Rep. Julia Marvin

The act requires health insurance carriers (carriers) to comply with federal price transparency laws and to make available an internet-based self-service tool that provides real-time responses to a covered person's questions concerning carrier prices that are based on cost-sharing information. The act also requires carriers to submit information required by federal pharmacy benefit and drug cost reporting laws to the commissioner of insurance and to make certain information regarding price transparency publicly available. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Effective January 1, 2025, the act repeals the existing statutory requirement to test a person who is pregnant for syphilis at the person's first professional visit with a health-care provider or during the first trimester of pregnancy. The act requires each health-care provider to take a blood sample from each pregnant person under their care and submit the sample to a laboratory for HIV testing and, if a pregnant person declines to be tested, to document in the person's medical record the refusal to be tested. The act requires the state board of health (board), on or before January 1, 2025, to promulgate rules concerning prenatal testing standards for syphilis, including the frequency of testing. At least once every 3 years, the department of public health and environment (department) is required to review the board's rules for alignment with national prenatal testing recommendations for sexually transmitted infections and the department's infection control duties. For statistical purposes, the department is required to make de-identified case rate data for syphilis available to county and district public health agencies, which data must remain confidential. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, the teacher mentor grant program (grant program) provides funding to partnerships between local education providers and educator preparation programs to provide training and stipends for experienced teachers who mentor teacher candidates in clinical practice. The act expands the grant program to include mentorship of novice teachers who have fewer than 3 years of teaching experience. The act requires the general assembly to appropriate $100,000 dollars to the department of higher education for the grant program for the 2024-25 state fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter. Any appropriation remaining at the end of the 2024-25 state fiscal year or subsequent fiscal year may be used for the grant program in subsequent fiscal years. The act appropriates $100,000 from the general fund to the department of higher education for use by the Colorado commission on higher education for growing great teachers - teacher mentor grants. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 3, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The clerk of a municipality (clerk) is authorized to refer a campaign finance complaint (complaint) that was filed with the clerk and that arises out of a municipal campaign finance matter to the secretary of state (secretary) if the municipality in which the complaint was filed has adopted an ordinance that: Authorizes the municipality to refer a complaint to the secretary based on an actual or potential conflict of the clerk or the clerk's staff, as determined in writing by the clerk; or Authorizes the municipality to refer a complaint to the secretary because the municipality does not have a complaint and hearing process. Before referring a complaint to the secretary, a clerk is required to review the complaint to determine if it was filed in writing, signed by the complainant, and identifies one or more respondents. If the complaint does not satisfy these 3 criteria, the clerk is required to dismiss it, and if it does, the clerk is required to refer it to the secretary. To refer a complaint to the secretary a municipality must provide a copy of the ordinance that authorizes such referral to the secretary within 180 days of the election. The act specifies certain criteria that the ordinance must satisfy. A clerk is required to provide notice to a person who files a complaint if the clerk dismisses the complaint or refers the complaint to the secretary. A municipality is required to cooperate with the secretary in the review, investigation, and determination of any complaint referred to the secretary. If the secretary receives a complaint referred by a clerk, the secretary is required to deem the complaint filed with the secretary on the date of receipt from the clerk and ensure that the complaint is addressed in accordance with the requirements of the act. In addition, if the complaint is referred by a home rule municipality, the secretary is required to apply the substantive provisions of the home rule municipality's local law in processing, investigating, and resolving the complaint. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $170,723 is appropriated to the department of state from the department of state cash fund for the implementation of the act. APPROVED by Governor June 3, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act clarifies that court-appointed special advocate volunteers can be attached, stay attached, or be reattached to cases for foster youth in transition. With the consent of the youth, a CASA volunteer may be appointed in a foster youth in transition program case and may support the youth in planning for the youth's future and accessing necessary services, supports, and assistance consistent with the youth's expressed interests and the program's goals. A CASA volunteer appointed to a youth in a foster youth in transition program case shall not make best interests recommendations to the court or others and must not have access to or share confidential information about the youth without the youth's express consent to access or share such information. APPROVED by Governor May 24, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The statewide transit pass exploratory committee (committee) is created in the department of transportation (department) to produce a viable proposal for the creation, implementation, and administration of a statewide transit pass (proposal). The committee is required to meet as necessary to produce a viable proposal by July 1, 2026, with the goal of implementing a statewide transit pass by January 1, 2028. The committee consists of members, appointed by the executive director of the department, who represent specified types of organizations and have specified knowledge or experience. In conducting its work, the committee is required to consider specified issues and to solicit input from subject matter experts and interested parties across the state. The committee is required to submit its proposal, including recommendations for any necessary legislation in connection with the proposal, to the executive director of the department and the members of the transportation legislation review committee of the general assembly on or before July 1, 2026. The existing ozone season transit grant program is combined with a new program to provide youth fare free transit grants and together are created as the zero fare transit grant program in the Colorado energy office (office). The zero fare transit grant program is created to provide grants to: The Colorado association of transit agencies (CASTA) for the purpose of providing grants to eligible transit agencies to offer either free transit services for a minimum of 30 days during ozone season or fare free year-round transit services for individuals who are 19 years of age or younger; and The regional transportation district (RTD) for the purpose of providing fare free year-round transit services for individuals who are 19 years of age or younger. To receive a grant, CASTA or the RTD must submit an application to the office in accordance with the act and policies established by the office. An eligible transit agency that receives a grant from CASTA may use the grant money to either cover the costs associated with providing new or expanded free transit services within its service area during ozone season or to provide operating support for its transit operations and general transit programs so long as the eligible transit agency provides uninterrupted fare free year-round transit services to youth riders. The RTD may use the grant money to provide operating support for its transit operations and general transit programs, so long as the RTD provides uninterrupted fare free year-round transit services for youth riders. The RTD is required to report to the office and an eligible transit agency that receives a grant from CASTA is required to report to CASTA regarding its use of the grant money. CASTA is required to submit to the office a summary of the reported information for all eligible transit agencies that received a grant through CASTA. The office is required to establish policies governing the zero fare transit grant program and to report to the house of representatives transportation, housing, and local government committee and the senate transportation committee, or their successor committees, by December 31 of each year of the program. The zero fare transit fund (fund) is created in the treasury. The fund consists of money transferred to the fund from the ozone season transit grant program fund, money transferred to the fund from the multimodal transportation options fund, any other money that the general assembly appropriates or transfers to the fund, and any gifts, grants, or donations credited to the fund. The money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the office for the zero fare transit grant program. The state treasurer is directed to transfer any money remaining in the ozone season transit grant program fund on June 30, 2024, to the fund. In addition, the state treasurer is directed to transfer $10 million from the multimodal transportation and mitigation options fund to the fund on July 1, 2024. A regional transportation authority is allowed to derive up to one-half, rather than one-third, of its total revenue from a visitor benefit tax and, unlike in the past, to levy such a tax at a rate greater than 2%. The department is authorized to use money that was previously transferred to the state highway fund for a designated purpose in connection with the development of the Burnham Yard rail property for new purposes including site preparation, site enhancements, planning, and facilitating a track alignment that preserves buildable land while promoting transit and rail capacity and increasing safety in connection with the development of the Burnham Yard rail property. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 16, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Independent contractors (contractors) were previously ineligible for the federal public service loan forgiveness program (program), which forgives remaining federal student loan liability for government and nonprofit full-time employees after 10 years of qualifying service, but in 2023 the federal government made contractors who perform work for a government agency eligible for the program if the work cannot be performed by a government employee. Three independent judicial agencies, the office of the alternative defense counsel, the office of the child's representative, and the office of respondent parents' counsel (agencies) primarily use contractors to provide legal representation on behalf of the agencies because providing the same services through state employees would create ethical conflicts. To enable these contractors to qualify for the program if they otherwise meet program requirements, the act: Clarifies that state employees cannot provide the legal services that the independent contractors provide; Allows the agencies to certify that a contractor appears to be eligible for the program; and Because some contractors provide or have provided legal services on behalf of more than one of the agencies, authorizes the agencies to share contractor information to the extent necessary to certify a contractor's eligibility for the program. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 15, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law imposes a uniform state idling standard on an owner or operator of a covered vehicle that prohibits the vehicle from idling for more than 5 minutes within any 60-minute period, except in certain situations. Current law also prohibits a local government from enacting a resolution or ordinance concerning the idling of a covered vehicle that is more stringent than the state idling standard. The act authorizes a local government to enact a resolution or ordinance concerning the idling of a covered vehicle that is at least as stringent as, but not less stringent than, the state idling standard and requires any local government with an idling standard to include certain exemptions. The act also exempts a critical service or utility provider when performing the functions of the provider's duties from the idling standard and declares that the idling standard is a matter of mixed local and statewide concern. APPROVED by Governor April 29, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act specifies that a judgment for a debt for overpayment of paid family and medical leave benefits is eligible to be assigned, released, or commuted and is not exempt from claims of creditors or from levy, execution, and attachment or other remedy or recovery or collection of a debt. The act adds family and medical leave benefits to the list of exceptions for which workers' compensation benefits may be assigned, levied, or attached. The act also allows the division of family and medical leave insurance (division) in the department of labor and employment to obtain reimbursement from a workers' compensation insurer if an employee received both family and medical leave benefits and temporary indemnity benefits for the same absence and allows the insurer to offset benefits in the amount reimbursed. The division may access records regarding compensability and benefit payments of workers' compensation claims for the purpose of coordinating family and medical leave benefits. The department of revenue may provide the division with tax information and may enter into an agreement with the division providing for payment of the costs related to supplying the information and providing for periodic updating of the information supplied. APPROVED by Governor April 11, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

On or before July 1, 2027, section 2 of the bill requires the energy and carbon management commission (commission) to adopt rules (permitting rules) to cease issuing new oil and gas permits (permits) before January 1, 2030, which rules must include certain reductions in the total number of oil and gas wells covered by new permits issued in 2028 and 2029. Section 2 also requires the commission to include as a condition in any permit issued after July 1, 2024, that certain operations must commence on or before December 31, 2032, as to each oil and gas well included in the permit. If the commission determines that mitigation of adverse environmental impacts is necessary as a result of oil and gas operations, current law requires the commission to issue an order requiring a responsible party to perform the mitigation. If the responsible party refuses to perform the mitigation or is identified after the state provides funds for the mitigation, the commission must sue the responsible party to recover the costs of the mitigation. Section 3 changes current law by: Expanding mitigation to include mitigation of adverse environmental impacts as a result of any activity regulated by the commission; Adding a prior owner or operator to the definition of "responsible party"; and Allowing a current or prior owner or operator to be held jointly and severally liable for the costs of any mitigation. Section 4 requires the office of future of work to present recommendations as a result of the adoption of the permitting rules to the general assembly in January 2028.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)