted treatment to be included as a pharmacy benefit under the medical assistance program. The bill permits a pharmacist who has entered into a collaborative pharmacy practice agreement with one or more prescribers to administer injectable medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders and receive an enhanced dispensing fee under the Colorado medical assistance program for the administration. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill allows a hotel that has a hotel and restaurant liquor license to sell in sealed containers up to 750 milliliters of vinous liquors and 72 ounces of fermented malt beverages or malt liquors, per transaction, to the hotel's guests for on-premises consumption.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill requires a business to notify the office of economic development (OED) of any plans to terminate customer service employee positions and employees who are employed by or work on behalf of a call center in those positions in the state and relocate those positions outside of the United States. The bill specifies that a violation of the requirement to notify results in a civil penalty that the state's attorney general may recover. The bill requires the OED to maintain and make public a list of businesses that have terminated and relocated customer service employee positions outside of the United States. The bill provides a method for a business to remove their name from the list after a certain period of time. The bill specifies that a public entity may not award or provide a public subsidy to a business that has its name on the list maintained by the OED, but allows a waiver for this limitation in certain specific circumstances. The bill requires a business to ensure that each customer service employee who communicates with a customer on behalf of the business: Enables the customer to speak to an employee of the business on whose behalf the call center is communicating with the customer; Transfers the call to a person in the state if the customer service employee is not in the state; and Discloses to the customer: The state and country where the customer service employee is located; The customer service employee's employee number; and The name of the customer service employee's employer. The bill specifies that a public entity must give preference to a business that does not appear on the list of businesses maintained by the OED when awarding a contract for services. The bill requires all call center services performed for a public entity to be performed in the state by customer service employees employed in the state. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
