Sen. Kyle Mullica

The bill requires the department of public health and environment (department) to: Develop a standardized form and submission process to claim a medical exemption to an immunization; and Develop a standardized form and submission process to claim a religious or personal belief exemption to an immunization. The department is: Required to develop educational materials regarding immunizations to distribute to health care providers and facilities; Required to present immunization exemption information during its annual SMART Act hearing; and Required to use the existing immunization tracking system. The state board of health is: Required to promulgate rules adopting the medical exemption recommendations from the advisory committee on immunization practices of the centers for disease control and prevention in the federal department of health and human services, or any successor entity (ACIP); Required to promulgate rules adopting the the hepatitis A, rotavirus, and meningococcal immunizations; and Allowed to promulgate rules establishing the timing by which schools, parents, legal guardians, and students must demonstrate compliance with immunization requirements. Concerning the immunization tracking system, the bill: Requires a licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse to inform a parent or legal guardian who is claiming a medical exemption that he or she may choose to exclude the student's immunization information from the immunization tracking system before the student's immunization data is sent to the immunization tracking system; Requires the department or local or county, district, or municipal public health agency to inform a parent, legal guardian, or student who is claiming a religious or personal belief exemption that he or she may choose to exclude the student's immunization information from the immunization tracking system before the student's immunization data is sent to the immunization tracking system; and Requires a practitioner who is a licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse to submit immunization and medical exemption data to the immunization tracking system. However, the practitioner is not subject to a regulatory sanction for noncompliance.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More

Emergency medical service providers - scope of practice - medical supervision of practice in a clinical setting - prehospital scope of practice - state board of health rules. The act expands an emergency medical service (EMS) provider's scope of practice by authorizing a provider to practice under the medical supervision of a licensed physician, physician assistant, advanced practice nurse, or registered nurse, who is immediately available and physically present at the clinical setting where the EMS provider is performing tasks and procedures within the EMS provider's scope of practice. The state board of health may promulgate rules regarding medical supervision of an EMS provider's performance of tasks and procedures in a clinical setting. The act also specifies the prehospital settings in which an EMS provider may perform patient care, which care is subject to medical direction by a physician.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Advanced practice nurses with prescriptive authority - workers' compensation - ability to obtain level I accreditation. The act allows an advanced practice nurse with prescriptive authority to obtain level I accreditation under the "Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado".(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More

Section 1 of the bill prohibits a candidate for county elected office from sending any mass communication within 60 days immediately prior to the date of any primary, general, or special election in which the name of the candidate is on the ballot. The bill defines "mass communication" to mean any form of communication containing substantially identical content that is broadcast, mailed, delivered, or distributed by a candidate for county elected office at public expense, whether all of the communication is sent at the same time or on separate occasions, to: 500 or more persons where the population of the county exceeds 50,000 permanent residents; or 150 or more persons where the population of the county is 50,000 permanent residents or less. The bill exempts certain forms of communication by a candidate for county elected office from the definition of "mass communication". The bill also contains additional restrictions applicable to such mass communication regardless of the date when the communication is broadcast, mailed, delivered, or distributed. The bill does not affect the ability of a candidate for county elected office to broadcast, print, mail, deliver, or distribute to the fullest extent provided by law any form of communication that is paid for by a candidate committee established in his or her own name. Section 2 prohibits any reference to the county clerk and recorder in any document included within a mail ballot packet from identifying the name of the particular individual serving as county clerk and recorder at the time of the election.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More

The bill prohibits a carrier that offers or issues a health benefit plan that covers pharmaceutical services, including prescription drug coverage, or a pharmacy benefit management firm managing those benefits for a carrier, from: Limiting or restricting a covered person's ability to select a pharmacy or pharmacist if certain conditions are met; Imposing a copayment, fee, or other cost-sharing requirement for selecting a pharmacy of the covered person's choosing; Imposing other conditions on a covered person, pharmacist, or pharmacy that limit or restrict a covered person's ability to use a pharmacy of the covered person's choosing; or Denying a pharmacy or pharmacist the right to participate in any of its pharmacy network contracts in this state or as a contracting provider in this state if the pharmacy or pharmacist has a valid license in Colorado and the pharmacy or pharmacist agrees to specified conditions(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More