The act permits the university of northern Colorado (UNC) to offer specialized degree programs in osteopathic medicine. The act creates an exception to the university of Colorado health sciences center campus' exclusive authority in medicine for UNC's osteopathic medicine degree program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill modifies the relationship between a physician assistant and a physician or podiatrist by removing the requirement that a physician assistant be supervised by a physician or podiatrist. Instead: A physician assistant who has completed fewer than 3,000 hours of post-graduate clinical practice experience or who is beginning practice in a new specialty must enter into a collaborative plan with a physician; and A physician assistant who has completed fewer than 3,000 hours of post-graduate clinical practice must enter into a collaborative plan with a podiatrist before practicing podiatry. A physician assistant who has completed 3,000 or more practice hours or, for a physician assistant practicing a new specialty, has completed 2,000 practice hours in the new specialty and at least 3,000 total practice hours, is no longer required to maintain a collaborative plan and is instead required to consult with and refer to appropriate members of the physician assistant's health-care team based on a patient's condition; the physician assistant's education, experience, and competencies; and the standard of care. The bill specifies the requirements of the collaborative plan. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under existing law, it is unlawful for a person to sell, transfer, or possess large-capacity ammunition magazines (LCMs), with some exceptions. The bill allows a person to possess an LCM for the purpose of participating in a firearm shooting competition that is sanctioned by, under the auspices of, or in coordination with a state agency. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill authorizes county public hospitals and affiliates and health service districts and affiliates authorized under certain statutory provisions, all of which are in rural areas of the state, to engage in activities that might be characterized as anticompetitive or that might result in a monopoly or displace competition. The activities that a county public hospital or health service district may engage in include, among others, joint ventures, joint purchasing agreements, and joint negotiations. In exercising these powers, the county public hospital or health service district or its affiliate is performing essential public functions on behalf of the state and is immune from any liability under federal and state antitrust laws. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under the act, a pharmacist is eligible for reimbursement under the medical assistance program for certain medically necessary pharmacist services, as described in the act, that are not duplicative of other pharmacist services or programs reimbursed under the medical assistance program. The department of health care policy and financing shall include services reimbursed pursuant to the act in the review of provider rates for the medical assistance program.Further, the act allows a pharmacist or pharmacy that dispenses or administers extended-release injectable medications for the treatment of mental health or substance use disorders to seek reimbursement for those medications under the medical assistance program as either a pharmacy benefit or as a medical benefit.The act requires that costs associated with services provided by clinical pharmacists through a federally qualified health center (FQHC) be considered allowable costs for the purpose of the FQHC's cost report and be included in the calculation of the reimbursement rate for a patient visit at an FQHC.The act appropriates $372,554 to the department of health care policy and financing from the general fund and the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee cash fund to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state forest service, at the discretion of the state forester, to implement a biomass utilization grant program (program) by awarding up to $2.5 million in grants to demonstrate the utilization of biomass throughout the state for purposes such as wildfire prevention and mitigation, increased biomass energy generation, and agricultural biochar. The forest service, at the discretion of the state forester, may administer the program with money from the healthy forests and vibrant communities fund and with any gifts, grants, and donations received.On or before March 1, 2023, and on or before March 1 in each year that the forest service awards one or more grants under the program, the state forest service shall submit a report summarizing the grant recipients' projects to the governor and the legislative committees with jurisdiction over agriculture and natural resources matters.The program is scheduled for sunset review in 2026.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the department of health care policy and financing to seek federal authorization through an amendment to the state medical assistance plan to provide family planning services to individuals who are not pregnant and whose income does not exceed the state's current effective income level for pregnant women under the children's basic health plan.The act appropriates $272,956 to the department of health care policy and financing for use by the executive director's office and $565,614 to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology to implement this act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act enacts the "Pharmacy Fairness Act" (act), which:Requires a health insurer to submit to the commissioner of insurance (commissioner) a list of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) the health insurer uses to manage or administer prescription drug benefits under its health benefit plans offered in this state; Prohibits PBMs from: Restricting a covered person's access to prescription drug benefits at an in-network retail pharmacy, except as permitted in limited circumstances; Charging a pharmacy or pharmacist a fee for adjudicating a claim, other than a one-time fee of not more than the lesser of 25% of the pharmacy dispensing fee or 25 cents for receipt and processing of the same pharmacy claim; or Requiring stricter pharmacy accreditation standards or certification requirements than the standards or requirements that are applicable to similarly situated PBM-affiliated pharmacies within the same PBM network. A PBM that administers the drug assistance program operated by the department of public health and environment is exempt from the requirements and prohibitions of the act with regard to the PBM's administration of that program only.The act also precludes a health insurer, a PBM, or an entity acting for a health insurer or PBM to conduct on-site audits of pharmacies within 12 months after a prior on-site audit except in specified circumstances.Additionally, the act requires a health insurer or PBM to respond in real time to a request from an insured, the insured's health-care provider, or a third party acting on behalf of the insured or provider for data regarding the cost, benefits, and coverage under the insured's health benefit plan for a particular drug.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes the following changes affecting claims for an income tax credit allowed for the donation of a perpetual conservation easement in gross (tax credit):Specifies that the division of conservation can be a holder of a conservation easement in gross; Authorizes the executive director to provide information regarding a taxpayer to another taxpayer or require information to be given to the division of conservation in certain circumstances; Modifies the definition of "taxpayer" to clarify the applicability of the tax credit to donations made by certain nonprofit and governmental entities; Modifies the process for filing conservation easement tax credit certificates with income tax returns; Eliminates the authority of the executive director of the department of revenue to require additional information regarding the amount and validity of tax credits and to resolve disputes regarding the credits; Establishes a process for the division of conservation to track the transfer of and certify the ownership of tax credits; Modifies the formula used to calculate the amount of the tax credit; Modifies the manner in which the amount of a tax credit is allocated among owners, partners, members, or shareholders of certain legal entities; Modifies certain provisions regarding the number of tax credits that may be claimed and the manner of claiming the credits; Eliminates the requirement that the donor of an easement is the tax matters representative for purposes of resolving issues and disputes relating to a transferred credit; Allows certain governmental entities that are not subject to income tax to be able to claim a transferrable expense amount for the donation of a perpetual conservation easement to be transferred to a transferee in lieu of claiming a tax credit; and Eliminates obsolete reporting requirements.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes general fund transfers of $8,000,000 to the just transition cash fund (fund) and $7,000,000 to a newly created coal transition worker assistance program account (account) in the fund. The just transition office (office) is required to expend at least 70% of the money transferred to the fund by the close of state fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 and any remaining money in state FY 2022-23 to implement the final just transition plan for Colorado and to provide supplemental funding for existing state programs that the office identifies as the most effective vehicles for targeted investment in coal transition communities. In expending the money, the office is required to develop specific criteria for prioritizing the expenditures, emphasize investment in tier one transition communities, as defined by the act, and support specified types of programs in accordance with specified requirements and limitations.Subject to specified requirements and limitations, the department of labor and employment (CDLE) is required to expend at least 70% of the money transferred to the account by the close of state FY 2021-22 and any remaining money in state FY 2022-23 first for assistance programs that directly assist coal transition workers and then, if money remains, to support family and other household members of coal transition workers and create and implement a pilot program to test innovative coal transition work support programs.The act also:Amends and supplements existing definitions of "coal transition community" and "coal transition worker" to improve the implementation of just transition. For state FY 2020-21, appropriates $8,000,000 from the fund to CDLE for use by the office to implement the final just transition plan for Colorado and to provide supplemental funding for existing state programs that the office identifies as the most effective vehicles for targeted investment in coal transition communities as specified in the act. Any portion of the appropriation not spent by the close of state FY 2020-21 remains available for expenditure by the office for the same purposes until the close of state FY 2022-23. For state FY 2020-21, appropriates $7,000,000 from the account to CDLE for use by CDLE first for assistance programs that directly assist coal transition workers and then, if money remains, to support family and other household members of coal transition workers and create and implement a pilot program to test innovative coal transition work support programs as specified in the act. Any portion of the appropriation not spent by the close of state FY 2020-21 remains available for expenditure by CDLE for the same purposes until the close of state FY 2022-23.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
