The bill makes appropriations to the department of higher education for need-based grants, student stipends, fee-for-service contracts with institutions of higher education, local district college grants, and area technical colleges. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Sunset Process - House Judiciary Committee. The bill implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies in its sunset review of the Colorado civil rights division and the Colorado civil rights commission to continue the commission and the division and their respective functions for 9 years, through September 1, 2027. The bill appropriates $1,642,843 to the department of regulatory agencies for the 2018-19 fiscal year for use by the civil rights division for personal services, operating expenses, hearings, and commission meeting costs. The appropriation assumes that the division will require 27.2 FTE to implement the bill. The bill also acknowledges, for informational purposes, that the civil rights division will receive $496,489 in federal funds for the 2018-19 fiscal year. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates the childhood cancer awareness license plate. A person becomes eligible to use the plate by providing a certificate confirming that the person has made a donation to an organization chosen by the department of revenue based on the organization's assistance to children with cancer. 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. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
Currently, a resident individual with a federal adjusted gross income of $60,000 or less is allowed a state income tax credit (state credit) for child care expenses that is a percentage of a similar federal income tax credit claimed (federal credit). The amount of the state credit depends on the individual's adjusted gross income (AGI). If the individual's AGI is: $25,000 or less, then the state credit is 50% of the federal credit; $25,001 to $35,000, then the state credit is 30% of the federal credit; and $35,001 to $60,000, then the state credit is 10% of the federal credit. The bill expands the state credit by allowing a resident individual with an AGI that is less than or equal to $150,000 to claim a credit that is equal to 80% of the individual's federal credit. For a taxpayer who is eligible for the credit due to the increased income threshold, the state credit is not refundable but may be carried forward up to 5 income tax years. The bill makes an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill changes the name of the existing low-income housing tax credit to the affordable housing tax credit. This change is reflected in sections 1 and 3 of the bill. Section 2 extends the period during which the Colorado housing and finance authority may allocate affordable housing tax credits from December 31, 2019, to December 31, 2024.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The concurrent resolution amends the state constitution to create the independent legislative redistricting commission (commission) to divide the state into state senate and state representative legislative districts. Specifically, the concurrent resolution: Specifies that the commission is appointed after each federal decennial census of the United States; Specifies that the commission consists of 12 members, 4 of whom must be registered with the state's largest political party, 4 of whom must be registered with the state's second largest political party, and 4 of whom must not be registered with any political party; Establishes the qualifications to serve on the commission and the method by which commissioners are appointed; Authorizes the commission to adopt rules and specifies how the commission is staffed, how the commission is funded, how the commission is organized, and sets forth the ethical obligations of the commissioners; Requires the commission to provide the opportunity for public involvement, including multiple hearings, the ability to propose maps, and to testify at commission hearings, and requires hearings to comply with state statutes regarding open meetings; Mandates that paid lobbying of the commission be disclosed to the secretary of state by the lobbyist within 72 hours of when the lobbying occurred or when the payment for lobbying occurred, whichever is earlier; Establishes prioritized factors for the commission to use in drawing districts, including federal requirements, the preservation of communities of interest and political subdivisions, and maximizing the number of competitive districts; Prohibits the commission from approving a map if it has been drawn for the purpose of protecting one or more members of or candidates for state legislative office or a political party, and codifies current federal law and related existing federal requirements prohibiting maps drawn for the purpose of or that results in the denial or abridgement of a person's right to vote or electoral influence on account of a person's race, ethnic origin, or membership in a protected language group; Requires at least 8 of the 12 commissioners, including at least 2 of the commissioners who are not registered with any political party, to approve a redistricting map and specifies the date by which a final map must be approved; Specifies that nonpartisan staff will draft a preliminary redistricting map and up to 3 additional maps, and, in the event of deadlock by the commission, creates a process by which nonpartisan staff submit a final map to the Supreme Court for review based on specified criteria; and Allows for judicial review of a commission approved or nonpartisan staff submitted redistricting map, and limits Supreme Court review to whether the commission or the staff committed an abuse of discretion.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this concurrent resolution as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates the school access for emergency response grant program (grant program) in the division of homeland security and emergency management (division) in the department of public safety (department). The purpose of the grant program is to provide funding for interoperable communication hardware, software, equipment maintenance, and training to allow for seamless communications between existing school communications systems and first responder communications systems. Grant recipients may use the money received through the grant program to deliver training programs to teach effective communications with first responders in an emergency, to implement an interoperable technology solution to provide or upgrade a system for effective communication with first responders in an emergency, to maintain, improve, or provide interoperable communications hardware or software, and for any necessary radio system capacity expansions where school loading has been determined to have a significant impact on public safety system loading. The division, in consultation with the grant selection committee created in the bill, is required to implement the grant program and, subject to available appropriations, award grants to be paid from the grant program fund. The director of the division is required to promulgate rules necessary to implement the grant program. The grant selection committee is created to work with the director of the division to determine whether a grant applicant satisfies the criteria to receive a grant. To be eligible to receive a grant, a school district, school, charter school of the district, institute charter school, or state charter school institute must have a memorandum of understanding with its regional public safety 911 answering point or the local law enforcement agency that serves the school for communications interoperability and must submit an application, including specified information, to the division. The grant selection committee is required to review the applications received and consider certain criteria in awarding the grants. Each grant recipient is required to submit a report to the division and the department is required to provide an annual update to the general assembly regarding the grant program. The bill creates the grant program cash fund in the state treasury, which consists of a specified amount of money that the state treasurer transfers to the fund for each of the next 6 fiscal years. The bill also makes an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The concurrent resolution amends the state constitution to create the independent congressional redistricting commission (commission) and to transfer the general assembly's responsibility to divide the state into congressional districts to the commission. Specifically, the concurrent resolution: Specifies that the commission is appointed after each federal decennial census of the United States; Specifies that the commission consists of 12 members, 4 of whom must be registered with the state's largest political party, 4 of whom must be registered with the state's second largest political party, and 4 of whom must not be registered with any political party; Establishes the qualifications to serve on the commission and the method by which commissioners are appointed; Authorizes the commission to adopt rules and specifies how the commission is staffed, how the commission is funded, how the commission is organized, and sets forth the ethical obligations of the commissioners; Requires the commission to provide the opportunity for public involvement, including multiple hearings, the ability to propose maps, and to testify at commission hearings, and requires hearings to comply with state statutes regarding open meetings; Mandates that paid lobbying of the commission be disclosed to the secretary of state by the lobbyist within 72 hours of when the lobbying occurred or when the payment for lobbying occurred, whichever is earlier; Establishes prioritized factors for the commission to use in drawing districts, including federal requirements, the preservation of communities of interest and political subdivisions, and maximizing the number of competitive districts; Prohibits the commission from approving a map if it has been drawn for the purpose of protecting one or more members of or candidates for congress or a political party, and codifies current federal law and related existing federal requirements prohibiting maps drawn for the purpose of or that results in the denial or abridgement of a person's right to vote or electoral influence on account of a person's race, ethnic origin, or membership in a protected language group; Requires at least 8 of the 12 commissioners, including at least 2 of the commissioners who are not registered with any political party, to approve a redistricting map and specifies the date by which a final map must be approved; Specifies that nonpartisan staff will draft a preliminary redistricting map and up to 3 additional maps, and, in the event of deadlock by the commission, creates a process by which nonpartisan staff submit a final map to the Supreme Court for review based on specified criteria; and Allows for judicial review of a commission approved or nonpartisan staff submitted redistricting map, and limits Supreme Court review to whether the commission or the staff committed an abuse of discretion.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this concurrent resolution as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates the Chicana/o special license plate. A person becomes eligible to use the plate by providing a certificate confirming that the person has made a donation to an organization chosen by the department of revenue based on the organization's provision of services to the Latino community. The organization may implement the bill by making grants to other organizations that also qualify under the standards of the bill. 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.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
The bill requires each institution of higher education (institution) to adopt, periodically review, and update a policy on sexual misconduct (policy). The bill establishes minimum requirements for the policies, including reporting options, procedures for investigations and adjudications, and protections for involved persons. Institutions are to promote the policy by posting information on their websites and annually distributing the policy and information. Institutions are required to provide training on awareness and prevention of sexual misconduct, the policy, and resources available to discuss such misconduct. The bill requires institutions to report to the department of higher education (department) on their policies and training, and the department posts information on the reports on its website. The department is to host biennial summits on sexual misconduct on institution campuses to facilitate communication, share information, and hear from experts. The bill identifies the membership of the planning committee for the summits. The planning committees are to report to specified committees of the general assembly on the summits. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
