The "Colorado Road and Community Safety Act" authorizes the issuance of a driver's license or identification card to an individual who is not lawfully present in the United States if the individual meets certain requirements. The act changes these requirements by: Repealing the requirement that the applicant have filed a Colorado resident income tax return; Repealing the requirement that the applicant demonstrate residency in the state for the immediately preceding 2 years; Repealing the requirement that the applicant provide a documented social security number or individual taxpayer identification number; and Allowing an applicant to present a passport, consular identification card, or military identification document from the applicant's country of origin that is unexpired or expired less than 10 years before the date of the applicant's application for a driver's license or identification document. The act authorizes the use of exceptions processing, which is a hearing to determine whether an applicant possesses evidence sufficient to prove the applicant qualifies for an identification document, for identification document applicants who are not lawfully present in the United States. The department will promulgate rules concerning exceptions processing and the use of documents issued by an agent or agency of the United States government to prove a person qualifies for a Colorado identification document. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $122,855 to the department of revenue from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund, $14,355 of which is reappropriated to the governor's office for use by the office of information technology. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE March 31, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act allows a preschool, public school, or public college or university student to wear objects of cultural or religious significance as an adornment at a graduation ceremony. The act prohibits a preschool, public school, or public college or university from restricting what a student may wear under the student's required graduation attire as long as the adornment complies with the preschool's, public school's, or public college's or university's dress code policy. The act allows a preschool, public school, or public college or university to prohibit a student from wearing or displaying an adornment that is likely to cause substantial disruption of, or material interference with, a graduation ceremony, but the prohibition must be the least restrictive means necessary to accomplish a specifically identified important government interest. Prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year, the act requires a preschool, public school, and public college or university to develop and adopt a policy that aligns with the requirements of the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the Chicana/o special license plate. An applicant becomes eligible to use the plate by providing a certificate to the department of revenue (department) confirming that the applicant has made a donation to a nonprofit organization (organization) chosen by the department based on the organization's provision of services to the Latin American community. The organization may implement the act by making grants to other organizations that also qualify under the standards of the act. In addition to the standard motor vehicle fees, the plate requires 2 one-time fees of $25. One of the fees is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other to the licensing services cash fund. To implement this act, $14,191 is appropriated to the department. This appropriation consists of $7,562 from the license plate cash fund and $6,629 from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund. APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act establishes a bill of rights for a K-12 student who is involved in any capacity with the juvenile or criminal justice system (justice-engaged student). School districts, boards of cooperative services, charter schools, and institute charter schools (local education providers) must follow the bill of rights for justice-engaged students. The bill of rights includes, but is not limited to: Providing the justice-engaged student with alternative solutions to a general education, when appropriate; Prompt enrollment or re-enrollment no later than 10 business days after the first request to the local education provider, so long as the student is eligible for enrollment, as determined by the local education provider; Appropriate credit for coursework completed while justice-engaged, and for that coursework to be applied toward graduation or school continuation; Providing the justice-engaged student with a graduation plan, developed in consultation with the justice-engaged student, the student's family, caregiver or advocate; Privacy, including privacy when related to diversion, probation, or questioning about a crime; Protection by the federal "Individuals with Disabilities Act", section 504 of the federal "Rehabilitation Act of 1973", applicable foster care regulations, and the federal "McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act"; Creating evidence of and being evaluated for giftedness; and Allowing the justice-engaged student to participate in school activities or career readiness pathways in accordance with rules promulgated by the state board of education (board). Each local education provider shall publish on its website an explanation of the services and resources available for justice-engaged students, including the name, phone number, and email address of a designated, trained point-of-contact person (contact person) at the local education provider. For small and rural school districts that are not members of a BOCES, a designated support person within the department of education (department) may act as a contact person. The contact person shall read and understand the guidance developed by the department and be knowledgeable about alternative education options and wraparound services. Upon notification or request, a local education provider will work with the team of professionals, including the multi-tiered systems of supports, and appropriate intervention teams, families, and justice-engaged students to ensure a pathway to graduation, including workforce development opportunities, access to alternative educational programming, and mental health and other supports as and if appropriate and available. On or before July 1, 2024, the department shall convene an interagency working group to review and make recommendations to the department and joint education committees of the house of representatives and the senate no later than December 1, 2024 regarding justice-engaged students. The board shall promulgate rules to establish a process and framework for interpreting and transferring credits and schoolwork completed by a justice-engaged student while in custody. Local education providers retain the right to suspend or expel a justice-engaged student pursuant to applicable laws. The department shall provide guidance to local education providers on how to allow a justice-engaged student to receive an accommodation to participate in school activities, including, but not limited to, graduation ceremonies, sporting events, after-school activities, and college or career readiness pathways. On or before September 1, 2026, the act requires the department to select and contract with an entity to establish and maintain a statewide hotline for justice-engaged students, families and caregivers, justice system personnel, and education personnel. Each justice-engaged student shall be provided information about the hotline by law enforcement after ticketing or arrest, by the division of youth services after release from the division, and by local education providers after notification that a student has become justice-engaged. The act requires the entity operating the hotline to submit a written report to the department and board on or before June 30, 2025, and each June 30 thereafter. The report must categorize and summarize the number of calls received, the type of person calling, types of supports or referrals provided, and the geography of calls received so that service gaps can be identified. Beginning July 1, 2025, the department shall assist students from small and rural school districts who have been denied re-entry into school by a local education provider. Under current law, if a child or youth is within a court's jurisdiction, a preliminary investigation is made to determine whether further actions be taken to protect the interests of the child or youth or the community. The court or judge or magistrate is encouraged to take into consideration a juvenile's educational progress and ability to achieve credits toward graduation when considering release options. If the court commits a justice-engaged student to the department of human services who does not include a physical threat or bodily injury to another person, the court is encouraged to order that the commitment take place in a manner that allows the justice-engaged student to continue to attend school prior to commitment to avoid disruption of the justice-engaged student's academic progress and ability to achieve credits for a semester. The act appropriates $82,883 from the general fund for the 2024-25 state fiscal year to the department of education for use by student pathways. APPROVED by Governor May 31, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act prohibits an employer from subjecting or threatening to subject an employee to discipline, discharge, or an adverse employment action on account of the employee's refusal to attend or participate in an employer-sponsored meeting concerning religious or political matters or for declining to listen to the speech of or view religious or political communications from the employer or the agent, representative, or designee of the employer. With regard to state employees, the prohibitions apply only to meetings and communications relating to state employees' decisions to join or support a fraternal or labor organization. Certain employer communications are exempt from the prohibition, including communications: Required by law, a court order, or an agreement with a governmental entity to communicate to employees, but only to the extent of a legal requirement; That are necessary for an employee to perform the employee's job duties; or That are required to prevent unlawful discrimination or harassment. Certain communications from institutions of higher education and K-12 schools and school districts are also exempt when the communication is related to coursework, symposia, or an academic program. The act does not apply to certain religious corporations, entities, associations, educational institutions, societies, or nonprofit faith-based health systems or facilities. The act authorizes an aggrieved person to seek relief by filing a complaint with the department of labor and employment (department) or by filing an action in district court after the person has exhausted all administrative remedies and has filed a complaint with the department. The act also creates an affirmative defense for employers. Each employer is required to distribute, at the employer's workplace or through e-mail or a regularly used communication system, a notice to each employee of the employee rights outlined in the act. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $278,564 is appropriated from the general fund to the department for use by the division of labor standards and statistics to implement the act. VETOED by Governor May 17, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill defines the term "assault weapon" and prohibits a person from manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, offering to sell, or transferring ownership of an assault weapon. The bill further prohibits a person from possessing a rapid-fire trigger activator. A person in violation of the prohibitions will be assessed a first-time penalty of $250,000 and $500,000 for each subsequent violation. The bill prohibits the sale or transfer by an individual on or after July 1, 2024, to anyone within the state, except to: An heir by bequest or intestate succession; or A licensed gun or firearms dealer, who shall render the weapon inoperable within ninety days of the transfer. An individual or entity that does not have a permit to sell firearms but sells or attempts to make a private sale of an assault weapon or rapid-fire trigger activator in violation of the requirements of the bill on or after July 1, 2025, shall be assessed a civil penalty in the amount of $750. A licensed gun dealer, licensed firearms dealer, gun show vendor, or other person who has a permit to sell firearms who sells or attempts to sell an assault weapon or rapid-fire trigger activator in violation of the requirements of the bill on or after July 1, 2025, shall be reported to the department of revenue. The department of revenue shall take appropriate actions as required by law. A licensed gun dealer, licensed firearms dealer, gun show vendor, or other person who has a permit to sell firearms who purchases an assault weapon or rapid-fire trigger activator from a manufacturer of assault weapons that operates in Colorado shall be reported to the department of revenue. The department of revenue shall take appropriate actions as required by law. The prohibition does not apply to: A member of the United States armed forces, a peace officer, or other government officer or agent, to the extent that the person is otherwise authorized to acquire or possess an assault weapon and does so while acting within the scope of the person's duties; A person who is an active member of the United States armed forces while on duty and serving in conformance with the policies of the United States armed forces; The manufacture, sale, or transfer of an assault weapon or rapid-fire trigger activators by a licensed firearms manufacturer to any branch of the United States armed forces, or to an entity that employs peace officers, for use by that entity or its employees a peace officer or to an entity that employs peace officers; The manufacture, sale, or transfer of an assault weapon by a licensed firearms manufacturer to any branch of the Unites States armed forces; The transfer of an assault weapon to a licensed firearms dealer or gunsmith for the purposes of maintenance, repair, or modification, and the subsequent return of the assault weapon to the lawful owner; Any federal, state, or local historical society, museum, or institutional collection that is open to the public, provided that the assault weapon is securely housed and unloaded; A forensic laboratory, or any authorized agent or employee of the laboratory, for use exclusively in the course and scope of authorized activities; An entity that operates an armored vehicle business and an authorized employee of the entity while in the course and scope of employment; A licensed gun dealer who has remaining inventory of assault weapons as of August 1, 2024, and sells or transfers the remaining inventory only to a non-Colorado resident and the sale or transfer takes place out of state; or A peace officer. The prohibition does not apply to the transportation of assault weapons through the state by a person who is not otherwise prohibited by state or federal law from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm. A person is entitled to transport an assault weapon for any lawful purpose from any place where the person may lawfully possess and carry the assault weapon to any other place where the person may lawfully possess and carry the assault weapon, provided the transportation is in accordance with federal law. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill allows a preschool, public school, or public college or university student to wear and display religious or cultural regalia at a graduation ceremony. The bill prohibits a preschool, school, or public college or university from restricting what a student may wear under the student's required graduation attire. The bill allows a preschool, school, or public college or university to prohibit a student from wearing or displaying an item that is likely to cause substantial disruption of, or material interference with, a graduation ceremony, but the prohibition must be the least restrictive means necessary to accomplish a specifically identified important government interest. Prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year, the bill requires a preschool, school, and public college or university to develop and adopt a policy that aligns with the requirements of this bill. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)