The act requires insurance carriers to provide coverage for the treatment of substance use disorders in accordance with the American society of addiction medicine (ASAM) criteria for placement, medical necessity, and utilization management determinations in accordance with the most recent edition of the ASAM criteria. The act also authorizes the commissioner of insurance, in consultation with the department of human services (DHS) and the department of health care policy and financing, to identify by rule alternate nationally recognized substance-use-disorder-specific treatment criteria if the ASAM criteria are no longer available, relevant, or reflect best practices. These provisions apply to health benefits plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2022. The act prohibits managed service organization contracted providers; withdrawal management services; and recovery residences from denying access to medical or substance use disorder treatment services, including recovery services, to persons who are participating in prescribed medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders. In addition, the act prohibits courts and parole, probation, and community corrections from prohibiting the use of prescribed medication-assisted treatment as a condition of participation or placement. The act requires managed care entities to provide coordination of care for the full continuum of substance use disorder and mental health treatment and recovery services, including support for individuals transitioning between levels of care. The act authorizes the commissioner of insurance, in consultation with the department of public health and environment (CDPHE), to promulgate rules, or to seek a revision of the essential health benefits package, for prescription medications for medication-assisted treatment to be included on insurance carriers' formularies. The act requires insurance carriers to report to the commissioner of insurance on the number of in-network providers who are licensed to prescribe medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders, including buprenorphine, and the number of prescriptions for medication-assisted treatment filled by enrollees. Further, insurance carriers shall report on the carrier's efforts to ensure sufficient capacity for and access to medication-assisted treatment. The act requires the commissioner of insurance to promulgate rules concerning the reporting. The act requires insurance carriers to provide coverage for at least one opiate antagonist. The act consolidates part 1 of article 82 of title 27, Colorado Revised Statutes, relating to emergency treatment and voluntary and involuntary commitment of persons for treatment of drugs into the existing part 1 of article 81 of title 27 relating to emergency treatment and voluntary and involuntary commitment of persons for treatment of alcohol use disorders, in order to create a single process that includes all substances. The new scope of part 1 of article 81 of title 27 includes both alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder under the defined term "substance use disorder".The amendments and additions to part 1 of article 81 of title 27 include: Defining "administrator" to include an administrator's designee; Adding a definition of "incapacitated by substances" to include a person who is incapacitated by alcohol or incapacitated by substances; Changing terminology throughout that refer to "substances" to include both alcohol and drugs; Adjusting the duration of the initial involuntary commitment from 30 days to up to 90 days; Allowing a person to enter into a stipulated order for committed treatment, expediting placement into treatment; Removing the mandatory hearing for the initial involuntary commitment but allowing a person to request a hearing if the person does not want to enter into a stipulated order for committed treatment; Incorporating in statute "patient's rights" relating to civil commitment; Using person-centered language throughout the statutory process; and Relocating the existing opioid crisis recovery funds advisory committee from article 82 in title 27 to article 81 in title 27. In addition, the act amends statutory references, including several in the professional licensing statutes in title 12, Colorado Revised Statutes, to remove references to both alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder as grounds for professional discipline, and replaces those terms with the single term "substance use disorder", which the act now defines in article 81 of title 27 to include both drugs and alcohol. The act also amends statutory references to provisions in part 2 of article 82 of title 27, which the act repeals and replaces those references with a new reference to the relevant provisions in article 81 of title 27. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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Under current law, the public school capital construction assistance board establishes guidelines for considering applications for money from the public school capital construction assistance fund. The act adds to the considerations in the guidelines consulting with the local electric utility on energy efficiency, beneficial electrification, and renewable distributed generation opportunities. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act: Continues the opioid and other substance use disorders study committee (committee) for an additional 4 years, meeting every other year beginning in 2021; In addition to the existing areas of study, for the 2021 interim, requires the committee to study the relationship between mental health conditions and substance use disorders and the effect of COVID-19 on substance use disorders; Requires the state substance abuse trend and response task force to convene stakeholders for the purpose of generating policy recommendations related to opioid and other substance use disorders and reviewing progress on bills introduced by the committee and passed by the general assembly; Modifies how child abuse, neglect, or dependency is determined in situations involving alcohol or substance exposure; and Authorizes the statewide perinatal substance use data linkage project to conduct ongoing research related to the incidence of perinatal substance exposure or related infant and family health and human service outcomes based on the new standards for determining child abuse, neglect, or dependency when alcohol or substance exposure is involved. $74,620 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of human services and reappropriated to the department of law to purchase legal services. The appropriation to the office of the governor, for use by the office of information technology for applications administration, is reduced by $74,620. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes the peace officers standards and training (P.O.S.T.) board to establish a scholarship program for law enforcement agencies in rural and smaller jurisdictions with limited resources due to their size or location to assist the agencies with the payment of tuition costs for peace officer candidates to attend an approved basic law enforcement training academy. A peace officer who received a scholarship for a training academy tuition must be employed for at least three years by a law enforcement agency in a rural and small jurisdiction after attending the approved basic law enforcement training academy or the peace officer shall reimburse the cost of attending the basic law enforcement training academy to the P.O.S.T. board. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies' sunset review and report on the registration functions of the commissioner of agriculture (commissioner) regarding the "Colorado Seed Act" by: Continuing the commissioner's registration functions for 11 years, until 2031; Setting fees for registration in statute and allowing the commissioner to adjust the registration fees by rule up to a maximum amount set in statute; Removing the fee discount afforded to registrants with respect to registering a second and any additional locations; and Authorizing the commissioner to establish a registration renewal schedule by rule and repealing language that made each registration effective for one year from March 1 through the last day in February, regardless of when the registration was approved.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the rural economic development initiative (REDI) grant program in the department of local affairs (department) to provide grants for projects that create new jobs through a new employer or the expansion of an existing employer and for projects that create diversity and resiliency in the local economies of rural communities. The department is required to administer the REDI grant program in consultation with the Colorado office of economic development. Entities eligible to receive REDI grant program money include local governments and organizations or individuals working in partnership with a local government, where the local government serves as the grant administrator, including intergovernmental agencies, councils of government, housing authorities, beginning farmers, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, nonprofit economic development organizations, and private employers. The act specifies criteria that the department is required to consider when evaluating grant applications and requires the department to prioritize applications that would create new jobs. The act specifies the types of projects for which REDI grants may be awarded to eligible recipients and requires grant recipients to provide matching funds. If the department determines that a rural community needs resources or assistance because it has been impacted by a significant economic event or an anticipated event that has been announced, the department may use all or a portion of the money appropriated for the purposes of the REDI grant program for the purposes of the "Rural Economic Advancement of Colorado Towns (REACT) Act". The executive director of the department is required to adopt policies and procedures for the administration of the REDI grant program and is also required to produce a report summarizing the use of all money that was awarded as grants from the REDI grant program in the preceding fiscal year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill creates the future educator pathways grant program (grant program) in the department of education (department) to provide grants to local education providers, as defined in the bill, to create future educator pathways programs. The department shall administer the grant program, and the state board of education (state board) shall promulgate necessary rules for the grant program. Future educator pathways programs prepare future educators, including future educators in early childhood education, by providing students with opportunities for concurrent enrollment and apprenticeships that lead to college credit toward degrees and credentials as educators. The state board, after consultation with the department of labor and employment and the department of higher education, shall promulgate rules establishing requirements for apprenticeship programs. The bill specifies the dates by which an eligible local education provider must apply to the department for grant money and the information required in the grant program application. The state board shall award grants to one or more qualified local education providers by dates specified in the bill. A local education provider that receives a grant is required to use the grant money for specified purposes in connection with apprenticeship programs and concurrent enrollment. To receive a grant, a local education provider shall commit to match state grant money with local money equal to 25% of the grant award. The bill specifies that the state board is required to ensure that grants are awarded to geographically diverse local education providers and to a mix of rural, urban, and suburban local education providers. In addition, the state board shall award at least 20% of the total amount awarded in grants to eligible rural local education providers, as defined in the bill, and at least 70% of the total amount awarded in grants to future educator pathways programs that provide apprenticeships. The bill creates the future educator pathways fund (fund) in the state treasury and requires the state treasurer to transfer an amount of money specified in the bill from the general fund to the fund in the 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 state fiscal years. The state board may award grant program grants in a fourth year of the program if money remains in the fund after the third grant cycle. The department is required to submit an annual report on the grant program to the governor and the house and senate education committees that includes specified information, including a final report. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Currently, under the federal educator expense deduction, an eligible educator can claim a deduction, not to exceed $250, for the purchase of school supplies and certain professional development courses. The bill creates a state income tax credit for an eligible educator for the purchase of school supplies that qualify for the deduction that exceeds $250 but are less than $750. The amount of the credit that exceeds the educator's income taxes is refunded to the educator.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill directs the department of higher education and the department of education to convene a workgroup on diversity in the educator workforce (workgroup). The department of higher education and the department of education shall select the members of the workgroup, which shall include but are not limited to those agencies, persons, and organizations specified in the bill. The department may seek recommendations or nominations from interested stakeholders. The workgroup shall investigate barriers to the preparation, retention, and recruitment of a diverse educator workforce and shall consider strategies to increase diversity in the educator workforce. The bill includes specific issues for the workgroup to consider. The workgroup shall submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the education committees of the general assembly no later than September 30, 2021. The workgroup may submit interim findings and recommendations during the 2021 legislative session. Under current law, the department of higher education reports annually concerning educator preparation programs, including enrollment, graduation rates, outcomes of graduates, and performance on assessments administered for licensure. The bill requires the department to include the required information disaggregated by the candidates' or graduates' gender, race, and ethnicity. Further, the information contained in the annual report must be posted on the department of higher education's and the department of education's websites. (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.)